Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-24
2001-01-23
Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 2785)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
C340S636210
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178527
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to electronic devices such as personal computers, televisions, and the like, more particularly, to systems and methods for providing user inputs to such devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
User input devices such as keyboards, joysticks and remote controllers are used to provide user inputs to a variety of electronic systems such as personal computers, televisions, video cassette recorders (VCRs), audio systems and the like. Keyboard data entry is commonly used in data processing systems such as desktop and portable personal computers, and may also be used in devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable intelligent communicators (PICs), and Web TVs. Other user input devices may not include a keyboard as such, but may include keylike mechanisms such as buttons, triggers and the like.
Wireless user input devices such as wireless keyboards are becoming increasingly popular because of the portability and flexibility they offer. As wireless user input devices typically are battery-powered to increase their portability, these devices tend to be limited by the energy storage capability of the batteries used in the devices. Accordingly, it generally is desirable to provide the user of a device with the ability to monitor the status of the battery in a wireless user input device. In addition to power monitoring, it may also be desirable to monitor other characteristics of the user input device, to provide diagnostic information about the performance of the device, e.g., fault information or statistical information about the operation of the device.
However, conventional user input devices typically are designed to minimize production costs and thus tend to have limited diagnostic capabilities. Although a visual display of diagnostic information such as a low battery LED indicator may be provided on a user input device, the informational capability offered by such a simple display tends to be limited. For example, such a display is generally incapable of providing more detailed diagnostic information such as keystroke statistics, fault frequency and the like. In addition to this limited self-diagnostic capability, conventional user input devices typically are only capable of half-duplex communications, i.e., are only capable of sending data from the user input device to the data processing system. Consequently, it generally is not possible for a data processing system to request information from the user input device for purposes of performing more complex diagnostic analyses. Building full-duplex communication capability into a user input device to provide such a capability typically is not desirable, as this may add significantly to the complexity and cost of the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for communicating diagnostic information from a user input device that provide improved capability to determine a status of a user input device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide systems and methods for communicating diagnostic information from a user input device that can utilize a half-duplex communications link.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide improved systems and methods for monitoring battery power in a user input device.
These and other objects, features and advantages are provided according to the present invention by user input devices, systems and methods in which diagnostic messages are intermittently transmitted from a user input device to a receiver unit, e.g., a personal computer, PDA, TV, VCR or the like, such that each diagnostic message is transmitted following expiration of a predetermined interval after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted. The predetermined interval may be defined, for example, as a fixed time interval following a previous transmission of a diagnostic message, or by the occurrence of a predetermined event such as the acceptance of a predetermined number of user inputs following a previous transmission of a diagnostic message. The intermittently transmitted diagnostic information may then be processed at the receiver unit to determine a status of the user input device. Diagnostic information may be determined at the user input device in response to acceptance of a user input such as a keystroke at the user input device, and subsequently transmitted in a diagnostic message.
The present invention arises from the realization that diagnostic information may be conveyed more advantageously from a device such as a wireless keyboard by regularly but intermittently transmitting the information. Regular, automatic transmission of diagnostic information can provide an increased flow of diagnostic information to the receiver unit without requiring the receiver unit to request diagnostic information from the user input device. By using diagnostic information transmitted in an unsolicited manner, a more cost-effective half-duplex communications capability can be utilized in the user input device. By constraining the transmission of the information to be intermittent, power consumption can be reduced.
In particular, according to the present invention, a user input device for providing user inputs to a receiver unit via a communications medium intermittently transmits diagnostic messages in the communications medium such that a diagnostic message is transmitted after a predetermined interval following transmission of a preceding diagnostic message has expired. A receiver unit, responsive to the communications medium, is configured to receive the transmitted diagnostic message and to process the received diagnostic message to determine a status of the user input device. Preferably, the user input device is configured to transmit a diagnostic message following at least one of passage of a predetermined fixed time interval after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device and acceptance of a predetermined number of user inputs at the user input device after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the user input device includes diagnostic information determining means for determining diagnostic information, and intermittent diagnostic message transmitting means, responsive to the diagnostic information determining means, for transmitting a diagnostic message corresponding to the determined diagnostic information in the communications medium following at least one of passage of a predetermined fixed time interval after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device and acceptance of a predetermined number of user inputs at the user input device after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device. The user input device also may include user input accepting means for accepting a user input, and user input message transmitting means, responsive to the user input accepting means, for transmitting a corresponding user input message in the communications medium.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the diagnostic information determining means includes means, responsive to the user input accepting means, for determining the diagnostic information in response to acceptance of a user input. The user input accepting means may include a plurality of keys, and the diagnostic information determining means may include means, responsive to the plurality of keys, for determining diagnostic information in response to a keystroke performed on a key of the plurality of keys. The intermittent diagnostic message transmitting means may include means, responsive to the diagnostic information determining means, for storing diagnostic information corresponding to the determined diagnostic information, and means, responsive to the means for storing and to the plurality of keys, for transmitting a diagnostic message corresponding to the stored diagnostic information in the communications
Baderman Scott T.
Beausoliel, Jr. Robert W.
Ericsson Inc.
Myers Bigel & Sibley & Sajovec
LandOfFree
Systems and methods for intermittently communicating... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Systems and methods for intermittently communicating..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Systems and methods for intermittently communicating... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2449762