Method and apparatus for communicating information

• US 6,175,589 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: MorphICs Technology, Inc. (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Cummings, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure, Tesfaldet
• Application Number:
  US09/223,501
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 375/220, 375/219, 375/222, 375/316, 375/295, 455/88, 455/73, 455/84
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for communicating information between a remote location and a user. Information from the remote location or the user is received by the inventive apparatus and processed by configurable circuitry to a form that can be received and used by the intended recipient. The reconfigurable circuitry can be changed manually by a human user or remotely through the receipt of appropriate signals. Accordingly, the apparatus can be reconfigured to be able to receive information that is transmitted in different forms from those forms that are receivable before reconfiguration.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a communication circuit to execute wireless communications with a remote system;

a control circuit to generate a plurality of configuration signals to support a corresponding plurality of wireless communication services; and

a reconfigurable logic circuit connected to said communication circuit and said control circuit, said reconfigurable logic circuit being sequentially responsive to said plurality of configuration signals to sequentially support said plurality of wireless communication services.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein said communication circuit operates at a signal frequency corresponding to the frequency of a remote system signal processed by said communication circuit.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein said control circuit is configured to generate additional configuration signals to support additional wireless communication services that were not specified in said plurality of configuration signals.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein said control circuit selects specific configuration signals to support a specific wireless communication service in response to a changed condition.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 4 wherein said control circuit selects specific configuration signals to support a specific wireless communication service in response to a changed condition in the form of a changed geographic region.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein said control circuit receives said plurality of configuration signals from a configuration source selected from the group comprising a memory, a local interface slot, and said communication circuit.

7. A method of executing wireless communications on a mobile wireless communication device, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of configuration signals to support a corresponding plurality of wireless communication services; and

reconfiguring a logic circuit of a mobile wireless communication device in accordance with each configuration signal of said plurality of configuration signals such that said mobile wireless communication device sequentially supports said plurality of wireless communication services.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of operating said mobile wireless communication device at the frequency of a remote system signal processed by said communication circuit.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of generating additional configuration signals to support additional wireless communication services that were not specified in said plurality of configuration signals.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said reconfiguring step includes the step of identifying a selected configuration signal of said plurality of configuration signals in response to a changed condition.

11. The method of claim of claim 10 wherein said identifying step includes the step of identifying when said mobile wireless communication device is in a new geographic region.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein said generating step includes the step of receiving said plurality of configuration signals from a source selected from the group comprising a memory, a local interface slot, and a communication circuit.