Wireless communications circuitry with simultaneous receive capabilities for handled electronic devices
First Claim
1. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:
- transceiver circuitry comprising a first transceiver circuit and a second transceiver circuit, wherein the first and second transceiver circuits communicate using different communications protocols and a common radio-frequency frequency band;
an antenna that handles radio-frequency signals in the common radio-frequency frequency band; and
a radio-frequency coupler comprising an input and first and second outputs, wherein when the wireless communications circuitry is operated in a first mode, the input receives radio-frequency signals from the antenna and simultaneously provides corresponding first and second reduced-power versions of the received radio-frequency signals to the first and second outputs, respectively, wherein the first reduced-power version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the first transceiver circuit, and wherein the second reduced-power version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the second transceiver circuit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Handheld electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry has simultaneous reception functions that allow the handheld devices to simultaneously receive multiple communications signals in a single communications band. The handheld electronic devices may include cellular telephones with music player functionality or other portable devices. The handheld electronic devices may have local wireless communications capabilities for supporting local wireless links such as WiFi and Bluetooth links. Using the simultaneous reception functions of the wireless communications circuitry, users of the handheld electronic devices can simultaneously receive signals such as WiFi and Bluetooth signals.
114 Citations
30 Claims
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1. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:
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transceiver circuitry comprising a first transceiver circuit and a second transceiver circuit, wherein the first and second transceiver circuits communicate using different communications protocols and a common radio-frequency frequency band; an antenna that handles radio-frequency signals in the common radio-frequency frequency band; and a radio-frequency coupler comprising an input and first and second outputs, wherein when the wireless communications circuitry is operated in a first mode, the input receives radio-frequency signals from the antenna and simultaneously provides corresponding first and second reduced-power versions of the received radio-frequency signals to the first and second outputs, respectively, wherein the first reduced-power version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the first transceiver circuit, and wherein the second reduced-power version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the second transceiver circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A wireless handheld electronic wireless device comprising:
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storage that stores data; processing circuitry coupled to the storage that generates data for wireless transmission and that processes wirelessly received data; and wireless communications circuitry, wherein the wireless communications circuitry comprises; transceiver circuitry comprising a first transceiver circuit and a second transceiver circuit, wherein the first and second transceiver circuits communicate using different communications protocols and a common radio-frequency frequency band; an antenna that handles radio-frequency signals in the common radio-frequency frequency band; and a radio-frequency coupler comprising an input and first and second outputs, wherein when the wireless communications circuitry is operated in a first mode, the input receives radio-frequency signals from the antenna and simultaneously provides corresponding first and second versions of the received radio-frequency signals to the first and second outputs, respectively, wherein the first version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the first transceiver circuit, and wherein the second version of the received radio-frequency signals is received by the second transceiver circuit. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:
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a first wireless transceiver circuit that transmits and receives according to a first communications protocol in a given radio-frequency communications frequency band; a second wireless transceiver circuit that transmits and receives according to a second communications protocol in the given radio-frequency communications frequency band, wherein the first and second communications protocols are different; an antenna; a radio-frequency coupler; switching circuitry that is responsive to control signals and that routes radio-frequency signals to and from the antenna, wherein the wireless communications circuitry is operative in at least first, second, and third modes of operation, wherein; in the first mode of operation, the first wireless transceiver circuit is active and transmits radio-frequency signals through the switching circuitry and the antenna without passing through the coupler; in the second mode of operation, the first and second wireless transceiver circuit are both active and receive respective first and second versions of identical radio-frequency signals through the coupler; and in the third mode of operation, the first wireless transceiver circuit is inactive and the second wireless transceiver is active. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. Wireless communications circuitry comprising:
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a first wireless transceiver circuit that transmits and receives according to a first communications protocol in a 2.4 GHz radio-frequency communications band; a second wireless transceiver circuit that transmits and receives according to a second communications protocol in the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency communications band, wherein the first and second communications protocols are different; an antenna that operates in the 2.4 GHz radio-frequency communications band; a radio-frequency coupler; switching circuitry that is responsive to control signals and that routes radio-frequency signals to and from the antenna, wherein the wireless communications circuitry is operative in at least first and second modes, wherein; in the first mode of operation, the first wireless transceiver circuit is active and transmits radio-frequency signals through the switching circuitry and the antenna without passing through the coupler; and in the second mode of operation, the first and second wireless transceiver circuit are both active and receive respective first and second versions of identical radio-frequency signals through the coupler. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for controlling a wireless handheld electronic device with wireless communications circuitry having a first wireless transceiver, a second wireless transceiver, an antenna, a radio-frequency coupler, and switching circuitry, comprising:
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when it is desired to transmit wireless data through the antenna from the first wireless transceiver, placing the wireless communications circuitry in a first mode of operation in which the first wireless transceiver circuit is active and transmits radio-frequency signals through the switching circuitry and the antenna without passing through the coupler; and when it is desired to simultaneously receive wireless data with both the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver, placing the wireless communications circuitry in a second mode of operation in which the first and second wireless transceiver circuit are both active and receive respective first and second versions of identical radio-frequency signals from the antenna through the coupler. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for using wireless communications circuitry in a handheld wireless device comprising:
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storing data in storage on the portable wireless device; with processing circuitry that is coupled to the storage, generating data for wireless transmission and processing wirelessly received data; with an antenna and a first transceiver circuit in the wireless communications circuitry, communicating wirelessly in a communications frequency band according to a first communications protocol; with the antenna and a second transceiver circuit in the wireless communications circuitry, communicating wirelessly in the communications frequency band according to a second communications protocol that is different than the first communications protocol; and when it is desired to simultaneously receive data with both the first and the second transceivers in a simultaneous receive mode, distributing radio-frequency signals from the antenna simultaneously to the first and second transceivers. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification