Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INFORMATION GATEWAY SYSTEM AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to networking of electronic devices. More particularly,
this
invention relates to networking of local electronic devices with an external
network using a
common gateway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, the networking ability has increased in dramatic fashion to
include
a variety of electronic devices, such as cellular phones, televisions,
stereos, etc.
Accordingly, cost and complexity must be added to these electronic devices to
make them
"internet-ready" or "network-capable." Several technologies have been used to
make an
electronic device network-capable, including wired and wireless connections.
One example of wired connections is the use of routers to connect various
networks
that would otherwise remain separate. Routers connect networks using a variety
of
methods and perform functions such as verifying the validity of the data
packet, consulting
a data structure called a routing table to see where the data packet should go
next, queuing
the data packet for delivery, forwarding the data packet and exchanging
routing
information with other routers. Typically a message being routed has an
associated
destination address called a MAC (Media Access Control) address which the
muter uses to
direct the message. The router does not have the intelligence to decide where
the message
should go, but merely directs the message to the destination where the sender
wants the
message to be delivered.
The router can be a wireless router. A wireless router is typically
constructed of a
computer platform, an Ethernet interface to a local area network (LAN), and a
radio
modem which changes the Ethernet data stream to a radio frequency suitable for
wireless
transmission. Wireless routers have similar functionality as wired routers and
use MAC
addresses to route messages.
A wireless system eliminates many hardware requirements and adds mobility to
the
user. Generally, wireless communication is accomplished through the use of
InfraRed or
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radio waves. The IEEE 802.11 specification provides standards for both the
InfraRed and
the radio frequencies. In the arena of radio frequencies, two standards have
been
developed, namely, "direct sequence" which uses a wide range of frequencies
for data
transmission and "frequency hopping" which provides data transmission
utilizing both
frequency and time domain variations. InfraRed signals cannot traverse walls,
closed
doors, etc., as radio waves can. Both radio and InfraRed schemes are expensive
as they
require additional circuitry and protocol processing to communicate on a
wireless network
because the system must be compatible with many wide area networks (WANs) and
digital
standards that are used for wireless data.
Bluetooth technology addresses the compatibility problem by developing a
technology specification for small form factor, low-cost, short range radio
links between
portable devices. Bluetooth technology uses a universal bridge to existing
data networks, a
peripheral interface, and a mechanism to form small private ad hoc groups of
connected
devices away from fixed network infrastructures.
FIG. 1 shows a Bluetooth network topology. Devices 121 through 124 form a
piconet 12. A piconet is a general purpose, low powered, ad hoc radio network
consisting
at least two linked devices, such as a portable personal computer (PC) and a
cellular
telephone, but can consists up to eight linked devices. All of the devices on
the piconet are
peer units having identical communication connections and implementations.
The first unit to establish communication in piconet 12 acts as the master and
the
other units act as the slaves, for the duration of the piconet connection.
Network
connection for piconet 12 is established as follows. Before any links in a
piconet are
created, all devices are in STANDBY mode. In this mode, an unconnected unit
periodically "listens" for messages at its defined frequency or its defined
hop sequence.
The linking procedure is initiated by any of the devices which then becomes
the master. A
linkage is made by a PAGE message if the address is already known, or by an
INQUIRY
message followed by a subsequent PAGE message if the address is unknown. In
the initial
PAGE state, the master unit sends a train of 16 identical page messages on 16
different hop
frequencies defined for the device being paged (slave unit). If there is no
response, the
master unit transmits a train on another 16 hop frequencies in a wake-up
sequence. The
INQUIRY message is typically used for finding Bluetooth devices, including
public
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printers, fax machines and similar devices with an unknown address. Once the
network
connection is established, data is sent through the network to the designated
device.
In general, piconet 12 is established when communication needs to be
established
from or to a device in piconet 12, e.g., a waiting message for one of the
devices in piconet
12; one of the devices in piconet 12 is initiating communication to another
device in
piconet 12; or one of the devices in piconet 12 is initiating communication to
a device in
another piconet. For example, in FIG. 1, communication may be initiated by
device 121
sending a message to a device in piconet 14. Hence, device 121 becomes the
master unit
and the remaining devices in piconet 12, i.e., devices 122, 123 and 124,
become the~slave
units.
Master unit 121 establishes the clock and hopping sequence to synchronize
slave
units 122, 123 and 124 in piconet 12. Each of the links 125 through 127 in
piconet 12
includes logical link control (LLC) and media access control (MAC). Each of
the devices
121 through 124 in piconet 12 is represented by a MAC address which is a 3-bit
physical
address such as those used by Ethernet and token ring to distinguish between
units
participating in piconet 12. When all communication to and from devices in
piconet 12
ceases, piconet 12 is broken.
Piconet 12 is again established.when one of the devices establishes
communication.
However, when piconet 12 is re-established, a different device may be the
master unit
instead of device 121, depending on which device establishes communication
first.
Piconet 14 similarly contains linked devices 141 and 142. In one embodiment,
device 141 is the master unit and device 142 is the slave unit. Hence, device
141
establishes the clock and hopping sequence to synchronize slave unit 142 in
piconet 14
Piconets 12 and 14 are independent from each other and do not have to be
synchronized. Multiple independent and non-synchronized piconets, e.g.,
piconets 12 and
14, communicate through network connection 16 and form a scatternet 10.
Network
connection 16 is, for example, an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
With the configuration shown in FIG. 1, all devices are equal in terms of
network
awareness and capability. The devices may change roles, with one device
serving as a
master for many slaves, then later serving as a slave to a new master. In
other words, every
device must have the capabilities to be a master. In addition, for any two
devices to
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connect, defined profiles are required, the profile being a specific protocol.
For example, a
cordless telephone requires a cordless telephony profile; a headset requires a
headset
profile; a fax machine requires a fax profile; and so on.
A conventional gateway is typically a combination of software and hardware
that
connects two different networks using different protocols, or which use the
same protocols
but do not otherwise communicate. Some gateways, i.e., application gateways,
forward
data from one network to another in addition to translating protocols. Other
gateways
simply forward data from one network to another, without performing protocol
translation.
In other words, the gateway either has the intelligence to differentiate and
translate
different protocols or is a "dumb" channel which just passes the data to a
known address.
Conventional gateways are specific to the hardware platform of the two
networks, .
the communication protocols of the two platforms and the specific applications
being run.
Generally, a conventional gateway is embodied as a software resident on a Web
server
host, or as a software application resident on a device separate from a Web
host. In the
latter case, the gateway may communicate with the Web host through the
Internet, or
directly by other means. Examples of conventional gateways include Gopher and
FTP
(File Transfer Protocol), both of which are client/server protocols.
