Apparatus adapted to share information contents through a wireless connection, and method thereof

An apparatus (1) adapted to share information contents through wireless connection includes a processor adapted to read at least one information content (65) from memory (3, 4, 7) and at least a radio communication module (2) adapted to automatically transmit at least one information content (65) to an electronic device (80) as a consequence of the fact that the electronic device (80) is located in the radio communication range of the radio communication module (2), without the need for explicitly entering into the apparatus (1) or into the electronic device (80) any specific command for transferring the information content (65).

The present invention refers to an apparatus and a method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, particularly through NFC connection (“Near Field Communication”).

It is known that various technologies exist allowing the connection among electronic devices, e.g. Wi-Fi (“Wireless Fidelity”) RFID (“Radio Frequency Identification”), NFC and Bluetooth. Said technologies are often and often implemented in electronic devices using them to transmit and receive every kind of information contents, for instance textual documents, images, musical files, video files, and so on. Every technology has its own operating method, that is, a communication protocol defining semantics, syntax and timing of the operations capable to connect two or more devices. The devices commonly used for the above mentioned operations are, for instance, the “Smartphones”, that is mobile phones provided with a complex operating system such as that of a personal computer, the “Tablet PCs” or shortly “Tablets”, also provided with a complex operating system, the “Notebooks”, real personal computers and so on. Moreover, “stand-alone” devices using the NFC technology in “Read/Write” mode are known, that is the mode with which it is possible to read and write data in either a NFC Tag or a NFC Card, or in a “Card emulation mode”, that is the mode with which it is possible to carry out electronic payments. As regards the “Peer-to-Peer” mode, it is usually applied in electronic devices such as, for instance, Smartphones or the like, just to directly exchange information contents among themselves.

However, it is unknown to use the “Peer-to-Peer” mode in “stand-alone” devices sharing information contents with other electronic devices.

It is further known that, for instance, said “stand-alone” devices can share information contents through Bluetooth connection; but the Bluetooth protocol provides that the transmitter has to decide to send an information content in its communication range, and that the receiver has to accept, or at least to accept in advance the information content itself.

However, such a Bluetooth mode, providing the connection configuration, does not allow a user to easily choose to whom send an information content, for instance a document, as he/she should have to discriminate among different users and should risk sending the same document many times to a same device finding itself in its own radio range.

Let's consider an exemplary scenario, such as that of a fair or a museum, wherein a visitor goes to a stand, to obtain information and/or descriptive material, for instance a brochure, relating an interest object displayed in the stand or in the museum exhibition space. In such a situation the technology Bluetooth should not be suited to the purpose of a sharing of electronic documents, because in such a case the document holder had to continuously in the time send his/her own document to all the users in the communication range, without any possibility of discriminating the users themselves. Thus they would happen unwelcome “spam” phenomena.

Moreover, nowadays, such an illustrative material is provided in paper form or in a USB (“Universal Serial Bus”) key given to the visitor, and this requires a heavy paper and USB memory device waste, as well as an economic expense.

The NFC technology uses a very reduced communication range (of the order of 1 or 2 centimeters) and, as previously told, supports three operating modes: “Read/Write”, “Card emulation mode” and “Peer-to-Peer”. The transmission rate presently reaches 424 Kbit/s, and thus is adapted for transferring small size files. This modest transmission rate led to the occurrence of some technological solutions, using NFC as a support protocol, above all to establish a second connection with a different protocol, for instance Bluetooth, providing higher transmission rates, of the order of a multiplying factor 10 and thus higher than 3 Mbit/s (Mega bit per second). In this case, the setting times of a connection with different protocol, for instance Bluetooth, are not absolutely negligible.

Further, are under research solutions for NFC incrementing the transmission rate by a multiplying factor 10, that is reaching a transmission rate higher than 3 Mbit/s, and thus comparable with the transmission rate of the Bluetooth protocol. This should allow the NFC technology to be used also for the sharing of information contents of greater size in terms of bytes, for instance musical files, video files and so on.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to indicate an apparatus and a method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, particularly through NFC connection, thoroughly reducing the setting times of a connection among electronic devices and in particular avoiding troublesome activation steps of the connection such as password or PIN insertion and the connection request and/or file transfer acceptance by the sending and/or receiving device.

