Method for management of a communications module and device comprising such a module

• US 7,082,319 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Clerc, Emmanuel, Quentin, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, ANGELICA
• Application Number:
  US09/882,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558, 455418-420, 455/470, 455/411, 379/357.01
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In a method for the management of a communications module on a telephony network, the module is connected to a terminal that is incapable by itself of getting connected to the telephone network. The module has a tool kit microcircuit whose management is shared between the module and the terminal so as to limit communications on a link between the module and the terminal. The module and the terminal exchange messages in the HAYES format in order to standardize an interface between the module and the terminal. The messages exchanged are command messages, responses to commands, or general information on the state of the device.

Claims

1. A method for management of a communications module comprising means to fulfil a communications function, and a detachable microcircuit for a terminal comprising man-machine interface means, that includes a microprocessor, in which the microcircuit and the terminal communicate by sending messages through a module-terminal connection between the module and the terminal, wherein:

messages are sent from the microcircuit to the terminal,

in the module, messages sent by the microcircuit are distributed between the module and the terminal to limit the communications on the module-terminal connection and to limit an activity, related to a processing of a message, of the microprocessor of the terminal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

3

a message of the microcircuit is processed in the terminal,

the results of the processing are notified to the microcircuit.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the messages sent by the microcircuit are filtered by the module for the transmission, to the terminal, of those messages related to a management of the man/machine interface, the other messages being processed by the means of the module.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the messages sent out by the microcircuit are filtered by the module to transmit those messages that correspond to a response of the microcircuit following a request sent by the terminal, the other messages being processed by means of the module.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the messages exchanged between the microcircuit and the terminal are formatted according to a Hayes type format by formatting means of the module.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein a message sent by the microcircuit or the terminal respectively to the terminal or the microcircuit respectively is included in the following list:

+CTKC list of parameters

AT+CTKR list of parameters

+CTKE list of parameters

AT+CTKV list of parameters

CTKER list of parameters

AT+CTKP list of parameters

AT+CTKF list of parameters.

7. A communications device comprising a terminal, comprising means to make a man/machine interface and an extension module for the terminal, the extension module comprising a detachable microcircuit, wherein:

the terminal and the module comprise communication means to communicate with each other,

the module comprises means to filter messages sent by the microcircuit, the filtering means co-operating with the communication means to limit the communications on a module-terminal connection and to limit an activity related to a processing of a message of a microprocessor of the terminal.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the terminal comprises means for the management of the microcircuit cooperating with the communication means.

9. A communications device for a terminal having a processor, comprising:

(a) a commnunications module including a processor, a memory, an antenna for wirelessly communicating with a telecommunications network, and a link that connects the module to the terminal;

(b) a detachable microcircuit detachably connected to the module and configured to enable the terminal to communicate with the telecommunications network via the communications module; and

wherein the communications module processor is configured to filter messages sent from the microcircuit to distribute the messages between the module and the terminal to limit module-terminal communications on the link and to limit terminal processor message processing related activity.

10. A communications device according to claim 9, wherein the terminal comprises a personal digital assistant, the communications module is connected by a PCMCIA link to the terminal, and the detachable microcircuit comprises a SIM.

11. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein the SIM comprises a SIM toolkit card.

12. A communications device according to claim 9, wherein the terminal comprises a personal digital assistant, the link is a wireless link that connects the communications module to the terminal, and the detachable microcircuit comprises a SIM.

13. A communications device according to claim 12, wherein the wireless link comprises a Bluetooth link.

14. A communications device according to claim 13, wherein the SIM comprises a SIM toolkit card.

15. A communications system comprising:

(a) a terminal equipped with a processor arid memory;

(b) a communications module including a processor, a memory, an antenna for wirelessly communicating with a telecommunications network, and a link that connects the module to the terminal;

(c) a detachable microcircuit detachably connected to the communications module that is configured to enable the terminal to communicate with the telecommunications network through the communications module to manage e-mail, access the Internet, or access a subscription service via the telecommunications network;

(d) means for communication between the terminal and the module via the link; and

(e) means for filtering messages sent by the microcircuit cooperating with the communication means to distribute the messages between the terminal and the module so as to limit message communications on the link and to limit message processing activity of the terminal processor.

16. A communications system according to claim 15, wherein the memory of the terminal holds a detachable microcircuit instruction set, and the memory of the communications module holds detachable microcircuit instruction codes.

17. A communications system according to claim 16, wherein the detachable microcircuit comprises a processor and memory that holds processor instruction codes.

18. A communications system according to claim 17, wherein the detachable microcircuit comprises a SIM.

19. A communications system according to claim 17, wherein the SIM comprises a SIM toolkit card and the terminal comprises a personal digital assistant.

20. A communications system comprising:

(a) a personal digital assistant equipped with a processor and memory that holds SIM message instructions;

(b) a communications module including a processor, a memory that holds communication task instructions and SIM card instructions, a modem and an antenna connected to the modem for wirelessly communicating with a cellular telecommunications network, and a link that connects the module to the personal digital assistant;

(c) a SIM connected to the communications module that is configured to enable the personal digital assistant to communicate with the cellular telecommunications network to manage e-mail, navigate the Internet, or access a subscription service via the telecommunications network; and

wherein messages are sent by the SIM to the personal digital assistant, with messages sent by the SIM being distributed in the module between the module and the personal digital assistant in a manner limiting communications on the link and limiting processing activity of the personal digtial assistant processor that is related to message processing.

21. A communications system according to claim 20, wherein the SIM comprises a SIM toolkit card that has an onboard processor, and onboard memory storage that holds communication instructions and processor instructions.