Conventional gateways
have the disadvantages of needing to change gateways with different
applications or
services.
Therefore, what is needed is a simple and inexpensive communications system to
.
network various electronic devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Device and method for communicating between a plurality of devices are
provided.
In accordance with the present invention, a communication device is
partitioned into
various units, each performing a function of the communication device. A
subnet is
established for the units, the units including a master device acting as a
dedicated master of
the subnet and performing an exclusive master function of the communication
device and a
plurality of slave devices acting as the slaves in the subnet and performing
other functions
of the communication device. The master device negotiates with the slave
devices and
intelligently routes a message to the slave devices having capability to
process the
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message. In one embodiment, the message is from an external network. In one
embodiment, the message is from a slave device in the subnet. The same
protocol is used
for all communication with the master device. In one embodiment, the master
device
communicates with the slave devices via a wireless communication path such as
radio
frequency or InfraRed. The external network may be, for example, an
established network
such as an Internet, a public land mobile network, a POTS (plain old telephone
system)
network, or another subnet.
In one embodiment, the master device sends a synchronization message to the
slave
devices in the subnet. The master device registers a slave device by storing a
device
capability word of the slave device. The capability word may include, for
example, data
format and display resolution. in one embodiment, the master device assigns a
device
identification number to the registering slave device. In one embodiment, the
master
device sets an address in an address table if the number of slave devices is
less than a
predetermined maximum allowable number. In one embodiment, the master device
resets
1 S an address in the address table when a corresponding slave device is
disconnected from the
subnet. In one embodiment, the master device assigns a group identification
number to a
plurality of slave devices having substantially the same capabilities.
In one embodiment, where an external network is coupled to the master device,
the
master device queries the external network for waiting data. If there is
waiting data, the
external network notifies the master device by sending a notification word
which contains
message type information. The master device then determines whether any slave
devices
in the subnet is capable of processing the waiting data. The master device
then notifies the
slave devices capable of processing the waiting data. In the alternative, the
master device
notifies one slave device that is capable of processing the waiting data. The
slave device
that has been notified acknowledges the master device if it is ready for a
download. in one
embodiment, a user selects the slave device to be used. The master device,
after receiving
the acknowledgment, requests a download from the external network which then
sends the
waiting data to the master device. The master device then routes the waiting
data to the
slave device. In one embodiment, the master device selects a format of the
waiting data as
a function of processing capabilities of the slave device.
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In one embodiment, the slave device notifies the master device if the slave
device is
not capable of processing the waiting data. The master device then requests
the waiting
data in a second format. In one embodiment, the slave device notifies the
master device of
the slave device's available processing capabilities.
In one embodiment, the master device upgrades a software in a slave device by
searching for an upgrade software in an external network and checking, for
example,
version information.
The master device, in one embodiment, comprises a first interface linked to
the
slave device, a first memory for storing operating software, application
software and device
configuration information for the master device, a second memory for storing
data and a
microprocessing for controlling the first interface, the first memory and the
second
memory. In one embodiment, the master device comprises a battery for providing
power
to the master device. In one embodiment, the master device comprises an
operator
interface. In one embodiment, the master device comprises a second interface
for
communicating with the external network.
The slave devices may be, for example, a pen phone, a watch phone, a wireless
headset, or a miniature wireless display device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects,
features,
and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the
accompanying
drawings.
FIG. 1 shows communication links for Bluetooth Technology.
FIG. 2 shows a communication system including a subnet having internal links
and
a link to an external communication network, all in accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a gateway device in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 4 shows the functional parts of a communication device.
FIG. 5, which is comprised of FIGs. 5A and SB arranged as illustrated in the
key to
FIG. 5, shows in flowchart of gateway communication process.
FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a gateway structure for a networked car.
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FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a gateway structure for a networked house.
FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a gateway structure for a networked camera.
FIG. 9 is an embodiment of a gateway structure for music-on-demand.
FIG. 10. is an embodiment of a gateway structure for a restaurant guide.
FIG. 11 shows a pen phone wireless audio device.
FIG. 12 shows a watch phone wireless audio device.
FIG. 13 shows a wireless headset.
FIG. 14 shows a microdisplay.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar
or
identical items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A system and a method of network access using a single device that serves as a
gateway for various electronic devices are provided. In accordance with the
present
invention, functions of a communication device are broken apart and each
function of the
communication device is embodied in a device in a local network (i.e., a
subnet) which
includes a gateway device and at least one dependent/independent device (or
slaves). The
devices may physically reside in the same or separate units. The gateway
device is the
master for the subnet and has the intelligence to establish communication
between the
dependent/independent devices in the subnet and a peripheral system connected
to an
external network or between the dependent/independent devices themselves, by
using a
simple protocol. The external network is an established network.
FIG. 2 shows a communication system 200, including a subnet 201 and an
external
communication network 202. Subnet 201 is typically an unlicensed wireless link
and
consists various components making up a particular communication system,
including a
cellular/PCS phone. In general, subnet 201 is made up of a gateway device 203
and
various dependent and independent devices linked together. In one embodiment,
subnet
201 has low power, small footprint, 10-meter range and high data rates for at
least 10
devices within the range.
Gateway device 203 acts as a master to all dependent/independent devices in
subnet
201. Unlike Bluetooth where every device in the piconet may take on a role of
either a
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master or a slave, gateway device 203 is the exclusive master in the subnet
and has a fixed
role as the master of the subnet. A device having a fixed role of being a
master and
performing exclusive functions of a master has the advantage of less cost and
complexity
because the dependent/independent devices do not have to have the intelligence
and
sophistication of a master unit. In other words, the dependent/independent
devices do not
require the more expansive and complicated software and/or hardware to perform
the more
complicated functions of a master. Instead, the dependendindependent devices
only
requires a very simple communication interface to communicate with the fixed
master.
The dependent/independent devices are sometimes referred to as "slaves."
Gateway device 203 in one embodiment acts as a network gateway between
external communication network 202 and the dependent/independent devices in
subnet
201. Dependent devices 1 through M are devices that communicate most of their
information to and from external communication network 202 via gateway device
203.
For example, a display may need to receive display information from an
external
communication device and may not have functions on its own. Independent
devices 1
through N, on the other hand, have substantial functionality when not
communicating to
gateway device 203 and their feature set is enhanced in the presence of a
gateway device.
For example, a television has substantial functionality of receiving and
displaying the
video and audio signals from a network outside of the gateway and in the
presence of a
gateway device, it may acts as a display unit for a computer.
