JPH1115761A - Information processor having infrared communication function and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor which smoothly transfers a processing result that is acquired with application execution or transfer data such as an HTML(hypertext markup language) file that is acquired from a server according to a TCP/IP(transmission control protocol/internet protocol) protocol to an external device (PDA) by using an infrared communication function and its control method. SOLUTION: An information processor periodically accesses a prescribed server machine (e.g. a web server) on a network such as an internet and acquires a desired file (e.g. an HTML file). The file acquisition operation is ventured to be executed regardless of the operation of an infrared light transmitting and receiving part. In other words, the information processor always tries to cache the latest download data for a PDA. As a result, only by setting a PDA as an external device to an infrared communication mode and holding the information processor up in an area where a station can be found, the connection between them is established and the latest data is received.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a PIM (Personal)
The present invention relates to a type of information processing apparatus capable of editing software and executing various application programs such as a Web browser.
al Digital Assistant) having an infrared communication function with an external device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a processing result obtained by executing an application or a TCP / IP (Transmission Control).
ol Protocol / Internet Protocol)
HTML (HyperText Markup L) acquired from the web server
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of smoothly transferring transfer data such as a file to an external device using an infrared communication function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent technological innovation, various personal computers (PCs) such as a desktop type, a tower type, and a notebook type have been developed and marketed. Recently, PCs smaller (eg, palmtop type) than notebook PCs, so-called "PDAs (Personal Di
digital assistants) have also become widespread. PDAs are generally designed to be smaller and lighter than notebook PCs, and thus can be said to have enhanced mobility.

A major example of a PDA is a portable information device "Newton" jointly developed by Apple Inc. and Sharp.
MessagePad ". PDA
Another example is a PDA "IBM ChipCard VW-200" marketed by IBM Japan, Ltd.
(Hereinafter simply referred to as “VW-200”) (see FIG. 6).

[0004] VW-200 is a PC card type P
DA, PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory)
Card International Association) / JEIDA (Jap
a first housing portion conforming to a Type-II (5.0 mm × 85.6 mm × 54.0 mm) form factor of an Electronic Industry Development Association, and pivotable to an edge of the first housing portion And a second housing portion supported by the "foldable structure". The first housing portion can be inserted into, for example, a PC card slot provided in a notebook PC main body, and a PCMCIA connector for realizing mechanical and electrical connection with the PC main body is provided on the other end surface. Have been. In a state where the second housing portion is folded into the first housing portion, Type-III
It can also be inserted into a PC card slot as a card (10.5 mm x 85.6 mm x 54.0 mm). On the board in each of these housings, in addition to a PCMCIA interface circuit and a memory (SRAM, EEPROM, kanji font ROM, etc.), an internal CPU (Toshiba 16-bit CPU "TLCS") for controlling the operation of the PDA is provided.
−9001 ″). When the first housing part is inserted into the PC card slot, the internal C
The PU goes into sleep mode, which results in the VW-20
0 functions as a normal memory card. Also, PC
Upon removal from the card slot, the internal CPU resumes operation, so that the VW-200 can function as a PDA. As shown in FIG. 6, a keyboard as an input device of the PDA is arranged on the upper surface of the first housing portion. On the surface of the second housing portion, a liquid crystal display (200 × 320 dots (full-width 12 characters × 20 lines), STN monochrome) is provided.

[0005] The main use of PDA is for personal information such as calendar, schedule, address book, memorandum, etc.
Management of IM (Personal Information Manager) data
Browsing. Another use of the PDA is for browsing Web pages in a mobile environment. The advantage of PDAs is, of course, outstanding mobility. The user of the PDA can easily refer to and update his / her PIM information and browse the Web page even in a mobile environment.

[0006] The data handled by the PDA can be edited by the user directly on the PDA, or the PDA can connect to the network by itself and directly acquire the HTML file from the Web server. However, a PDA is smaller than a notebook PC, and a display as an output device and a keyboard / tablet as an input device have to be reduced in size in proportion to the size. In other words, it is hard to say that the working environment for inputting and editing is substantial. Further, the enhanced PIM software has a large program size correspondingly, and there are restrictions on the CPU's arithmetic performance, memory capacity, and the like when executed on a PDA. Also, regarding the acquisition of Web data, the complicated TCP / IP protocol
Support on DA involves certain technical difficulties and inevitably leads to increased costs. In the first place, in a mobile environment, connection to the Internet is not always guaranteed. In addition, although it takes at least several minutes to access the Web server and transfer data, such a drive time for waiting intuitively is ignored by the built-in battery of the PDA which has a relatively small size and small capacity. It will be difficult.

For this reason, PIM data for a PDA is edited in advance using, for example, PIM software on a desktop or notebook PC acting as a host PC, and stored in an external storage device of the host PC. It is already performed to cut out only a necessary part of the data and download it to the PDA. In addition, an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) file is downloaded in advance from a desired Web page on the host PC connected to the Internet, and the host PC uses the PDA.
HTML file saved (for example, only text part of HTML file) in response to request from the side
Has already been downloaded to the PDA side.

[0008] In the case of the above-described VW-200, PCMCI
A / J has a first housing part compliant with Type-II defined by JEIDA, and is inserted into a card slot prepared on the host PC side to be inserted into the host PC.
It is designed to achieve data exchange with
That is, the host PC only needs to download the data (for example, PIM data or HTML file) acquired in advance to the PDA while the VW-200 is being inserted into the card slot. . After that, when the card is removed from the card slot, the PDA
Since the self-propelled function is exhibited by the PU and the built-in power supply, the download data can be provided for viewing. P to PC card type PDA while inserted in PC card slot
The transfer of the IM data is disclosed, for example, in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-12790 (our reference number: JA996004) already assigned to the present applicant.
Regarding the transfer of Web data to a PC card type PDA while being inserted into a PC card slot, see, for example, Hatori et al., “ChipScale for VW-2”.
00 "(SoftBank).

When a PC card type PDA such as VW-200 is used, the host PC prepares a card slot for mounting a PDA (at present, almost all notebook PCs have a card slot as a standard feature). doing!)
At the same time, the present invention is applicable only by installing a data transfer program to the PDA. That is, [000
8], the hardware / software burden imposed on the host PC will be minimal. However, the download destination PD
A must be a PC card type that conforms to a form factor defined by PCMCIA / JEIDA, and its application range is considerably limited.

