Prioritized data transfer method and apparatus for a radiotelephone peripheral

• US 5,237,570 A
• Filed: 07/18/1991
• Issued: 08/17/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smolinske, Jeffrey C., Tripp, Jeffrey W., Paggeot, Bruce M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Safourek, Benedict V.
• Application Number:
  US07/732,972
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 455/76, 455/78, 455/84, 455/33.1, 379/63, 375/5, 340/825.5, 370/79, 370/83, 370/85.2, 370/85.6, 370/85.7, 370/95.1, 370/99, 370/110.1, 370/111, 370/95.3
• US Class Current: 370/348
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A radiotelephone data transfer apparatus connects peripheral devices external to the radiotelephone and other user information inputting devices, such as a handset for a cellular mobile radiotelephone, to the radiotelephone'"'"'s central processor and speech processor. The data bus apparatus generates frame formats in which the information is sent over the data bus. The frame formats are further subdivided into time slots, the time intervals in which individual messages are sent. The data transfer apparatus is configured so that messages sent to the cellular radiotelephone'"'"'s speech processor are not flow controlled, while messages sent to the radiotelephone'"'"'s central processor are flow controlled. Further, the radiotelephone'"'"'s central processor controls operation of peripheral devices attached to the radiotelephone.

Claims

1. A data transfer apparatus for a radiotelephone unit which conveys digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit to a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, the data transfer apparatus comprising:

means for processing analog information into a digitized analog message;

means for distinguishing between said digitized analog message and a digital data message;

means, at the user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, for detecting a first timeslot allocated by the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit for conveying at least a part of the digitized analog message;

means, responsive to said means for distinguishing, for sending at least a part of the digitized analog message to the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit in said detected first timeslot;

means, at the user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, for detecting a second timeslot;

means for determining if said second timeslot is marked busy by the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit;

means for sending at least a part of said digital data message in said detected second timeslot when said second timeslot is not marked busy.

2. A method of conveying digitized analog and digital data information messages from a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit to a processing unit of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, the method comprising the steps of:

processing the analog information into a digitized analog message;

distinguishing between said digitized analog messages and a digital data information message;

detecting, at the user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, a first timeslot allocated by the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit for conveying at least a part of said digitized analog message;

sending, in response to said distinguishing step, said at least a part of said digitized analog message to the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit in said detected first timeslot;

detecting, at the user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, a second timeslot;

determining if said second timeslot is marked busy by the processing portion of the radiotelephone unit; and

sending at least a part of said digital data message in said detected second timeslot when said second timeslot is not marked busy.

3. A data transfer apparatus for a radiotelephone unit which conveys digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit to a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit, the digitized analog and digital data messages being conveyed in timeslots of a message frame, at least one of the timeslots being a general data timeslot, the data transfer apparatus comprising:

means for distinguishing between a digitized analog message and a digital data message;

means responsive to said means for distinguishing finding a digitized analog message, for inserting at least a portion of said digitized analog message into at least one timeslot of a message frame;

means, responsive to said means for distinguishing finding a digital data message, for determining when the general data timeslot is not busy; and

means, responsive to said means for determining, for inserting at least a portion of said digital data message into the general data timeslot.

4. A data transfer apparatus for a radiotelephone unit which conveys digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit to a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, wherein each frame further contains a general data timeslot, the data transfer apparatus comprising:

means for processing analog information into a digitized analog message;

means for distinguishing between said digitized analog message and a digital data message;

means, responsive to said means for distinguishing, for prioritizing said digitized analog message to a higher priority than said digital data message;

means for allocating at least one of a plurality of the timeslots in a message frame to said digitized analog message; and

means for reserving at least one of the timeslots in the message frame to a general data message timeslot for the message frame.

5. A method of conveying digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit to a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, wherein each frame further contains a general data timeslot, the data transfer method comprising the steps of:

processing analog information into a digitized analog message;

distinguishing between said digitized analog message and a digital data message;

prioritizing said digitized message to a higher priority than said digital data message in response to said distinguishing step;

allocating at least one of a plurality of the timeslots in a message frame to said digitized analog message; and

reserving at least one of the timeslots in the message frame to a general data message timeslot for the message frame.

6. A data transfer apparatus for a radiotelephone unit which conveys digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit to a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, the data transfer apparatus comprising:

means for extracting a message from a message frame;

means for distinguishing between a digitized analog message and a digital data message from a timeslot of said message frame;

means for processing said digitized analog message when said digital analog message is distinguished;

means for detecting a busy condition and a non-busy condition of said timeslot of said message frame; and

means for processing said digital data message when said digital data message is distinguished and said non-busy condition is detected.

7. A method of conveying digitized analog messages and digital data messages from a user interface portion of the radiotelephone unit to a processing portion of the radiotelephone unit, said messages being sent in message timeslots of a message frame, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting a message from a message frame;

distinguishing between a digitized analog message and a digital data message from a timeslot of said message frame;

processing said digitized analog message when said digital analog message is distinguished;

detecting a busy condition and a non-busy condition of said timeslot of said message frame; and

processing said digital data message when said digital data message is distinguished and said non-busy condition is detected.