A further object of the present invention is to indicate an apparatus and a method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, particularly through NFC connection, allowing to avoid “spam” phenomena during the sharing of information contents, that is sending or receiving files or other unwanted contents, which were not voluntarily requested by the user.

A further object of the present invention is to indicate an apparatus and a method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, particularly through NFC connection, allowing a user to decide at any time the receiving of an information content on his/her own mobile device.

These and other objects of the invention are obtained by an apparatus and a method to share information contents through wireless connection, particularly through NFC connection, as claimed in the enclosed claims making up integral part of the present specification.

In short, it is described an apparatus adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, said apparatus comprising processing means adapted to read at least one information content from storage means, at least a radio communication module adapted to automatically transmit said at least one information content to an electronic device as a consequence of the fact that said electronic device results into the radio communication range of said radio communication module, without to be explicitly inserted in said apparatus or in said electronic device any specific transfer command of said information content. Further features of the invention are the subject matter of the enclosed claims intending to be integral part of the present specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference toFIG. 1, it is illustrated an apparatus1, in accordance with the present invention, comprising at least a communication module2, at least a storage means reader3, first memory means4, at least a power supply module5and processing means6.

The apparatus1, in accordance with this invention, is an electronic “stand-alone” device, that is able to supply electronic files to other connected devices, without having the need to be in turn, permanently connected to a computer controlling its operation; specifically it allows to share, that is transmit, information contents to other electronic devices adopting the same communication wireless protocol.

The communication module2can be a module implementing the NFC protocol and, in a preferred embodiment, the transfer modality used is the “Peer-to-Peer”, namely a modality in which the data exchange happens just between the apparatus1and only one other mobile device to implementing the NFC protocol in “Peer-to-Peer” mode. Such a communication module2comprises both the chipset, namely the assembly of integrated circuits adapted to implement the NFC transmission protocol, and the antenna.

The storage means reader3can have one or more compartments (“slot”)68to accommodate various kinds of removable memories60, for instance, either an electronic memory card or a USB electronic memory. The removable memories can contain the information contents wanted to be transmitted through the communication module2. Such a storage means reader3can be intended as a memory means under all respects.

The first memory means4can be volatile memories, for instance a RAM (“Random Access Memory”) or a SDRAM (“Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory”), able to store the information content of the removable memories to avoid continuous reading therefrom.

The power supply module5provides to supply electric current to the apparatus1and may be an AC (“Alternating Current”) to DC (“Direct Current”) adapter, a battery or a USB gate adapted to be used for power supply from a personal computer.

The apparatus1comprises also processing means6which are able to drive the reader of the memory means3and the communication module2. Moreover, it is provided with a firmware wherein a “pushing” logic is implemented, for instance through NFC. Said processing means6can also manage base modules (memory means3and the communication module2), and the operations connected to the “push”, for instance of the NFC protocol. Within the scope of this application the terms “push” or “pushing” intend a kind of transmission wherein some information data are provided to an electronic device80on initiative of the transmitting device1at the occurrence of a predetermined event, and not on explicit request inserted by the user in the electronic device80or transmitting device1. In the case of the present invention such an occurrence corresponds at last in fact that any receiving device adapted to establish a connection, for instance of NFC type, with the apparatus1, is in its radio range and this event is detected by said apparatus. In the apparatus according to the present invention the data or information contents are transferred to the electronic device80, arranged in the immediate vicinity, without explicit insertion in the apparatus1or in the electronic device of any specific transfer command of the information content. Further, the apparatus1can comprise second memory means7of the not volatile type, able to store the information content of a removable memory inserted in the reader of memory means3, and to give a user the opportunity of extracting the removable memory60after having copied the information content.

In another embodiment, the apparatus1comprises also signalling means8, for instance one or more LED (“Light Emitting Diode”) signalling lamps having colour and/or fixed or variable brightness (so providing a visual signal) or a beeper (also told a “buzzer”, so providing a sound signal). Said signalling means8can be useful to signal to the user, for instance, that the information content has been copied from the removable memory in the first memory means4, or the information content has been successfully sent to another electronic device through the communication module2, or further that the battery of the apparatus1reached a lowest or a highest charge level. Generally, said signalling means8signal to a user at least an operation carried out by said apparatus1or the fact of being in some operating state.

In another embodiment, the apparatus1comprises also display means9and a user interface10. The display means9can be, for instance, a traditional LCD display able to display alphanumeric characters and simplified graphs. In a simpler embodiment of the apparatus1the display can show the name and the place (name of the electronic file) of the information contents present in the local memory7or in the removable memory60inserted in the reading unit3, that is the file system content of the apparatus1. The choice of the files, to be sent through, is carried out through the user interface10, such as a “joystick” or a push-button strip, which at every operation, glances through the list of the present files in the memory support and selects that of proper interest to be sent. In a preferred embodiment, the “joystick” or push-button strip can be in a cross shape with inside a further push-button for confirmation, as depicted inFIG. 2. Further, through the user interface10it is possible to carry out operations on the information content, as for instance the erasure, the copy and the transfer of the information contents accessible from the apparatus1, and so on. In said condition, the user of the apparatus1can decide which information contents transmit to the electronic device80(just only a file, some files or all the files accessible to the apparatus1or all those contained in a particular memory thereof, for instance the local one7) by individually selecting the files and/or the electronic folders containing them through the user interface (10) and so speed up the distribution of the information contents themselves, without having to change every time a removable memory for every file to be transmitted. The display means assist the user in the choice showing time by time the content of the memory selected by the user, that is the files and/or folders selected by the user during the featuring operations of the apparatus1.

In a more sophisticated embodiment of the apparatus the display means can include a “e-ink” display (display technology designed to simulate the appearance of the ink on a normal paper sheet) which, besides the display of the file system disclosed in the previous paragraph, provides the user with the display of the information content present in the memory means7or in the removable memory65accommodated in a compartment68of the memory means3.

Therefore, from just the hardware view point, it is about an apparatus1which can be independently power supplied from the communication module2(through a power supply module5), for instance from the NFC communication module, and inside providing at least a communication module2, processing means6, first memory means4and at least a memory means reader3.

The method according to the present invention, and the related apparatus adapted to embody said method, provides for interfacing among them the above mentioned elements and for acceding to the first memory means4, to the removable memories and to the second memory means7, as well as to the various “file systems” by them provided. In addition, it provides to manage all the operations related to the sharing of the information contents, through the communication module2, with at least an electronic device80located in the communication range of the apparatus1.

The electronic device80can be a “Smartphone”, a “Tablet PC”, a “Notebook”, an “E-book”, or any other mobile device or however easily portable device adopting the same communication protocol of the apparatus1.

The method according to the present invention so provides to operate the automatic transmission of the information contents just when said device is located in the communication range of the apparatus1.

The method can manage three possible logical states or operating modes of the apparatus1, supposed to be on, that is electrically supplied:Setting;Normal use;Idle (Inactive).

With reference toFIG. 3, the operating flow chart of the apparatus in accordance with the present invention is shown. The apparatus provides to check the presence of at least one removable memory (step32) and, if present, the apparatus carries out the operations provided in the first setting step called “State1” (step40) later described. If none removable memory is present in the reader of the memory means3, then the apparatus checks the presence of information contents in the second memory means7and copies them in the first memory means4(step34). If they are present, then the apparatus carries out the operations provided in the second step of normal use called “State2” (step50) also later described, otherwise goes to the third step “Idle” (Inactivity) called inFIG. 3“State3” (step36) also later described. At the end of the second step a check of user presence is carried out, that is it is checked if the electronic device80is still present in the communication range of the apparatus1(step39), should it not be then it returns to the step32, otherwise the method stops (step38). From the “State3”, namely from the step36, it would exit in case of insertion by a user of a removable memory in the reader of the memory means3of the apparatus1(step32), and then it would directly restart from the “State1” (step40).