On the other hand, since various computer systems such as a PC are equipped with a serial communication port for performing data communication by wire as standard equipment, data download by wire is not technically impossible. . However, if the download from the host PC to the PDA is realized by wire, that is, cable connection, it is not convenient. This is because the downloadable place is restricted by the connection cable, and furthermore, it takes time and effort to connect the cable. Further, for example, when a host PC, which is a data transmission source (a storage location of download data), is shared by a plurality of PDAs, the connection and disconnection of the cable is performed relatively frequently by each sharer. It is mechanically susceptible to damage (especially when there is a sharer who is not accustomed to connecting and disconnecting cables, the damage to the connector will be significant). Further, the PDA as the receiver must conform to the standard of the cable / connector prepared on the host PC side. In the first place, the cable must be carried with the PDA, which impairs mobility.

In recent years, infrared communication has often been used for data communication between devices. Infrared communication has been widely used for remote control (remote control) for home appliances such as televisions and air conditioners,
At present, it is widely adopted for data exchange between computers. The transmitting side modulates the digital signal, controls the light emitting diode, and emits infrared pulses to transmit data in the air, and the receiving side receives this with a photodiode, amplifies it, and demodulates it into a digital signal I do. This basic principle applies to both remote control and computer communication.

An IrDA (Infra-red Data Association) was established in 1993 to standardize the infrared communication method (ie, to enhance interoperability between devices of each manufacturer). In the IrDA recommended standard, SDLC (Synchronous
In order to achieve low-cost infrared communication with the DataLink Control type communication protocol, a universal asynchronous transceiver (UA)
RT: Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitte
r) is to be used. To put it simply, the standard defined by IrDA is a low output, directional type (central angle of 15
゜), short distance (up to 1 m), one-to-one or one-to-N communication. Infrared communication is basically small, lightweight, and inexpensive. In this sense, infrared communication has a feature that is easily accepted by portable information processing devices that have achieved weight reduction in gram units and cost reduction in one-yen units. You can say that you have. For example,
Notebook P marketed by IBM Japan, Ltd.
C "ThinkPad"("ThinkPad" is a US IBM company)
The company's trademark) series has an infrared communication function as standard.

[0013] In the protocol "IrLAP" concerning a data link defined by IrDA, infrared data communication is performed by:
It consists of a series of phases of "station discovery (discovery)", "connection", "information exchange", and "connection disconnection". In the “station discovery” phase, the transmitting station (master station: host PC, for example) transmits an infrared frame called an XID (eXchange ID) command, and the receiving station (slave station:
For example, the PDA responds by transmitting an infrared frame called an XID response (the XID command / response routine referred to here is "S
erial Infrared Link Access Protocol (IrLAP) Ver 1.
0 "), the transmitting station sends an SNRM (Set Normal Response Mode) frame, and the receiving station sends an SNRM (Set Normal Response Mode) frame. When the contents of the frame can be accepted, a UA (Unnumbered Acknowledgment) frame is used.
e) Returns the frame. When the transmitting station receives the UA frame and establishes a connection, information exchange becomes possible, and the transmitting station performs data transfer in a frame format called an I frame. When the data transfer is complete,
The transmitting station requests disconnection of the connection by transmitting a DISC (Disconenction) frame, and completes the disconnection procedure by receiving a UA frame from the receiving station. After the connection is broken,
Each transmitting / receiving station initializes a communication state.

Now, let us return to the data transfer between the host PC and the PDA, that is, the data download to the PDA. Attempts have been made to use infrared communication for this type of data transfer. For example, JP-A-8
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 79330 describes that data transfer between two information processing apparatuses is performed by infrared communication. More specifically, the PDA having an infrared communication function acquires a file from a server machine on the network by establishing an infrared connection with a connection device connected to the network. It is supposed to. However, in this case, as a premise, the PDA must implement its own protocol (for example, MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol) or the like). The provision of such a protocol means that required specifications on hardware and software of the device are complicated, which leads to an increase in device cost. In addition, since the PDA accesses the server by itself on the network, the PDA needs to maintain a driving state during the entire period of establishment of access and data transfer.
Battery consumption will be severe.

[0015] For example, in the "Color Zaurus" of Sharp Corporation or the OS "Windows CE" for PDA developed by Microsoft Corporation, PDA is We
Technology for acquiring b data has already been realized. That is, the PDA directly acquires Web data without the intervention of a host external computer system. However, these are PDs using radio waves or wires.
A himself / herself connects to a network (for example, the Internet) and acquires data, and the access time and TC
The burden imposed on PDAs, such as P / IP protocol control, is very large.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a PD
An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function with an external device such as A (Personal Digital Assistant) and a control method thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a processing result obtained by executing an application or TCP / IP.
(Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protoco
l) HTM obtained from Web server according to protocol
An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent information processing apparatus capable of smoothly transferring transfer data such as an L file to an external device (PDA) using an infrared communication function and a control method thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a processing result obtained by executing an application or TCP / IP.
(Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protoco
l) HTM obtained from Web server according to protocol
An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent information processing apparatus capable of transferring transfer data such as an L file without imposing a load on an external device (PDA) and a control method therefor.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and a first aspect of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function for transmitting and receiving an infrared code. Unit, a storage device for storing download data, an input means for a user to input an instruction, and a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination according to a data download instruction from the user. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: means for waiting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and a user inputting an instruction According to the input means for performing the data download instruction from the user,
Means for waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: means for executing infrared communication, and means for waiting in a station discovery state in response to termination of infrared communication with a download destination. is there.

Here, the information processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect may include means for canceling the station discovery state according to an instruction from a user.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code; a connection apparatus for connecting to a network; Regardless of the operation, a file acquisition device for acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, a storage device for storing the acquired file as download data, and input means for a user to input an instruction, Means for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination in accordance with a data download instruction from a user, and a means for waiting in a station discovery state, the information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a connecting apparatus for connecting to a network, Regardless of the operation, a file acquisition device for acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, a storage device for storing the acquired file as download data, and input means for a user to input an instruction, In response to a data download instruction from the user, a means for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, means for waiting in a station discovery state, and responding to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination. Means for performing infrared communication for transferring download data, and a download destination. In response to the infrared communication end,
And a means for waiting in a station discovery state.

