Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-16
2004-03-02
Trost, William (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S556200, C455S456500, C455S557000, C455S550100, C370S352000, C370S522000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701161
ABSTRACT:
The invention concerns a multimedia unit with a removable operating section for a vehicle. The multimedia unit controls and operates functional components for different media and is designed to be permanently installed in the instrument panel of a vehicle. One entertainment electronics component, such as a car radio with or without an audio player for example, is combined with at least one component for mobile telecommunication and/or traffic telematics. In this document one functional component for mobile telecommunication is a radio telephone for every type of mobile and cellular radio networks with or without devices for transmitting and receiving text and/or graphic data such as telefax, e-mail and other data. By contrast the components for traffic telematics enable the interactive traffic guidance of the vehicle, for example route guidance with means for determining location and speed, and for traffic reports. Furthermore the traffic telematics automatically call for help in emergency situations. The telematics component for example uses the known Global Positioning System (GPS).
In this case the “functional component” concept denotes functional switching elements of the multimedia unit which are required to use a medium such as the radio telephone. Several functional components can then be combined in a mechanical unit, for example a circuit board or even an integrated circuit. A functional component can also contain separate functional switching elements in different housings.
In addition to a car radio, progress in the development of radio telephones and telematics allows other single devices or equipment parts for use of the new media to be permanently installation in automobiles. For reasons of traffic safety and because it is also technically required by advanced equipment features, mobile telephones are often hard-wired as a car telephone in a vehicle. This enables the joint usage of both strong sound reproduction during hands-free telephoning and the supply of vehicle power to raise the transmitting power. In addition the peripheral elements needed in the vehicle, such as car antennas, handset and the device for hands-free telephoning can be connected to the car telephone without any problems.
Since telematics require a GPS receiver, various sensors in the vehicle as well as an evaluation device for the available information, hard-wiring is also required for them. In this way additional, expensive technical equipment is installed in the vehicle and must be protected against theft like conventional car radios, and against unauthorized use in the case of radio telephones.
Patent specification EP 0 483 956 B1 (NOKIA, UK) describes a multimedia unit with a radio telephone and a cellular radio telephone. In addition to the telephone handset, the radio telephone and the car radio are integrated in a housing which can be mounted in the standard opening for conventional car radio installation. Both devices have certain circuit parts in common, such as the audio part with loudspeakers, a display for the operating conditions and the power supply. When the handset is lifted, the radio telephone switches the car radio to mute. A separate processor controls both the car radio and the cellular radio telephone. The activation elements for the car radio are located on the front of the joint housing, those of the radio telephone on the handset. Measures that protect against theft or unauthorized use are not revealed.
Conventional car radios from different manufacturers are often equipped with a removable operating section that contains activation elements for user inputs. The receiver or an integrated or connected reproduction part can only be operated through this operating section, so that if the user takes the operating section with him, the remaining part of the installation becomes useless. However the operating section is also useless by itself, so that there is little incentive for the user to remove it from the car radio after parking and take it with him.
To correct this deficiency, multimedia units are known among others from specifications DE 43 17 385 A1 (corresponds to U.S. 5,537,673, Pioneer, JP) and DE 197 41 584 A1 (Bosch, DE) wherein a car radio is protected against theft by having a removable operating section with an integrated radio telephone. I.e. in addition to the car radio's operating elements, the operating section comprises a complete telephone circuit for a radio network, as well as a telephone module with a battery for power, a microphone, loudspeaker and antenna. In this way the operating section by itself has its own useful function for the user.
In both cases the operating sections have mechanical keys which are alternately used to select programs in the car radio and to dial the radio telephone. The operating sections therefore comprise a considerable number of keys for every operating mode, which are not needed for the respective medium function being used and have therefore no function. On the one hand this limits the utilization features to a few basic functions and/or one the other hand leads to a complicated control surface. Beyond that each operating section contains a display with its own driver, which shows the operating modes of both the car radio and the radio telephone, regardless of whether the latter is connected to the car radio. Both the operating section and the multimedia unit have their own microprocessor. The car radio only operates if both processors communicate with each other after coupling the operating section.
Since the handset is usually held vertical during telephoning, one variation according to specification DE 43 17 385 A1 shows that the rear of the operating section has another control surface with mechanical input keys, which are arranged and lettered for vertical operation. By contrast the solution according to DE 197 41 584 A1 makes this easier by arranging the letters on the keys at an angle. Beyond that in this solution the direction of the displayed characters can be switched between vertical and horizontal.
Known devices for installation into the standardized opening for a conventional car radio only have a limited surface for the keyboard. This leads to considerable limitations of the equipment features and/or to poor ability to operate, especially in the vehicle. The operating section either contains many small and hard to see individual keys, or only a few keys some of which have multiple functions and are difficult to identify. When all the components are jointly protected it is also difficult to assemble or later add to the functional components of a multimedia unit in accordance with the wishes of a vehicle buyer.
Also known are compact radio telephones which instead of the mechanical activation elements and the conventional display contain a screen with touch sensors, a so-called touch screen. This screen almost fills the entire operating section surface. The 1.5 GHz “Digital Cellular Phone DP-211” can be cited as an example and is produced by the JP Pioneer Company for the Japanese market (Internet document: http://www.pioneer.cojp/press/release
3
.html). Compared to conventional telephone functions which can be executed on a conventional digital keyboard with limited alphanumeric read-out, the touch screen also performs additional telephone functions. A menu-drive which constantly updates the read-out and activation elements, makes it possible to input the many characters required by the Japanese language, such as for example the Kanji characters, into the on-board telephone directory.
The same company also produces a type ND-K100 mounting kit for installing the compact radio telephone DP-211 on the instrument panel of a vehicle. A basic device without any further functional component, which is built into the standard opening of a conventional car radio and replaces it, makes hands-free telephoning possible in the vehicle and uses the vehicle's power supply to charge the telephone battery. The mounting kit includes a cordless remote control which is attached to the steering wheel. When the ve
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
Rampuria Sharad
Trost William
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