Method and assembly for assigning a function of an electronic device

• US 5,819,175 A
• Filed: 11/17/1994
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Niemi, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH C
• Application Number:
  US08/341,671
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 455/37.1, 455/66, 455/88, 455/89, 455/90, 455/186.1, 455/347, 455/351, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/422, 455/462, 455/550, 455/557, 455/569, 455/575, 455/100, 455/121, 379/58, 379/59, 379/62, 379/355, 379/357, 340/825.44, 364/514 R, 364/514 C
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for determining the function of a press-button switch. A press-button switch (3; 31,32, . . . , 3N) has been arranged in a peripheral (2) connected detachably to a mobile-phone (1). According to the method, a press-button switch (e.g. 31) is pressed when the mobile phone (1) and the peripheral (2) are electrically coupled. Thereafter, the detection data of said pressed press-button switch (31) are transmitted from the peripheral (2) to the mobile phone (1), to the data processing unit (13) thereof. The function of the pressed press-button switch (31) is determined with the aid of the key pad (7), the data processing unit (13) of the mobile phone (1), and the data and the instructions stored in the memory unit (15) thereof. The function of the press-button switch of the peripheral thus determined is stored in the memory unit (15) of the mobile phone (1), whereafter the press-button switch is available for use.

Claims

1. A method for assigning a function of a first electronic apparatus to a switch means disposed on a second electronic apparatus detachably coupled to the first electronic apparatus, comprising:

activating the switch means by pressing a push button key a single time;

detecting in the first electronic apparatus the identity of the activated switch means;

selecting a function from the first electronic apparatus; and

storing the selected function in correspondence with the identity of the activated switch wherein, when the switch means is activated again by pressing the push button key again a single time, with the first apparatus coupled to the second apparatus, the first apparatus performs the stored function corresponding to the activated switch means, wherein only the push button key in the second electronic apparatus needs to be pressed without pressing any other key in the second electronic apparatus for storing the selected function and performing the stored function.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the function is selected from a menu available on the first electronic apparatus.

3. An assembly for assigning a function of a radio telephone to a switch means disposed on a radio telephone peripheral, the assembly comprising:

the radio telephone peripheral including detection means having first identification data which identifies the radio telephone peripheral;

first detection means in the radio telephone peripheral for determining detection data corresponding to activation of the switch means;

means for transferring the detection data and the first identification data to the radio telephone;

second detection means, located in the radio telephone, having second identification data stored therein; and

comparing means, located in the radio telephone, for comparing the first identification data with the second identification data and identifying correlation therebetween, wherein the second detection means further comprises switch means function data corresponding to the second identification data, and storage means for storing corresponding switch means function data of second identification data correlating with the first identification data such that activation of the switch means facilitates a function defined by the switch means function data stored in the storing means.

4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein data identifying the radio telephone peripheral is stored in the radio telephone, said data being utilised to detect the radio telephone peripheral when the radio telephone and the peripheral are coupled together.

5. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein a data processing unit and a memory unit are included in the radio telephone peripheral, in which memory unit data corresponding to the radio telephone peripheral and the detection data of the switch of the radio telephone peripheral are stored, and which data is transmitted to the radio telephone, said peripheral being detected when the radio telephone and the radio telephone peripheral are coupled electrically.

6. Arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the data processing unit of the radio telephone and the data processing unit of the peripheral are coupled via a data bus when the radio telephone and the peripheral are coupled together.

7. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein switch means is a reversible on/off switch coupled to the data processing unit of the radio telephone.