U.S. patent application number 09/955346 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-07 for light-reflecting member and strap for portable electronic epuipment.
Invention is credited to Ogata, Hiroki.
Application Number | 20020015229 09/955346 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 13835899 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020015229 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ogata, Hiroki |
February 7, 2002 |
Light-reflecting member and strap for portable electronic
epuipment
Abstract
It is an object of the present invention to enhance
communications functions of a portable electronic equipment (1)
that has optical communications functions so that the light beams
emitted from other equipment with which it communicates can be
adequately received even when the equipment (1) is being carried by
a user. According to the present invention, a light-reflecting
member (20) is attached to a strap body (10) used to carry the
portable electronic equipment (1) in a hanging down position. The
light-reflecting member (20) is positioned near a light receiver
(4) provided on the top part (1a) of the portable electronic
equipment (1) and reflects light beams used for optical
communication from the surroundings and guides them to the light
receiver (4).
Inventors: |
Ogata, Hiroki; (Chiba,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Rosenman & Colin LLP
575 Madison Avenue
New York
NY
10022-2585
US
|
Family ID: |
13835899 |
Appl. No.: |
09/955346 |
Filed: |
September 18, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09955346 |
Sep 18, 2001 |
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09534422 |
Mar 23, 2000 |
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6318865 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
359/516 ;
359/838; 359/882 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/22 20130101; H04M
1/72412 20210101; H04B 10/114 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
359/516 ;
359/838; 359/882 |
International
Class: |
G02B 005/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 26, 1999 |
JP |
P11-84626 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A light-reflecting member in combination with a strap for
portable electronic equipment including a light receiver and a
light emitter and provided with optical communications functions,
said strap being used for carrying the portable electronic
equipment by a user, said light-reflecting member being attached to
said strap and reflecting light beams used in optical communication
of the portable electronic equipment to the light receiver of the
portable electronic equipment.
2. The light-reflecting member as set forth in claim 1, wherein
said light-reflecting member is attached in a desired position on
said strap such that said light beams emitted from outside of the
portable electronic equipment can be reflected to said light
receiver of the portable electronic equipment.
3. The light-reflecting member as set forth in claim 1, which has a
shape of a sphere that has light-reflecting characteristics at
least on a surface thereof.
4. The light-reflecting member as set forth in claim 1, which is
provided with reflective surfaces that have light-reflecting
characteristics at least on portions thereof.
5. A strap for carrying portable electronic equipment by a user,
the electronic equipment including a light receiver and a light
emitter and being provided with optical communications functions,
and a light-reflecting member attached to the strap and reflecting
light beams used in optical communication of the portable
electronic device equipment to the light receiver of the portable
electronic equipment.
6. A carrying strap for portable electronic equipment provided with
optical communications functions and having light receiver for said
optical communications functions positioned on a top part of the
portable electronic equipment, wherein said carrying strap is
connected to the top part of said portable electronic equipment and
wherein a light-reflecting member that reflects light beams used in
the optical communication of said portable electronic equipment is
provided, said light-reflecting member being attached to the
carrying strap in a position in the vicinity of said light
receiver.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a light-reflecting member
attached to a carrying strap for portable electronic equipment that
includes a light receiver(also referred as "photo detector device")
and a light emitter and is provided with optical communications
functions.
[0003] 2. Background of the Invention
[0004] In recent years, portable electronic equipment having
optical communications functions making use of infrared
communications technologies and the like has been proposed. This
type of portable electronic equipment, typified by portable game
devices, allows a plurality of people who each own their own
portable game device to exchange data among them, so that
characters appearing in the game may be sent to the memory of
another device, or game information may be exchanged so that games
can be played in real time, along with other functions.
[0005] When portable electronic equipment is carried around at all
times, the device is typically attached to a strap and hung from
the neck or wrist of the owner. In this case, it is unavoidable
that the posture of the equipment is much different depending on
whether the portable electronic equipment is being used or being
carried (when hanging from the neck or wrist or the like using a
strap; the same applies hereafter in this specification.) For
example, when portable electronic equipment is being used, it is
typically operated with the information display surface formed in
the surface facing up. For this reason, if the portable electronic
equipment is equipped with optical communications functions, the
light receiver and the light emitter are provided at locations that
face other equipment with which it communicates in the in-use
posture, namely the top part of the equipment.
[0006] On the other hand, when the equipment is being carried by
the user, although this depends on the location where the equipment
is attached to the strap, it is not carried in the same posture as
that when the equipment is in use, and it typically hangs down with
the top part where the light receiver and the light emitter are
provided pointing up.
