Portable wireless communication device and methods of configuring same when connected to a vehicle

• US 6,792,296 B1
• Filed: 10/01/2002
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Bosch, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gary, Erika
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY D
• Application Number:
  US10/262,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20040192405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/129, 455/95, 455/522, 455/13.4, 455/345, 455/575.7, 455/575.9, 455/557, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 455/99
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable wireless communication device (22) and method for configuring the same when connected to a hands-free system in a vehicle (20). In one embodiment, the device (22) has an interface (36A) and a detector (70A). The interface (36A) is for connecting the wireless communication device (22) to a hands-free control unit (24) in the vehicle (20). The detector (70A) is for determining whether the interface (36A) is connected to the hands-free control unit (24) in the vehicle (20). The wireless communication device (22) may obtain vehicle information from the vehicle (20) when it is determined that the interface (36A) is connected to the hands-free control unit (24). The wireless communication device (22) also configures at least one operation of the wireless communication device (22) based on the obtained vehicle information. For example, the vehicle information may include data associated with a power loss for communicating through an external antenna (40) of the vehicle (20). The operation configured in the wireless communication device (22) would then be adjusting an output power of the wireless communication device (22) based on the data in the vehicle information.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a portable wireless communication device when connected to a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle interface in the wireless communication device for connecting the wireless communication device to the vehicle;

a vehicle detection circuit in the wireless communication device for determining whether the interface is connected to the vehicle; and

a microcomputer in the wireless communication device for accessing vehicle information from the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle interface is connected to the vehicle and for establishing from the vehicle information whether there is a separate embedded cellular transceiver in the vehicle, wherein if a separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver is present subsequently determining the telephone number of the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver from the vehicle information; and

forwarding a call to the portable wireless communication device to the phone number of the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes data associated wit a power loss for communicating through an external antenna of the vehicle and the at least one operation configured in the wireless communication device includes adjusting an output power of the wireless communication device based on the data in the vehicle information.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein the microprocessor detects whether a call is incoming to the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver and further comprising a user interface of the portable communication device for choosing whether to accent the call to the separate cellular transceiver through the portable communication device.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information includes data associated with a vehicle positioning unit, the at least one operation configured in the wireless communication device includes adjusting a navigation routine within the wireless communication device to receive positioning information from the vehicle positioning unit.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein the system further comprising an antenna interface and an antenna detector, the antenna interface for connecting the wireless communication device to an external antenna, the antenna detector for deter whether the wireless communication device is attached to the external antenna.

6. The system in claim 5, wherein the system adjusts an output power of the wireless communication device based on the obtained vehicle information when it is determined that the antenna interface is connected to the external antenna, the output power associated with sending a communication via the external antenna.

7. A method in a portable wireless communication device, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the wireless communication device is connected to a vehicle;

accessing vehicle information from the vehicle when it is determined that the wireless communication device is connected to the vehicle; and

establishing from the vehicle information whether there is a separate embedded cellular transceiver in the vehicle, wherein;

if a separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver is present further comprising the substeps of;

determining the telephone number of the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver from the vehicle information; and

forwarding a call to the portable wireless communication device to the phone number of the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver.

8. The method in claim 7, wherein the vehicle information accessed from the vehicle includes data associated with a power loss for communicating through an external antenna of the vehicle.

9. The method in claim 8, wherein the operation configured in the wireless communication device includes adjusting an output power of the wireless communication device based on the data in the vehicle information.

10. The method in claim 7, further comprising the substep of:

detecting by the portable communication device whether a call is incoming to the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver, and

choosing whether to accept the call to the separate vehicle'"'"'s embedded cellular transceiver through the portable communication device.

11. The method in claim 10, wherein the the choosing substep includes waiting a predetermined period for choosing to accept the call wherein if the period expires the portable communication device directs a voice communication transfer to a voice answering service and if the call is accepted before the period expires the portable communication device sets up the call.

12. The method in claim 7, wherein the vehicle information accessed from the vehicle includes data associated with a positioning unit in the vehicle.

13. The method in claim 12, wherein the operation configured in the wireless communication device includes adjusting a navigation routine within the wireless communication device to receive positioning information based on the data in the vehicle information.