Personal digital assistant module adapted for initiating telephone communications through DTMF dialing

• US 5,522,089 A
• Filed: 09/12/1994
• Issued: 05/28/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inpro II Licensing SARL
• Original Assignee: Cordata, Inc.
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan, Dornier, Pascal, Seiler, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US08/304,266
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 395/325, 395/800, 395/275, 395/425, 395/725, 395/155, 395/156, 395/893, 395/200.01, 345/160, 345/169, 345/173, 379/93, 379/96, 379/91, 364/709.09, 364/708.1, 320/21, 361/686, 361/683, 455/89, 340/825.06
• US Class Current: 710/73
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27 Devices whereby a plurality of signals may be stored simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/505 : signals generated in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 : for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 : Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 : Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 : Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 : in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 : PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 : Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 : using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 : using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 : the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 : the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 : By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0051 : Card-type connector, e.g. PCMCIA card interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 : Optical, e.g. using an infrared link
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0063 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 : Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 : Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 : Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0273 : having extensions for peripherals, e.g. LAN, antennas details of antennas H01Q1/2275

Abstract

A personal digital assistant module with a local CPU, memory, and I/O interface has a host interface comprising a bus connected to the local CPU and a connector at a surface of the personal digital assistant for interfacing to a bus connector of a host general-purpose computer, providing direct bus communication between the personal digital assistant and the host general-purpose computer. In an embodiment, the personal digital assistant also stores a security code. The personal digital assistant according to the invention forms a host/satellite combination with a host computer having a docking bay, wherein upon docking, a docking protocol controls access by the host to memory of the personal digital assistant based on one or more passwords provided by a user to the host. In another embodiment the personal digital assistant also has an expansion port connected to the local CPU, and expansion peripheral devices may be connected and operated through the expansion port. In yet another embodiment, an interface is provided via an interactive, menu-driven display and an on-board speaker to allow a user to select parties to be called, and to dial the parties, including credit card charge data, via DTMF tones generated by the on-board speaker.

Claims

1. A digital assistant module, comprising:

an enclosure;

a central processing unit (CPU) within the enclosure for performing digital operations to manage functions of the digital assistant module;

a memory connected to the CPU by a memory bus for storing data and executable routines;

a power supply within the enclosure connected to and supplying electrical power to functional elements;

a touchscreen I/O apparatus implemented on a surface of the enclosure;

a speaker implemented within the enclosure and operable by the CPU; and

a telephone dialing and communication system wherein data pertinent to placing and charging a telephone call is stored in the memory, a menu-driven interface is implemented on the touchscreen with functions for a user to select and combine data from the memory for call destination and credit charges, and wherein destination and charge numbers selected on the touchscreen are executed as dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones through the speaker.

2. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 wherein the menu-driven interface comprises scrolling fields for a user to select destination numbers and other required data for placing a telephone call.

3. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 further comprising a coding and DTMF generating system wherein ASCII characters are related to serial DTMF sequences in the memory, and text is transmitted as serial bursts of DTMF tones.

4. A digital assistant module 1 wherein the speaker is a first speaker, and further comprising an audio tone enhancement device including a microphone for receiving tones from the first speaker, an amplifier connected to the microphone for enhancing the tones received, and a second speaker connected to the amplifier for providing enhanced DTMF tones from the amplifier.

5. A digital assistant module, comprising:

an enclosure;

a central processing unit (CPU) within the enclosure for performing digital operations to manage functions of the digital assistant module;

a memory connected to the CPU by a memory bus for storing data and executable routines;

a power supply within the enclosure connected to and supplying electrical power to functional elements;

a touchscreen I/O apparatus implemented on a surface of the enclosure;

a speaker connected by a cable to the digital assistant module and operable by the CPU; and

a telephone dialing and communication system wherein data pertinent to placing and charging a telephone call is stored in the memory, a menu-driven interface is implemented on the touchscreen with functions for a user to select and combine data from the memory for call destination and credit charges, and wherein destination and charge numbers selected on the touchscreen are executed as dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones through the speaker.