Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral adapting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-20
2001-04-17
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2782)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral adapting
C710S010000, C710S008000, C710S063000, C710S064000, C710S065000, C710S073000, C345S163000, C345S157000, C345S215000, C341S050000, C370S535000, C379S202010, C379S399010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219730
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to computer user-input devices including pointing devices, especially to those handling additional input/output signals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A computer utilizes a user-input device (UID) to receive its user's input and various kinds of input/output (I/O) cards or devices to handle I/O signals or information. A typical UID is the mouse, the trackball, the keyboard, the pressure tablet, or the pen-based input device. Popular I/O cards include the sound card handling I/O speech signals and the fax/modem device transferring information over the telephone line. Devices and cards require and share common computer resources such as the direct memory access (DMA) channels and the interrupt request (IRQ) services. Computer resources for each device or each card equipped in a computer must be configured, or assigned, to pre-arranged memory locations that are limited in number. Configuration setup for computer resources is cumbersome and sometimes causes conflict in running software. The recent plug-and-play technology implemented in computers alleviates the configuration mechanism. However, it does not solve the problem of limited resources shared among cards and devices. As computer technology advances, more types of cards and devices are offered for richer sets of functions; efficient use of computer resources becomes critical. Furthermore, a conventional computer requires that its user be close to its display screen in order to see and control what shown on the screen. If somehow the user could issue commands to her computer and receive its responses remotely, she would gain a new freedom, such as walking around or staying in bed, while using the computer. The present invention offers a new kind of UID utilizing the computer resources efficiently and enabling a mode of remote interaction between the computer and its user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention provides an apparatus functioning as a UID to a computer while receiving/transmitting additional I/O signals transferred to/from the computer without using any computer resources except those available to the UID.
Since the inventive apparatus is a UID functioning additionally as an I/O card (or device) without using the card (or device) and its resources, it provides the following advantages. Elimination of the I/O card (or device) reduces the computer parts and resources, thus enhances the computer's reliability, serviceability and efficiency. Such inventive apparatus is useful in hand-held computers or embedded systems, which usually have a communication port needed for a UID but no provision for I/O cards (or devices). When handling two input (or output) signals of the same type, two identical I/O cards cannot be used in one computer due to configuration conflict, but the inventive apparatus cooperating with one such I/O card (or device) can. For example, one inventive apparatus handling the I/O telephone signals effectively functions as a fax/modem device and at the same time as a UID. A computer may use such apparatus in conjunction with another fax/modem card to handle two telephone lines. As another example, a computer may use one inventive apparatus that handles the I/O speech signals to work in conjunction with a sound card in order to deal with two speech inputs and two speech outputs. Such use is essential to computers that need to deal with two sources of speech inputs, say, one as the voiced command and another for multimedia recording. Furthermore, the inventive apparatus that handles the speech I/O signals will be further supported by software interpreting the speech input as voiced commands and generating the speech output as voiced responses. Such apparatus, made cordless and integrated with a microphone and a speaker, will allow the user to interact with the computer remotely. By carrying the apparatus with her, the user may issue oral commands to the computer via the microphone, and hear its responses from the speaker, while being away from the computer.
One object of this invention provides a user-input (UI) apparatus that sends its data to a computer, by using the communication link available to a conventional UID, while receiving/transmitting additional I/O signals, the information of which being transferred to/from the computer via the same communication link. The inventive apparatus comprises means for converting the I/O signals into/from the digital I/O streams in such a manner as to be transferable to/from the computer along with the UI information via the same communication link. The apparatus, while functioning as a UID, may handle I/O signals sent from/to an external I/O device, such as an external fax/modem device or even another conventional UID. Furthermore, there is a program method, executed by the computer and cooperating with the apparatus, for transferring information over the communication link, and for recovering therefrom the UI information and the information of the input signals.
Two examples of communication protocols used by a UID are the popular RS-232 and the newly standardized Universal Serial Bus (USB). The transmission of the communication signals may be wired (via cable) or wireless (via electromagnetic wave). The I/O signals may be analog, such as the speech, or digital, such as the data transferred to/from a computer.
In order to function as a UID, the inventive apparatus utilizes a user-input module as one of its components or alternatively provides interface to an external conventional UID.
Another object of the invention provides an apparatus comprising only the feature of receiving at least one input signal.
The inventive apparatus may integrate means to handle the I/O signals, such as the microphone converting a speech input into the input signal and/or the speaker converting the output signal into speech energy.
The inventive apparatus may be implemented, at least partially, by integrated circuit (IC) technology using such part as the programmable logic device (PLD) or the application-specific IC (ASIC).
The inventive apparatus may be implemented, at least partially, by a microprocessor-based design; furthermore, data compression/decompression algorithms may be used to reduce the data traffic over the communication link.
The inventive apparatus may be powered solely from the signals of the communication link.
Another object of the invention provides a method for receiving a combined data stream, resulted from a UID source and from an input signal, and for recovering therefrom the respective information of the UID and of the input signal.
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Lee Thomas
Schuster Katharina
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