Method and apparatus for externally defining the operational mode of a digital radio transceiver

• US 5,023,936 A
• Filed: 08/07/1989
• Issued: 06/11/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company, Com-Net Ericsson Canada Corp. (TE Connectivity Limited), Com-Net Ericsson Critical Radio Systems, Inc. (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Butler, Clyde R. Jr., Szczutkowski, Craig F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Application Number:
  US07/390,257
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/90, 455/343, 455/347, 455/349, 455/351, 455/76
• US Class Current: 455/90.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

Different digital radio transceiver front panel escutcheon plate assemblies are provided for different optional transceiver configurations. A digital signal controller which is part of the main transceiver circuitry is capable of performing any of various basic and option functions under control of program control instructions stored in an associated non-volatile memory. Subsets of those features are selectively disabled by irreversibly modifying the transceiver unit from the outside of the unit (e.g., by cutting certain PC board pathways through holes provided in the transceiver unit front panel). The controller enables (executes) portions of the program control instructions stored in its associated non-volatile memory and disables (does not execute) other portions of the stored program control instructions in response to detection of continuity/discontinuity over those certain pathways.

Claims

1. In a digital radio transceiver of the type including interchangeable user control arrangements disposed on an outer surface of a housing, said transceiver including digitally controlled circuitry disposed within said housing, a method of preventing someone from obtaining additional transceiver functionality by substituting user control arrangements, said method including the following steps:

(a) substantially irreversibly modifying said transceiver from outside of said housing so as to specify a particular user control arrangement, said particular user control arrangement having a corresponding set of functions associated therewith;

(b) detecting the particular user control arrangement specified by said substantially irreversible modification; and

(c) disabling said digitally controlled circuitry from performing any functions other than said corresponding set of functions associated with said particular user control arrangement in response to said detected specified arrangement.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said step (a) includes the step of providing a modification encoding any one of more than two possible modification states, each of said modification states corresponding to a different particular user control arrangement.

3. A method as in claim 1 Wherein said detecting step (b) includes the step of electrically detecting said modification.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein:

said modifying step (a) includes the step of altering the conductivity of at least one electrical pathway within said digitally controlled circuitry without creating any additional entry points into said housing;

said transceiver is of the type which periodically scans the state of controls within said control arrangement disposed on said housing outer surface; and

said periodic control state scanning includes the further step of scanning the conductivity state of said at least one electrical pathway.

5. A digital radio transceiver including:

a housing having an outer surface;

digitally controlled circuitry disposed within said housing;

a user control arrangement disposed on an outer surface of a housing, said control arrangements cooperating with said digitally controlled circuitry to actuate a set of functions corresponding to said user control arrangement;

substantially irreversibly modifiable indicating means coupled to said digitally controlled circuitry for being modified from outside of said housing, said indicating means having a state specifying said set of functions corresponding to said user control arrangement;

said digitally controlled circuitry including;

means coupled to said indicating means for detecting the state of said indicating means, and

means for preventing said digitally controlled circuitry from performing any functions other than said corresponding set of functions associated with said particular user control arrangement in response to said detected state.

6. A digital transceiver final assembly kit comprising:

a first user control arrangement having a first set of enhanced functions associated therewith;

a second user control arrangement having associated therewith a second set of enhanced functions different from said first set of functions; and

a basic transceiver unit comprising;

a housing having an outer surface,

digitally controlled circuitry disposed within said housing, said digitally controlled circuit being preprogrammed to perform said first and said second sets of enhanced functions;

means disposed on an outer surface of said housing for interchangeably coupling either of said first and second control arrangements to said digitally controlled circuitry and for providing cooperation between said said digitally controlled circuitry and said coupled control arrangement, and

irreversible means coupled to said digitally controlled circuitry for storing a state substantially irreversibly changeable from outside of said housing, for permitting said digitally controlled circuitry to perform one of said first and second set of functions, and for inhibiting said digitally controlled circuitry from performing the other of said first and second set of functions.

7. A kit as in claim 6 wherein:

said housing defines a hole therethrough; and

said digitally controlled circuitry includes;

electrically conductive pathway means disposed in registry with said hole for providing electrical conductivity and for ceasing to provide electrical conductivity when severed by a sharp tool inserted into said hole, and

means for selecting between said first and second set of functions in response to detected conductivity of said pathway means.

8. A kit as in claim 6 wherein said digitally controlled circuit means includes means for electrically detecting the state of said irreversible means.

9. A kit as in claim 6 wherein said irreversible means includes means for indicating first, second and third mutually exclusive states, said first state selecting said first set of functions, said second state selecting said second set of functions, said third state selecting neither of said first and second set of functions.

10. A method of assembly a radio transceiver comprising the following steps:

selecting an escutcheon plate assembly from among a plurality of different such assemblies, said plurality of different escutcheon plate assemblies providing a corresponding plurality of different control configurations, said plurality of different control configurations having associated therewith a corresponding plurality of different transceiver functionalities;

coupling said selected escutcheon plate assembly to a digital radio transceiver main unit adapted to interchangeably receive any one of said plurality of different escutcheon plate assemblies; and

substantially irreversibly modifying said digital radio transceiver main unit, including the step of inserting a sharp tool into a hole defined through the housing of said main unit; and

inhibiting said radio transceiver from performing any functionalities other than the functionality associated with said selected escutcheon plate assembly in response to said substantially irreversible modification.