Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-21
2001-05-08
Maung, Nay (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S039000, C455S573000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230032
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention regards the technical field of mobile radio terminals, and more precisely a terminal for mobile radio communication and a method and a device for the purpose of reserving spare power with this type of terminal. There are further presented a method and a device for locking the use of the spare power, a method for unlocking and a terminal having those functions.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
A radio terminal may be divided into a plurality of major functional units. The power delivery unit provides the other units of the terminal with electric power. In the small, hand-held radio terminals for telecommunication, the power delivery unit is a rechargeable accumulator, colloquially called a battery. Most often, an empty battery may be switched for a fully charged one. The exchange can be made with at most a few simple manipulations. There are, however, also terminals having the possibility of charging the battery when it is mounted and while the terminal is in use.
Another important unit in the terminal is the control unit, which comprises a micro-processor with its input and output units. The control unit among other things controls and supervises communications between different units in the terminal. In addition, the control unit provides for sensing of the keypad of the terminal, control of the display unit and menu handling and menu display.
Also the control and indication of how much charge is left in the battery is done by the control unit. The control unit senses the battery voltage and compares this value with a reference value corresponding to the battery voltage for which the battery has no longer enough charge for establishing and upholding of radio contact with an adjacent radio receiver in for example a base unit or base station. When the battery voltage coincides with the reference value, a terminating routine in the control unit is initiated, closing down the terminal. Possibly, an audio signal is emitted, which warns the user of the terminal that the battery voltage is too low, and that the terminal will switch off shortly.
If a terminal has been switched off due to the battery voltage being lower than the reference value, the terminal cannot be used again until the power delivery unit can deliver sufficient electric power, either through charging of the battery or being switched for another charged one, or by connecting an external power source to the terminal. The control unit will switch off the terminal—if not immediately, at least a second or some seconds after switching on. This time delay depends on the necessary time from switching on until the control unit has read and compared the battery voltage once, initiated and gone through the termination routine.
Mobile radio terminals have evidenced themselves to be of particular usefulness in situations of distress. In many cases, it has been a question of life and death to be able to call for fast help through wireless. However, there have been cases where the terminal was unusable because the battery was dead. That the terminal is used so long time between rechargings that it is quite dead before recharging is nothing unusual. In certain cases, it would still be desirable to be able to take out a little extra power from the terminal in order to perform a necessary call or telephone conversation.
From the English abstract of the Japanese patent application with publication number JP, A, 06-006 283 there is previously known a portable telephone terminal provided with a function which is connected when the ordinary battery, provided for normal use, is emptied of its charge. The terminal comprises three batteries—beside an ordinary battery for normal use, also an emergency battery and a battery which functions as a back-up battery for the two circuits which control the use of the emergency battery. In order to determine if a telephone call is allowed to utilize the emergency battery, the telephone number made is compared to previously stocked alarm telephone numbers. Calls to non-stored numbers is blocked by the two said circuits. If the telephone number is a programmed alarm number, the emergency battery is connected. Thus, the energy is saved for only those very important calls.
The above-mentioned prior art terminal has several drawbacks. A great drawback is that this constructive solution has several batteries. Already one emergency battery means that the weight of the terminal is greatly increased, and the terminal thus becomes unnecessarily heavy and unwieldy. Many users desire the terminal to be as light as possible. Beside several batteries, there are particular circuits for control and surveillance. From the point of view of the man of the art, this solution does not admit of a simple and low-cost implementation in an existing terminal construction, already comprising many units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention prevents the problem which occurs when a user of a mobile telephone terminal wants to make an important call, for example in a distress situation, but has emptied the power delivery unit of all charge. In other words, the invention solves the problem of how the user shall be prevented from emptying the power delivery unit in normal use. Thus, it is desirable to be able to save or reserve charge in normal use.
A further problem tackled by the invention is how to enable for the user to use this reserved charge for making a call to for example an alarm center.
The invention also tackles the problem of how to construct a terminal in order not to have extra power delivery units like for example emergency batteries. Already one emergency battery will mean that the weight of the terminal increases considerably, and the terminal thus becomes unnecessarily heavy and unwieldy. Many users desire the terminal to be as light as possible.
Another problem tackled is that the solution should be easy and inexpensive to implement in a terminal with many other functions.
There may also be a problem for certain users if it is too simple to attain the reserve power and use this instead of recharging the power delivery unit.
It is thus an object of the present invention that the user should avoid a situation where he cannot use his mobile phone telephone because the power supply unit lacks charging.
Another object of the present invention is thus to prevent the user from voiding the power supply unit from all charge in normal use. There should thus be a possibility to save or reserve charge in normal use.
A third object of the present invention is that the user shall be able in a simple manner to attain the saved charge in order to make a call for example to an alarm center.
A fourth object of the present invention is to construct a terminal having no extra power supply units, like for example distress batteries.
A fifth object of the present invention is that the solution should be easy and economic to implement in a terminal with many other functions.
A further object of the present invention is that it is so adapted that it can cooperate with already implemented functions and techniques of a terminal.
Another further object of the invention is that it shall be able to block the use of the reserve power until the user has given an unlock code.
The actual invention solves the problems recited by reserving in the only, common power delivery unit, of a certain amount of electric charge corresponding to a measurable value of a reference value parameter, which charge can be utilized for further radio communication only if the reference value parameter is changed to another, lower value of the reference value parameter.
The problems recited are solved by means of an inventive device for reserving and utilizing reserve power in a terminal for mobile radio communication which beside a plurality of necessary functional units comprises a power delivery unit which for the functional units is the sole common storing unit for electric charge, a means for sensing the electric charge in the power delivery unit and for determining an adapted measuring signal correspon
Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C.
Maung Nay
Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson
Vuong Quochien B.
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