Portable communication devices with accessory functions and related methods

• US 9,225,813 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Chapman, Brian Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US14/457,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/517, 455/66.1, 455/67.11, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4286 using a handshaking protocol, e.g. RS232C link
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4295 using an embedded synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0274 for an electrical connector module
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

Portable communication devices and related methods for use in supporting voice and/or data communication are provided. One example portable communication device includes a housing, a display device disposed at said housing, a processor disposed at least partially within said housing, the processor coupled to said display device, and an interface connector disposed at said housing and coupled to said processor. The interface connector is configured to couple to a module. The processor is configured to communicate, through said interface connector, via a plurality of communication protocols. The processor is configured to select at least one of the plurality of communication protocols based on the module coupled to the interface connector.

Claims

1. A portable communication device for use in supporting voice and/or data communication, said portable communication device comprising:

a housing;

a processor disposed at least partially within said housing; and

an interface connector disposed at said housing and coupled to said processor, said interface connector configured to provide access to a plurality of general purpose input/output (GPIO) interfaces of said processor, and said interface connector configured to couple to a module at a first GPIO interface of the plurality of GPIO interfaces, wherein said module provides at least one accessory function,

and wherein said processor is configured to control a second GPIO interface of the plurality of GPIO interfaces to select one of a plurality of communication interfaces supported by the portable communication device to communicate through said interface connector with said module.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to control said second GPIO interface of said plurality of GPIO interfaces to selectively provide one of a plurality of communication interfaces for communication between said processor and the module.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said interface connector further comprises at least two of a USB interface, an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a UART interface, and a display interface.

4. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one GPIO of said plurality of GPIOs is coupled to a module insertion connection of said interface connector, said at least one GPIO is configured to permit said processor to detect a presence of the module.

5. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to authenticate the module, wherein said processor is configured to inhibit communication between said portable communication device and an unapproved module.

6. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of GPIOs are configured by the processor to perform one or more processes based on a type of the module that is coupled to said interface connector.

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising a cellular controller, and a SIM card socket coupled to said cellular controller, said SIM card socket configured to couple to a SIM card associated with a user account.

8. The portable communication device of claim 7, wherein said cellular controller comprises air interface protocol data, and said processor is further configured to analyze said air interface protocol data to provide an air interface firewall.

9. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said portable communication device is configured to utilize the at least one accessory function that is at least one of an additional display, a radio, a reader, an enhanced positioning hardware, an auxiliary processor, and an encryption module provided the module.

10. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising a battery disposed within said housing, the module further comprises a module battery, wherein a GPIO of said plurality of GPIOs is configured by said processor to control bi-directional charging between said battery and the module battery.

11. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said interface connector provides a clock connection interface from said processor to the module.

12. The portable communication device of claim 11, wherein said clock connection interface is configured to allow the module to synchronize at least one of communication and data transfer between said processor and the module.

13. The portable communication device of claim 11, wherein said clock connection interface includes a buffer configured to enable or disable a clock signal output to said interface connector.

14. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein said interface connector further includes a single-wire communication protocol interface for detection, interrogation, and authentication of the module.

15. The portable communication device of claim 1, further comprising a back panel, wherein said interface connector is accessible to couple to the module upon removal of said back panel.

16. A method for use in appending at least one accessory function to a portable communication device, the portable communication device including a processor, the processor comprising a plurality of general purpose input/output (GPIO) interfaces, the portable communication device further including an interface connector that provides access to the GPIOs, said method comprising:

detecting a presence of a module coupled to the interface connector at a first GPIO interface of the plurality of GPIO interfaces;

identifying, at the processor, the module; and

controlling a second GPIO interface of the plurality of GPIO interfaces, by the processor, to select one of a plurality of communication interfaces supported by the portable communication device to communicate through the interface connector with the module.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said identifying the module includes determining if the module is an approved module for use with the portable communication device, based on a unique identity of the module and a list of identities of modules approved for use with the portable communications device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining if the module is an approved module is based on the unique identity that is a unique serial number for the module.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising accessing the list of identities of modules approved for use by the portable communication device, wherein the list of identities of modules approved for use is stored remotely from the portable communication device.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising coupling the module to the interface connector after removing a back panel of the portable communication device.