With reference toFIG. 4, the first step called “State1” is depicted, wherein the apparatus, in accordance with the present invention, carries out the functions to accede to the reader of memory means3, and then reading the information content from a removable memory60inserted by a user (step42), copying the content intended to share in the first memory means4(step44) and, if the apparatus1is provided with second memory means7(step46), copying also in the last such an information content (step48), otherwise the process stops (step49).

With reference toFIG. 5, the second step called “State2” is depicted, which is requested either at the end of the first step or at the check end in the step34. In said “State2” the apparatus, in accordance with the present invention, provides to detect the presence of an electronic device80implementing the communication protocol itself of the apparatus1(step52), specifically the NFC protocol, suited to support the data transfer mode “Peer-To-Peer”. Further, the apparatus according to the invention provides to establish a “Peer-To-Peer” communication therewith. A further step is sending the information contents present in the first memory means4and/or in the second memory means7and/or in the removable memory60exploiting the above mentioned data transfer mode (step54). Later, it is provided a step wherein it is detected the change from a state to another (step56); if the state is changed then the process stops (step58), otherwise it returns to the step52; in any case the “Peer-To-Peer” communication is closed.

Referring again toFIG. 3, during the “State3”, the apparatus according to the invention cannot do any of the two above described steps (“State1” or “State2”) and, after some time, automatically proceeds to its own switching off.

As application example, let us consider a possible scenario of invention use such as in a fair, wherein a visitor goes to a stand, for obtaining information and/or descriptive material, for instance a brochure, relating an interesting object displayed in the stand. In such a context, the apparatus1according to the present invention allows a user, interested to obtain one or more electronic documents, to approach, or practically to touch, with his/her own electronic device80(for instance a “Smartphone”) the apparatus1and to obtain the set of the desired documents; then the user is compelled to make a voluntary act. That is permitted by the use of a short range communication technology (for instance NFC), that is a typical communication range of 1 or 2 centimeters.

As regards the active user of the method according to the invention, he has as only job that of copying in advance the information material to distribute to the visitors, on a removable memory support such as, for instance, a SD card (“Secure Digital memory card”), a Micro-SD, a USB (“Universal Serial Bus”) pen, and so on, and insert such a memory support in the apparatus1.

Further, the distributed brochures are in electronic format, therefore is not used any paper, producing a noticeable economic saving for the stand exhibitor and reducing the environmental impact for the community.

Furthermore, the use of just a protocol and a short range communication in “Peer-to-Peer” mode allows to reduce the configuration time between the apparatus1and the electronic device80coming in the communication range thereof. Coming back to the exemplary scenario previously described, the exhibitor does not have to insert any command in the apparatus1, but merely having previously loaded its own electronic document65in the removable memory60and inserting it in the apparatus1(FIGS. 6, 7a,7b); for his/her part, the visitor desiring to receive such a document will have simply to have his/her electronic device80enabled to short range communication (for instance NFC) and putting the same on the apparatus1(FIG. 8). At that time the electronic document65will be automatically copied on the electronic device80upon consent of the visitor (FIG. 9a), implicitly grant with the voluntary approach of the electronic device80to the apparatus1and the latter will be able to enjoy the use of the information contents65(FIG. 9b). It is to notice that in the embodiment of the invention depicted in theFIGS. 7, 8 and 9it is not necessary to leave the memory card60containing the file65inserted in the compartment68of the reading unit3during the transfer step of the files to the Smartphone80: in fact the apparatus1previously provided to copy, either automatically or on explicit command of the user, the file65in his central memory either RAM or SDRAM4and/or in the local mass memory7.