In one embodiment, gateway device 203 acts as a gateway between various
dependentlindependent devices in a subnet. For example, a personal computer in
the
subnet may turn on a television, also in the subnet, via gateway device 203.
In the example where the communication device is a cellular phone, gateway
device 203 may house the cellular RF circuitry, a battery and the wireless
circuitry needed
to communicate with all dependent/independent devices in subnet 201. The
dependent/independent devices may include a stereo providing microphone and
speaker
functionality, a computer providing dialing function and a television
providing a display
function. The stereo, computer and television each fits in the independent
device category
because they have substantial functionality without any gateway devices.
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FIG. 3 shows a gateway device in detail. In general, gateway device 203
consists
of an external network interface 402 for communicating to an external network
such as the
Internet, a voice network, another gateway device in a subnet, or a mobile
unit; an internal
network interface 404 for communicating to a dependent/independent device in a
subnet
residing a short distance from each other and from the gateway device, e.g.,
within 10 feet
of each other; a microprocessor 406 for controlling all other units in gateway
device 203; a
flash/ROM (read-only memory) 408 for storing the operating system, device
configuration
information, user interface and their related application software; a RAM
(random access
memory) 410 for buffering a device list and message contents; and an optional
operator
interface 412 such as a display or a keyboard for displaying status or user
input. Units in
gateway device 203 generally depend on the feature set choices, hence is
implementation
oriented. For example, microprocessor 406 can be an 8-bit microprocessor and
memory
408 is a size suitable to the selected feature set.
Application software, in one embodiment, gives the gateway device intelligence
to
decide where to route a particular message based on the type of the message
received.
Gateway device 203 may further include a battery (not shown) for providing
power to the
components making up gateway device 203.
In one embodiment, gateway device 203 has a design that looks like a pager (as
shown in FIGS. 6 through 10). However, the actual gateway device 203 can be of
any
design, the design being typically dependent upon the required battery size
and a
convenient way for the user to travel with the gateway device. In general,
there is no
limitation in the shape or size of the gateway device packaging. Each of the
dependentlindependent device in the subnet has a transmitting and receiving
circuit and
related software to communicate with the gateway device. The communication
path
between the gateway device and the dependentlindependent devices can be either
wired or
wireless.
Referring back to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the communication between gateway
device 203 and dependent devices 1 through M, e.g., links 2041 through 204M,
and
between gateway device 203 and independent devices 1 through N, e.g., links
2061
through 206N, is accomplished by any type of wireless links such as, but are
not limited to,
digital radio frequency (RF), analog RF or InfraRed. The communication between
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gateway device 203 and the dependentlindependent devices can also be
accomplished by
any wireless links that fall under any air interface (i.e., the standard
operating system of a
wireless network) such as AMPS (advanced mobile phone service), TDMA (time
division
multiple access), CDMA (code division multiple access) or GSM (global system
for
mobile communications). Other wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth
technology,
wireless IEEE 1394 or any other existing or unique protocol, can be used as
well.
Alternatively, the wireless links described above can be replaced with wired
links, although
wired links decrease portability.
Similarly, the dependent devices and the independent devices may communicate
with each other wirelessly via gateway device 203. For example, dependent
device 1 can
communicate with independent device 1 via link 2041 (from dependent device 1
to
gateway device 203) and link 2061 (from gateway device 203 to independent
device 1).
Alternatively, dependent devices and independent devices may communicate
directly with each other without gateway device 203. For example, dependent
device 1 can
communicate directly with another dependent device M via link 2101M;
independent
device 1 can communicate directly with another independent device N via link
2121N; and
dependent device M can communicate directly with independent device N via link
208MN.
These direct communication links are accomplished through either wired or
wireless links.
It is noted, however, that additional hardware/software may be needed for such
direct
connections.
The information transmitted between gateway device 203 and any of the
dependent/independent devices in subnet 201 are made up of control information
and
payload data. The control information is for establishing the communication
link between
gateway device 203 and a dependent/independent device in subnet 201 and for
negotiating
device capability. Negotiating device capability is described in detail later
with reference
to FIG. 5. The payload data is any data that needs to be transferred to a
device in the
subnet and includes information such as, but not limited to, voice
information, video
information or text information. The payload data can be of any format.
The external communication network 202 is composed of wired or wireless
communication devices and/or networks. For example, the devices/networks in
external
communication network 202 may be, but are not limited to, an Internet 215, a
voice
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network 216, another subnet with a gateway device 217, or a mobile unit 218.
The
communication devices/networks in the external communication network 202
communicate with, for example, a cellular/PCS (personal communications
services) base
station or an Internet service provider (ISP) 214 which is linked to gateway
device 203 in
subnet 201 via link 220. Again, link 220 may be either wired or wireless.
Gateway device 217 similarly has associated dependent and independent devices
connected in a subnet (not shown). Therefore, a device in subnet 201 may
communicate
with a device in the other subnet via gateway device 203, cellular/PCS base
station or ISP
214 and gateway device 217. For example, a user can initiate download of a
song playing
on a stereo in subnet 201 to a PC (personal computer) in the subnet where
gateway device
217 is the master.
How gateway device 203 facilitates communication is discussed in detail later
in
reference to FIG. 5. In general, the gateway device facilitates communication
by serving as
the system master. By being a master, gateway device 203 is always aware of
the number
and type of devices that are within its range and capable of communication
(e.g., powered
on, physically linked) by registering each device's capabilities and storing
this information
in its memory. The gateway device then uses the type of each device to decide
what type
of data is routed to it. For example, video type of data is routed to a
television, a computer
screen or a LCD display but is not routed to an oven, a telephone or a radio.
Routing is
accomplished using a simple protocol which is discussed in detail below.
Therefore, the
gateway device has routing intelligence. It is noted that the gateway device
is always the
dedicated master and the only master, unlike Bluetooth where each device in
the piconet
can change its role from a slave to the master and vice versa.
FIG. 4 shows an application where a typical communication device such as a
cellular/PCS phone is replaced with wirelessly networked units in a local
network in
accordance with the present invention. A typical cellular/PCS handset 310 has
a
transceiver 300, a user interface 304 and an audio/visual/data source 302
linked by various
hard-wired communication paths, e.g., communication paths 301, 303 and 305.
Transceiver 300 in one embodiment contains an RF transceiver, a battery and an
antenna.
User interface 304 may contain, for example, a keypad and a display.
Audio/visual/data
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source 302, in one embodiment, is a headset. Additional examples for the make
up of a
local network for a communication device are described below.
Transceiver 300 provides a communication path 301 from data source 302 to the
outside world, e.g., an external network, over a communication medium 306.
