Exchangable housing cover for a portable radio communication device

• US 6,898,283 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lobo, Dominic, Wycherley, Mark, Kaartinen, Kalevi
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dean, Raymond S
• Application Number:
  US09/829,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20020030103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 455/575.8, 455/90.3, 379/428.01, 379/433.01, 379/433.11, 379/447, 379/433, D14/138, D14/248, D14/250, 345/87, 345/905
• US Class Current: 379/433.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0252 by means of a snap-on mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

The present invention relates to a removable housing cover that is adapted to be detachably connectable to a mobile phone. The removable cover having a distinguishing identity means associated therewith, and the phone having a sensor for sensing the distinguishing identity means of the removable cover and a processor controlling the operating characteristics of the device. The arrangement being such that in use, the removable housing cover is mounted on the phone and the sensor senses the identity means and outputs a sensed parameter of the identity means to the processor; wherein, the processor is responsive to the sensed parameter to change selected ones of the operating characteristics of the phone. In this way, changing the phone cover causes a change in the internal operating characteristics of the phone.

Claims

1. An user-exchangable housing cover adapted to be detachably connectable to a portable radio communication device with a plurality of operating characteristics, the user-exchangable housing cover comprising:

an identity means for identification of the user-exchangable cover, the identity means including readable data store in a memory thereof;

an attaching/detaching means for removably attaching and detaching the cover to the portable radio communication device by an user of the portable radio communication device; and

the portable radio communication device comprising;

a sensor for sensing the identity means of the user-exchangable cover; and

a processor for controlling the operating characteristics of the device, the arrangement being such that in use the user-exchangable housing, cover can be mounted on and dismounted from the portable radio communication device by using the attachment and detachment means of the removable housing cover, and in the condition when the user-exchangable cover is mounted on the portable radio communication device the sensor senses the presence of the identity means, reads readable data from the identity means and outputs data based on the readable to the processor, wherein the processor is responsive to readable data so as to change selected ones of the operating characteristics of the portable radio communication device in order to allow the user to customize the radio communication device.

2. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 1, wherein the readable data stored on the identity means comprises a plurality of pre-defined and pre-stored operating characteristic configurations for the portable radio communication device, and the sensor reads said readable data so as to download operating characteristic configurations therefrom, whereby the downloaded operating characteristic configuration causes the processor to change the operating characteristics of the portable radio communication device by using one or more of the plurality of said downloaded operating characteristic configurations.

3. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 1, wherein the identity means allows the portable radio communication device to access a pre-determined server or network and to download therefrom data comprising operating characteristic configurations for the portable radio communication device by providing an address to the server from which the data comprising operation characteristic configurations may be downloaded without the user manually entering the address.

4. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 3, wherein the pre-determined server or network corresponds to an internet website.

5. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identity means comprises a memory or processor chip and the sensor comprises a reader for reading said memory or processor chip.

6. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 1, wherein the operating characteristics of the portable radio communication device comprise one or more of:

ring tones and/or musical alerts;

animations/screen savers;

mode;

bookmarks and/or browser preferences;

phone memory preferences;

games and/or game elements;

UI screen colours and/or UI style;

input method;

audio set-up;

default messages;

display language;

agents and/or agent set-up;

security keys;

push message filters and/or accounts;

enabling of set-up and/or configuration settings;

sensor weighting;

outgoing call restrictions.

8. An user-exchangable housing cover according to claim 1, wherein the user-exchangable cover carries indicia and graphics thereon, and the user-exchangable housing cover covers all or a part of the radio communication device.

7. An user-exchangable housing cover for a portable radio communication device with a sensor, the housing cover comprising;

an attaching means for removably attaching the cover to the portable radio communication device by an user of the portable radio communication device; and

an identity means comprising readable data stored In memory thereof, the user-exchangable housing cover being so configured that when the housing cover is mounted on the portable radio communication device, the identity means is coupled with the sensor of the portable radio communication, and the sensor reads the readable data from the identity means wherein the internal functionality of the portable radio communication device is dependent on the identity means allowing user to customize the portable radio communication device.

9. A portable radio communication device having an user-exchangable housing cover, the portable radio communication device comprising:

a sensor for reading data from the user-exchangable housing cover; and

a processor for controlling the operating characteristics of the device, and the user-exchangable housing cover comprising an identity means including readable data stored in a memory thereof and attachment and detachment means, wherein the user-exchangable housing cover being configured to be mounted on and removably attached to the portable radio communication device by the user of the portable radio communication device using the user attachment and detachment means, in which arrangement the sensor of the portable radio communication device is operable to read the readable data of the identity means of the user-exchangable housing cover and provide an input to the processor based on the readable data of the identity means, such that the processor is controlled to alter one or more of the operating characteristics in accordance with the readable data of the identity means.