Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-01
2003-01-07
Bost, Dwayne (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S557000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06505055
ABSTRACT:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to electronic organizers and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods providing integration of electronic organizers with cellular phone devices.
With each passing day, there is ever increasing interest in providing integrated solutions for connected information appliances. Here, the general environment includes “appliances” in the form of electronic devices such as cellular phones, pagers, and battery-powered, hand-held devices (e.g., REX™, Palm Pilot™ and Windows™ CE devices). Such a device, in typical use, is occasionally connected to a desktop personal computer or PC, which stores information for the user. Still further, the PC may be connected to a server computer, which stores information important to the user's business. What the user really wants is an integrated solution such that information of each device remains available for use in other devices in a convenient, transparent manner.
This is particularly the case for cellular phones, given their tremendous popularity. Although cellular phones are commonplace, a cellular phone user today finds that his or her device is not well integrated with other electronic devices. Consider, for instance, a user who maintains address-book or “contacts” information on a hand-held device. Despite having maintained extensive information about his or her contacts electronically, the user is forced to manually re-enter information into the cellular phone when placing a phone call. What the user wants instead is the ability to make calls and look up addresses and phone numbers, even check schedules and send electronic mail, from a single integrated solution. Yet to date, designers have struggled over how to integrate disparate information—such as calendaring, scheduling, and contact information—among disparate devices.
What is needed is a solution which combines telephony with personal information management in a single integrated hand-held unit. Given the millions of cellular phones in service today, such a solution would comprise a user-serviceable attachment allowing a legacy phone to be upgraded to a “smart” phone without requiring a change to the underlying phone equipment (i.e., in a manner which maintains compatibility with legacy hardware) and without requiring a complicated installation procedure. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a “Camel-Back” Digital Organizer (CDO) unit or system, that is designed to attach to a cellular phone in the same manner as an auxiliary battery, and to interface with the phone through contact points available in the phone's interface port (e.g., StarTac™ cellular port). The CDO unit is preferably implemented as an add-on component which can be easily attached and detached from a phone by a customer and, once in place, can dramatically enhance the phone functionality, converting the phone into a “smart” phone.
The CDO unit comprises a digital organizer having a main housing supporting, on its back or upper surface, a set of input
avigation buttons and a display screen. The set of buttons comprise a circular pad or circular configuration of buttons, placed at the bevel end of the unit, which are designed as a directional navigation disc or “NaviDisc.” The NaviDisc provides for LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, and SELECT buttons (i.e., five buttons total). The unit's housing includes a gentle slope for facilitating user access to these buttons. The unit also includes a second set of buttons along its top edge, which are designed to mimic the rubber buttons on the phone itself.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides an electronic organizer allowing for independent operation and for operation with a telephone, and includes the following basic elements: a housing having an exterior surface and defining an interior; a memory in the interior of the housing for storing data; a user-visible display coupled to the housing and the memory for selectively displaying the data within the memory, wherein the display is operable when the organizer is physically independent of the telephone; and at least one connector coupled to the housing for removably mating the organizer onto the telephone to form an enhanced telephone unit. The connector includes a signal conductor for communicating data to the cellular or wireless telephone. In another embodiment, the present invention provides an enhanced telephone comprising a target telephone capable of stand-alone use by a user, the target telephone comprising a telephone housing; and an electronic organizer capable of stand-alone use by a user to organize data, the electronic organizer comprising a housing structure that includes a connector configured to removably attach the electronic organizer to the target telephone such that the combination of target telephone and electronic organizer is a physically integrated unit. In another embodiment, the invention provides a portable device for carrying data and attaching to a telephone to enhance the telephone, the telephone having at least one battery attachment location and a communication interface port, the portable device comprising a device housing having an upper surface; a memory underlying the device housing for storing the data; and at least one mechanical connector on the device housing configured to couple the portable device to the telephone at the battery attachment location.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a portable electronic organizer for carrying data and attaching to a cellular or wireless telephone to enhance the wireless telephone, the wireless telephone having an existing attachment location selected from the set consisting of an existing battery attachment location and an existing communication interface port that carries telephonic communication, the portable organizer comprising a memory for storing the data; and a housing structure for containing at least the memory and configured to mate with the existing attachment location to make the electronic organizer and the wireless telephone together a handheld enhanced telephone. In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a portable device for carrying data and attaching to a telephone to enhance the telephone, the telephone having at least one battery attachment location and a communication interface port, the portable device comprising a device housing having an upper surface; a memory for storing the data; and at least one mechanical connector on the device housing configured to couple the portable device to the telephone at the battery attachment location.
The recommended power supply for the portable organizer unit may be a conventional organizer power supply, such as a set of stacked watch batteries (e.g., CR2025) which are inserted into a battery compartment on the back side of the unit. A simple clip or screw cover is used to seal the compartment. The power consumption of the unit will, in typical use, be minimal such that a battery life of six months or better is realistic. Alternatively, the portable organizer may be adapted to selectively receive power for its operation from at least one of the organizer power supply or the telephone power supply. Similarly, the organizer power supply may be adapted to provide power to at least one of the portable organizer and the telephone, for operation thereof. Also, the portable organizer may be adapted to receive power for its operation from the organizer power supply for operation of the portable organizer, the organizer power supply may be adapted to withhold power from the telephone for operation of the telephone, where the portab
Bodnar Eric O.
Kahn Philippe R.
Bost Dwayne
Gelin Jean A
Smart John A.
Smith Darryl A.
Starfish Software, Inc.
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