Battery pack for use with one of plural radio systems

• US 5,790,960 A
• Filed: 11/28/1995
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Miyashita, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Application Number:
  US08/562,216
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/90, 455/93, 455/88, 455/142, 455/351, 455/349, 455/550, 455/572, 455/573, 455/575, 455/344, 455/347, 455/348, 455/557, 455/558, 320/2, 379/357, 379/441, 379/446, 361/679, 361/683, 361/686
• US Class Current: 455/572
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

A battery pack device (32) is for use in combination with a portable radio communication device (31) for carrying out a radio communication in accordance with a specific one of a plurality of radio systems. The battery pack device comprises battery section (41) for supplying the portable radio communication device to an electric power when the battery pack section is coupled to the portable radio communication device. A selecting circuit (42e) selects the specific radio system from the radio systems to produce a specific select signal. A control section (42a to 42d) controls man-machine interface section (36 to 40) in response to specific select signal.

Claims

1. A removable battery pack device for use in combination with a portable radio communication device for carrying out a radio communication in accordance with a specific one of a plurality of radio systems, said battery pack device being coupled to said portable radio communication device to supply said portable radio communication device with electric power, said portable radio communication device comprising radio communication means for carrying out said radio communication, individual control means for controlling said radio communication on the basis of said specific radio systems, and man-machine interface means for connecting said individual control means to a user, said removable battery pack device comprising:

battery means for supplying said portable radio communication device with said electric power when said battery pack device is coupled to said portable radio communication device;

selecting means for selecting the specific radio system from said radio systems to produce a specific select signal; and

common control means supplied with said electric power from said battery means for controlling said man-machine interface means in response to said specific select signal, thereby configuring said battery pack device for use with the particular radio system with which the device is currently coupled.

2. A battery pack devices as claimed in claim 1, wherein said man-machine interface means comprises:

a display unit for displaying a display message; and

a keyboard unit for use in inputting a keyboard message.

3. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said selecting means comprises:

a select switch for selecting the specific radio system from said radio systems; and

a system select circuit responsive to selection of said select switch for producing said specific select signal.

4. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said common control means comprises:

memory means for memorizing a plurality of processing programs corresponding to said radio systems; and

man-machine control means responsive to said specific select signal for executing a specific one of said processing programs to control said display means and said keyboard means on the basis of the specific one of said processing programs.

5. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 4, said man-machine interface means further comprising a microphone, a sounder, and a speaker, wherein:

said man-machine control mean controls said microphone, said sounder, and said speaker in accordance with a predetermined signal level range.

6. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 4, said individual control means supplying said man-machine control means to a message signal based on said radio communication, wherein:

said man-machine control means processes said message signal into a displaying message signal on the basis of said specific processing program to display said displaying message signal as said display message on said display means.

7. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 6, wherein, said man-machine control means comprises:

a central processing unit for processing said message signal into said displaying message signal on the basis of said specific processing program; and

display control means responsive to said displaying message signal for controlling said display means to display said displaying message signal as said display message on said display means.

8. A battery pack device as claimed in claim 4, said man-machine control means receiving said keyboard message, wherein:

said man-machine control means processes said keyboard message into a keyboard message signal to supply said keyboard message signal to said individual control means;

the individual control means controlling said radio communication means to transmit said keyboard message signal.

9. A removable battery pack device capable of operating with any of a variety of portable radio communication device types within a predefined set of such device types, the removable battery pack device comprising:

selecting means for determining which of the device types is currently attached to the battery pack device and producing an identification signal identifying such attached type;

common control means for influencing operation of the attached portable radio communication device based on the attached type determined by the selecting means, thereby configuring said battery pack device to operate with the particular radio device type with which the removable battery pack device is currently attached; and

battery means for supplying power to the attached portable radio communication device, the common control means, and the selecting means.

10. The battery pack device of claim 9, wherein the attached portable radio communication device comprises input/output devices including at least a display unit capable of displaying incoming messages and a keyboard unit which can be used to create outgoing messages, operation of the input/output devices being influenced by the common control means.

11. The battery pack device of claim 10, wherein the selecting means comprises:

a select switch which determines which of the device types is currently attached; and

a system select circuit which responds to the determination of the select switch and produces the identification signal.

12. The battery pack device of claim 11, wherein the common control means comprises:

memory means for storing a plurality of processing programs which correspond to the respective device types within the predefined set; and

input/output control means for controlling operation of the input/output devices by executing one of the processing programs as selected based on the identification signal.

13. The battery pack device of claim 12, wherein the input/output devices further comprise a microphone, a sounder, and a speaker;

and wherein the input/output control means conditions signals passing to and from the microphone, the sounder, and the speaker to be within predetermined signal level ranges.

14. The battery pack device of claim 13, wherein the portable radio communication device supplies an incoming message signal to the input/output control means, which then converts the incoming message signal into a display message signal by executing the selected processing program.

15. The battery pack device of claim 14, wherein the input/output control means comprises:

a central processing unit which executes the selected processing program to convert the incoming message signal into the display message signal; and

display control means for controlling operation of the display so as to display the incoming message.

16. The battery pack device of claim 15, wherein each of the outgoing messages generated through the keyboard is received by the input/output control means which converts the outgoing message into a keyboard message signal, the keyboard message signal being supplied to the portable radio communication device which converts the keyboard message signal into an outgoing transmission.