Here, the information processing apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect may include means for canceling the station discovery state according to an instruction from a user.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an XID command for finding a station is transmitted by itself, an XID response is received from a receiving side to find a station, a connection is established, and a DISC frame is transmitted by itself. Means for disconnecting a connection by transmitting a DISC frame in an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function of disconnecting a connection by receiving a UA frame from a receiving side, and transmitting an XID command together with the disconnection of the connection. And a means for returning to a station discovery state.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting and receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. In the control method of the device,
In accordance with a data download instruction from the user, a step of waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of the station discovery from the download destination, Performing infrared communication for transferring download data, and returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination;
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising:

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus including an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. In the control method of the device,
In accordance with a data download instruction from the user, a step of waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of the station discovery from the download destination, Performing infrared communication for transferring download data, and returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination;
Canceling the station discovery state in response to an instruction from a user.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection to a network. (A) following a data download instruction from a user, waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, b) executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of station discovery from the download destination; and (c) terminating infrared communication with the download destination. Returning to the station discovery state in response, and (d) determining which of the above steps (a) to (c) is being executed. Razz, acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, a control method for an information processing apparatus, characterized by comprising the steps of storing the file acquired (e) as the download data.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection to a network. (A) following a data download instruction from a user, waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, b) executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of station discovery from the download destination; and (c) terminating infrared communication with the download destination. Returning to the station discovery state in response, and (d) determining which of the above steps (a) to (c) is being executed. Acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, (e) storing the acquired file as download data, and (f) releasing the station discovery state in response to an instruction from a user. And a control method of the information processing apparatus.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, an XID command for detecting a station is transmitted by itself, an XID response is received from a receiving side to detect a station, a connection is established, and a DISC frame is transmitted by itself. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function of disconnecting a connection by receiving a UA frame from a receiving side.
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: a step of attempting to disconnect a connection by transmitting an ISC frame; and a step of returning to a station discovery state in which an XID command is transmitted upon disconnection of the connection. is there.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer including an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program operating on a system, the computer program transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination in accordance with a data download instruction from a user. A routine of performing an infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station detection from the download destination; and an infrared communication with the download destination. Returning to the station discovery state in response to the termination of A computer-readable storage medium characterized Rukoto.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer including an infrared transmitting / receiving section capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program operating on a system, the computer program transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination in accordance with a data download instruction from a user. A routine for waiting in a discovery state, a routine for executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of station discovery from the download destination, and an infrared communication with the download destination A routine for returning to the station discovery state in response to An instruction et al, a computer-readable storage medium characterized by comprising: a routine for canceling the station search state.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection to a network A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program operating on a computer system including a connection device for performing the following: (a) in accordance with a data download instruction from a user, A routine for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and (b) transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination. (C) infrared communication with the download destination. And (d) obtaining a file from a predetermined server via a network, regardless of which of the above-mentioned routines (a) to (c) is being executed. And a routine for storing the acquired file as download data (e).

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection to a network A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program operating on a computer system including a connection device for performing the following: (a) in accordance with a data download instruction from a user, A routine for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and (b) transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination. (C) infrared communication with the download destination. And (d) obtaining a file from a predetermined server via a network, regardless of which of the above-mentioned routines (a) to (c) is being executed. Computer-readable storage medium, comprising: (e) a routine for storing the obtained file as download data; and (f) a routine for releasing the station discovery state in response to an instruction from the user. It is.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an XID command for detecting a station is transmitted by itself, an XID response is received from a receiving side to detect a station, a connection is established, and a DISC frame is transmitted by itself. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program operating on a computer system having an infrared communication function of disconnecting a connection by receiving a UA frame from a receiving side. Is a computer-readable storage medium characterized by including a routine for attempting to disconnect a connection by transmitting a DISC frame, and a routine for returning to a station discovery state in which an XID command is transmitted upon disconnection of the connection.

[0036]

In considering the present invention, (1) Infrared communication performs a station discovery (that is, sends an XID command) (master station) and a device that responds to the station discovery (that is, returns an XID response) (child). Station), that is, there is a parent-child relationship, and (2) an information processing device (for example, a PC) that acquires data in advance functions as a parent (main), and an external device (for example, a PDA) to which data is downloaded is Child (subordinate)
Please understand that it functions as

The information processing apparatus according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention or the information processing apparatus implementing the control method according to the sixth to tenth aspects of the present invention is a lower-level external device (for example, a PDA) The data download for is performed by infrared communication. Then, after the data transfer by infrared communication is completed, the station automatically returns to the station discovery state again. For this reason, even after the data download to the external device is once completed, the external device in the infrared communication mode is held over the area where the information processing apparatus performs station discovery (that is, within the viewing angle of the infrared transmission unit). Just
The connection between the two is established, and the operation of downloading data to the external device is smoothly developed.

Further, the information processing apparatus according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, or the information processing apparatus implementing the control method according to the eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention, periodically executes the Internet or the like. A desired file (for example, an HTML file) is obtained by accessing a predetermined server machine (for example, a Web server) on the network. This file acquisition operation is performed irrespective of the operation of the infrared transmitting / receiving unit (that is, the infrared connection phase with the PDA as an external device). In other words, the information processing apparatus strives to always cache the latest download data for the PDA. As a result, the PDA as an external device is set to the infrared communication mode, and is simply held over an area where the information processing apparatus finds a station (that is, within the viewing angle of the infrared transmission unit), and a connection between the two is established. The PDA can receive the latest data.

For example, it takes at least several minutes to access a Web server on the Internet, transfer one or more Web pages, and hold the acquired Web pages (HTML files) in its own memory. Even if the line speed on the network side is improved, considering the control of the protocol, the disk access of the Web server, and the access time at the gateway, the time required for Web page acquisition will be less than one second in the future. Will not hope. Therefore, if the PDA is of a type that directly connects to a network and directly acquires a Web page, the consumption of its own internal battery during data acquisition will not be unavoidable. In the first place, TC
In order to perform a task such as control of the P / IP protocol, the device needs to be provided with appropriate intelligence (that is, specifications on hardware / software).
In order for the PDA itself to support operations such as protocol control, it will be difficult to maintain small size, light weight, and immediacy, which will lead to an increase in equipment cost.

However, according to the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth aspects of the present invention, the information processing apparatus side is a PDA.
To take over the Web page for
We always try to get the latest Web page. In other words, the information processing device downloads the data for the PDA.
That is, the data is always cached. For this information processing apparatus, for example, a personal computer that is larger than a PDA and has a large power supply capacity is used. For this reason,
The PDA as an external device that receives a Web page does not need to support protocol control such as access to a Web server by itself, and can maintain small size, light weight, and immediacy. Also, although the PDA can finally acquire the Web page, it does not necessarily access the Web server by itself, so the time required for data acquisition is short, and it is necessary to consume the battery of the PDA having a relatively small capacity. Absent.

For example, a general-purpose personal computer (PC) such as a desktop or notebook type can function as the information processing apparatus according to the present invention. These PCs can generally have more intelligence (eg, network protocols, PIM applications, etc.) than small sized PDAs. In the present invention,
Connect the intelligent PC to the network
Further, by using the infrared communication as a primary station (Primary Station), it is possible to simplify and reduce the system configuration of the PDA which has become the infrared communication secondary station (Secondary Station). Further, since the PDA itself does not perform communication by the modem, power consumption can be greatly reduced. The PDA is required to have a small size, light weight and low power consumption, but according to the present invention, these requirements are not violated at all.

Further, the infrared communication between the information processing apparatus and the PDA can be completely independent of the protocol in the network, so that the communication method in the network is changed or Progress does not hinder data download to the PDA. In other words, the PDA need not be aware of events in the network at all.

In summary, according to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, data such as PIM data and Web pages can be smoothly downloaded to the PDA without placing a burden on the PDA as the download destination. You can do it.

Further, the computer readable storage medium according to the eleventh to fifteenth aspects of the present invention provides a computer program and a storage medium for realizing the function of the computer program, in cooperation with each other in terms of structure or function. It defines a relationship. In other words, by attaching the computer storage medium to the computer system (or installing the computer program in the computer system), a cooperative action is exerted on the computer system, and the first to third aspects of the present invention are achieved. Tenth
The same operation and effect as those of the aspect can be obtained.

It should be noted that Basic Rate ISDN
While the data transfer rate of (Integrated Services Digital Network) is 64 kbps, the infrared communication usually has a data transfer rate of about several Mbps. According to the data download operation using the infrared communication according to the present invention, a PDA of a type that connects to the ISDN by itself
It should also be appreciated that data can be acquired faster than this.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are:
It will become apparent from the following more detailed description based on the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0047]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

A. Personal computer (PC)
1. Hardware Configuration FIG. 1 schematically shows a hardware configuration of a typical personal computer (PC) 100 suitable for realizing the present invention. One example of a PC for realizing the present invention is OADG (PC Open Architecture Developer's Gro
up) This type conforms to the specifications. As a PC, “Windows 95” marketed by Microsoft Corporation of the United States or “O” of IBM Corporation as an operating system is used.
A type that provides a multitasking environment such as S / 2 "is preferable. Each unit will be described below.

CPU 11 as main controller
Is under the control of the operating system (OS)
Various programs are to be executed. CPU1
1 is, for example, a CPU chip "Pent" manufactured by Intel Corporation
ium ".

The CPU 11 has a processor bus 12 directly connected to its own external pin, and a PCI as a local bus.
(Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus 16 and ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus 1
It is interconnected with each hardware block (to be described later) via a three-layered bus 8.

The processor bus 12 and the PCI bus 16 are connected by a bridge circuit (host-PCI bridge) 13. The bridge circuit 13 of the present embodiment includes:
The configuration includes a memory controller for controlling an access operation to the main memory 14, a data buffer for absorbing a speed difference between the two buses 12, 16, and the like.

The main memory 14 is a writable memory used as a read area of the execution program or a work area of the execution program. The main memory 14 is generally composed of a plurality of DRAM (Dynamic RAM) chips, for example, 16 MB is provided as standard equipment and can be expanded up to 128 MB. Here, the execution program includes an OS such as Windows 95.
And various software programs, such as an "auto pull station" (tentative name) application provided for implementing the present invention.

The L2-cache 15 is a high-speed memory for absorbing the access time to the main memory 14, and temporarily stores very limited codes and data frequently accessed by the CPU 11. L2-Cache 15
Is generally constituted by an SRAM (static RAM) chip, and its capacity is, for example, 256 KB.

The PCI bus 16 is a bus capable of relatively high-speed data transfer (bus width 32/64 bits, maximum operating frequency 33/66 MHz, maximum data transfer rate 1).
32/264 MBps), and peripheral devices that are driven at a relatively high speed, such as the video controller 20 and the card bus controller 23, are connected. In addition, PC
The I architecture is based on a proposal by Intel Corporation of the United States, and implements a PnP (plug and play) function.

The video controller 20 has a CPU 11
Is a dedicated controller for actually processing a drawing command from the CPU, and stores the processed drawing information in a screen buffer (VRA).
M) Write once to 21, read out the drawing information from VRAM 21, and
Alternatively, the video is output to the CRT display 22. The video controller 20 is a VGA
(Video Graphic Array) function or SVGA (Super
Video Graphic Array) function.

The card bus controller 23 is a PCI bus controller.
This is a dedicated controller for directly connecting a bus signal on the bus 16 to the PC card slot 24A. The card slot 24A has a PCMCIA (Personal Computer).
Memory Card InternationalAssociation) / JEIDA
(Japan Electronic Industry Development Association
n) (e.g., "PC Card Spec")
PC card 24 conforming to the specifications 95 ")
B can be inserted. The PC card 24B has a modem
There are devices for realizing a network connection, such as a card and a LAN card. By inserting a PC card of this type, the PC 100 can be connected to a wide area network such as the Internet.

The PCI bus 16 and the ISA bus 18 are interconnected by a bridge circuit (PCI-ISA bridge) 19. The bridge circuit 19 of the present embodiment has a D
The configuration includes an MA controller, a programmable interrupt controller (PIC), and a programmable interval timer (PIT).

Further, the bridge circuit 19 of the present embodiment is
An IDE connector for connecting an external storage device conforming to DE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is also provided. For example, an IDE hard disk drive (HDD) 25 and an IDE CD-ROM drive 26 are connected to the IDE connector. The hard disk and C
Access to the files on the D-ROM is executed by a “file manager” which is one of the subsystems of the OS. The HDD 25 is superior to other external storage devices in terms of access speed, and copies a software program (OS, device driver, application, etc.) onto the disk of the HDD 25 (ie, “installs” the system). Thus, the program is ready for use by the system. The CD-ROM drive 26 is mainly used to install a software program stored on a compact disk (CD) into the system.