Further, the visitor can so load on his/her own electronic device80many documents or other information contents, avoiding to “collect” a lot of paper documents and other objects (CD, memory supports) making his/her visit to the fair poorly easy.

Always in such a context, for instance, if a communication technology, having larger communication range, were used, for instance with communication range of the order of one or more meters, it would be impossible for the exhibitor to discriminate to which visitor transmit the document, so compelling the exhibitor to transmit in “broadcast” mode (to all users present in the communication range) and, as a consequence, would appear unwanted “spam” phenomena, that is the same document probably would be transmitted many times to the same visitor, as well as to visitors not interested to the document, as they did not give their consent to such a transmission.

Should the communication technology Bluetooth be used, there is further the problem to configure the association between the apparatus1and the electronic device80of the visitor, but such a configuration would have to be carried out for every stand, as every stand should have a different Bluetooth device to transmit its own information content. Therefore, the visitor should be compelled to configure the connection association for his/her own electronic device80with the apparatus1whenever he/she desires to find information content from an exhibitor, so causing considerable discomfort and waste of time for the visitor him/herself, as well as running into further configuration problems with consequent time waste. On the contrary, with the apparatus and the method in accordance with the present invention, unwanted and “spam” phenomena do not occur and does not exist the problem to configure a connection every time the visitor desires to find on his/her own electronic device80an information content of his/her interest.

What just described represents just a possible embodiment of the present invention. It is possible to expect, for instance, also the presence of a hardware switch allowing the transition from “State1” to “State2” to streamline the procedure during the normal operation (“State2”). It is possible also provide that the “State3” is really a stand-by power saving state, wherein the apparatus1minimizes the power consumption, but is always waiting for the insertion of a memory support in the apparatus1, in which case automatically wakes up and goes to the operating State2, becoming ready to deliver the electronic documents (files) modelled to be automatically transmitted to the terminals into the range of its radio communication module2.

At last, the method according to the present invention will also be able to recognise the presence of “special” configuration files, to therewith carry out the updating of the software of the apparatus1and of the libraries of the communication protocol (for instance, in case of updating of the of the “Peer-to-Peer” protocol). From the operating view point, the “blank” apparatus, that is just coming from a manufacture, will be in the “State3”, waiting for a memory support to be inserted in its inside. As soon as it will be detected, such a support will automatically be transferred in the “State1” and from this in the “State2”.

From this time on, the apparatus1will always automatically repeat the sending of the same file till a different decision, for instance following the insertion of a removable memory, containing new files or following operating setting modifications of the apparatus1operated by the user on a configuration step (“State1”).

In this step, the apparatus1will be always ready to detect the presence of an electronic device supporting a short range technology and a “Peer-to-Peer” protocol. Once detected an electronic device checking the necessary requirements, a communication channel will be established with it and on this will be sent the file subjected to the transfer, without any command inserted for that purpose on the apparatus1or on the electronic device80. Once completed the transfer, the apparatus1will close the communication channel with the electronic device80and will be ready for a new interaction.

In addition, it is important to specify that what has been described represents just the simplest and generic use case, but it is possible to provide adjustments to the method permitting to manage different user typologies with access to different files and/or manage distribution lists (for instance “White-List” rather than “Black List”) and/or different rules.

In another embodiment, referring toFIG. 10, the apparatus1comprises a second radio communication module2B, different from radio communication module2, preferably supporting a communication rate higher than that provided by the radio communication module2. Further, the protocol adopted by the second radio communication module2B can be different from that adopted by the radio communication module2; for instance, it can be a protocol type as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct and so on, which, preferably can support a wireless connection on ranges also longer with respect to that permitted by the first radio communication module2. In such an embodiment, the first communication channel made through the radio communication module2is for finding the connection information (configuration) for establishing the communication with the electronic device80through the second radio communication module2B. Said information can be, for instance, the access credentials, the channel frequency, the network label and so on. By using this operating mode, it is exploited a first low rate channel to find the connection information to establish a connection on a second high rate channel, or however a rate higher than that of the first channel, on which make the files65to pass to be transferred between the apparatus1and the electronic device80. The information content65can be sent preferably through the second radio connection, having used the first one exclusively for establish the second one; however, it is possible also to provide to send the information content65simultaneously through both channels by means the radio communication modules2and2B, at the cost of dividing and coordinating the flow of data transferred in parallel from the apparatus1to the electronic device80on two different radio channels.

