Patent ID: 7936095

Claim:
A communication system comprising: an electronic appliance; and a portable communication device that communicates with said electronic appliance, wherein said electronic appliance includes: a first communication unit that communicates with said portable communication device, a direction detector that detects a direction in which said portable communication device is located, an electromagnetic wave transmitter that converts power supplied from a power supply into electromagnetic waves, increases a power level of the converted electromagnetic waves after the direction detector detects the direction in which said portable communication device is located, and transmits the electromagnetic wave having the increased power level in the direction detected by said direction detector, and a functional unit that performs a television function distinct from a function performed by the electromagnetic wave transmitter in transmitting electromagnetic waves, the television function including receiving a broadcasting signal, selecting a channel, demodulating the broadcasting signal on the selected channel into a video signal and an audio signal, and outputting the demodulated video and audio signals, said portable communication device includes: a second communication unit that communicates with said electronic appliance, a secondary cell that supplies power to said second communication unit, an electromagnetic wave receiver that receives the electromagnetic waves transmitted by said electromagnetic wave transmitter, a power converter that converts the electromagnetic waves received by said electromagnetic wave receiver into power, and a charger that charges said secondary cell using the power converted by said power converter, said second communication unit of said portable communication device includes: an operation signal generator that generates an operation signal for performing selection of the channel of the television function of said electronic appliance based on an operation by a user, and an operation signal transmitter that transmits, to said electronic appliance, the operation signal generated by said operation signal generator, said first communication unit of said electronic appliance includes an operation signal receiver that receives the operation signal transmitted from said operation signal transmitter, and said electromagnetic wave transmitter does not start transmission of the electromagnetic waves having the increased power level if a succeeding operation signal is received within a predetermined period of time after said operation signal receiver finishes receiving the operation signal, the predetermined period of time being set so as to be sufficient to give rise to an assumption that the user has finished using the portable communication device, and has placed the portable communication device at a position.