[0007] Therefore, even if there is a transmission of data using the
optical communications functions from other portable electronic
equipment while the equipment is being carried, the light receiver
is not facing other equipment with which it communicates, so the
light beam cannot be received directly. Even if the light beam
reflected by a wall or the like in the surroundings can be
received, the intensity of the light beam will be greatly
attenuated so that the usable range that the beam can reach would
be shortened.
[0008] If a light receiver is also provided on parts that face
other equipment with which it communicates, in the posture when the
portable electronic equipment is being carried, this kind of
communications interference will be eliminated. However, there is
no denying that this would make the portable electronic equipment
more complex and larger.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention was made in light of such
circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to enhance
the communications functions of portable electronic equipment that
has optical communications functions such that a light beam emitted
from another equipment with which it communicates can be adequately
received even when the equipment is being carried by the user.
[0010] In order to achieve the above and other objects of the
present invention, a light-reflecting member according to the
present invention is one attached to a carrying strap for portable
electronic equipment that includes a light receiver and a light
emitter and that is provided with optical communications functions,
wherein a light beam used in optical communications for the
portable electronic equipment is reflected to the light receiver of
the portable electronic equipment.
[0011] By attaching the light-reflecting member to the carrying
strap, the light beams emitted from other equipment with which it
communicates are reflected by the light-reflecting member and
guided to the light receiver of the portable electronic equipment
while the equipment is being carried by the user, so that the
optical communications functions of the portable electronic
equipment are enhanced even while that equipment is being
carried.
[0012] The light-reflecting member according to this invention is
attached in a desired position on the strap such that light beams
emitted from outside (namely, other equipment with which it
communicates) can be reflected to the light receiver of the
portable electronic equipment.
[0013] In addition, the strap according to the present invention is
attached with the aforementioned light-reflecting member. For
example, in the case where portable electronic equipment is
equipped with optical communications functions and has its light
receiver for optical communications functions on the top part, it
is preferable that the strap is connected to the top portion of the
portable electronic equipment and the light-reflecting member that
reflects light beams used in the optical communications for the
portable electronic equipment be attached in a position near the
light receiver.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a configuration of the
portable electronic equipment to be attached to the strap according
to an embodiment of this invention;
[0015] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional side view showing the
configuration of the top part of the portable electronic
equipment;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration of a main
part of the strap according to an embodiment of this invention;
[0017] FIG. 3A diagrammatically shows two hemispherical parts,
respectively of the light-reflecting member to be attached to the
main part of the strap;
[0018] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the light-reflecting member
attached to the strap;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view showing the
positional relationship between the reflecting member and the
portable electronic equipment shown in a sectional view;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical view for explaining the usage of
the strap according to the embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 diagrammatically shows the light-reflecting member
according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIG. 7A shows the light-reflecting member according to still
another embodiment of this invention; and
[0023] FIG. 7B is partial perspective view of the light-reflecting
member of FIG. 7A, attached to the portable electronic
equipment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] A detailed explanation of an embodiment of this invention
will be now made with reference to drawings. FIG. 1A is a plan view
showing a configuration of the portable electronic equipment to be
attached to the strap according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] Portable electronic equipment 1 shown in FIG. 1A is provided
with optical communications functions whereby infrared light or the
like is used to permit data to be exchanged between a plurality of
units of portable electronic equipment 1 or with another electronic
equipment. The portable electronic equipment 1 operates according
to a program stored in its built-in memory. For example, in the
case that the stored program is a game program, the game content is
drawn on a display area 2 consisting of liquid-crystal display or
the like, and at the same time, control buttons 3 are operated to
play the game. The display area 2 and control buttons 3 are
provided on the front surface of the portable electronic equipment
1.
[0026] In addition, a light receiver 4 for receiving light beams
for use in optical communication and a light emitter 5 for emitting
these light beams are built in near the top part 1a of the portable
electronic equipment 1. A window 6 consisting of a transparent
resin plate is formed at the top part 1a, so that the light
receiver 4 receives the light beams used for optical communication
through window 6, whereas the light emitter 5 emits the light beams
used for optical communication also therethrough. Moreover, as
shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 1B, a attachment aperture 7 for
connecting to the strap is formed at the top part 1a of the
portable electronic equipment 1.
[0027] The portable electronic equipment I described above is able
to use the optical communications functions to exchange data among
the portable electronic equipment 1 owned by a plurality of people,
for example, or it can be used to remotely activate the portable
electronic equipment 1 of other equipment with which it
communicates and thus call other equipment with which it
communicates, among other uses. In addition, in the event that a
remote control program for remotely controlling television sets or
other electronic equipment is stored in the built-in memory, the
optical communications functions can be utilized to remotely
control other types of electronic equipment.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the
strap according to an embodiment of this invention. FIGS. 3A and 3B
show a configuration of the light-reflecting member of the
embodiment of the present invention, which is attached to the main
part of the strap.
[0029] A strap according to an embodiment of this invention
includes a strap body 10 and a light-reflecting member 20 that is
attached to strap body 10.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, the strap body 10 includes a hanging
cord 11, a thin cord 12 and a connector 13. The hanging cord 11 is
a structural element for hanging from the body of the user, and
consists of a plain-weave or round weave cloth, vinyl, leather or
other material formed into a belt shape. The hanging cord 11
exhibits a looped mode of usage with both ends secured to the
connector 13. The length of hanging cord 11 may be set arbitrarily
depending on the purpose for which the strap is used. For example,
it may be made longer when hung from the neck of the user or the
length may be made shorter for hanging from the wrist of the
user.
[0031] The thin cord 12 is a structural element formed in a loop
for attaching to the attachment aperture 7 (FIG. 1B) of the
portable electronic equipment 1. The thin cord 12 is made of a
flexible, thin and tough material formed into a length of roughly
10 cm, and is secured to the connector 13 like the hanging cord
11.
[0032] The connector 13 is a structural element for connecting the
hanging cord 11 and thin cord 12 described above, and may be made
of plastic or other material. The hanging cord 11 and thin cord 12
are connected and secured within connector 13.
[0033] With a strap body 10 of the above configuration, the thin
cord 12 is pushed through the attachment aperture 7 of the portable
electronic equipment 1, and then the tip of the hanging cord 11 is
threaded through the loop of the thin cord 12 extending from the
attachment aperture 7, and thus the thin cord 12 is tied around the
attachment aperture 7 of the portable electronic equipment 1.
[0034] With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B it will be seen that a
light-reflecting member 20 which is made of a material that has
good reflective characteristics with respect to the light beams
used in the optical communications functions of the portable
electronic equipment 1 is attached to the thin cord 12. For
example, in the case that the light beams used in optical
communications functions are infrared light, light-reflecting
members may be made of ABS resin (acrylonitrile-butadien- e-styrene
resin) or polycarbonate or other plastic materials given the
characteristics of being able to reflect the infrared light.
[0035] It should be noted that the surface of the light-reflecting
member 20 may be electroplated or coated with a layer of material
that reflects light beams used in the aforementioned optical
communications functions. In this case, the material of the
light-reflecting member 20 does not matter.
[0036] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the
light-reflecting member 20 is formed in a spherical shape and is
configured such that it is attached to the thin cord piece of the
strap body 10. However, if the light-reflecting member 20 is
attached to the thin cord 12 before the strap body 10 is attached
to the portable electronic equipment 1, it is difficult to attach
the strap body 10 to the portable electronic equipment 1 by the
aforementioned sequence.
[0037] To solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 3A, in this
embodiment two (hemispherical) light-reflecting member halves 21
and 22 each having the shape of a sphere cut in half are
manufactured so that they form a spherical light-reflecting member
20 when joined together. To wit, by forming engagement concaves 21a
in the joining surface of one reflecting member half 21 and also
forming engagement convexes 22a in the joining surface of the other
reflecting member half 22 and fitting these parts together, the
reflecting member halves 21 and 22 are made integral. Due to this
configuration, it is possible to attach the reflecting member 20 to
the thin cord 12 after the strap body 10 has been attached to the
portable electronic equipment 1.
[0038] It is noted that the joining surfaces of the reflecting
member halves 21 and 22 respectively have grooves 21b and 22b for
inserting therein the thin cord 12, which extend in the center of
the halves 21 and 22 from upper ends thereof to lower ends
thereof.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a partial cutaway side view showing the positional
relationship between the light-reflecting member 20 and the
portable electronic equipment 1. FIG. 5 shows a diagram used to
explain the usage of the strap according to another embodiment of
this invention.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the light-reflecting member 20 attached
to the thin cord 12 of the strap body 10 is disposed near the light
receiver 4 in the portable electronic equipment 1. Moreover, as
shown in FIG. 5, in the state in which the hanging cord 11 of the
strap body 10 is hanging from the neck of the user, the window 6
provided in the top part 1a of the portable electronic equipment 1
faces upwards, and the light-reflecting member 20 is positioned in
the vicinity upwards thereof.