User
interface 304 relates status of the data from data source 302 and
communication medium
306. User interface 304 also allows the user to control the connectivity of
communication
medium 306 and communication information that is being transferred to/from
transceiver
300 via communication path 305. Typically, communication paths 301, 303 and
305 are
hardwired within a phone unit.
In accordance with the present invention, transceiver 300, user interface 304
and .
audio/visual/data source 302 in the above-described cellular/PCS phone 310 may
be
broken apart into separate units. For example, transceiver 300 can be placed
in a
cellular/PCS radio module; user interface 304 can be placed in a heads-up
display; and
audio/visual/data source 302 can be placed in a microphone located in a car
stereo. The
cellular/PCS radio module, the heads-up display and the stereo microphone in
this
example, are separate and independent units. The communication paths 301, 303
and 305,
in one embodiment, are wired links as before. However, communication paths
301, 303
and 305, in one embodiment, are replaced by wireless links established using
any
conventional means described above.
Transceiver 300 acts as the gateway device between the external network and
the
dependent/independent devices, e.g., user interface 304 and audio/visual/data
source 302.
Gateway device, in addition to transceiver 300, may include, for example, a
battery to
provide power to the gateway device and circuitry for interfacing with an
external network
and dependent/independent devices in the subnet. User interface 304 and
audio/visual/data
source 302 are either independent or dependent devices, depending on their
functionality.
For example, if user interface 304 is a heads-up display, it is a dependent
device because it
has limited functionality without a gateway device. However, if user interface
304 is a
television, it is an independent device because it has substantial
functionality without any
gateway devices.
In general, any combination of the devices mentioned above, e.g., transceiver
300,
user interface 304 and audio/visual/data source 302, can be created to satisfy
the
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application. For example, transceiver 300, user interface 304 and data source
302 can be
placed in a single communication unit; transceiver 300, user interface 304 and
data source
302 can be in their respective units; transceiver 300 can be in one unit and
user interface
304 and data source 302 can be in another unit; user interface 304 can be in
one unit and
transceiver 300 and data source 302 can be in another unit; and data source
302 can be in
one unit and transceiver 300 and user interface 304 can be in another unit.
FIG. 5 shows the flow of events after a gateway device has been established on
a
network and a device starts communicating with the gateway device. The process
starts in
step 500. The gateway device periodically sends a synchronization message to
the
dependent/independent devices in the subnet through the gateway device's
control channel
(step 502) to see if any new devices are in the subnet. If a new device is,
for example,
within range and capable of communication, e.g., powered on (step 503), the
dependentlindependent device synchronizes to the gateway device (step 504) and
registers
the dependent/independent device's capabilities with the gateway device (step
506). To
register, the dependent/independent device sends a device capability word
indicating the
dependent/independent device's capability. The capability word contains
capability bits
representing various capabilities such as video capable, stereo capable, etc.
For example, if
a device is stereo capable, the stereo capability bit is set to a "one;" if
the device is audio
capable, the audio capability bit is set to a "one;" if the device is video
and stereo capable,
both video and stereo capability bits are set to "one." In one embodiment, the
device
capability word contains other information, such as format of the data,
resolution of the
display, etc. In one embodiment, the device capability word indicates to the
gateway
device the dependent/independent device's presence in the subnet. In one
embodiment, the
device capability word is 32 bits long. Of course, the device capability word
can be of any
length, depending on the amount and the detail of information desired for each
dependent/independent device.
The gateway device receives the device capability word from the device
notifying
its presence. T'he gateway device then assigns the dependent/independent
device a device
identification number (device ID) and stores the device capability word and
the
corresponding identification number (step 507). In one embodiment, the device
ID is eight
bits long, which gives a number 0 to 255. In this embodiment, a maximum of 256
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dependent/independent devices can be networked in a subnet. The maximum number
of
dependent/independent devices in a subnet is predetermined to allow a
sufficient number of
devices to be networked together, yet does not create an over-crowded network.
This is
opposed to the Bluetooth technology where the maximum number of devices in a
piconet
is eight.
If the number of registering devices exceeds the predetermined maximum
allowable
number, no new device will be registered until a registered device is taken
off the device
list. In one embodiment, the maximum allowable number is 256. In one
embodiment,
when a device ID becomes available, the gateway device reassigns the unused
device ID
number to the next registering device. In one embodiment, the gateway device
assigns the
device ID consecutively. For example, the first registering device is assigned
a device ID
of one; the second registering device is assigned a device ID of two; and so
on. In one
embodiment, the gateway device assigns a registering device the first
available device ID.
For example, device IDs l, 2, 4, 5; 6, 8 are in use, the next registering
device will be
assigned a device ID of 3.
A device ID becomes available, for example, when a registered device is
disconnected, goes out of range or powered off. In one embodiment, a
registered device
sends a predetermined "powerdown" message notifying the gateway device that it
is
powering off. For example, when a device is to be turned off by, e.g., pushing
a power
button, a signal is generated to signal software to do a clean shut down. In
one
embodiment, signal quality is monitored. A signal quality below an acceptable
level and a
bit error rate increase above a predetermined rate indicate the device is
going out of range.
In one embodiment, the gateway device continuously polls the registered
devices to
update network connections. In one embodiment, the gateway device continuously
sends a
synchronization message at a predetermined time interval to register any added
devices and
de-register disabled devices. Therefore, the device list is continuously
updated. By
continuously updating the device list, the system becomes more efficient
because the
master unit will avoid sending messages to a disabled or inoperable device.
In one embodiment, the gateway device maintains an address table which is
filled
with zeroes initially to indicate that no device is registered with the
gateway device. When
a device registers with the gateway device, the gateway device looks for the
first zero in the
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table and assigns the device to that address. The gateway device then sets the
address to a
"one." In one embodiment, a disconnecting device sends a signal to the gateway
device to
reset the address back to a zero.
The above embodiment requires at least two tables to match the address with
the
capability words. Specifically, one table is needed to assign the address to a
certain device
and another table is needed to match the address to a capability word. In an
alternative
embodiment, capability words are stored in the address table. In this
embodiment, if all
bits of the capability words are zero, the address is not used. However, if
not all bit are
zero, the address is in use. Only one table is needed to match the capability
word to the
address. In general, any appropriate method can be used to assign device IDs.
In one embodiment, a group ID is assigned to a group of dependent/independent
devices having substantially the same capabilities. The gateway device can
then broadcast
a message to multiple devices. For example, a television, a computer screen
and a palm
top are all video capable and thus can be assigned to a common group ID. A
dependent/independent device with a device ID and a group ID will ignore
messages that
are not broadcast messages and are not addressed to it or its group. The
dependent/independent device will only respond to messages that are broadcast
messages
or are addressed to it or to its group. For example, if a message is addressed
to a video
capable group, the television and the computer monitor will respond but not
the stereo.
After the gateway device assigns the device ID and/or the group ID, the
gateway
device stores the device ID and the device capability word in a memory at the
gateway
device (step 507). In the alternative, the device list, including the device
ID and the
corresponding device capability word are pre-programmed into a memory instead
of
generated by the polling process described above.
The gateway device, now knowing the capability of each dependent/independent
device in the subnet, queries the external network through the network control
channel to
check for any waiting data (step 508). The network control channel also checks
for waiting
data when no new device is in the subnet in response to the synchronization
message (step
503). The query is sent to, for example, an Internet server. The server
receives the query
from the gateway device and looks for waiting data (step 512). If there is
waiting data
(step 513), the server notifies the gateway device of the waiting data through
the network
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control channel (step 514). The notification message includes information
indicating the
type waiting data. For example, the waiting data may be in HTML format, text
or
graphics.
The gateway device receives the notification message from the server and
checks
its device list to see if any device is capable of processing the waiting
data. If one or more
dependent/independent devices are capable of processing the data, the gateway
device
informs the appropriate dependent/independent device of the waiting data (step
518). In
one embodiment, when multiple dependentlindependent devices have similar or
the same
capability, the gateway device will select a device to process the waiting
data and send the
notification message to that particular dependent/independent device. The
gateway device
may select the device based on, for example, efficiency. For instance, if a
video image of
32-bit resolution is waiting to be directed and there is a computer screen
with a 32-bit
resolution and a palm top with an 8-bit resolution in the subnet, the gateway
device will
direct the image to the computer screen. In another embodiment, all the
dependent/independent devices that are capable of processing the waiting data
are notified.
In this embodiment, a 32-bit image is sent to all video capable devices, e.g.,
both the
computer screen and the palm top.
An example is used to illustrate the routing function of a gateway device.
When an
MPEG-4 (Motion Pictures Experts Group standard which support two-way video
traffic,
lower bandwidth lines and user interactivity that allows one to select parts
of a program
and ignore others) capable device connects to the network, the gateway device
is
responsible for finding the proper MPEG-4 connection on the external network
side and
routing MPEG-4 data whenever possible. Similarly, if the device has the
capability to
browse web pages, the gateway device requests the type of pages the device is
capable of,
e.g., HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), HDML (Hand-Held Device Markup
Language), DHTML (Dynamic HTML), or text only. The type of pages can also be
one
that runs Java (Java is a portable object-oriented language which is compiled
into byte
codes), ActiveX (ActiveX provides a framework for dynamically extending
capabilities of
Web clients (browsers) as well as Web servers), or any of the common browser
plugins.
In one embodiment, if no device is available or capable to process the waiting
data,
the gateway device waits.
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The dependent/independent device or devices receive the notification of
waiting
data from the gateway device. The dependent/independent device then sends an
acknowledgment to the gateway device through the control channel to inform the
gateway
device that it is ready for downloading (step 522). This handshake is to
ensure that the
S device is ready to receive the waiting data. If the dependendindependent
device is not
ready, has been disconnected, powered off or gone out of range, the gateway
device will
not receive such acknowledgment from that dependent/independent device. In the
embodiment where only one dependentJindependent device is notified, the
gateway device
waits for a predetermined time delay, then searches its device list to select
another
dependent/independent device capable of processing the waiting data and
repeats the
process. In the embodiment where multiple dependent/independent devices are
notified,
the gateway device waits for a predetermined time delay, then sends the
waiting data to all
the dependent/independent devices that returned an acknowledgment.
In one embodiment, the user may select the dependent/independent device that
he
wants to use for the download. In one embodiment, a list of all
dependent/independent
devices having capability of processing the waiting data is displayed, for
example, on a
computer screen or a television screen. The user then selects a
dependendindependent
device from, for example, a keyboard or a remote control. The gateway device
then
notifies the selected dependent/independent device of waiting data. If the
selected
dependent/independent device is ready for downloading, it sends an
acknowledgment back
to the gateway device as described above. The gateway device, having received
the
acknowledgment from the selected device, downloads the waiting data to the
selected
device. In one embodiment, the user may select multiple dependent/independent
device for
the download.
In one embodiment, where all registered devices having capability for
processing
the data are notified, a list of acknowledging devices is displayed. The user
then selects
from the list of devices that are ready for download. The gateway device then
sends the
waiting data to the selected device. In one embodiment, multiple
dependent/independent
devices may be selected.
When one or more devices respond with an acknowledgment message, the gateway
device requests download from the external network through its network control
channel
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(step 524). In one embodiment, where the data can be downloaded in various
format
compatible with the dependent/independent device, the server selects the
download site
based upon the best format the dependent/independent device is capable of
processing. For
example, if the waiting data is video data, a computer with a full screen is
capable of
processing full resolution, thus, the format downloaded is in full data
format. However, if
the device is a PDA which has a lower resolution, a data format with narrower
bandwidth
is requested. If only one format is available, data in that format is
downloaded.
The server receives the data request from the gateway device, retrieves the
data
from the external network and sends data in the appropriate format to the
gateway device
through the network data channel (step 528). The gateway device routes the
data to the
appropriate devices) that are ready for the download through the data channel
(step 530
The dependent/independent devices receive and then process the received data
(step
532). The process continues in step 534 where a decision of whether a network
request
from a registered device is made. The gateway then process the request step
536. The
request can be, for example, a request for a different display resolution. In
one
embodiment, the server may restore a stored resolution. In one embodiment, the
server
may modify, e.g., reduce the resolution, based on the request. The process
returns to step
502.
If there is no waiting data (step S 13), step 534 is executed.
In one embodiment, the gateway device is capable of locating the appropriate
software upgrade for any device in the subnet. For example, the gateway device
may look
for upgrades for the devices that are registered, the device may periodically
detect an
incompatibility and notify the gateway device, or the user may request an
upgrade such as
from a peripheral manufacturers website. The gateway device is then
responsible to locate
the upgrade in the network and then gets the upgrade from the network to the
device. In
general, the initiation of the upgrade is application software dependent. In
one
embodiment, the user prompts the system to look for an upgrade. This is
because the user
may have to pay for access to the external network on a minute by minute basis
and should
be afford the opportunity to decide when and how often the upgrade is
performed.
Typically, incompatibility is detected by comparing the version number of the
application
software, similar to PC application software version detection.
