Cable chip system

• US 9,167,393 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2013
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INVISIO A/S (INVISIO AB)
• Original Assignee: Nextlink IPR AB (INVISIO AB)
• Inventors: Trajkovski, Ljupco, Iversen, Steen, Larsen, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US14/397,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20150133100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/559, 455/73, 455/557, 455/569.1, 455/66, 455/426.1, 455/41.2, 455/462, 455/550.1, 455/575.2, 455/348, 455/350, 710/73, 710/3, 710/6, 710/11, 710/99, 710/105, 710/315, 710/107, 710/38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/426 using an embedded synchronisation, e.g. Firewire bus, Fibre Channel bus, SSA bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

The present invention relates to communications systems incorporating peripheral devices such as a push-to-talk (PTT) or similar and interface cables to connect these to a headset and/or a communication device such as a man worn two-way radio, vehicle intercom system, mobile phone, etc. In particular, the invention relates to such interface cable having an integrated functionality. The basic idea of the invention is to use an interface between a first and a second device in a voice communication system, which interface is specific to the second device and holds digital information allowing the first device to identify or adapt to the second device. This allows the first device to automatically adapt its settings and/or functionality to, and thus to function with, several different second devices without any need for updating, re-configuration, or user intervention. Thus the first device can be hot swapped or hot plugged with different second devices simply by using a cable specific to each particular second device.

Claims

1. A device-specific interface for interfacing a first device directly to a particular second device in a voice communications system, where the device-specific interface is specific to the particular second device and the second device specifies particular settings to be used by the first device when exchanging data with the second device, the interface comprising:

first and second connectors for connecting the interface to the first and second devices, respectively;

an electronic data connection between the first connector and the second connector;

an integrated circuit comprising a memory holding digital information relating to identification of the particular second device and/or relating to particular settings to be used when exchanging electronic data with the particular second device via the electronic data connection; and

a digital data interface between the first connector and the integrated circuit enabling the first device to access the digital information,

wherein

the digital information comprises settings specific to the particular second device to be used by the first device when exchanging electronic data signals with the second device and wherein the device-specific interface is adapted to provide the digital information comprising settings specific to the particular second device to the first device thereby enabling the first device to automatically adapt its settings and/or functionality according to the settings specific to the particular second device,

the device-specific interface is a push-to-talk interface and the first device is a push-to-talk device,

the electronic data connection of the device-specific interface is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector,

the integrated circuit and the memory are embedded in the wire or cable or in the first or second connector so that they are physically part of the interface, and

the voice communications system is a communications systems for which predefined common standards for connection, identification and/or communication between devices are not provided.

2. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the digital information identifies features than can be enabled in the first device and/or in the second device.

3. The device-specific interface according to claim 2, wherein the features identified by the digital information are determined by one or more of features that are accessible in a particular configuration;

by features that a user has purchased access to; and

by features that the user wants to have enabled.

4. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the digital information comprises control software for the first device to be installed in or executed by the first device upon connection.

5. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is an electronic processing unit connected to access and process data transmitted in the electronic data connection between the first connector and the second connector.

6. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is an electronic processing unit and wherein the interface further comprises a digital data interface between the second connector and the electronic processing unit.

7. A first device for being connected to a second device in a voice communication system via the device-specific interface according to claim 1, the first device comprising:

an interface connector for connecting with the first connector of the interface; and

an electronic processor for retrieving the digital information in the memory of the interface via the digital data interface and for applying the retrieved digital information in determining how to communicate with the second device.

14. A device assembly comprising a device-specific interface according to claim 1 and a first device to be connected to the interface via the first connector and the interface connector, the first device comprising:

an interface connector for connecting with the first connector of the interface; and

an electronic processor for retrieving the digital information in the memory of the interface via the digital data interface and for applying the retrieved digital information in determining how to communicate with the second device.

15. Use of a device-specific interface according to claim 1 holding digital information allowing a first device to identify and/or adapt to a particular second device when the first and second devices are connected via the interface in a system, the first device comprising:

an interface connector for connecting with the first connector of the interface; and

an electronic processor for retrieving the digital information in the memory of the interface via the digital data interface and for applying the retrieved digital information in determining how to communicate with the second device.

8. A method for providing, to a first device in a voice communications system, digital information relating to a particular second device to be connected to the first device via a device-specific interface, the method comprising:

providing a device-specific interface comprising;

first and second connectors for connecting the interface to the first and second devices, respectively;

an electronic data connection between the first connector and the second connector;

an integrated circuit comprising a memory holding digital information relating to identification of the particular second device and/or relating to particular settings to be used when exchanging electronic data with the particular second device via the electronic data connection; and

a digital data interface between the first connector and the integrated circuit enabling the first device to access the digital information;

connecting the first device to the interface via the first connector; and

providing the digital information to the first device and applying settings in the first device corresponding to particular settings to be used when exchanging electronic data with the second device, wherein

the device-specific interface is a push-to-talk interface and the first device is a push-to-talk device,

the electronic data connection of the device-specific interface is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector,

the integrated circuit and the memory are embedded in the wire or cable or in the first or second connector so that they are physically part of the interface, and

the voice communications system is a communications systems for which predefined common standards for connection, identification and/or communication between devices are not provided.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the digital information identifies features than can be enabled in the first device and/or in the second device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the features identified by the digital information are determined by one or more of features that are accessible in a particular configuration;

by features that a user has purchased access to; and

by features that the user wants to have enabled.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the digital information comprises control software for the first device to be installed in or executed by the first device upon connection.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the integrated circuit is an electronic processing unit accessing and processing data transmitted in the electronic data connection between the first connector and the second connector.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the integrated circuit is an electronic processing unit and wherein the interface further comprises a digital data interface between the second connector and the electronic processing unit.

18. The method according to claim 8, wherein the integrated circuit and the memory are embedded in the wire or cable or in the first or second connector so that they are physically part of the device-specific interface.

16. A device-specific interface for interfacing a first device directly to a particular second device in a voice communications system, where the device-specific interface is specific to the particular second device and the second device specifies particular settings to be used by the first device when exchanging data with the second device, the interface comprising:

first and second connectors for connecting the interface to the first and second devices, respectively;

an electronic data connection between the first connector and the second connector;

an integrated circuit comprising a memory holding digital information relating to identification of the particular second device and/or relating to particular settings to be used when exchanging electronic data with the particular second device via the electronic data connection; and

a digital data interface between the first connector and the integrated circuit enabling the first device to access the digital information,

wherein the voice communications system is a communications systems for which predefined common standards for connection, identification and/or communication between devices are not provided.

17. The device-specific interface according to claim 16, wherein:

the device-specific interface is a push-to-talk interface and the first device is a push-to-talk device,

the electronic data connection is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector, and

the integrated circuit and the memory are embedded in the wire or cable or in the first or second connector so that they are physically part of the interface.