Data interface connected in line between a keyboard and a keyboard port of a personal computer
First Claim
1. Apparatus for conveying data to and from a personal computer that bidirectionally communicates with a keyboard through a keyboard port, comprising:
- at least a first bidirectional data line;
a data interface unit coupled to at least the first bidirectional data line for conveying the data; and
a keyboard interface unit electrically connected in line between the keyboard and the keyboard port for transparently transferring keyboard data bidirectionally between the keyboard and the keyboard port of the personal computer, the keyboard interface further electrically connected to the data interface unit for transferring the data between the data interface unit and the personal computer, each byte of the data accompanied by a tag byte.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A telecommunications data interface (24) installs in line between a PC keyboard (20) and a PC (10) and transparently transfers data between the keyboard and the PC. The keyboard has a relatively slow manual data rate at which the keyboard data are synchronously transferred into the PC by a clock line (46). Caller ID data bytes extracted from a telephone line (34, 36) are preceded by a tag byte, impressed on a keyboard data line (44), and synchronously transferred into the PC using the same clock line. Keyboard device driver software installed in the PC separates the keyboard data from the caller ID data and transfers both to appropriate locations for processing and storage. The caller ID interface substantially eliminates the data conflicts and interrupt availability problems that are possible in prior RS-232 based caller ID interfaces. Processors (50, 52) and a memory (62) in the caller ID interface provide self-testing, caller ID data processing, stand alone operation, and inbound and outbound telephone call record storage. Call records include caller ID logging, call origination date and time, and call duration timing.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. Apparatus for conveying data to and from a personal computer that bidirectionally communicates with a keyboard through a keyboard port, comprising:
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at least a first bidirectional data line; a data interface unit coupled to at least the first bidirectional data line for conveying the data; and a keyboard interface unit electrically connected in line between the keyboard and the keyboard port for transparently transferring keyboard data bidirectionally between the keyboard and the keyboard port of the personal computer, the keyboard interface further electrically connected to the data interface unit for transferring the data between the data interface unit and the personal computer, each byte of the data accompanied by a tag byte. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. Apparatus for detecting telecommunications data on at least a first telephone line and transferring the telecommunications data to a personal computer that bidirectionally communicates with a keyboard through a keyboard port, comprising:
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a telecommunications interface unit coupled to at least the first telephone line for detecting the telecommunications data; and a keyboard interface unit electrically connected in line between the keyboard and the keyboard port for transparently transferring keyboard data bidirectionally between the keyboard and the keyboard port of the personal computer, and the keyboard interface electrically connected to the telecommunications interface unit for transferring the telecommunications data between the telecommunications interface unit and the personal computer. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of installing and operating a caller ID interface on a personal computer that bidirectionally communicates with a keyboard through a keyboard port, comprising the steps of:
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unplugging the keyboard from the keyboard port; plugging the keyboard into a first passthrough port on the caller ID interface; connecting a second passthrough port of the caller ID interface into the keyboard port; tagging with a tag byte caller ID data detected by the caller ID interface; and installing a device driver in the personal computer, the device driver normally processing keyboard data transparently passed through the caller ID interface and detecting and logically redirecting caller ID data tagged by the tag byte. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification