Functional cover for use with a wireless terminal

• US 7,421,269 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kostiainen, Pekka, Pedersen, Henrik, Pedersen, Kenn Berend
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D
• Application Number:
  US10/085,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.8, 379/433.04, 379/433.07, 379/433.13
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A wireless communication terminal has a user exchangeable cover part. The wireless communication terminal and user exchangeable cover part are electrically interconnected by means of an electrical connector. The user exchangeable cover part comprises identification means. The user exchangeable cover part has electrical circuitry for supporting a user interface of the wireless terminal. The wireless terminal identifies the user exchangeable cover part by detecting the identification means. The wireless terminal operates the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part in dependence of the identification of user exchangeable cover part.

Claims

1. A method of operating electrical circuitry included in an user exchangeable cover part that is electrically interconnected to a wireless terminal by an electrical connector, the method comprising:

identifying a class of a user exchangeable cover part; and

operating the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part in dependence upon an identification of the user exchangeable cover part,

wherein the electrical circuitry that is operated in dependence upon the identification of the user exchangeable cover part comprises circuitry for supporting a user interface of the wireless terminal and circuitry in addition to or other than circuitry included within a display screen of the user interface, and

wherein the connector has a plurality of pins, and at least one of the connector pins is operated in an identification state for sensing a circuit element value included in an identification unit configured to identify the class of the user exchangeable cover part and which is part of the user exchangeable cover part, and afterwards is operated in an operation state for transferring electrical signals between the wireless terminal and the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operation state is a frequency mode for directing an electrical representation of a ringing signal to the electrical circuitry for providing an illumination effect by the cover part following the ringing signal.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the connector pins is operated in an identification state for sensing a resistor element value included in the identification unit.

4. A wireless communication terminal comprising a user exchangeable cover part and a display screen, wherein the wireless communication terminal and user exchangeable cover part are electrically interconnected by an electrical connector wherein:

the user exchangeable cover part comprises an identification unit configured to identify the cover part, and electrical circuitry for supporting a user interface of the wireless terminal, the electrical circuitry comprising circuitry in addition to or other than electrical circuitry included within the display screen;

the wireless terminal is configured to identify the user exchangeable cover part by detecting the identification unit

the wireless terminal is configured to operate the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part, including the circuitry for supporting the user interface, in dependence upon the identification unit of the user exchangeable cover part;

the connector includes a plurality of connector pins arranged in line and separated by an equal distance; and

at least one of the connector pins is configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing a circuit element value included in the identification unit, and in an operation state for transferring electrical signals between the wireless terminal and the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part.

5. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the connector pins are arranged at a rear side of the cover part.

6. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein a number of the connector pins is three.

7. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein a number of the connector pins is five.

8. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4, wherein the operation state is a frequency mode for directing an electrical representation of a ringing signal to the electrical circuitry for providing an illumination effect synchronized with the ringing signal.

9. A wireless communication terminal according to claim 4 wherein at least one of the connector pins is configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing a resistor element value included in the identification unit.

10. A user exchangeable cover part comprising:

an electrical connector part for electrically connecting to a wireless communication terminal in an attached position including an identification unit configured to identify the cover part; and

electrical circuitry for supporting a user interface of the wireless terminal, the electrical circuitry comprising circuitry in addition to or other than electrical circuitry included within the display screen,

wherein the user exchangeable cover part allows the wireless communication terminal to operate the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part, including the electrical circuitry for supporting the user interface, in dependence upon the identification unit of the user exchangeable cover part; and

wherein the connector part is configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing a circuit element value included in the identification unit, and in an operation state for transferring electrical signals between the wireless terminal and the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part.

11. A user exchangeable cover part according to claim 10 wherein the connector part is configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing a resistor element value included in the identification unit.

12. An exchangeable cover part comprising:

electrical circuitry for supporting a user interface of a wireless terminal releasably attached to the exchangeable cover part;

an electrical connector part for electrically connecting the electrical circuitry to the wireless communication terminal; and

an illumination unit supported by the electrical circuitry,

wherein the electrical circuitry is configured to cause the illumination unit to illuminate based upon a ringing signal received from the wireless terminal through the electrical connector part.

13. An exchangeable cover part comprising:

a user input device;

electrical circuitry for detecting operation of the user input device and for producing a signal indicative of the detected operation of the user input device;

an electrical connector for electrically connecting the electrical circuitry to a wireless communication terminal releasably attached to the exchangeable cover part, wherein the electrical connector is configured to transmit the signal to the wireless communication terminal; and

an identification unit configured to identify the user exchangeable cover part, the identification unit comprising a circuit element having a circuit element value,

wherein the electrical connector is further configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing the circuit element value included in the identification unit for identifying the user exchangeable cover part.

14. An exchangeable cover part according to claim 13, wherein the user input device comprises at least one of a touchpad, touch screen, keypad, or joystick.

15. An exchangeable cover part according to claim 13, wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a processor for processing the detected operation of the user input device and for outputting the signal indicative of the detected operation of the user input device.

16. An exchangeable cover part according to claim 13, wherein the electrical connector comprises a plurality of connector pins.

17. An exchangeable cover part according to claim 13 wherein the identification unit comprises a resistor element having a resistor element value.

18. An exchangeable cover part comprising:

electrical circuitry for supporting a user interface of a wireless communication terminal releasably attached to the exchangeable cover part; and

an electrical connector for transmitting data between the electrical circuitry and the wireless communication terminal;

wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a memory device containing data to be downloaded to the wireless communication terminal via the electrical connector for execution by the wireless communication terminal; and

wherein the data to be downloaded includes gaming executables.

19. An exchangeable cover part according to claim 18, wherein the electrical circuitry comprises a processor configured to process data contained in the memory device.

20. An apparatus for operating electrical circuitry included in a user exchangeable cover part that is electrically interconnected to a wireless terminal by an electrical connector, the apparatus comprising:

means for identifying a class of the user exchangeable cover part; and

means for operating the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part in dependence upon an identification of the user exchangeable cover part,

wherein the electrical circuitry that is operated in dependence upon the identification of the user exchangeable cover part comprises circuitry for supporting a user interface of a wireless terminal and circuitry in addition to or other than circuitry included within a display screen of the user interface, and

wherein the electrical connector has a plurality of pins, and at least one of the connector pins is operated in an identification state for sensing a circuit element value included in the means for identifying which is configured to identify the class of the user exchangeable cover part and which is part of the user exchangeable cover part, and afterwards is operated in an operation state for transferring electrical signals between the wireless terminal and the electrical circuitry of the user exchangeable cover part.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20 wherein at least one of the connector pins is configured to be operated in an identification state for sensing a resistor element value included in the means for identifying.