Telecommunications – Receiver or analog modulated signal frequency converter – Combined with diverse art device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-18
2002-11-19
Chin, Vivian (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Receiver or analog modulated signal frequency converter
Combined with diverse art device
C455S556200, C455S347000, C345S168000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06484019
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computer keyboards. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus of a combined computer keyboard and a radio in a single unitary housing.
Personal computers have gained great popularity in recent years. The evergrowing popularity of personal computers is so pervasive and widespread that personal computers have become viewed as a necessary and “must have” item. Personal computers occupy a great percentage of office desks and homes as well. Although personal computers were originally designed as a tool to accomplish specific work tasks such as calculating and word processing, their role has expanded to include entertaining and gaming as well. While the use of personal computers for entertainment purposes such as playing games or editing photos and home movies has expanded, the personal computer is still used for the mundane and not-so-exciting tasks of tracking finances, word processing, calculating and editing spreadsheets and the like by most people—at least part of the time that they use their PC. Many people have a desire to listen to music as they work, at a computer or otherwise. For many people, listening to music while working is both comforting and relaxing.
While there are numerous hardware and software products that interface with computers enabling the computer to play and edit music, most of these products use at least a portion of the computer's resources and/or are cumbersome to install and use. The available hardware and software is usually installed in or attaches to the computer as an add-on peripheral feature. In either case, the hardware and software typically uses some of the computer's resources such as memory and/or power. Hardware externally attached to the computer, for the most part, is connected to the computer via cables. Cables are unsightly and difficult to neatly manage. Even when using hardware components that communicates with the computer via wireless communications means, the hardware components still use valuable desktop real estate. Additionally, the typical computer add-on must be accounted for by the host computer. Utilizing and allocating system resources to track and manage add-on peripheral devices, including those capable of producing music, is often time consuming to configure and quite often causes system interrupts during the operation of the host computer.
Attempts have been made in the past to consolidate computer hardware so as to conserve desktop space for the usual core essentials of a computer, namely the central processor unit, monitor, keyboard and pointing device. Most of the past attempts however, at most, consolidate traditional computer hardware and traditional computer multimedia components such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a modem, speakers, cameras or microphones. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,503 there is disclosed a multimedia console keyboard that combines speakers; microphone; volume control; monitor function control; computer power control switch and integrated analog-to-digital processors. The disclosed device does not alleviate the problem of computer resource allocation associated with adding hardware to a typically configuration computer. The disclosed device attempts to ease the problem by providing analog-digital preprocessors but the device is still dependant on the host computer's resources. The disclosed and consolidated configuration of components comprise typical multimedia add-on components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,430 discloses a multimedia keyboard also. This device too combines traditional computer multimedia components that also require and use resources of the host computer. Each of these disclosed devices uses at least a portion of the host computer's resources when used to play music for the listening pleasure of the computer user. Each device is dependent on the host computer for hardware and software support in order to operate.
The prior art combined keyboard devices merely provide for the consolidation of the typical computer multimedia peripherals, including music producing peripheral device add-ons, into a single unitary keyboard housing without alleviating the problems of: (1) requiring system resources for the operation of the music producing add-on; (2) complicated configuration of the host computer to interface the music producing add-on; and (3) requiring powered operation of the host computer in order to operate the music producing add-on.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that is conveniently housed in a single computer keyboard housing that operates independently of the host computer to which the combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus is interfaced.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that is controlled independently of the host interface computer, thereby obviating the allocation of host interface computer system resources for the operation of the combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus yet providing radio reception and playback for the listening enjoyment of the computer user without risk of impacting the operation of the computer.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device that may be used notwithstanding whether the host computer is in the operational on state.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that is easy to control yet ergonomically elegant in design and function.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that is capable of being powered by a source independent of the host computer or instead by conveniently drawing minimal power from the host computer.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that does not compromise the operation of the host computer.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that can be readily retrofitted to preexisting computer systems easily without resorting to using tools, software or other hardware modifications.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus that is easy to use and manufacture, as well as cost effective.
This invention results from the realization that a convenient, easy-to-use and highly adaptable combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus can be effectuated by combining a computer keyboard and radio receiver within a single unitary housing, wherein the radio receiver's circuitry is totally independent from the keyboard or other associated circuitry of the computer system to which the combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus is interfaced. The combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus is conveniently mounted in a computer keyboard housing having alphanumeric keys arranged in the traditional and customary location and spacing. The combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus also has speakers that are also housed within the single computer keyboard housing as the radio.
This invention features a combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus comprising a computer keyboard housing having alphanumeric keys mounted therein; a radio receiver located within the keyboard housing and at least one speaker for outputting the radio frequencies tuned by the radio receiver. The combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus further comprises a radio receiver having associated audio control circuitry for controlling the bass, treble, volume and other aspects of the sound reproduced by the radio. The radio unit farther includes an antenna for improved reception of radio frequency waves. The combined computer keyboard and radio apparatus also features a display means for providing useable information to a user so that the user may selectively control the features of the radio such as on/off, volume, station memory setting and presets, and alarm clock functions.
Chin Vivian
Lambert Gary E.
Lambert & Associates
Ramos-Feliciano Eliseo
Timmer Edward
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