Cable chip system

• US 9,628,964 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• 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:
  US14/850,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 455 661, 455345, 455566, 455418, 455559, 455 73, 455 902, 4555752, 370354, 370277, 370340, 370338, 370227
• 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 only, and the second device requires or specifies particular settings to configure the first device to exchange electronic 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 the particular settings to be used by the first device when communicating with the particular second device, wherein the digital information is accessed to exchange the electronic data with the particular second device via the electronic data connection, wherein the particular settings are uploaded from the memory to the first device via the first connector; and

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

2. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the digital information comprises settings specific to the particular second device to configure the first device to exchange 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.

3. 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.

4. The device-specific interface according to claim 3, 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.

5. 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.

6. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the interface is a push-to-talk interface and wherein the first device is a push-to-talk device.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, wherein the electronic data connection of the interface is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector and 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 interface.

10. The device-specific interface according to claim 1, 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.

11. The first device for being connected to the 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.

12. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the digital information comprises settings specific to the particular second device to configure the first device to exchange 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.

13. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the digital information identifies features than can be enabled in the first device and/or in the second device.

14. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the interface is a push-to-talk interface and wherein the first device is a push-to-talk device.

15. The first device according to claim 11, wherein the electronic data connection of the interface is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector and 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 interface.

16. The first device according to claim 11, 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.

26. A device assembly comprising the device-specific interface according to claim 1 and the first device according to claim 11 configured to be connected to the interface via the first connector and the interface connector.

27. A method of operating a device-specific interface according to claim 1 holding digital information allowing the first device according to claim 11 to identify and/or adapt to the particular second device when the first and second devices are connected via the interface in a communications systems.

17. 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 the step of

providing a device-specific interface that is specific to the particular second device only, where the second device requires or specifies particular settings to configure be used by the first device to when the first device exchange electronic 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 the particular settings when communicating with the particular second device, wherein the digital information is accessed before exchanging the electronic data with the particular second device via the electronic data connection, the method further comprising the step of uploading the particular settings from the memory to the first device via the first connector; and

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

the method further comprising the steps of;

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 that are applied to exchange the electronic data with the second device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the digital information identifies features than can be enabled in the first device and/or in the second device.

19. The method according to claim 18, 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.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the digital information comprises control software for the first device to be installed in or executed by the first device upon connection.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the interface is a push-to-talk interface and wherein the first device is a push-to-talk device.

22. The method according to claim 17, 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. the interface in a communications system.

23. The method according to claim 17, 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.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electronic data connection of the interface is a wire or cable between the first connector and the second connector and 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 interface.

25. The method according to claim 17, 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.