Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-13
2002-06-04
Bost, Dwayne (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C379S357010, C235S2010FS
Reexamination Certificate
active
06400965
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to updating a memory of a cellular telephone handset with modified software and, more particularly, to using a SIM card and reader to “flash” the memory of the cellular telephone handset with a software update.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a typical mobile telecommunication device
100
such as a cellular telephone handset, for instance, has a multi-pin connector called a “system connector”
105
typically positioned on a bottom end
110
of a housing
115
of the mobile telecommunication device
100
, an antenna
120
, a speaker
125
, a display
130
, a keypad
135
, a memory
140
located internal to the housing
115
, a microphone
145
, and a battery
150
. In accordance with the related art, a block diagram in
FIG. 2
shows that the mobile communication device
100
typically includes a control unit or logic unit
202
, an operator interface
204
, a transmitter
220
, a receiver
240
, a SIM card reader
250
, and the memory
140
. The mobile communication device
100
shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
is a fully functional radio transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving digital signals. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that the mobile communication device
100
may be implemented with an analog transceiver.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, the operator interface
204
typically includes the system connector
105
, the speaker
125
, the display
130
, the keypad
135
, the microphone
145
, and a control unit
210
. The display
130
allows the operator to see dialed digits and call status information. The keypad
135
allows the operator to dial numbers, enter commands, and select options. The control unit
210
interfaces the system connector
105
, the display
130
and the keypad
135
with the control unit
202
. The microphone
145
receives audio signals from the user and converts the audio signals to analog signals. The speaker
125
converts analog signals from the receiver
240
to audio signals that can be heard by the user.
The analog signals from the microphone
145
are applied to the transmitter
220
. The transmitter
220
includes an analog-to-digital converter
222
, a digital signal processor
224
, and a modulator
226
. The analog to digital converter
222
changes the analog signals from the microphone
145
into a digital signal. The digital signal is passed to the digital signal processor
224
. The digital signal processor
224
compresses the digital signal and inserts error detection, error correction and signaling information. The compressed and encoded signal from the digital signal processor
224
is passed to the modulator
226
. The modulator
226
converts the signal to a form that is suitable for transmission through an antenna
228
on a RF carrier.
The receiver
240
includes a demodulator
242
, a digital signal processor
244
, and a digital to analog converter
246
. Signals received through the antenna
228
are passed to the demodulator
242
, which extracts the transmitted bit sequence from the received signal. The demodulator
242
passes the demodulated signal to the digital signal processor
244
which decodes the signal, corrects channel-induced distortion, and performs error detection and correction. As is known in the art, the digital signal processor
244
also separates control and signaling data from speech data. The control and signaling data is passed to the control unit
202
. Speech data is processed by a speech decoder and passed to the digital-to-analog converter
246
. The digital-to-analog converter
246
converts the speech data into an analog signal which is applied to the speaker
145
to generate audible signals which can be heard by the user.
The control unit
202
, such as a programmed microprocessor, functions to coordinate the operation of the transmitter
220
and the receiver
240
. The memory
140
stores the program instructions and data needed by the control unit
202
to control the communications terminal
100
. The functions performed by the control unit
202
include power control, channel selection, timing, as well as a host of other functions. The control unit
202
inserts signaling messages into the transmitted signals and extracts signaling messages from the received signals. The control unit
202
responds to any base station commands contained in the signaling messages, and implements those commands. When the user enters commands via the keypad
135
, the commands are transferred to the control unit
202
for action.
As is known in the art, the memory
140
stores software program instructions and data needed by the control unit
202
to control the mobile telecommunication device
100
. Typically, the system connector
105
provides a plurality of connection terminals
155
(see
FIG. 1
) for use as electronic connection to various end-user accessories (not shown), such as, for instance, a battery charger and a portable hands-free device, etc. In some instances, the system connector
105
provides one or more additional connection terminals
160
that may be used by factory or repair shop personnel to “flash” the memory
140
(shown in phantom in
FIG. 1
) of the mobile telecommunication device
100
with a software update of stored software program instructions and data by transmitting therethrough data signals representing the software update, wherein such transmitted data signals are electronically stored in the memory
140
.
Moreover, as is known in the art, various mobile telecommunication devices
100
, particularly those operating on the Groupe Special Mobile (also known as GSM or Global System for Mobile Communications) standard digital cellular phone service, incorporate the use of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card reader
250
with standard SIM reader contacts
252
, which reader
250
typically receives a SIM card
300
with corresponding standard SIM card contacts (see FIG.
3
).
FIG. 3
shows the SIM card
300
typically having six SIM card data contacts
302
a,
302
b,
302
c,
302
d,
302
e,
302
f,
although it will be recognized that any number of SIM card data contacts would fall within the scope of the invention. The SIM card reader
250
may be integral to the mobile telecommunication device
100
, typically accessible beneath the battery
150
(see FIG.
4
).
FIG. 4
shows a SIM card reader
400
having reader contacts
402
a,
402
b,
402
c,
402
d,
402
e,
402
f
that correspond respectively to the SIM card data contacts
302
a,
302
b,
302
c,
302
d,
302
e,
302
f.
The SIM card reader
250
may be connected to SIM card reader circuitry
258
, which may be connected to the control unit
202
. The SIM card
300
typically contains known subscriber-related information that facilitates a telephone call from any valid mobile communication device
100
, because the subscriber-related information is used to complete the call rather than specific internal physical identifiers (such as an internal serial number) that may be associated with the mobile telecommunication device
100
. The SIM card
300
may be installed or inserted into the SIM card reader
400
of the mobile telecommunication device
100
, thereby to link that mobile telecommunication device
100
to the subscriber-related information stored on the SIM card
300
.
As the size of mobile telecommunication devices
100
decreases, the reduction of the size of various components within the mobile telecommunication device
100
becomes valuable and desirable in order to decrease the size of the mobile telecommunication device
100
. As is known in the art, one of the largest components in the mobile telecommunication device
100
is the system connector
105
. Consequently, a need exists for reducing the size of the system connector
105
while retaining the functional ease of flashing the memory
140
of the mobile telecommunication device
100
, particularly by factory or repair shop personnel.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objec
Peele James Calvin
Phillips John Charles
Bost Dwayne
Ericsson Inc.
Goats & Bennett, PLLC
West Lewis G.
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