The ISA bus 18 has a lower data transfer rate (bus width 16 bits, maximum data transfer rate 4 MBps) than the PCI bus, and has a ROM 17, a keyboard / mouse controller (KMC) 27, and an I / O controller 3.
0, audio controller 34, real time
It is used to connect peripheral devices such as a clock 40 which are driven at a relatively low speed.

The ROM 17 stores a keyboard 28 and a video memory.
Each hardware such as the controller 20 (keyboard 2
8 (BID8, FDD31, etc.)
OS: Basic input / output system) and power-on test
It is a non-volatile memory for permanently storing a program (POST: Power On Self Test) and the like.

Keyboard / Mouse Controller 27
Is a dedicated controller for taking in input scan codes from the keyboard 28 and input coordinate values from the mouse 29 as computer data.

The I / O controller 30 has a floppy
It is a peripheral controller for controlling the drive of the disk drive (FDD) 31 and controlling parallel or serial data input / output with an external device connected via the parallel port 32 or the serial port 33. For example, a printer (not shown) is connected to the parallel port 32. The modem 5 is connected to the serial port 33.
0 is connected. The modem 50 is a device for transmitting digital computer data via an analog telephone line, and modulates transmission data and demodulates reception data. By providing the modem 50, the PC 100 can be connected to a wide area network such as the Internet.

The FDD 31 is an HDD 25 or a CD-ROM.
Like 26, it is one of the external storage devices. FDD31
Mainly installs a software program supplied in the form of a floppy disk (FD) on the system, or stores work data / files in the FD.
Used for storage on top.

The audio controller 34 is a dedicated controller for performing input / output processing of an audio signal. The audio controller 34 takes in an audio signal input from the microphone 35 as computer data, or converts the audio data from digital to analog and converts it to a speaker. An audio output is provided from the G.36.

Real time clock (RTC) 40
Is a device for measuring the current time. RTC40
Is generally 1 along with a CMOS memory (not shown).
Mounted on a chip. This CMOS memory includes, for example, system configuration information and power
Used to temporarily store information important to system 100, such as an on-password. RTC / C
The MOS 40 is backed up by a reserve battery (usually a coin battery, not shown) so that the measurement / storage contents are not lost even when the PC 100 is powered off.

The IR controller 52 is a dedicated controller for exchanging an infrared code according to IrDA (described above) with an external device (PDA 200 in this embodiment: described later). The IR transmitting / receiving unit 53 is a module that actually transmits and receives infrared data.

At one end of each of the buses 16 and 18, at least one bus slot 16A / 18A is provided. Bus slots 16A and 18A each have a P
A CI compatible adapter card 16B and an ISA compatible adapter card 18B can be mounted. Each adapter card 16B / 18B can be operated by hardware using a device driver dedicated to each card. An example of an adapter card is a LAN (Ethernet or Token).
There is a network card for realizing a connection to such as a ring. By mounting such a card in a bus slot, it is possible to connect to a wide area network such as the Internet via a LAN.

A typical user of the personal computer 100 operates the system via a keyboard or a mouse to execute various application programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, communications, etc.
You can use it on your screen (or desktop) to help you do your job. The user can install desired applications into the system by copying the desired applications from the CD-ROM drive 26 or the FDD 31 to the HDD 25. Or, We
By downloading the application from the server b to the HDD 25, a desired application can be installed in the system. It should be noted that the present invention can be realized in the form of an installed application program.

The so-called personal computers currently on the market
The computer will perform well as the computer system 100 shown in FIG. In order to configure the computer system 100, many electric circuits and the like are required in addition to those shown in FIG. However,
Since these are well known to those skilled in the art and do not constitute the gist of the present invention, they are omitted in this specification. Also, it should be noted that only some of the connections between the hardware blocks in the drawings are shown in order to avoid complication of the drawings.

B. Information processing terminal (PDA) hardware
The A block diagram 2 illustrates schematically the hardware configuration of PDA200 as a data download destination in this embodiment.

CPU 61 as main controller
Operates based on an operation clock supplied from a clock oscillator (OSC) 72. The CPU 61 is, for example, a 16-bit microcomputer “TLCS made by Toshiba”
The external pin of the CPU 61 is connected to the internal bus 62, and is interconnected to each section via the internal bus 62.

The SRAM 63 is a writable memory of a type that does not require a refresh operation.
61 is used as a work area. FontROM6
Reference numeral 4 denotes each character image (that is, font) that can be displayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel 11.
Is a read-only memory in which is stored. EEPROM6
Reference numeral 5 denotes a read-only memory of a type capable of erasing data only under predetermined conditions, and is mainly used for permanently storing security data such as a control code and a serial number for operating each part by hardware.

The IR controller 66 includes the IR transmitting / receiving unit 6
7 is a dedicated controller chip for processing the infrared code transmitted and received at 7 and taking it in as computer data.

Reference numeral 68 is a liquid crystal display panel. In this embodiment, the CPU 61 is a FontROM 6
The display 68 is driven by using the font image in FIG.

The switch 69 is one of the input devices provided on the surface of the housing of the PDA 200. This switch 69
By applying a predetermined operation (for example, pressing operation) to the PDA 200, the PDA 200 is designed to transit to the infrared receiving (ie, data download) mode.

Further, the CPU 61 controls the tone dialer 7.
By setting the value to 0, the speaker 71 generates sound of a predetermined wavelength.

In order to configure the PDA 200,
Many electric circuits and the like other than those shown in FIG. 2 are required.
However, since these are well known to those skilled in the art and do not constitute the gist of the present invention, the description is omitted in this specification. Also, it should be noted that only some of the connections between the hardware blocks in the drawings are shown in order to avoid complication of the drawings.

B. Personal computer software
The E configuration diagram 3 shows schematically the hierarchical structure of the executable software program on the personal computer 100 to be subjected to the practice of the present invention.

Hardware control layer: The hardware control layer, which is the lowest layer, determines the physical differences (such as differences between manufacturers and versions) of each hardware with respect to higher-level software (such as operating systems and applications). It is a software layer to make it invisible. For example, a module with a hardware control layer
The general form of commands issued by higher-level software is
It is converted to a unique format suitable for driving hardware. The hardware control layer may be provided as a standard input / output system (BIOS) stored in the ROM 17 on the mother board as a standard. Alternatively, the hardware control layer includes a device driver (for example, a mouse driver, a printer driver,
CD-ROM driver, etc.), HAL (Hardware Abs)
It may be installed on the system in the form of a traction layer.

