IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,212,575
Granted Patent B2
US 10,212,575 · App. 15/104,648 · Granted Feb 19, 2019

Terminal device, data transmission method, and data transfer method

Inventors: Tomoaki Matsumura (Tokyo, JP); Takeshi Itagaki (Saitama, JP); Tadashi Ehara (Kanagawa, JP); Yoshihiko Ikenaga (Tokyo, JP); Shinji Takae (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
H04W8/005H04W40/22H04W76/10H04W88/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,212,575
App. No.
15/104,648
Granted
Feb 19, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Efficient data transfer over a public network is achieved. A terminal searching unit searches for a neighboring terminal device. A display unit displays a list of terminal devices discovered by the terminal searching unit. A terminal selecting unit selects a predetermined terminal device included in the list based on the list displayed on the display unit. A data transmission unit transmits data using the predetermined terminal device selected by the terminal selecting unit as a relay. The list of neighboring terminal devices discovered by the search is displayed and a predetermined terminal device is selected using the list and is used for relay transfer, which allows the user to easily select a predetermined terminal device to be used for the relay transfer.

Claims (36)

1. A terminal device comprising:

processing circuitry configured to:

connect the terminal device to a second terminal, wherein connecting the terminal device to the second terminal includes the terminal device being configured to

search for a neighboring terminal device, wherein the neighboring terminal device is the second terminal, wherein searching for neighboring terminal device includes receiving short-range wireless information, public network connection information, and terminal information transmitted from the second terminal,

acquire information from the second terminal discovered by the search,

investigate a plurality of second terminals recommended to be used for a relay transfer based on the acquired information, the second terminal being included in the plurality of second terminals,

display a list of second terminals discovered by the search that are recommended to be used for the relay transfer, the list of second terminals being all or a subset of the plurality of second terminals;

determine if there is a connection request from the second terminal,

select the second terminal from the list of second terminals to be used for the relay transfer when there is no connection request from the second terminal,

transmit the connection request to the selected second terminal,

receive a reply to the connection request from the second terminal in response to the connection request, and

transmit data using the selected second terminal as a relay when the selected second terminal reply to the connection request indicates connection permission.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit further displays a predicted transfer rate in association with each of the terminal devices being listed.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit displays any one or more of the terminal devices being listed in a display form indicating that selection is recommended.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit further displays user information in association with each of the terminal devices being listed.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1 wherein the connection request transmitted from the connection request transmission unit to the predetermined terminal device additionally includes information indicating a connection condition.

6. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the connection request transmitted from the connection request transmission unit to the predetermined terminal device additionally includes predicted transfer rate information.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein the data transmitted from the data transmission unit to the predetermined terminal device additionally includes transfer rate information of the predetermined terminal device.

8. A data transmission method comprising:

searching, via a first terminal, for a neighboring terminal device, wherein the neighboring terminal device is a second terminal, wherein searching for neighboring terminal device includes receiving short-range wireless information, public network connection information, and terminal information transmitted from the second terminal;

acquiring information from the second terminal discovered by the search;

investigating a plurality of second terminals recommended to be used for a relay transfer based on the acquired information, the second terminal being included in the plurality of second terminals;

displaying a list of second terminals discovered in the searching that are recommended to be used for the relay transfer, the list of second terminals being all or a subset of the plurality of second terminals;

determining if there is a connection request from the second terminal;

selecting the second terminal from the list of second terminals to be used for the relay transfer when there is no connection request from the second terminal;

transmitting the connection request to the selected second terminal;

receiving a reply to the connection request from the second terminal in response to the connection request; and

transmitting data using the selected second-terminal as a relay when the selected second terminal reply to the connection request indicates connection permission.

9. A data transfer method comprising:

searching, via a second terminal, for a terminal device that is a neighboring terminal device;

displaying a list of terminal devices discovered in the searching, the terminal device being included in the list of terminal devices;

determining if there is a connection request from the terminal device;

selecting the terminal device from the plurality of terminal devices to be used for a relay transfer when there is no connection request from the terminal device;

transmitting the connection request to the selected terminal device;

receive a reply to the connection request from the terminal device in response to the connection request; and

relaying data sent from the terminal device selected by the second terminal when the selected terminal device reply to the connection request indicates connection permission.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 15, 2016
From: MATSUMURA, TOMOAKI; ITAGAKI, TAKESHI; EHARA, TADASHI; IKENAGA, YOSHIHIKO; TAKAE, SHINJI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 038918/0049 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2013-271887 · Dec 27, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160316354A1 · Oct 27, 2016