Mobile electronic apparatus, and battery pack for the apparatus

• US 7,395,088 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Shinzaki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya; Sam
• Application Number:
  US09/811,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: 455/557, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/575.2, 455/575.6, 455/569.1, 455/569.2, 713/155, 713/186, 382/115, 382/189
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A mobile electronic apparatus in which various functions can be easily added without impairing the mobility and without making any change in the hardware. The mobile electronic apparatus is carried by its authorized user to perform various types of electrical information processing, and has an attachment part detachably attached to a main body of the apparatus for performing a predetermined function, which attachment part has an input/output section for inputting/outputting information. The apparatus also has an interface section for transferring input/output signals relating to the information between the attachment part and the main body. The invention is applicable in mobile electronic apparatus having an attachment part detachably attached thereto, internet appliances such as cell phones, mobile electronic information terminals, and PDAs.

Claims

1. A mobile phone which is able to be carried by an authorized user for performing various electronic information processes, comprising:

a main body;

a battery pack detachably attached to the main body for supplying power thereto, said battery pack having an input/output section integrally formed therewith for performing a user verification function using biometric information of a user of the mobile phone input via the input/output section, wherein said user verification function verifies the identity of an authorized user of the mobile phone based on the inputted biometric information; and

an optical communications means for transferring signals relating to the inputted biometric information between said main body and the battery pack, said optical communication means comprising;

a light emitting module provided for the battery pack, and

a light receiving module provided for the main body and opposing the light emitting module while the battery pack is attached to the main body, to directly receive light emitted from the light emitting module,

wherein, to transfer signals relating to the inputted biometric information from the battery pack and the main body, the light emitting module emits light and the light receiving module directly receives the emitted light while the battery pack is attached to the main body.

2. A mobile phone comprising:

a main body of the mobile phone;

a battery pack detachably attached to the main body for supplying power to the main body, the battery pack having an input/output section to input information to the battery pack from outside of the mobile phone, and to output information from the battery pack to outside of the mobile phone; and

an interface section comprising an optical communication means for providing communications between the main body and the battery pack, wherein the battery pack and the interface section operate together to allow biometric information of a user of the mobile phone to be input to the main body from outside of the mobile phone to provide a user verification function to verify the identity of an authorized user of the mobile phone utilizing the biometric information being input to the battery pack through the input/output section and then being input to the main body via communication between the battery pack and the interface section, and to allow information to be output from the main body to outside of the mobile phone by being output from the main body to the battery pack via communication between the interface section and the battery pack and then being output from the battery pack to outside of the mobile phone through the input/output section,

said optical communication means comprising;

a light emitting module provided for the battery pack, and

a light receiving module provided for the main body and opposing the light emitting module while the battery pack is attached to the main body, to directly receive light emitted from the light emitting module.

wherein, to cause the biometric information being input to the battery pack through the input/output section to be input to the main body, the light emitting module emits light and the light receiving module directly receives the emitted light while the batten pack is attached to the main body.

3. A mobile phone as in claim 2, wherein information input to the main body from outside of the mobile phone by being input to the battery pack provides additional functionality to the mobile phone.

4. The mobile phone according to claim 2, wherein the battery pack contains a processor for utilizing the biometric information to provide the user verification function.

5. The mobile phone according to claim 4, wherein the battery pack contains a memory for storing personal data of an authorized user of the mobile phone.

6. The mobile phone according to claim 5, wherein the processor compares the personal data stored in the memory with the biometric information of a user of the mobile phone that is input into the input/output section of the battery pack, to provide the user verification function.

7. The mobile phone according to claim 4, wherein the battery pack communicates a result of the user verification function to the main body of the mobile phone.

8. A mobile phone comprising:

a main body;

a battery pack, detachably attached to the main body, supplying power to the main body, the battery pack comprising an input section integrally formed with the battery pack; and

an interface section, disposed on a contact surface between the battery pack and the main body, optically transmitting signals between the main body and the battery pack, the interface section comprising

a light emitting module provided for the battery pack, and

a light receiving module provided for the main body and opposing the light emitting module while the batten pack is attached to the main body, to directly receive light emitted from the light emitting module while the battery pack is attached to the main body,

wherein biometric information of a user of the mobile phone is input to the input section of the battery pack, and the main body and the battery pack communicate via signals optically transmitted between the main body and the battery pack by the interface section with the light emitting module emitting light and the light receiving module directly receiving the emitted light while the battery pack is attached to the main body to thereby optically transmit signals from the battery pack to the main body, so that the mobile phone verifies whether the user is an authorized user of the mobile phone based on the inputted biometricinformation.

9. A mobile phone comprising:

a main body;

a battery pack, detachably attached to the main body, supplying power to the main body, and having an input section;

a first light emitting module on the battery pack;

a first light receiving module on the main body and positioned so that, when the battery pack is attached to the main body, the first tight receiving module directly receives light emitted by the first light emitting module;

a second light emitting module on the main body;

a second light receiving module on the battery pack and positioned so that, when the battery pack is attached to the main body, the second light receiving module directly receives light emitted by the second light emitting module;

wherein biometric information of a user of the mobile phone is input to the input section of the battery pack, and optical signals related to the inputted biometric information are transmitted from the battery pack to the main body by emitting light from the first light emitting module and directly receiving the emitted light by the first light receiving module while the battery pack is attached to the main body, and optical signals related to the inputted biometric information are transmitted from the main body to the battery pack by emitting light from the second light emitting module and directly receiving the emitted light by the second light receiving module while the battery pack is attached to the main body, so that the mobile phone verifies whether the user is an authorized user of the mobile phone based on the inputted biometric information.