Operating System (OS): The operating system (OS) is basic software for comprehensively managing the hardware and software of the system, and is described above as “OS / 2” or “Wind”.
"UNIX" and the like in addition to "ws95".
In order to suitably realize the time display according to the present invention, it is preferable that the operating system has a multitask environment. An operating system generally includes a kernel area and a user area.

The kernel area is a portion where basic functions for monitoring the operation of the entire PC 100 and supporting execution of various programs such as applications are collected. The core part of the kernel area includes a “file manager” for managing recording of files in an auxiliary storage device such as the HDD 25, a “scheduler” for managing task execution order and priority, and a memory area. A "memory manager" for performing allocation, a "resource manager" for managing system resources such as I / O addresses and DMA levels, and the like are included.

On the other hand, the user area mainly comprises a function routine for supporting an application selected by the user, and specifically includes a “user interface” and a “window system”. . Among these, the “user interface” (also referred to as 'shell') has a function of interpreting a command from the user and transmitting the command to the core of the kernel, and transmitting a response from the core to the user. The “window system” is a functional part for executing a window display on the display 22. For example, “X Wind” of UNIX
ow 'and OS / 2's Presentation Man
ager 'corresponds to this. Also, a library (also referred to as a "shared library" or a "dynamic link library (DLL)") that is a collection of functions and data for performing common processing by a plurality of software.
Are also included in the user area. As a user interface, a GUI (graphical display) that displays in a bitmap format and supports a click / drag and drop operation function of an icon with a mouse is provided.
User interface) is now taking root.

Application: The application program at the top layer is a program that uses the system 100 for practical purposes, such as word processing software, database software, spreadsheet software, and communication software. Applicable. In addition, a utility program (also referred to as a “tool”) for improving the usability of the user is a type of application.
Further, a software program “Auto Pull Station” (tentative name: described later) provided for implementing the present invention is also an example of the application.

Usually, a user can obtain a software program (OS, device driver, application, etc.) required by the user in a form stored in a storage medium such as an FD or a CD-ROM. And
These storage media are loaded into the corresponding drive units, and the stored desired software programs are stored in the HD.
Copying (ie, "installing") to the D25 disk makes the system ready for use (as described above). In recent years, the number of cases in which a desired program is installed in a system by downloading from a network-connected external computer system (for example, a Web server) has been increasing.

D. Data transfer operator by infrared communication
The hardware and software configurations of the computer systems 100 and 200 embodying the present invention have been described above. In this section, a processing procedure of an “auto pull station” (tentative name) application operable in such a system environment will be described.

The “auto pull station” application is, for example, a storage medium such as a CD or FD in which the application program is tangibly stored.
It is installed in a storage device such as the ROM drive 26 or the FDD 31, and is installed in the system 100 by copying to a hard disk. Alternatively, the application program is installed in the system 100 by downloading it from another computer system (for example, a Web server) that stores the application program via a network (for example, the Internet), or is temporarily loaded on the memory 14. . In addition, "pull" of the name "auto pull station"
Means "pull-and-pull" (in the network world, in general, the server side unilaterally sweeps out (ie, broadcasts) data to the client side, which is called "push"; Reading (ie, extracting) data according to the side specifying the file name is called “pull”).

FIG. 4 shows a processing procedure when PC 100 attempts to download data to PDA 200 by infrared communication (ie, "Auto Pull Station").
Is shown in a flowchart. The “auto pull station” exists as an icon (not shown) on the desktop screen of the PC 100 provided by an operating system such as “Windows 95” or “OS / 2”. The user
For example, by performing the selecting operation of this icon (that is, the double-click operation of the mouse 29), the "auto pull station" can be activated.

The “auto pull station” performs a download data acquisition phase (step S 1 in FIG. 4).
00 to S106), and data
Download phase (Steps S200 to S200 in FIG. 4)
S208). Each phase is executed substantially simultaneously and in parallel in a multitask environment.

In the data acquisition phase, first, a predetermined time period is started by activating the “auto pull station”.
A timer having an out value (for example, 10 minutes) is set (step S100). Each time the timeout value expires, a timer event occurs (step S10).
2).

In response to the occurrence of the timer event,
HTML (HyperText Markup Langu
age) A file is obtained from a predetermined Web server on the Internet (step S104). Connection to the Internet is usually made according to the TCP / IP protocol (well-known). HT on the desired Web server
An ML file is usually a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
ator) can be specified by a character string (well-known). Also,
Access to the Web server is based on a protocol described by a URL (for example, "http (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
l) ") (well-known). Note that specific HTM
Obtaining only L-files follows the general theory that PDA (ie, mobile environment) users prefer only certain information (eg, web pages such as newspaper articles, stock quotes, weather forecasts, traffic information, etc.). It is.

The newly acquired HTML file is replaced with a file of the same name stored in the HDD 25 in order to save it as download data. As a result, PC1
In the hard disk of 00, the latest HTML file is always cached. The acquired HTML file may be converted into a form suitable for download or a form that can be processed by the download destination. For example, the image portion in the HTML file may be excluded to leave only the text portion, or the HTML file may be cut out to a predetermined file size based on a predetermined rule.

On the other hand, in the data download phase, the PC 100 transmits a “XID (eXchange ID) command” frame from the IR transmitting / receiving unit 53 in order to find a station (Station Search), that is, a PDA 200 to which data is downloaded. Start transmission (step S20)
0). The PC 100 continues the station finding operation unless there is an explicit instruction from the user to interrupt the IR communication (step S202).

The I of the PDA 200 in the IR communication mode
When the R transmission / reception unit 67 enters the viewing angle of the IR transmission / reception unit 53 on the PC 100 side (normally, the user connects the PDA 200 to the PC 1
PDA 200 is X
By issuing an "XID response" frame in response to an ID command (described above), station discovery is established. XI
Each frame of the D command and the XID response includes each device address, and the addresses can be confirmed with each other. In addition, XID mentioned here
The command / response routine is "Serial Infrared
Link Access Protocol (IrLAP) Ver 1.0 "refers to the entire" Discovery Procedure "described in Chapter 6.8.

