Functional cover for use with a wireless terminal

• US 20050090280A1
• Filed: 02/12/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nielsen, Peter Dam
• Application Number:
  US10/502,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090280A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A wireless communication terminal has a user exchangeable cover part. The wireless communication terminal and user exchangeable cover part are electrically interconnected by means of an electrical connector. The user exchangeable cover part comprises identification means. The user exchangeable cover part has an electric circuitry for supporting a user interface of the wireless terminal. The wireless terminal identifies the user exchangeable cover part by detecting the identification means. The wireless terminal operates the electric circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part independently of the identification of user exchangeable cover part.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electric circuitry included in an exchangeable cover part for supporting a user interface of a wireless terminal, said wireless communication terminal and said user exchangeable cover part are electrically interconnected by means of an electrical connector having a plurality of pins, said method comprises:

identifying the type of said user exchangeable cover part;

operating at least one of said connector pins in an identification means; and

afterwards in an operation state for operating the electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover part; and

mapping to one or more keys connected to said electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover a set of tones and/or sound effects.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said value is a resistor value included in the identification means.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein operation state is a frequency mode for directing an electrical representation of a ringing signal to the electric circuitry for providing an illumination effect following the ringing signal.

4. A wireless communication terminal having a user exchangeable cover part, wherein the wireless communication terminal and user exchangeable cover part are electronically interconnected by means of an electrical connector;

said user exchangeable cover part comprises identification means;

said user exchangeable cover part including an electric circuitry for supporting a user interface of said wireless terminal;

said connector includes a plurality of connector pins, where at least one of said connector pins is adapted to allow said wireless terminal to operate said user exchangeable cover in an identification state for sensing a value included in the identification means, and afterwards in an operation state for operating the electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover part; and

said user exchangeable cover part comprises one or more keys connected to said electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover and adapted to map to a set of tones and/or sound effects.

5. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said connector pins are arranged in line in an equal distance.

6. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the connector pins are arranged at the rear side of the cover part.

7. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the number of connector pins is three.

8. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the number of connector pins is five.

9. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein said value is a resistor value included in the identification means.

10. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the operation state is a frequency mode for directing an electrical representation of a ringing signal to the electric circuitry for providing an illumination effect synchronised with the ringing signal.

11. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said set of tones and/or sound effects comprise music instrument digital interface tones.

12. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein said keys are adapted for sound creating purposes comprising music composing applications, sound creating applications, gaming, ring tone creation, system sound creation, sending sounds with multimedia messaging service or other messaging service, or any combination thereof.

13. A user exchangeable cover for releasable attachment to a wireless communication terminal, wherein the user exchangeable cover part and wireless communication terminal in attached position are electrically interconnected by means of an electrical connector, wherein

said user exchangeable cover comprises identification means;

said user exchangeable cover includes an electric circuitry for supporting a user interface of said wireless terminal; and

said user exchangeable cover part comprises one or more keys connected to said electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover and adapted to map to a set of tones and/or sound effects; and

said connector includes a plurality of connector pins, where at least one of said connector pins is adapted to allow said wireless terminal to operate said user exchangeable cover in an identification state for sensing a value included in the identification means, and afterwards in an operation state for operating the electric circuitry of said user exchangeable cover part.

14. A user exchangeable cover part according to claim 13, wherein said set of tones and/or sound effects comprise music instrument digital interface tones.

15. A user exchangeable cover part according to claim 13, wherein said keys are adapted for sound creating purposes comprising music composing applications, sound creating applications, gaming, ring tone creation, system sound creation, sending sounds with multimedia messaging service or other messaging service, or any combination thereof.