Terminal device, and communication method and communication module for the same

A communication method executed by a terminal device, the terminal device including:

• a processor;
• a near-field communication unit for performing near-field communications with an external reader/writer;
• a wireless communication unit for performing wireless communications with an external communication device;
• a terminal control unit for interpreting only one of command schemes of the wireless communication unit and the near-field communication unit, and controlling a function of the terminal device;
• and
• a unit-to-unit communication control unit for controlling communications between the wireless communication unit and the terminal control unit and between the near-field communication unit and the terminal control unit, the communication method comprising:
• (a) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to add an identification number to one of commands from the near-field communication unit and the wireless communication unit;
• (b) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to convert a command of the other of the command schemes among the commands from the wireless communication unit and the near-field communication unit into a command of the one of the command schemes, using a command conversion table in which the command scheme of the wireless communication unit and the command scheme of the near-field communication unit are associated;
• (c) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to extract a header of data stored in a storage unit of the terminal device,
• wherein the command of the other of the command schemes which has the identification number added in step (a), or the command of the one of the command schemes which has the identification number added in step (a) is communicated to the terminal control unit, the command of the other of the command schemes being converted into a command of the one of the command schemes in step (b);
• and
• (d) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to transmit the header of the data to the near-field communication unit when a size of the data is larger than or equal to a predetermined size, and to transmit the data when the wireless communication unit is allowed to communicate with the external communication device.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program executed by a terminal device including:

• a near-field communication unit for performing near-field communications with an external reader/writer;
• a wireless communication unit for performing wireless communications with an external communication device;
• a terminal control unit for interpreting only one of command schemes of the wireless communication unit and the near-field communication unit, and controlling a function of the terminal device;
• and
• a unit-to-unit communication control unit for controlling communications between the wireless communication unit and the terminal control unit and between the near-field communication unit and the terminal control unit,
• the program for:
• (a) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to add an identification number to one of commands from the near-field communication unit and the wireless communication unit;
• and
• (b) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to convert a command of the other of the command schemes among the commands from the wireless communication unit and the near-field communication unit into a command of the one of the command schemes, using a command conversion table in which the command scheme of the wireless communication unit and the command scheme of the near-field communication unit are associated;
• (c) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to extract a header of data stored in a storage unit of the terminal device,
• wherein the command of the other of the command schemes which has the identification number added in step (a), or the command of the one of the command schemes which has the identification number added in step (a) is communicated to the terminal control unit, the command of the other of the command schemes being converted into a command of the one of the command schemes in step (b);
• and
• (d) causing the unit-to-unit communication control unit to transmit the header of the data to the near-field communication unit when a size of the data is larger than or equal to a predetermined size, and to transmit the data when the wireless communication unit is allowed to communicate with the external communication device.