Modular, portable data processing terminal for use in a communication network

• US 20040166895A1
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Published: 08/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miller, Phillip, Meier, Robert C., Mahany, Ronald L., Kinney, Patrick W., Koenck, Steven E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/69 Spread spectrum techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 : Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 : in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 : switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable data terminal includes at least two communication transceivers having different operating characteristics, one for conducting data communications on a wired subnetwork and one for conducting data communications on a wireless subnetwork. A communication processor converts data received by the communication transceivers to a predetermined format for a base module and converts data in a predetermined format from the base module to a format for transmission by a selected one of the first and second communication transceivers, thereby isolating the base module from differing characteristics of the transceivers. The communication processor is arranged to relay communications received by one transceiver for re-transmission by the other transceiver and to transfer communications from one subnetwork to the other, without activating the base module.

Claims

1. In a communication network having a plurality of subnetworks, a portable data collection terminal comprising:

a base module containing a base processing unit operable on data in accordance with a set of communication software routines; and

a communication module comprising;

a first communication transceiver having a first operating characteristic to conduct data communications on a first of the plurality of subnetworks;

a second communication transceiver having a second operating characteristic to conduct data communications on a second of the plurality of subnetworks, the second operating characteristic being different from the first operating characteristic and the second subnetwork being different from the first subnetwork; and

a communication processor connected between the base processing unit and the first and second communication transceivers for converting data received by the first and second communication transceivers to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by a selected one of the first and second communication transceivers, thereby isolating the base processing unit from differences between the first and second operating characteristics of the first and second communication transceivers.

2. The portable data collection terminal of claim 1 wherein the communication processor comprises:

a first processing unit connected between the base processing unit and the first communication transceiver for converting data received by the first communication transceiver to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by the first communication transceiver, and

a second processing unit connected between the base processing unit and the second communication transceiver for converting data received by the second communication transceiver to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by the second communication transceiver.

3. The portable data collection terminal of claim 1 wherein the first communication transceiver operates in a wired subnetwork and the second communication transceiver operates in a wireless subnetwork.

4. The portable data collection terminal of claim 3 wherein the wireless subnetwork comprises a backup network in the event of a failure in the wired subnetwork.

5. The portable data collection terminal of claim 4 wherein the communication processor includes test means for testing the wired subnetwork.

6. The portable data collection terminal of claim 5 wherein the test means includes means for initiating a test communication by the second communication transceiver and means responsive to the absence of receipt of a reply test communication by the first communication transceiver following initiation of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for conducting data communications with the second communication transceiver.

7. The portable data collection terminal of claim 6 wherein the test means further includes means responsive to receipt of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for initiating a test communication by the first communication transceiver.

8. The portable data collection terminal of claim 1 wherein the communication module is housed in a PCMCIA card.

9. The portable data collection terminal of claim 1 wherein the communication processor further includes means for relaying communication received by one of its first and second communication transceivers for retransmission by the other of its second and first communications transceivers.

10. In the communication network of claim 1 including a computer and a plurality of portable data collection terminals each connected to the plurality of subnetworks and wherein at least one of the communication transceivers of each of the portable data collection terminals operates in a wireless subnetwork, the communication processor of each data collection terminal being responsive to an out-of-range condition for the respective portable data collection terminal to initiate data communications by its said one communication transceiver to another of the plurality of portable data collection terminals, the other of the data collection terminals relaying data communications between the computer and the first-named data collection terminal.

11. A portable data collection terminal comprising:

a base module containing a base processing unit operable on data in accordance with a set of communication software routines; and

a communication module comprising;

a first communication transceiver having a first operating characteristic for conducting data communications on a first subnetwork;

a second communication transceiver having a second operating characteristic for conducting data communications on a second subnetwork, the second operating characteristic being different from the first operating characteristic and the second subnetwork being different from the first subnetwork; and

a communication processor connected between the base processing unit and the first and second communication transceivers for converting data received by the first and second communication transceivers to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by a selected one of the first and second communication transceivers, thereby isolating the base processing unit from differences between the first and second operating characteristics of the first and second communication transceivers.

12. The portable data collection terminal of claim 11 wherein the communication processor comprises:

a first processing unit connected between the base processing unit and the first communication transceiver for converting data received by the first communication transceiver to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by the first communication transceiver, and

a second processing unit connected between the base processing unit and the second communication transceiver for converting data received by the second communication transceiver to a format for processing by the base processing unit in accordance with the set of communication software routines and for converting data processed by the base processing unit to a format for transmission by the second communication transceiver.

13. The portable data collection terminal of claim 11 wherein the first communication transceiver is a wired transceiver and the second communication transceiver is a wireless transceiver.

14. The portable data collection terminal of claim 13 wherein the communication processor includes test means, the test means including means for initiating a test communication by the second communication transceiver and means responsive to the absence of receipt of a reply test communication by the first communication transceiver following initiation of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for conducting data communications with the second communication transceiver.

15. The portable data collection terminal of claim 14 wherein the test means further includes means responsive to receipt of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for initiating a test communication by the first communication transceiver.

16. The portable data collection terminal of claim 11 wherein the communication module is housed in a PCMCIA card.

17. The portable data collection terminal of claim 11 wherein the communication processor further includes means for relaying communication received by one of its first and second communication transceivers for retransmission by the other of its second and first communication transceivers.

18. A communication module for use with a portable data terminal, comprising:

a first communication transceiver having a first operating characteristic for conducting data communications on a first subnetwork;

a second communication transceiver having a second operating characteristic for conducting data communications on a second subnetwork, the second operating characteristic being different from the first operating characteristic and the second subnetwork being different from the first subnetwork; and

a communication processor connected to the first and second communication transceivers for converting data received by the first and second communication transceivers to a predetermined format and for converting data in a predetermined format to a format for transmission by a selected one of the first and second communication transceivers.

19. The communication module of claim 18 wherein the communication processor comprises:

a first processing unit for converting data received by the first communication transceiver to a predetermined format and for converting data to a predetermined format for transmission by the first communication transceiver, and

a second processing unit for converting data received by the second communication transceiver to a predetermined format and for converting data to a predetermined format for transmission by the second communication transceiver.

20. The communication module of claim 18 wherein the first communication transceiver is a wired transceiver and the second communication transceiver is a wireless transceiver.

21. The communication module of claim 20 wherein the communication processor includes test means, the test means including means for initiating a test communication by the second communication transceiver and means responsive to the absence of receipt of a reply test communication by the first communication transceiver following initiation of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for conducting data communications with the second communication transceiver.

22. The communication module of claim 21 wherein the test means further includes means responsive to receipt of a test communication by the second communication transceiver for initiating a test communication by the first communication transceiver.

23. The communication module of claim 18 further characterized by being housed in a PCMCIA card.

24. The communication module of claim 18 wherein the communication processor further includes means for relaying communication received by one of its first and second communication transceivers for retransmission by the other of its second and first communication transceivers.