Apparatus and Method for Integrating a Transmitting Device and a Battery Pack

• US 20110275314A1
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cunningham, Timothy, Miller, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID

Abstract

An apparatus includes a battery pack, processor attached to the battery pack, and an antenna attached to the processor for establishing a radio link with an electronic device powered by the batter pack.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a battery pack;

a processor attached to the battery pack; and

;

an antenna attached to the processor for establishing a radio link with an electronic device powered by the battery pack.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the antenna is adapted to establish a radio link with an external device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a push-button attached to the processor to activate the antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to operate as a radio frequency identification tag.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the antenna is adapted to communicate with the external device in a consumer transaction.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is adapted to receive instructions from a user input of the electronic device and send data via the antenna to the electronic device for display on the electronic device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is powered by the battery pack.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the antenna is adapted to transmit a software update from the processor to the electronic device, the software update including a graphical user interface for initiating transactions with the external device.

9. A method of communicating with an external device, using a processor, comprising:

establishing an association, between the processor and an electronic device both powered by a battery pack, via communication between a first antenna attached to the processor and a second antenna attached to the electronic device; and

transmitting data to the external device via the first antenna based on instructions received from the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting a software update including a graphical user interface to the electronic device for initiating transactions with the external device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein transmitting data to an external device comprises:

transmitting data related to a consumer transaction to the external device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein establishing an association comprises:

activating a push button to establish a radio link between the processor and the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting data received from the external device to the electronic device for display on a screen of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the processor operates as a radio frequency identification tag.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the processor is powered by the battery pack.

16. A mobile communication system comprising:

a first antenna;

a first processor;

a battery receptacle;

a battery pack attached to the battery receptacle to power the first processor, the battery pack comprising;

a second processor; and

a second antenna for establishing a radio link with the first processor via the first antenna and for establishing a radio link with an external device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the battery pack further comprises:

a push-button adapted to activate the second antenna.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the second processor is adapted to operate as a radio frequency identification tag.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the second processor is adapted to receive instructions via the second antenna from the first processor representing a user input to the mobile communication system and send data via the second antenna to the first processor for display on the mobile communication system.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the second antenna is adapted to transmit a software update from the second processor to the first processor, the software update including a graphical user interface for initiating transactions with the external device.