Electrical devices

• US 20050026643A1
• Filed: 05/14/2002
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Innovision Research & Technology PLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: White, Andrew David, Borrett, Marc Adrian
• Granted Patent: US 7,248,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 1/0009 Energy-transferring means or control lines for movable machine parts; Control panels or boxes; Control parts control handles for driving or feeding mechanisms B23Q5/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electrical device such as a portable communications device, domestic or personal care appliance has a main body adapted to couple to an accessory which may be in the form of a tool attachable to the main body or a housing portion. The accessory carries a passive data storage device having a memory (59) storing control data for controlling an operation or affecting a function of the device. The passive data storage device is arranged to derive a power supply from the main body when a first coupler carried by the main body is placed in proximity to a second coupler carried by the accessory (3). Where the electrical device is a portable communications device, then the accessory may be, for example, a fascia The coupling between the first and second couplers may be inductive or capacitive.

Claims

1-99. -99. (cancelled).

100. A device comprising a main body having a housing portion;

a controller operable to control operation of the device; and

a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal;

the main body and the housing portion having respective first and second couplers arranged in close proximity to one another to enable coupling of the carrier signal from the first coupler to the second coupler;

the housing portion carrying a data storage device having a memory storing data;

a power supply deriver operable to derive a power supply from a carrier signal coupled to the second coupler;

a data controller operable to read data from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver; and

a modulator operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with data read from the memory;

the main body having a data extractor operable to extract data from the modulation of the carrier signal and a data supplier operable to supply the data to the controller of the main body to affect the operation of the device.

101. A device according to claim 100, wherein the signal supplier comprises a radio frequency carrier signal supplier comprising a carrier signal generator of a transceiver.

102. A device according to claim 100, wherein the signal supplier includes a signal interrupter operable to periodically vary the signal and the data storage device has a clock signal deriver operable to derive a clock signal for the data storage device on the basis of the periodic variations.

103. A device according to claim 100, having at least one of the following features:

the housing portion is removable;

the housing portion is non-removable;

the main body has a transceiver operable to enable transmission and reception of communications over a mobile telecommunications network;

the coupling between the first and second couplers is inductive or capacitive;

the device is an electrical device;

the device is a portable communications device;

the data storage device has a clock signal generator operable to generate a clock signal for the data storage device in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver.

104. A device according to claim 100, wherein the memory is a writable memory, the signal supplier includes a data supplier operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with data to be written to the memory and the data storage device has a writer operable to derive the data from the modulated carrier signal and to write the derived data into the memory.

105. A device according to claim 104, wherein the controller has a use information deriver operable to obtain information regarding use of the device and is operable to cause the carrier signal to be modulated in accordance with the use data so as to enable the writer to write the use data into the memory.

106. A device according to claim 104, wherein a user operator is associated with the housing portion.

107. A device according to claim 100, wherein a user operator is carried by the housing portion and the data storage device comprises a user operation controller operable to supply data regarding user operation of the user operator to the main body.

108. A device according to claim 107, wherein the user operation controller is operable to supply instructions to the controller to configure a display of the device for use in one of a number different orientations.

109. A device according to claim 106, wherein the user operator comprises at least one of a keyboard, a key pad, a touch screen, a joystick, a digitizing table or other input.

110. A device according to claim 106, further comprising an additional user interface device having a different form of configuration of user operator, the user interface device also having a passive control device, a power deriver operable to derive a power supply when a coupler of the user interface device is coupled to a coupler of the device and a data supplier operable to supply, in response to operation by a user of the user input device, user input data to the controller when the user interface device is coupled to the device.

111. A device according to claim 100, wherein the data stored in the memory comprises data enabling the controller to identify the housing portion and the controller is operable to inhibit at least one function or operating characteristic of the device if the controller does not receive identification data or does not receive correct identification data.

112. A device according to claim 100, wherein the housing portion carries an orientation sensor and a data storage controller of the data storage device is operable, in response to an orientation signal from the orientation sensor, to communicate to the controller data regarding the orientation of the device to cause the controller to control the orientation of a display screen accordingly.

113. A device according to claim 100, wherein the housing portion carries a display.

114. A device according to claim 100, wherein the housing portion carries, instead of or in addition to the data storage device, at least one environmental sensor responsive, to at least one of temperature, pressure, orientation, position, height, humidity, light, sound, a chemical, a fluid, water, magnetic field, an odour, and the data storage device is operable to communicate to the controller data relating to an output of the sensor to affect an operation of the device.

115. A portable communications device comprising a main body having a removable housing portion;

the main body having a transceiver operable to enable transmission and reception of communications over a mobile telecommunications network;

a controller operable to control operation of the device; and

a radio frequency signal supplier operable to supply a radio frequency carrier signal;

the housing having a radio frequency signal affecter and the main body having a detector operable to detect the effect of the radio frequency signal affecter to affect the operation of the portable communications device.

116. A portable communications device having:

a transceiver operable to enable transmission and reception of communications over a mobile telecommunications network and a controller operable to control operation of the device, the portable communications device having a radio frequency signal supplier that, when the portable communications device is in close proximity to an article carrying a data storage device responsive to the radio frequency signal, causes the data storage device to derive a power supply from the radio frequency signal and to modulate the radio frequency signal in accordance with data stored by the data storage device, the portable communications device having a data extractor operable to extract the data from the modulated radio frequency signal to affect the operation of the portable communications device.

117. An electrical device comprising a main body and an accessory in the form of a tool or part of a tool;

the main body having a controller operable to control operation of the tool and a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal;

the main body and the tool having respective first and second couplers arranged in close proximity to one another when the tool is attached to or in the proximity of the main body to enable coupling of the carrier signal from the first coupler to the second coupler;

the accessory carrying a data storage device having a memory storing data, a power supply deriver operable to derive a power supply from a carrier signal coupled to the second coupler, a controller operable to read data from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver, and a modulator operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with data read from the memory, the main body having a data extractor operable to extract data from the modulation of the carrier signal and a data supplier operable to supply the data to the controller of the main body to affect the operation of or to affect the function of at least one of the electrical device and the accessory.

120. A device according to claim 117, wherein the accessory is a separable or movable component and the controller is operable to inhibit activation of the device when the accessory is moved away form the main body.

118. An electrical device comprising a main body and an accessory in the form of a tool or a part of a tool;

the main body having a controller operable to control operation of the tool and a signal supplier operable to supply a signal;

the tool carrying a component that, when the tool is in the close vicinity of or attached to the main body, affects the signal supplied by the signal supplier, and the main body having a detector operable to detect such an affect on the signal supplied by the signal supplier, the controller of the main body being arranged to affect an operation of or a function of at least one of the electrical device and the tool in accordance with such a detection by the detector.

119. A product information providing system having a user interface wherein different products are associated with corresponding passive data storage devices each of which, in response to receipt of a radio frequency signal from a mobile communications device located in the vicinity of the data storage device, causes the mobile communications device to communicate with a source of data relating to the product or information associated with that passive data storage device.

121. A portable communications device having a transceiver configured to enable transmission and reception of communications over a mobile telecommunications network and a controller operable to control operation of the device, the portable communications device having a reader having a radio frequency signal supplier operable to, when the portable communications device is in close proximity to an article carrying a data storage device responsive to the radio frequency signal, cause the data storage device to modulate the radio frequency signal in accordance with data stored by the data storage device, and the portable communications device having a data extractor operable to extract the data from the modulated radio frequency signal to affect an operation or service of the portable communications device.

122. A portable communications device according to claim 121, wherein the reader is arranged to couple inductively to the data storage device.

123. A portable communication device according to claim 121, wherein the controller is arranged to cause transmission of a communication over the mobile telecommunications network to a location on the network determined in accordance with the data received from the data storage device.

124. A portable communications device according to claim 121, wherein the radio frequency signal supplier comprises the transceiver.

125. A portable communications device according to claim 121, wherein the radio frequency signal supplier is independent of the transceiver.

126. A portable communications device according to claim 121, wherein the reader is provided in a reader unit on part of the device.

127. A portable communications device according to claim 121, having a removable and/or exchangeable portion.

128. A portable communications device according to claim 127, wherein the portion comprises a fascia of the device.

129. A portable communications device according to claim 121, further comprising a data storage device having a memory storing data, wherein the portable communications device is operable to communicate data from the memory to the article.

130. A portable communications device according to claim 129, wherein the data storage device forms part of the reader.

131. A portable communications device according to claim 129, wherein the memory is a read-writable memory.

132. A portable communications device according to claim 121, wherein the device is arranged to communication with an article having a read-writable memory and comprises a signal supplier operable to modulate the radio frequency signal in accordance with data to be written to the memory.

133. A portable communication device according to claim 121 in the form of a mobile telephone or cell phone or PDA.

134. A data transmission system comprising a portable communications device according to claim 121 and the article.

135. A system according to claim 134, wherein the article has a power supply deriver operable to derive a power supply from the radio frequency signal supplied by the portable communications device when the portable communications device is in close proximity to the article, a controller operable to read data from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver, and a modulator operable to modulate the radio frequency signal in accordance with the data stored by the data storage device.