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The protocol used for gateway communication is now described. In general, the
goal of a routing algorithm is to be simple, fast, easy to implement, robust -
that is, to make
few errors while sending a data packet to its next destination, and resilient
to network
changes. In one embodiment, the protocol is packetized to allow multiple
devices to
communicate at once. The air (wireless) protocol can use a Time-Division
Multiple
Access (TDMA) structure, assigning time slots to devices to prevent
collisions. A Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA) structure can also be employed to give better
performance, but typically at a higher processing and materials cost. In one
embodiment,
each data path has an associated priority so that high priority data is
transferred faster. In
this embodiment, the gateway device is responsible for holding off a lower
priority data
stream to preference a higher priority data stream. In another embodiment,
data security
provisions are provided to take into consideration of another user's device,
e.g:; another
gateway device, within the range of a gateway device. I,n one embodiment,
error detection
is employed to insure the robustness of the link. In another embodiment, error
correction is
employed to further insure the robustness of the link.
In accordance with the present invention, the communication between any device
and the gateway device follows a simple protocol. In one embodiment, the
command set
includes the following example of commands and command categories, shown in
TABLE
I,. It is noted, however, that different commands and command categories may
be used.
TABLEI
Category Command Function
Connection Register Registers a dependent/independent device
with the
gateway device; assigns a device ID
to each registering
dependent/independent device; stores
device capability
and corresponding device ID in a memory
at the
gateway device.
Open Path Creates a dedicated communication path,
e.g., voice,
data, or image, for a real time connection.
The
command Open Path includes a phone number
as the
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destination if the sender is a call
origination.
Close Path Closes a communication path that was
opened with the
command Open Path.
Status Display Displays various status, such as battery
level, cellular
RSSI (received signal strength indication),
message
waiting, etc.
Status Requests items that are used in the
Display command
plus connecting status
Data Receive Requests data from the external network
or a
dependent/independent device.
Transmit Sends data to the external network or
a
dependenbindependent device.
Message Alerts the user of a waiting message.
Memory Write Writes stored parameter, including configuration,
address book, and image.
Read Reads back any stored parameter.
Upgrade Upgrade Requests an upgrade from the external
network or
instructs a dependent/independent device
to update with
the file that follows the command.
It is noted that a simple command set keeps the interface simple between the
gateway device and the dependent/independent devices. There are no Internet-
protocol
specific commands in Table I for, e.g., checking E-Mail, doing FTP (File
Transfer
Protocol) or HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), or UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
because these commands are handled by the gateway device, not by the
individual
dependent/independent devices on the network. Instead, a dependendindependent
device
simply sees in the Display command, for example, that E-Mail is waiting. The
dependent/independent device then optionally requests the waiting E-Mail with
a Receive
command. The E-Mail message is then read from the external network and
transmitted
from the gateway device with a Transmit command that has the E-Mail message as
its data.
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Therefore, although the gateway device handles the difficult task of
connecting the
dependent/independent device to the external network or another
dependent/independent
device that is compatible with the dependent/independent device, the protocol
between the
dependent/independent device and the gateway device is simple enough to keep
the
dependent/independent device simple, small, and inexpensive, yet powerful
enough to
provide user satisfaction.
The following examples illustrate specific applications using a gateway
device.
The first example is a networked car shown in FIG. 6. While a user is driving
along and listening to car stereo 606, the gateway phone 602 in a briefcase in
the back seat
receives an incoming call. Gateway phone 602 sends a signal to mute car stereo
606 and
sends a signal to display a message "CALL" at a heads-up display 604. After
pressing the
"ANSWER" button on car stereo 606 acknowledging that it is ready to download
data, the
user has a hands free conversation with the calling party, using the
microphone anywhere
in the car, such as car stereo 606. In this example, the subnet consists of
gateway phone
602, car stereo 606 and heads-up display 604, with gateway phone 602 being the
gateway
device, car stereo 606 being an independent device and heads-up display 604
being a
dependent device. Gateway phone 602 communicates with a cellular/PCS base 608
and
routes the phone message to car stereo 606 and heads-up display 604 on the
subnet.
The calling party asks the receiving party to meet him in a restaurant that
the
receiving party has never been to. After hanging up, the receiving party
presses the
"VOICE RECOGNITION" button on car stereo 606 and says "DIRECTIONS" and the
name of the restaurant. The driving direction appears in heads-up display 604
in text
format. Heads-up display 604 points out the next turn to take and an arrow
follows the
turn in a field of view through the windshield. In this scenario, gateway
phone 602 is the
gateway device communicating to an ISP 610 to retrieve direction 612 from the
Internet.
Gateway phone 602 then routes the direction information to heads-up display
604.
Another example is a networked house shown in FIG. 7. While watching
television
702 with audio through a user's home stereo 704, the user's gateway phone 706
on his belt
receives a call from a caller via cellular PCS base 710. The gateway phone 706
sends a
signal to mute the user's stereo 704 and sends a signal to display "INCOMING
CALL" and
the caller ID information on the user's television screen 702.
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Caller ID provides information about the calling party. The caller ID service
is
typically available to telephone subscribers for a small additional monthly
fee. Under
current wireline standards, frequency-encoded digital caller ID information is
transmitted
between the first and second ring signals. Information about a calling party
is thus
received, stored, and displayed by a caller ID device before a user would
normally answer
a ringing telephone. Caller ID information is typically recorded by caller ID
devices
whether the associated telephone is answered or not. Typically, a conventional
caller ID
device is within a phone unit or connected to a phone via a wired link. The
caller ID
device usually receives, stores and displays digital caller ID information.
In accordance with the present invention, the gateway device receives and
stores the
caller ID information in a memory at the gateway device and transmits it
wirelessly to
television 702 for display. Thus, there is no need for a dedicated caller ID
device or adding
additional hardware to the phone itself. In one embodiment, the gateway device
stores a
video or audio image associated with a directory match ID with the incoming
call. Such
video image may be a digital picture, clip art file, wave (e.g., *.wav) or a
*.mp3 file for
audio imaging. In another embodiment, the display device stores the caller ID
information.
The user then hits the "PHONE" button on a remote control device 708 to answer
the call. Gateway phone 706 receives the answer signal from remote control
device 708
and negotiates the video format of the call with the cellular PCS base 710 so
that the video
format is compatible with television 702. If data format is compatible with
television 702,
the image of the caller is displayed in a picture-in-picture (PIP) window (or
full screen, if
the television is not capable of PIP.) In one embodiment, the voice
conversation comes
through stereo 704 and uses the microphone in remote control device 708. If
the incoming
call is not a video call, no video is displayed. If the caller sends his
location, a map pops
up on television 702, with the location of the caller highlighted. If the user
gets up and
leave the room, the hands-free conversation is continued on the next closest
stereo,
television, or personal computer.
In the above example, the subnet first includes gateway phone 706, television
702
and stereo 704 in the living room. When the user leaves the living room, i.e.,
the gateway
device moves, television 702 and stereo 704 may go out of range and drop out
of the
subnet. However, when the user walks into another room, e.g., the bedroom,
another
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television or stereo or personal computer may come into range and register
with gateway
phone 706, forming a new subnet. Gateway phone 706 which was routing video
data to
television 702 in the living room may now route the video data to a computer
in the
bedroom.
In the home networking environment, the gateway principles can be applied to
create a very simple wireless network between home entertainment devices,
appliances,
security systems, and other electronics and to create a gateway device for all
of these
devices to access an external network over a cable, phone, or antenna.
The next example is a photographer who carries a cellular/PCS phone that works
as
a gateway device as shown in FIG. 8. After receiving a voice call on his
cellular/PCS
phone 804 to alert him of an event, the photographer can send pictures from
his digital
camera 802 wirelessly through his gateway phone 804 to a destination 806 on
the Internet.
The camera simply sends the data, while the gateway phone 804 does the
Internet
negotiations over the cellular/PCS system 808 to place the photo where it
should go. In
this example, gateway phone 804 is the gateway device and digital camera 802
is an
independent device on the subnet. If digital camera 802 is within range of the
photographer's PC 806, the photos can be sent to PC 806 using the same
protocol, and PC
806 can act as the gateway device. The development cost of a combined
cellular/PCS
camera would be much higher than the separate units, so developing separate
units, I.e.
peripheral devices, is not only less costly, but also allows piece by piece
upgrades.
Another example is music-on-demand shown in FIG. 9. While listening to music
on a mini-disc or portable music player 902, the user can preview the latest
music release
from a source 906 on the Internet via ISP 908, and purchase the music release
with the
touch of a button on mini-disc or portable music player 902. After purchase,
the song is
downloaded from source 906 to gateway device 904 which negotiates and routes
the song
to mini-disc or portable music player 902. The mini-disc can be replaced with,
for
example, a small flash-card or flash box that holds music and replays it on
demand.
An additional example is a restaurant guide shown in FIG. 10. A PDA 1002 can
get location information from a gateway device 1004 (from the CDMA
infrastructure) and
request entertainment information for the area from existing HTML systems.
Gateway
device 1004 routes the data from the selected web site 1006 to PDA 1002 for
formatting.
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This approach allows PDAs the benefit of connectivity while keeping the size
small and
the design simple.
To satisfy user demand of smaller cellular phones, a phone is split into
smaller
pieces to give the user the perception of a smaller phone. Putting the large
battery, RF and
call processing circuitry off on a belt or in a purse and leaving a small
audio device in the
user's hand gives the perception of a very small phone. The difficulty in
splitting the
phone into smaller pieces is that the user must be able to control the phone
from this small
device so the phone itself never leaves the belt or the purse.
Applying gateway architecture to the cellular/PCS phone environment has some
immediate benefits to the end user. For example, the biggest change to the
user is that the
large RF circuitry and associated battery (e.g., the gateway device) can be in
a remote
location, even during a phone conversation. The user interface could be in a
tiny device
the size of a credit card. The audio can be carried to/from the user through a
very small
headset. The user may rely on the headset with voice recognition for dialing,
and may
never see the gateway device during the course of the day. The user will
perceive the
cellular phone as being a very small, manageable device. Furthermore, the
cellular/PCS
phone provides high-speed connection and can be used in applications that
benefit every
target consumer. The consumers can "mix-and-match" their Internet-ready
equipment,
purchasing only the items that they need. The gateway device also gives basic
devices
(wrist watch, refrigerator, alarm clock) an added dimension of connectivity
without
significantly increasing product cost.
In addition, the gateway architecture benefits the manufacturers as well. To
cover
all possibilities in the market, a manufacturer would need to create an array
of products that
are all cellular/PCS compatible, or make the cellular/PCS phone modular so
that it can be
connected to one device at a time. However, by allowing the cellular/PCS phone
to act as
a gateway device for all peripheral devices that can talk to it by adding a
simple, low
power, wireless interface to the gateway device for each peripheral device, a
device could
be made "Internet-ready" for a cost much less than by adding full power
cellular circuitry
for each peripheral device.
Since the gateway concept can be applied to a wide variety of devices on any
kind
of network, the alternate uses have a very wide range. The principles can be
applied
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wherever device cost can be lowered and size can be reduced by moving high-
power
complex communication circuitry off a common device.
Some implementations of the dependent/independent device are now described.
The first implementation is a pen phone wireless audio device shown in FIG.
11. The pen
phone wireless audio device 1100 is in the shape and size of a pen and has
functionality of
a pen. In addition, pen phone wireless audio device 1100 has added
functionality of a
telephone. In one embodiment, the cellular/PCS communication circuitry, e.g.,
the
transceiver, is placed in a gateway device. The pen phone wireless audio
device provides a
user interface device that is separate from the transceiver. The pen phone
wireless audio
device acts as a dependent device of the gateway device because its
functionality is limited
without a gateway device to route audio or process voice commands.
The pen phone wireless audio device 1100 incorporates for example, a
microphone
at the bottom 1102 and a speaker at the top 1104 of pen phone wireless audio
device 1100.
The microphone is electrically coupled to a transmitting circuit while the
speaker is
electrically coupled to a receiving circuit. The transmitting circuit and the
receiving circuit
communicate with a gateway device having a transceiver via wireless
communication
paths. The user may, for example, have a two-way conversation by holding the
pen phone
wireless audio device up to the side of his face, aligning the top of the pen
phone wireless
audio device with his ear and the bottom of pen phone wireless audio device
1100 near the
mouth.
For an incoming call, pen phone wireless audio device 1100, upon reception of
a
radio signal, informs the user of signal reception by a ring indication. In
one embodiment,
the ring indication is audible. In another embodiment, ring indication is
vibration. Both
ring indications can be accomplished by conventional hardware and software.
For
example, audio sound can be implemented by any suitable piezo electric
transducer and
internal vibration can be implemented by any suitable rotating counter weight.
To initiate
a call, dialing in one embodiment, is accomplished either with voice
recognition (with VR
processing in the gateway device) or a modification of Jogdial Navigator'~"~
dialing system
manufactured by Sony Electronics Inc.
In one embodiment, a voice recognition apparatus as that described in U.S.
