Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-15
2002-11-26
Hunter, Daniel (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S556200, C455S557000, C345S215000, C345S173000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06487421
ABSTRACT:
In the field of mobile communications, subscribers now expect ever smaller and lighter radio telephones which they can carry with them at all times and which, in addition, are easy to operate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present mobile radio telephones usually have a numeric keypad for inputting directory numbers but also for inputting characters in order to store, for example, the name of a subscriber with the associated directory number. Later, the name of the subscriber is retrieved from the memory of the telephone and the associated directory number is automatically dialled.
Furthermore, it is possible in today's radio telephone networks to send short messages via the so-called Short Message Service (SMS). These short messages are input via the numeric keypad which, for this purpose, is set to a mode which makes it possible to input letters.
In addition to the usual numeric keypad, mobile radio telephones also have some additional function keys and a menu structure, for example to facilitate the selection of the name of a stored subscriber. In the final analysis, however, utilization of the functions described above with the usual keypads remains extremely difficult and cumbersome.
As the miniaturization of mobile radio telephones increases, however, the usual keypad will also no longer be suitable for carrying out the functions described above. This is known, for example, from pocket calculators integrated in wrist-watches which can now only be operated with the point of a pen or similar objects.
To facilitate at least the selection of directory numbers from a memory, today's mobile radio telephones are equipped with a small hand wheel or with multi-function keys which, however, do not provide any help when inputting words.
A mobile phone which is constructed in the form of a pen and which has a digit input unit in which the digits are preselected by rotating the pen point and selected by pressing a button is already known from DE 42 94 697 C2. The mechanical structure of this mobile telephone is quite complicated and therefore susceptible to faults. In addition, a large amount of time is needed for inputting information.
Last but not least, a dictating pen for deaf/mute persons is known from JP 7-271 293. The dictating pen contains in its point an acceleration sensor device which detects the movement of the pen and converts characters written with it into language. The electrical voice signals can also be coupled into a telephone line, either directly or via a microphone connection of a microphone present in a telephone handset.
The invention is based on the object of simplifying the inputting of information and making it more flexible with respect to the type of information which can be input even in mobile radio telephones which are miniaturized further.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the method according to the invention, information is input into a mobile radio telephone via its input data channel by appropriately moving a motion detector which belongs to the radio telephone and senses this movement.
Mobile radio telephones usually have an acoustic channel via which information spoken using a microphone can be input into the telephone. In addition, there is an input data channel via which information can be input into the telephone, for example by keys or other mechanical input means. The invention makes use of this input data channel for additionally transmitting signals from the motion detector via it, which makes it possible to increase the range of data to be input with respect to their type and, by using the motion detector, to save a large number of input keys so that it is possible not only to simplify the inputting of information via the input data channel but also, by saving input means, to enable the mobile radio telephone to be miniaturized further.
Any information which can be represented graphically by moving the motion detector can be input via the input data channel. This can be letters, digits, symbols, lines or other graphic elements or figures or technical representations composed of these.
The information input in this manner can be used for a wide range of purposes. For example, it can be input for carrying out dialling processes, for the transmission of short messages or longer texts to a subscriber or even for transmitting entire technical representations or tables, the information transmitted to the subscriber then being displayed there, for example on a suitably constructed monitor or can be output via a printer, for example. In this case, the monitor could be present, for example, in a mobile communication device which is equipped with telephone functions whilst the printer, for example, could be that of a facsimile machine equipped with telephone functions.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the entire radio telephone, and with it the motion detector, is moved for inputting the information. In contrast, according to another embodiment of the invention an input device belonging to the radio telephone and accommodating at least the motion detector can be moved for inputting the information. Both options allow the information to be input in a particularly simple manner and thus lead to very good manageability of the telephone.
The information input in this manner can in principle be transmitted as it is from the telephone to the subscriber. However, it is also possible to compare the input information with information already present in the radio telephone for recognition of the input information. This variant is selected especially if a dialling process is to be carried out via the input information or if it is intended for transmitting short messages in text form or longer texts. In this case, greater reliability with respect to the correctness of the information input or transmitted is achieved.
The information input or recognized can also be temporarily stored in the radio telephone in a further development of the invention. With respect to the input information, this applies, for example, to graphic representations which are first generated by the input process and are stored in a buffer memory before the stored data are sent to the receiver, for example in packet form. With respect to detected information, this applies, for instance, to input telephone numbers which are first temporarily stored before a dialling process can be initialized.
On the other hand, information input or recognized can naturally also be transmitted on-line, although in some cases this may require more transmitting time, especially where drawings are transmitted.
If information is input via the input device which is separate from the rest of the radio telephone, the information can be transmitted from the said device to the rest of the radio telephone via a cable or via a radio link in order to be transmitted from there to the subscriber, possibly after further processing. During this process, the information input or recognized can be displayed by the radio telephone itself or in the case of the two-part construction, by the input device or the rest of the radio telephone. A user can therefore check the input information with respect to its correctness.
To ensure reliable operation of the radio telephone, it can be switched to an information input mode which is selected from a menu by operating a selection device for inputting information. In this connection, predetermined characters input in the information input mode can be used for grouping input information. Thus, input digits can be assembled into complete telephone numbers, characters into character groups, letters into words and drawing elements into a graphic representation or technical drawings.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, accelerations in different directions are measured by the motion detector for inputting information. This detector can exhibit sufficient acceleration sensors to sense movements in one plane or movements in space. Advantageously, therefore, two or three acceleration sensors, respectively, which measure accelerations in mutually p
Decker Peter
Hess Jurgen
Hooker Guy Alexander
Hussmann Holger
Gantt Alan T.
Hunter Daniel
Nokia Mobile Phones Limited
Perman & Green LLP
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