[0041] Therefore, when the light beams used for optical
communication emitted from another portable electronic equipment 1
impinge upon the surface of the reflecting member 20, as shown in
FIG. 4, the aforementioned light beams are reflected by the surface
of the light-reflecting member 20, pass through the window 6 of the
portable electronic equipment 1 and are guided to the light
receiver 4. Thereby, the light beams used for optical communication
emitted by another portable electronic equipment 1 can be reliably
made to enter the light receiver 4 even when the unit is being
carried by the user.
[0042] On the other hand, when the portable electronic equipment 1
is being used, the surface upon which the display area 2 and
control buttons 3 are provided faces upwards, so that the top part
1a is disposed such that it faces horizontally. At this time, the
strap will hang downwards below the top part 1a of the portable
electronic equipment 1, so that the light-reflecting member 20
moves downward from a position facing the window 6 of the portable
electronic equipment 1 (namely the light emitter 5 and light
receiver 4). Therefore, the light-reflecting member 20 will not
block communication between two portable electronic equipments.
[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the reflecting member according
to another embodiment of the invention.
[0044] A light reflecting member 30 shown in FIG. 6 is formed with
one of its surfaces being a light-reflecting surface. At least this
light-reflecting surface is provided with good reflecting
properties with respect to the light beams used in the optical
communications functions of the portable electronic equipment 1.
Moreover, this light-reflecting surface is slanted at a fixed angle
with respect to the axis of the strap, and thus when the portable
electronic equipment 1 is hanging from the strap (being carried by
the user), it is adjusted so that light beams used for optical
communication entering from the front can be reflected to the light
receiver 4 of the portable electronic equipment 1.
[0045] The light-reflecting member 30 shown in FIG. 6 is also
attached to the thin cord portion of the strap body 10 and can make
the light beams used for optical communication emitted by another
portable electronic equipment 1 reliably enter the light receiver 4
even when the unit is being carried by the user.
[0046] FIGS. 7A and 7B show the reflecting member according to yet
another embodiment of the invention.
[0047] In the embodiments described above, the reflecting member
was attached to the thin cord 12 of the strap body 10. However, as
shown in FIG. 7B, the light-reflecting member 40 may also be
disposed such that the hanging cord 11 passes through it and is in
contact with the upper edge of the connector 13. As shown in FIG.
7A, the light-reflecting member 40 in this embodiment has a
through-hole 41 formed therein from the top edge to the bottom edge
of the sphere, and so it can be easily attached to the strap body
10 by simply passing the hanging cord 11 through this through-hole
41.
[0048] The light-reflecting member 40 attached in a position in
contact with the upper edge of the connector 13 is also disposed
near the light receiver 4 in the portable electronic equipment 1.
Moreover, when the hanging cord 11 of the strap body 10 is hanging
from the neck of the user, the window 6 provided in the top part 1a
of the portable electronic equipment 1 faces upward, and the
light-reflecting member 40 is present in a position in the vicinity
upward thereof.
[0049] Therefore, when the light beams used for optical
communication emitted from other portable electronic equipment 1
impinge upon the surface of the light-reflecting member 40, the
light beams are reflected by the surface of the light-reflecting
member 40, pass through the window 6 of the portable electronic
equipment 1 and are guided to the light receiver 4. Thereby, light
beams used for optical communication emitted by other portable
electronic equipment 1 can be reliably made to enter the light
receiver 4 even when the unit is being carried.
[0050] It is noted that in the above explanation, only the function
of the light-reflecting members 20, 30 and 40 for guiding light
beams used for optical communication emitted from other portable
electronic equipment 1 into the light receiver 4 while the unit has
been carried by the user has been described in the explanation.
However, the light-reflecting members 20, 30 and 40 can also
enhance transmission functions when the unit is being carried. To
wit, in the case wherein the control buttons 3 are operated to
perform the transmission of data in the state with the hanging cord
11 of the strap body 10 hanging from the neck of the user, the
light emitted from the light emitter 5 can be reflected by
light-reflecting members 20, 30 and 40 and scattered around the
user.
[0051] In addition, the light-reflecting member of this invention
can have a configuration wherein the surface that reflects the
light beams used for optical communication has a smooth surface for
reflecting light beams in the desired direction, or this surface
may be given a rough surface to cause the diffused reflection of
the impinging light beams.
[0052] Moreover, this invention may naturally be also applied to
straps for carrying portable electronic equipment of a
configuration other than that shown in FIG. 1 (various types of
portable electronic equipment that are provided with optical
communications functions).
[0053] According to the present invention as described above, the
light-reflecting member is able to guide light beams emitted from
another equipment with which the equipment communicates to the
light receiver of portable electronic equipment provided with
optical communications functions even when the portable electronic
equipment is being carried by a user, and thus it can enhance the
communications functions of this equipment.
* * * * *