Personal communication apparatus with call switching modem and packet switching modem

• US 5,777,991 A
• Filed: 01/25/1996
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Yoshinori, Ebihara, Masaji, Kobayashi, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGO, RICKY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US08/591,133
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/465, 370/474, 370/477, 370/338, 375/222, 375/295, 375/316, 455/73, 455/90, 455/74, 455/78, 455/550, 455/551, 455/552, 455/553, 455/557, 455/575
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A personal communication apparatus is disclosed, which comprises a radio transmitter 64 and a radio receiver 66 for participating in communication, a microphone 60, a loudspeaker 61, a processor 90 as a controller for controlling call switching communication and packet switching communication, a ROM 100 and a RAM 101 for storing control programs and data, a call switching modem 80 for modulating signal in the speech frequency band, and a packet switching modem 82 for modulating signal in a frequency band exceeding the speech frequency band. The outputs of the microphone 60 and call switching modem 80 are bandwidth limited by a transmission signal processing circuit 72. Communication by the packet switching modem is carried out according to a communication program. The apparatus is capable of stand alone call switching communication and also of packet switching communication, as well as functioning as a radio telephone set.

Claims

1. A personal communication set with a radio transmitter and a radio receiver for respectively transmitting and receiving at least speech, a microphone for receiving speech to be transmitted, and a loud speaker for outputting received speech, comprising:

a processor for controlling the personal communication set in operating modes including transmission and reception;

an input accepting portion for accepting an input from a user for designating an operating mode of the personal communication set;

a memory portion for storing various programs to be executed on and data to be referred to by the processor;

a call switching modem for executing modulation of digital data capable of being processed by the processor to obtain an analog signal in a speech frequency band and also demodulation in the converse way;

a packet switching modem for executing modulation of digital data capable of being processed by the processor to obtain an analog signal in a frequency band exceeding the speech frequency band, and also demodulation in the converse way;

a transmission signal processing portion for carrying out bandwidth restriction processing of a speech base-band signal inputted from the microphone and an analog signal from the call switching modem;

a transmission signal selecting portion for selectively connecting either the transmission signal processing portion or the packet switching modem to the radio transmitter according to the operating mode of the personal communication set in transmission;

a transmission program for radio transmitting desired data stored in the memory portion via the packet switching modem when the packet switching modem is connected to the radio transmitter;

a received signal processing portion for carrying out bandwidth restriction processing of a signal received by the radio receiver;

a modem control portion for deciding whether the line switching modem and packet switching mode are to be operated according to the operating mode of the personal communication set in reception; and

a loudspeaker control portion for deciding whether the bandwidth restriction signal obtained in the received signal processing portion is to be outputted to the loudspeaker according to the operating mode of the personal communication set in reception;

wherein elements set forth above are accommodated in a same housing.

2. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which further comprises a personal computer interface portion for permitting transfer of data between the personal communication set and a personal computer.

3. The personal communication set according to claim 2, wherein the personal computer interface portion permits serial data communication between the personal communication set and the personal computer.

4. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which further comprises a data editing portion for editing digital data capable of being processed by the processor.

5. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which further comprises an information display portion for visually displaying predetermined information according to an instruction of the processor.

6. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which further comprises a time detecting portion for detecting time and being accessible in each operating mode.

7. The personal communication set according to claim 6, which further comprises a transmission time designating portion for designating a time of transmission of desired digital data by the radio transmitter, the desired digital data being transmitted automatically when the time designated by the transmission time designating portion reaches the time detected by the time detecting portion.

8. The personal communication set according to claim 6, which further comprises a reception time recording portion for recording the time detected by the time detecting portion upon data reception by the radio receiver.

9. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which further comprises a reception notifying portion for notifying data reception by the radio receiver upon data reception.

10. The personal communication set according to claim 9, wherein the reception notifying portion notifies the occurrence of the data reception by generating at least one of vibrations and audible sound.

11. The personal communication set according to claim 10, wherein the at least one of vibrations and audible sound generated by the reception notifying portion vary in at least one of frequency, intensity and duration, depending on whether the received signal is to be outputted to the loudspeaker, demodulated by the call switching modem, or demodulated by the packet switching modem.

12. The personal communication set according to claim 1, wherein the call switching modem modulates the digital data into an analog signal capable of being transmitted in an AMPS communication system, while the packet switching modem modulates the digital signal into an analog signal capable of being transmitted in a CDPD communication system.

13. The personal communication set according to claim 12, wherein the call switching modem modulates the digital data using QAM modulation, while the packet switching modem modulates the digital data using GMSK modulation.

14. The personal communication set according to claim 12, which further comprises an information display portion for visually displaying predetermined information according to an instruction of the processor, notification being shown on the information display portion when a radio line, through which the packet switching modem transmits data is captured.

15. The personal communication set according to claim 1, wherein the input accepting portion includes keys for displaying at least numerals "0" to "9", the personal communication set further comprising a character generating portion for converting combinations of inputs of the keys into characters other than the numerals.

16. The personal communication set according to claim 1, which can set a reception waiting mode, to one of:

a first mode, in which operation of solely the call switching modem is allowed; and

a second mode, in which operation of solely the packet switching modem is allowed.

17. The personal communication set according to claim 16, which further comprises a power turn-off portion for turning off power supplied to a circuit related to the second mode when the first mode is set up as the reception waiting mode and turning off power supplied to a circuit related to the first mode when the second mode is set up as the reception waiting mode.

18. The personal communication set according to claim 17, which further comprises a mode switching portion for switching the first mode and the second mode on a time division basis.

19. The personal communication set according to claim 2, which permits setting a mode allowing operation of at least a packet switching mode when awaiting reception, and which further comprises:

a demodulated data judging portion for judging a content of digital data demodulated by the packet switching modem when it is in the packet switching mode, the digital data being transmitted through the personal computer interface portion to the personal computer when it is judged that the content of the digital data is to be transmitted to the personal computer.

20. The personal communication set according to claim 19, wherein the demodulated data judging portion transmits the digital data demodulated by the packet switching modem to the personal computer when a header part of the digital data is incapable of interpretation in the personal communication set itself.

21. The personal communication set according to claim 2, which further comprises:

a data editing portion for editing digital data capable of being processed by the processor; and

a personal computer data judging portion for judging a content of data transmitted from the personal computer through the personal computer interface portion;

the data transmitted from the personal computer being transferred to one of the call switching modem, the packet switching modem, and the data editing portion according to the content of the data transmitted from the personal computer.

22. The personal communication set according to claim 21, wherein the personal computer data judging portion judges the content of the data according to a kind of communication command transmitted from the personal computer.

23. The personal communication set according to claim 2, which further comprises:

a monitoring portion for monitoring generation of a mode setting request for setting each operating mode;

a first judging portion for judging a content of the operating mode set up by the mode setting request; and

a second judging portion for judging a plurality of operating modes capable of being set up simultaneously according to the content of the operating mode set up by the mode setting request.

24. The personal communication set according to claim 23, wherein the mode setting request is an interrupt request to the processor.