Personal communications terminal having switches which independently energize a mobile telephone and a personal digital assistant

• US 5,797,089 A
• Filed: 09/07/1995
• Issued: 08/18/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nguyen, Nam D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/524,867
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/96, 379/98, 379/100, 455/33.1, 455/403, 455/556, 455/557, 455/553, 455/566, 455/572, 455/575
• US Class Current: 455/403
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals

Abstract

A personal communications terminal (PCT) in a case having a first half hingedly connected to a second half. The PCT operates in an open and a closed position and comprises a mobile telephone unit and a personal digital assistant (PDA) unit electronically connected to the mobile telephone unit. The PDA unit is a fully functional personal computer. The PDA unit comprises a memory for application software programs, a memory for data, a processor for performing operations with the data and the application programs, a modem for passing data between the PDA unit and the mobile telephone unit, and a mobile data interface for passing data between the PDA unit and the mobile telephone unit without utilizing the modem. When the PCT is in the open position, it forms two interior faces which include a PDA display screen on one face and a full alpha-numeric keyboard on the other face. The PCT may be operated as a standard wireless telephone, as a personal computer, or in an integrated mode for FAX, wireless data transfer, or sending and receiving short message service (SMS) messages.

Claims

1. A personal communications terminal in a case having a first half hingedly connected to a second half, said personal communications terminal operating in an open and a closed position, said personal communications terminal comprising:

mobile telephone means including;

a telephone display screen;

a keypad for entering instructions and data that are displayed on said telephone display screen; and

a telephone power switch that independently energizes said mobile telephone means;

personal digital assistant means electronically connected to said mobile telephone means, said personal digital assistant means comprising;

a first memory device for storing a first set of application software programs;

a second memory device for storing a first set of data;

a processor for performing operations with said first set of data utilizing said first set of application software programs; and

a personal digital assistant power switch that independently energizes said personal digital assistant means;

a power supply for providing electrical power to said mobile telephone means and said personal digital assistant means;

a modem for passing data between said personal digital assistant means and said mobile telephone means; and

a mobile data interface for passing data between said personal digital assistant means and said mobile telephone means without utilizing said modem.

2. The personal communications terminal of claim 1 wherein said first memory device is a read only memory (ROM).

3. The personal communications terminal of claim 2 wherein said second memory device is a random access memory (RAM).

4. The personal communications terminal of claim 1 wherein said personal digital assistant unit includes a third memory device that stores a second set of data and a second set of application software programs.

5. The personal communications terminal of claim 4 wherein said third memory device is a hard drive memory.

6. The personal communications terminal of claim 5 further comprising:

means for determining whether said electrical power from said power supply exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

means for enabling access to said second set of data and said second set of application software programs stored in said hard drive memory upon determining that said electrical power from said power supply exceeds said predetermined threshold.

7. The personal communications terminal of claim 6 further comprising means for restricting access to said first set of application software programs stored in said first memory device and said first set of data stored in said second memory device upon determining that said electrical power from said power supply is less than said predetermined threshold.

8. The personal communications terminal of claim 7 further comprising an input/output (I/O) port for inputting to said hard drive memory and outputting from said hard drive memory, said second set of application software programs and said second set of data.

9. The personal communications terminal of claim 8 wherein said second set of application software programs includes programs that run on all personal computers.

10. The personal communications terminal of claim 9 wherein said mobile telephone unit includes:

means for operating on an analog control channel; and

means for operating on a digital control channel.

11. The personal communications terminal of claim 9 wherein said mobile telephone unit includes means for transmitting and receiving on a plurality of frequency hyperbands.

12. The personal communications terminal of claim 11 wherein said means for transmitting and receiving on a plurality of frequency hyperbands includes:

means for transmitting and receiving on a 800-MHz frequency hyperband; and

means for transmitting and receiving on a 1900-MHz frequency hyperband.

13. A personal communications terminal in a case having a first half hingedly connected to a second half, said personal communications terminal operating in an open and a closed position, said personal communications terminal comprising:

a mobile telephone unit including;

a telephone display screen;

a keypad for entering instructions and data that are displayed on said telephone display screen;

a telephone power switch that energizes said mobile telephone unit; and

means for transmitting and receiving on a plurality of frequency hyperbands, said transmitting and receiving means including;

means for transmitting and receiving on a 800-MHz frequency hyperband; and

means for transmitting and receiving on a 1900-MHz frequency hyperband;

a personal digital assistant unit electronically connected to said mobile telephone unit, said personal digital assistant unit comprising;

a first memory device for storing a first set of application software programs;

a second memory device for storing a first set of data;

a hard drive memory that stores a second set of data and a second set of application software programs, said second set of application programs including all personal computer software application programs; and

a processor for performing operations with said first set of data utilizing said first set of application software programs;

an input/output (I/O) port for inputting to said hard drive memory and outputting from said hard drive memory, said second set of application software programs and said second set of data;

a power supply for providing electrical power to said mobile telephone unit and said personal digital assistant unit;

means for accessing said second set of data and said second set of application software programs stored in said hard drive memory when said electrical power from said power supply exceeds a predetermined threshold;

means for accessing said first set of application software programs stored in said first memory device and said first set of data stored in said second memory device when said electrical power from said power supply is less than said predetermined threshold;

a modem for passing data between said personal digital assistant unit and said mobile telephone unit; and

a mobile data interface for passing data between said personal digital assistant unit and said mobile telephone unit without utilizing said modem.

14. The personal communications terminal of claim 13 wherein said telephone display screen is located on an exterior side of said personal communications terminal.

15. The personal communications terminal of claim 14 wherein said keypad is located on said exterior side of said personal communications terminal adjacent said telephone display screen.

16. The personal communications terminal of claim 15 wherein said mobile data interface passes telephone numbers from said personal digital assistant unit to said mobile telephone unit without utilizing said modem.

17. The personal communications terminal of claim 16 wherein said personal communications terminal includes:

means for determining whether a user of said personal digital assistant unit has requested that the personal communications terminal perform a telephone or a facsimile function when power to said mobile telephone unit is off; and

means for turning on said mobile telephone unit upon determining that said user has requested that the personal communications terminal perform a telephone or a facsimile function.

18. The personal communications terminal of claim 17 wherein said means for turning on said mobile telephone unit includes means for passing an instruction from said personal digital assistant unit to said mobile telephone unit through said mobile data interface unit, said instruction turning on said mobile telephone unit.

19. The personal communications terminal of claim 18 further comprising a sensor that senses whether said personal communications terminal is in the open or the closed position.

20. The personal communications terminal of claim 19 wherein a first interior face and a second interior face are formed when said PCT is in the open position, said first interior face including a display screen for said personal digital assistant unit.

21. The personal communications terminal of claim 20 wherein said second interior face includes an alpha-numeric keyboard for inputting instructions and data to said personal digital assistant unit.

22. The personal communications terminal of claim 21 wherein said personal digital assistant unit includes a personal digital assistant power switch that energizes said personal digital assistant unit independently from said mobile telephone unit.