Personal digital assistant module having a host interconnect bus without an interrupt line and which handles interrupts as addresses associated with specific interrupts in memory

• US 5,692,199 A
• Filed: 03/11/1997
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inpro II Licensing SARL
• Original Assignee: Elonex IP Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan, Dornier, Pascal, Seiler, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ray, Gopal C.
• Application Number:
  US08/815,315
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 395/868, 395/733, 395/741, 395/280, 395/281, 395/309, 455/89, 364/708.1
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• 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 1/203 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 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/82 Protecting input, output or interconnection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 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 1/00334 : with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• 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

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.

Claims

1. A digital assistant module comprising:

an internal bus having address lines, data lines, and control signal lines, but no interrupt control lines;

a bus controller adapted to provide bus cycles, including address cycles;

a CPU connected to the bus;

a memory connected to the bus;

a video display coupled to the bus;

input apparatus coupled to the bus; and

an interrupt controller connected to the bus;

wherein interrupts are mapped in high memory as unused addresses, and the interrupt controller is adapted to compare addresses during address cycles with the memory-mapped interrupts, and to interrupt the CPU in those instances wherein an address on the address bus matches an address reserved as an interrupt.

2. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 additionally comprising an expansion bus interface comprising an expansion bus connected to the CPU and to a first portion of an expansion bus connector.

3. A Digital assistant system as in claim 2 further comprising one or more peripheral devices connected to the expansion bus interface, wherein the peripheral devices issue interrupt requests to the CPU as addresses, rather than by activating an interrupt request line.

4. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 additionally comprising a nonvolatile storage device connected to the CPU and containing a code unique to the digital assistant module, for uniquely identifying the digital assistant module to connecting digital devices.

5. A digital assistant module as in claim 4 wherein the nonvolatile storage device is an EEPROM device.

6. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 further comprising a user-accessible well having electrical connections for a storage battery for powering functional elements of the digital assistant module.

7. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 further comprising a solar energy conversion panel having electrical connections for attaching to and recharging a storage battery.

8. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 wherein the video display comprises an LCD display, and the input apparatus comprises a transparent, touch-sensitive screen at least partially overlying the video display, the touch-sensitive screen and video display forming a substantially flat I/O apparatus on one surface of an enclosure.

9. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 wherein the input apparatus comprises a pointer device for providing positional and directional input for control operations performed in conjunction with the video display.

10. A digital assistant module as in claim 9 wherein the pointer device comprises a thumbwheel implemented at one corner of an enclosure.

11. A digital assistant module as in claim 9 wherein the pointer device comprises a four-way pressure-sensitive region on a surface of an enclosure.

12. A digital assistant module as in claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a ROM portion for storage of executable routine and a RAM portion for storage of data.