Next, a connection is set between the PC 100 and the PDA 200 (step S20).
4). The connection setting here means that both devices 10
This is a negotiation procedure for determining the frame communication speed, data size, and the like between 0 and 200. In order to set a connection, the PC 100 uses SNRM (Set Norm
alResponse Mode) frame. The other PDA
200 returns a UA (Unnumbered Acknowledgment) frame when the description content of the SNRM frame is accepted, and a DM (Disconencted M
ode) Returns the frame.

When PC 100 receives a UA frame from PDA 200 and a connection is established, IR is finally received.
It becomes possible to exchange information by communication (step S206). PC 100 has its own HD
Download data stored in D25 is transferred to I (In
formation) frame.

The download data to the PDA 200 is, for example, an HTM previously obtained from a Web server.
This is an L file. As described above, the PC 100 periodically acquires a pre-registered HTML file from a predetermined Web server and stores it in the HDD 25 (see steps S104 and S106). In other words, the PC 100 periodically updates the download data used by the PDA 200, so that the PC 100 functions as a cache of the PDA 200. On the other hand, the PDA 200 that has entered the reception mode is only placed at the viewing angle of the IR transmission / reception unit 53, and can be downloaded / received.
The data is immediately transferred by IR. PDA200 is We
To obtain desired data such as page b, TCP /
There is no need to support complex functions like the IP protocol. In addition, since the PDA 200 does not directly connect to a network (for example, the Internet), there is no need to execute complicated processing procedures for establishing a connection or accessing a server, and there is no battery consumption accompanying access time. In addition, IR communication has a data transfer rate of about several Mbps (Basic Rate ISDN).
Is 64 kbps), and it does not take several seconds to receive desired data (for example, an HTML file).

When the data transfer is completed, the connection is disconnected (step S208). At this time, PC1
00 is a DISC for requesting connection disconnection.
The PDA 200 responds by transmitting a (Disconnection) frame and returning a UA frame.

After the connection is disconnected, the PC 10
0 initializes the communication state, and the PDA 200 is released from the communication mode. However, the PC 100 returns to the station discovery mode (step S200), and continues to try to find a station by transmitting an XID command unless the user explicitly clears the transmission state. For this reason, the user sets the PDA 200 (or another PDA) set in the communication mode again to P
The data download operation similar to that described above is developed simply by holding the terminal over the C100 side. Download data (eg HTML files) during station discovery
Are sequentially updated, and the PDA 200 can smoothly and instantly acquire the latest data.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a transaction in the IR transfer between the PC 100 and the PDA 200.

First, the PC 100 searches for a station (PDA 200) by continuously transmitting the XID command.

When the PDA 200 enters the viewing angle of the IR transmission / reception unit 53 of the PC 100, the PDA 200
Respond with D response. As a result, the PC 100 implements station discovery.

Next, the PC 100 sets the connection settings (for example, frame communication speed and data size).
Is transmitted in an SNRM frame. PDA200
Sends a UA response if the contents of the SNRM frame can be accepted, and the connection is set. On the other hand, if the PDA 200 cannot accept the contents of the SNRM, it performs a DM response, and as a result, the same kind of connection setup procedure is repeated.

When the connection between the two devices 100 and 200 is established, information can be exchanged. In the present embodiment, the information transmission is performed substantially unidirectionally from the PC 100 to the PDA 200. That is, the PC 100 puts the download data on the I frame and performs IR transfer to the PDA 200 side. On the other hand, the PDA 200 returns a response to the PC 100 every time the timer times out, so that the reception of the I frame is performed between the two 100 and 200. The response returned by the PDA 200 is an I frame when there is information to be sent by itself, and an RR (Receive Ready) response or RNR (Recei
ve Not Ready) Send a response.

When the download of the predetermined data is completed, the PC 100 sends a DISC frame to request the PDA 200 to disconnect the connection. On the other hand, when the PDA 200 returns a UA response, the connection is disconnected.

After the connection is disconnected, the PC 10
0 initializes the communication state, and the PDA 200 ends the communication mode. However, the PC 100 starts transmitting the XID command again, and searches for a station (PDA 200). This station search is continued unless the transmission state is explicitly released by the user. For this reason, the PDA 200 set by the user to the communication mode (or another PDA 200)
By simply holding A) over the PC 100 again, the same IR transfer operation as described above is immediately developed.

E. The present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, a description has been given based on a so-called PC / AT compatible machine ("PC / AT" is a trademark of IBM Corporation) conforming to the OADG specifications. However, other types of machines (for example, NEC's PC98 series) And Apple's Mac
It is needless to say that the present invention can be similarly implemented in an intosh and compatibles thereof.

Also, in this embodiment, the PDA Web
Although data acquisition has been described as an example, other data that can be acquired via a network (for example, Lotus N
otes, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site files, Gopher, NewsReader, etc.)
Needless to say, it can also be applied to.

In short, the present invention has been disclosed by way of example, and should not be construed as limiting.
In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the claims described at the beginning should be considered.

[0110]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
A processing result obtained by executing an application or transfer data such as an HTML file obtained from a Web server according to the TCP / IP protocol can be smoothly transferred to an external device (PDA) using an infrared communication function. And a control method thereof.

Further, according to the present invention, the processing result obtained by executing the application or the TCP / IP
An excellent information processing apparatus capable of transferring transfer data such as an HTML file obtained from a Web server according to a protocol without imposing a load on an external device (PDA) and a control method thereof can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a hardware configuration of a typical personal computer (PC) 100 suitable for realizing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration of a PDA 200 serving as a data download destination in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a hierarchical configuration of a software program executable on PC 100;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the PC 100 performs PD by infrared communication.
9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when trying to download data to A200.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a transaction between a PC 100 and a PDA 200;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a PC card “IBM ChipCard VW-20” marketed by IBM Japan, Ltd.
It is the figure which showed the external appearance of 0 ".

[Explanation of symbols]

11 CPU, 12 processor bus, 13 bridge circuit, 14 main memory, 15 L2-cache, 16 PCI bus, 16A bus slot, 16
B: Adapter card, 17: ROM, 18: ISA bus, 18A: Bus slot, 18B: Adapter card, 19: Bridge circuit, 20: Video controller, 21: VRAM, 22: Display, 23: Card bus・ Controller, 24 ... Card slot, 25
... HDD, 26 ... CD-ROM, 27 ... KMC, 28 ...
Keyboard, 29 mouse, 30 I / O controller, 31 FDD, 32 parallel port, 33 serial port, 34 audio controller, 3
5 microphone, 36 speaker, 40 real time
Clock, 50 modem, 51 network adapter, 52 IR controller, 53 IR transceiver, 6
1 CPU, 62 internal bus, 63 SRAM, 64
FontROM, 65 EEPROM, 66 IR controller, 67 IR transmitter / receiver, 68 display
69 switch, 70 tone dialer, 71 speaker, 72 clock oscillator, 100 personal computer (PC), 200 PDA.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 6, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Kaneda 1623-14 Shimotsuruma, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa Pref.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code; a storage device for storing download data; input means for a user to input an instruction; Means for waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination in accordance with the data download instruction. 2. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code; a storage device for storing download data; an input means for a user to input an instruction; In accordance with the data download instruction, a means for waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination, Infrared communication comprising means for executing infrared communication for transferring download data, and means for waiting in a station discovery state in response to termination of infrared communication with a download destination. Information processing device with functions. 3. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function according to claim 1, further comprising means for canceling a station discovery state in accordance with an instruction from a user. 4. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: an infrared transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code; a connection device for connecting to a network; A file acquisition device for acquiring a file from a predetermined server, a storage device for storing the acquired file as download data, an input unit for a user to input an instruction, and a data download instruction from the user, Means for waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, the information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function. 5. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, comprising: an infrared transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code; a connection device for connecting to a network; A file acquisition device for acquiring a file from a predetermined server, a storage device for storing the acquired file as download data, an input unit for a user to input an instruction, and a data download instruction from the user, Means for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination; and for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station finding from the download destination. For performing infrared communication with the download destination and ending the infrared communication with the download destination And answer, the information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function, characterized by comprising, means for waiting in the station discovery state. 6. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function according to claim 4, further comprising means for canceling a station discovery state in response to an instruction from a user. 7. An XID command for own station discovery is transmitted, an XID response is received from a receiving side, a station is discovered to establish a connection, a DISC frame is transmitted by itself, and a UA frame is received from the receiving side. In an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function of a type that disconnects a connection by transmitting a DISC frame, means for attempting to disconnect the connection and means for returning to a station discovery state in which an XID command is transmitted upon disconnection of the connection. An information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function. 8. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction, the method comprising: In accordance with a data download instruction, a step of waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination, download data. Controlling the information processing apparatus, comprising: executing an infrared communication for transferring the information; and returning to a station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination. 9. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction, the method comprising: In accordance with a data download instruction, a step of waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station discovery from the download destination, download data. Executing an infrared communication for transferring the information, a step of returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination, and a step of releasing the station discovery state according to an instruction from the user. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: 10. Information including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connecting device for connecting to a network. In the control method of the processing device, (a) following a data download instruction from a user, waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination;
(B) executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of station discovery from a download destination;
(C) returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination; and (d) irrespective of whether any of the above steps (a) to (c) is being executed, A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: obtaining a file from a predetermined server via a server; and (e) storing the obtained file as download data. 11. Information including an infrared transmission / reception unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection device for connecting to a network. In the control method of the processing device, (a) following a data download instruction from a user, waiting in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination;
(B) executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of station discovery from a download destination;
(C) returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of the infrared communication with the download destination; and (d) irrespective of whether any of the above steps (a) to (c) is being executed, (E) storing the obtained file as download data, and (f) releasing the station discovery state according to an instruction from the user. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising: 12. An XID command for own station discovery is transmitted, an XID response is received from a receiving side, a station is discovered to establish a connection, a DISC frame is transmitted by itself, and a UA frame is received from the receiving side. In the method for controlling an information processing apparatus having an infrared communication function of disconnecting a connection, a step of attempting to disconnect the connection by transmitting a DISC frame and returning to a station discovery state in which an XID command is transmitted together with the disconnection of the connection. And a method for controlling an information processing device having an infrared communication function. 13. A computer program running on a computer system including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. A tangibly stored computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program waits in a station discovery state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination in accordance with a data download instruction from a user; A routine for executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station detection from the other end; and a station detection in response to the end of infrared communication with the download destination. And a routine for returning to the state. Over data-readable storage medium. 14. A computer program operating on a computer system including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, and an input device for a user to input an instruction. A tangibly stored computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program is, in accordance with a data download instruction from a user, a routine for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination; A routine for executing infrared communication for transferring download data in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response to the station detection from the other end; and a station detection in response to the end of infrared communication with the download destination. Based on the routine to return to the status and the instruction from the user, the station discovery status A computer-readable storage medium comprising: 15. A computer including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting / receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection device for connecting to a network. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program running on the system, the computer program comprising: (a) data from a user;
In accordance with the download instruction, a routine for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and (b) downloading / downloading in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of the station discovery from the download destination. A routine for executing infrared communication for transferring data, (c) a routine for returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of infrared communication with the download destination, and (d) the above (a) to (c). Irrespective of which routine is being executed, a routine for acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, and (e) a routine for storing the acquired file as download data are provided. Computer-readable storage medium. 16. A computer including an infrared transmitting / receiving unit capable of transmitting and receiving an infrared code, a storage device for storing download data, an input device for a user to input an instruction, and a connection device for connecting to a network. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program running on the system, the computer program comprising: (a) data from a user;
In accordance with the download instruction, a routine for waiting in a station finding state for transmitting an infrared code for searching for a download destination, and (b) downloading / downloading in response to receiving an infrared code indicating a response of the station discovery from the download destination. A routine for executing infrared communication for transferring data, (c) a routine for returning to the station discovery state in response to the end of infrared communication with the download destination, and (d) the above (a) to (c). Irrespective of which routine is being executed, a routine for acquiring a file from a predetermined server via a network, (e) a routine for storing the acquired file as download data, and (f) an instruction from a user. And a routine for canceling the station discovery state. 17. Transmitting an XID command for finding a station by itself, receiving an XID response from a receiving side, finding a station to establish a connection, transmitting a DISC frame by itself, and receiving a UA frame from the receiving side. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing a computer program that operates on a computer system having an infrared communication function of a type that disconnects a connection by transmitting a DISC frame. A computer-readable storage medium comprising: a routine for attempting to disconnect a connection; and a routine for returning to a station discovery state for transmitting an XID command upon disconnection of the connection.