In the meantime, the activation on the second channel is automatic and fast, so excluding the manual intervention in the setting of the second connection. In fact, on the first radio connection, the apparatus1previously sends to the electronic device80the necessary data for the establishment and the maintenance of the connection channel (additional to the first or exclusive one) necessary for the transfer of the information content65(as one or more files) to be distributed in peer-to-peer mode and which has been previously stated by the user of the apparatus1. It is natural that a radio communication module supporting the protocol adopted on the second channel has to be present also on the electronic device80. Also in this case, the setting times of file transfer among electronic devices are dramatically reduced, so increasing the transfer rate. The above described operation mode is told “handover”.

Further in this other embodiment it is no more necessary that the electronic device80is held at the short operating range of the first radio connection system, for instance, of NFC type, however without generating the annoying spam phenomenon present in long range information content distribution systems; in fact the file transfer always occurs in point-to-point mode (peer-to-peer) just from apparatus1to electronic device80. Further is maintained the “pushing” mode, that is the transfer of the information content occurs without any explicit command given by the user to the apparatus1or to the electronic device80. Also in this other embodiment, in substance, the transfer of the information content65occurs as a consequence of having brought near enough the electronic device80to the apparatus1, so that the radio communication module2manages to establish a communication channel with the corresponding radio communication module of the electronic device80, which has been found in its radio range.

With reference toFIG. 11, the second step called “State2” is further depicted with the insertion of the steps in which the method, and a related apparatus, in accordance with the present invention, provides to check the presence of the second radio communication protocol on the mobile device80(step53A) and, in affirmative case, establishes therewith a second radio connection channel by means of the first communication protocol supported by the radio communication module2(step53B). Later, the data relating the information content65are transferred through the second protocol (step53C) supported by the radio communication module2B and by a corresponding radio module, checked as available in the step53A. If this second connection channel is not available, the data sending occurs through the first communication protocol with the radio module2(step54), such as in the embodiment of the invention described inFIG. 5.

The method according to the invention can be implemented through an informatics product loadable in a memory of the apparatus1and comprising software code portions adapted to implement the same method.

From the carried out description therefore result clear the features of the present invention, as well as are clear its advantages.

A first advantage of the apparatus and method according to the present invention is thoroughly reducing the setting times of a file transfer among electronic devices.

A second advantage of the apparatus and method according to the present invention is to avoid “spam” phenomena during the sharing of information contents.

A third advantage of the apparatus and method according to the present invention is to allow a user to decide at will in simple and immediate way the receiving of an information content on his/her own mobile device.

A further advantage of the apparatus and method according to the present invention is to increase the money saving of a user of the apparatus due to the replacement of printed information contents with the electronic ones.

A further advantage of the apparatus and method according to the present invention is to reduce paper and information material waste, then reducing the impact on the environment by non-use of printed paper.

Many are the possible changes to the apparatus and method adapted to share information contents through wireless NFC connection, without exiting from the novelty principles of the inventive idea, as well as it is clear that in its practical carrying out the shapes of the depicted details could be different, and the same will be able to be replaced with members technically equivalent.

For instance, the apparatus and method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, in particular through NFC connection, can manage different kind of users with different privileges or obtain the document to be shared directly through a NFC connection from a mobile terminal. In this last case, the method according to the present invention comprises a receiving state in addition to the sending standard.

Therefore it is easily understandable that the present invention is not limited to an apparatus and method adapted to share information contents through wireless connection, in particular through NFC connection, but it is liable to many alterations, improvements, replacements of parts and equivalent members without however depart from the idea of the invention, as it is better pointed out in the following claims.