Electrical devices
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
119 Claims
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1-99. -99. (canceled)
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100. A system comprising:
- a portable communications device having communicator operable to communicate over a network, a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal and a controller operable to control operation of the portable communications device; and
an item carrying a passive data storer having a memory storing functional data having a function other than identification of the item or the passive data storer, a power deriver operable to derive a power supply for the data storage device from the carrier signal when the item is in the vicinity of the portable communications device, and a modulator operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with functional data read from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver, the portable communications device having a data extractor operable to extract functional data from a modulated carrier signal and the controller being operable to enable at least one operation to be carried out in accordance with the function of the extracted functional data. - View Dependent Claims (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119)
- a portable communications device having communicator operable to communicate over a network, a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal and a controller operable to control operation of the portable communications device; and
- 109. An item for use with a portable communications device having a communicator operable to communicate over a network and a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal, the item carrying a data storer, the data storer having a memory storing functional data having a function other than identification of the item or the passive data storer, a power deriver operable to derive a power supply for the data storage device from a carrier signal supplied by signal supplier of the portable communications device when the item is in the vicinity of the portable communications device, and a modulator operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with functional data read from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver.
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113. A system comprising:
- a portable communications device having communication means for communicating over a network, signal supplying means for supplying a carrier signal and control means for controlling operation of the portable communications device; and
an item carrying data storage means having a memory storing functional data having a function other than identification of the item or the passive data storage means, power deriving means for deriving a power supply for the data storage device from the carrier signal when the item is in the vicinity of the portable communications device, and modulation means for modulating the carrier signal in accordance with functional data read from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriving means, the portable communications device having data extracting means for extracting functional data from a modulated carrier signal and the control means being operable to enable at least one operation to be carried out in accordance with the function of the extracted functional data.
- a portable communications device having communication means for communicating over a network, signal supplying means for supplying a carrier signal and control means for controlling operation of the portable communications device; and
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114. An item for use with a portable communications device having communication means for communicating over a network and signal supplying means for supplying a carrier signal, the item carrying data storage means, the data storage means having a memory storing functional data having a function other than identification of the item or the passive data storage means, power deriving means for deriving a power supply for the data storage device from a carrier signal supplied by signal supplying means of the portable communications device when the item is in the vicinity of the portable communications device, and modulation means for modulating the carrier signal in accordance with functional data read from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriving means.
Specification