Patent
No. 5,335,261 entitled "Radio Telephone Apparatus" by Fujinaka, Akihiko, and
assigned
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to Sony Corporation, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, is
used. The voice
recognition apparatus includes a microphone device for sensing the initiating
voice and a
voice recognition circuit for recognizing a voice input to the microphone and
for
performing a dialing operation based on the voice. Optionally, the voice
recognition
apparatus further includes a mute switch which enables/disables the voice
recognition
circuit. Typically, when set to the voice recognition mode following the off
hook
operation, the radio telephone apparatus is in a state of waiting for entry of
the destination-
identifying voice, that is, in the state in which the voice inputted to a
microphone device
may be transmitted as electrical signals to the voice recognition circuit.
When the
destination-identifying voice is inputted to the microphone device, the voice
recognition
circuit proceeds to identify the destination by associating the information
corresponding to
the electrical signals transmitted from the microphone device with destination-
related
information stored in the memory. The voice recognition circuit then proceeds
to control
the transmitting circuit etc. of the radio telephone apparatus for
effectuating the
transmitting operation. Alternatively, any known voice recognition and auto-
dial may be
used.
The jog-dial dialing system as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,905,964,
entitled
"Portable Communication Apparatus" by Sudo, Fukuharu, issued on May 18, 1999,
and
assigned to Sony Corporation, is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirely. In one
embodiment, the jog-dial dialing system described in the '964 patent which has
an up,
down and click input is modified for the present application in that the
up/down is
translated into rotation of the pen body 1106, and the click is a button on
top 1108 of the
pen. This combination is then used to scroll through selections that are shown
on, e.g., a
liquid crystal display 1110 comprising a matrix of pixels, and to choose the
desired
telephone number with a click. New numbers can be entered by the spin-and-
click method,
or dialed using voice recognition. The pen phone wireless audio device 1100
retains the
writing functionality of a pen.
The next implementation of the dependentlindependent device is a watch phone
wireless audio device shown in FIG. 12. Watch phone wireless audio device 1200
is an
implementation of a user interface device that is separated from the
transceiver, which is
the gateway device in this example. Watch phone wireless audio device 1200
incorporates
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a microphone, speaker, and limited user interface, similar to the pen phone
wireless audio
device described above. Watch phone wireless audio device 1200 also fits into
the
dependent category of gateway devices, since its functionality is limited
without a gateway
device to route audio or process voice command.
Watch phone wireless audio device 1200 incorporates a microphone electrically
coupled to a transmitting circuit and a speaker electrically coupled to a
receiving circuit.
The transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit communicate with a gateway
device via
wireless communication paths.
In one embodiment, watch phone wireless audio device 1200 with a display 1202
allows a two-way conversation, for example, by using the watch phone wireless
audio
device 1200 as a speakerphone. In one embodiment, the conversations take place
at arm's
length. In other words, both the microphone and the speaker are embedded in
the device.
In another embodiment, wristband 1204 has a speaker that flips out to sit in
the palm of the
hand with a microphone (not shown) attached to wristband 1204, allowing a
conversation
when the palm is cupped over the ear. The speaker and the microphone may be
any
suitable speakers and microphones. Alternatively, a speaker wire (not shown)
may run up
the user's arm and into the ear of the speaker to give more private
conversation. In another
embodiment, both the ear plug and the microphone use wire connections.
The gateway device, in one embodiment, is controlled with voice commands as
that
described in the '261 patent. In one embodiment, the gateway device is a
keypad (not
shown) that includes multiple pressure-activated switches for user input. In
the alternative,
a jog-dial 1206 may be added to give a user interface similar to that
described in the '964
patent. Another embodiment incorporates a suitable touch screen with
handwriting
recognition.
A third example of a dependent/independent device is a wireless headset 1301
with
hookswitch control and call alert shown in FIG. 13. In one embodiment, the
headset has a
normal functionality of receiving and transmitting radio signals. In addition,
the headset
performs functionality such as incoming call indication, caller ID information
(e.g., LED
display, LCD display), hookswitch control, volume control and battery
indication (e.g.,
LED display, beeper). The headset incorporates a microphone electrically
coupled to a
transmitting circuit and a speaker electrically coupled to a receiving
circuit. The
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transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit communicate with a gateway
device via
wireless communication paths. When an incoming call is received by a gateway
device,
the gateway device mutes, e.g., the stereo the headset is connected to, and
activates an
incoming call indication in the form of, for example, a beep or a ring to
alert the user of an
incoming call.
Hookswitch control operates such that when the hookswitch is open, all parts
of the
telephone are disconnected from the telephone line except a ringer circuit.
When a calling
party places a telephone call to a receiving party, switching equipment in the
central office
notifies the receiving party's telephone to alert the receiving party to an
incoming
telephone call. When the receiving party lifts the handset from its cradle to
answer the
incoming telephone call, the hookswitch closes, and the connection between the
calling
party and the receiving party.
In one embodiment, the headset, combined with voice recognition for dialing
and
feature control, gives the user enough control to never touch the actual phone
in normal
operation. In one embodiment, the headset can be folded in half when not in
use. In one
embodiment, the headphone can fold and unfold for hookswitch control. In one
embodiment, the microphone is separated from the headset to allow attachment
to a lapel
or sun visor in a vehicle.
The fourth implementation of a dependent/independent device is a miniature
wireless display device 1401 shown in FIG. 14 along with a U.S. 5-cent coin to
illustrate
the relative size of device 1401. Miniature wireless display devices are
displays that use a
silicon chip as the substrate material. The chip also houses the addressing
electronics (at
least an active matrix with integrated drivers), usually implemented in
standard CMOS
technology. This mature technology generates very reliable and stable circuits
and allows
very small pixel pitches (<10 um) and high display resolutions. Microdisplays
are small
and can be used in projectors, head-mounted displays, view-finders or other
lens-view
display systems. Different electro-optical effects can be used to generate the
image:
Electroluminescence (EL), vacuum fluorescence (VF), reflective Liquid Crystal
effects and
tilting or deforming of micromirrors (requires micro-machining). The most
popular
combination is Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) which provides a virtual SVGA
15"
monitor at a distance of greater than 2 feet when viewed through the
viewfinder. The
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actual display itself may measure only one quarter inch on a diagonal.
Navigation keys are
located on the device to interact with the software that is controlling the
displayed image
from the gateway device.
The virtual display fits into the gateway concept in that the information that
is
shown is either generated by the gateway device or routed by the gateway
device to the
display from a source on the infrastructure. The display can be used for
picture/video
review or web browsing. Because it is small and wireless, it can be attached
to a keychain
or a retractable tether.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular
embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application
and should
not be taken as a limitation. Various other adaptations and combinations of
features of the
embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the
following
claims.
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