Method and apparatus for integrating phone and PDA user interface on a single processor

• US 6,976,217 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Vertaschitsch, Ed, Mercer, Sean, Onorati, Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/687,987
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 345/864, 345/771, 345/776, 345716-718, 345/863, 345/963, 345/727, 345/978, 345/839, 379/90.01, 379/93.09, 379/93.05, 379/93.17, 379/93.19, 379/93.23, 379/110.01, 379/419, 379/441, 379/442, 379/456, 455/74, 455/556, 455/557, 455/566, 455/565
• US Class Current: 715/717
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Separate processors, a PDA processor, and a baseband processor are maintained in a PDA having an integrated telephone device. The PDA processor runs PDA related programs and a user interface for the telephone device. A link between the PDA processor and baseband processor transfers data and commands from the user interface to a phone control program executing on the baseband processor. The base band processor is connected to the telephone device, and the phone control program controls operation of the telephone device. The separation of processors reduces vulnerability of the telephone device to hacker rogue applications that invade or program crashes that occur on the PDA processor.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display screen;

a first processor configured to run user applications and send outputs of the user applications to said display screen, said user applications including a telephone user interface configured to capture user inputs for telephone related operations and display current telephone operations information on said display screen;

a telephone device;

a baseband processor connected to said telephone device and configured to control operations of said telephone device; and

a communications link between said first processor and said baseband processor for communicating user inputs and selections from said telephone user interface to said baseband processor;

wherein said communications link is a proprietary protocol stack.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said communications link is an AT Command interface over a serial link.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said communications link is a parallel interface.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

said baseband processor comprises,

a baseband processing unit, and

a phone control program configured to execute on said baseband processing unit;

said first processor includes a user interface program configured to retrieve user inputs; and

said phone control program is configured to,

receive data communicated across the communications link, and

control operations of said telephone device.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein said data communicated across the communications link includes data identifying any of phone numbers, data setting network user preferences, and call actions, including any of answer call, make call, and hang-up call.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein:

said phone control program is further configured to send data identifying current conditions of said telephone device to the user interface program.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein said current conditions include any of incoming calls, incoming call caller id information, network status, and indications of network voicemails received.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

said electronic device is a PDA; and

said telephone device is a cellular radio integrated within said PDA.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a display screen;

a first processor configured to run user applications and send outputs of the user applications to said display screen, said user applications including a telephone user interface configured to capture user inputs for telephone related operations and display current telephone operations information on said display screen;

a telephone device;

a baseband processor connected to said telephone device and configured to control operations of said telephone device; and

a communications link between said first processor and said baseband processor for communicating user inputs and selections from said telephone user interface to said baseband processor;

wherein said communications link includes a protocol that is updateable by downloading an updated protocol from a vendor web site and installing the updated protocol on each of said first processor and said baseband processor.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises a wireless Internet device.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the baseband processor comprises a phone control program that boots up upon power-up of the electronic device and waits in a hibernation state until a signal is received to start the phone control program.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the baseband processor is configured to wake phone applications when an incoming call is received.

13. A method of operating an electronic device having an integrated telephone device comprising the steps of:

running a telephone user interface program on a first processing device;

running a telephone device control program on a second processing device;

communicating user data and actions from the telephone user interface program to the telephone device control program via a communications link between the first processor and the second processor;

controlling operation of the integrated telephone device via said telephone device control program according to the user data and actions communicated; and

updating the communications link by,

downloading a protocol utilized by the communications link, and

installing the downloaded protocol in each of the telephone user interface program and the telephone device control program.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

communicating conditions of the telephone device, via said communications link, to the telephone user interface program; and

displaying the conditions of the telephone device on a display of the electronic device.

15. An electronic device comprising:

display means;

a first processing means for running user applications and sending outputs of the user applications to said display screen, said user applications including a user interface means for at least capturing user inputs for telephone related operations and displaying current telephone operations information on said display means;

a telephone communication means;

a baseband processing means for controlling operations of said telephone communication means; and

a link means for communicating data between said first processing means and said baseband processing means;

wherein;

said link means is a proprietary protocol stack; and

said data including user inputs and selections from said user interface means to said baseband processing means.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein said link means is an AT Command interface over a serial link.

17. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein said link means is a parallel interface.

18. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein:

said baseband processing means includes a phone control program;

said first processing means includes a user interface program configured to retrieve user inputs and communicate data related to the user inputs to said phone control program via said link means; and

said phone control program is configured to,

receive data communicated across said link means, and

control operations of said telephone device based on the communicated data.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein said data communicated across said link means includes data identifying any of phone numbers, data setting network user preferences, and call actions, including any of answer call, make call, and hang-up call.

20. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein:

said electronic device is a PDA; and

said telephone communication means is one of a cellular radio, PCS, and satellite phone.

21. An electronic device comprising:

display means;

a first processing means for running user applications and sending outputs of the user applications to said display screen, said user applications including a user interface means for at least capturing user inputs for telephone related operations and displaying current telephone operations information on said display means;

a telephone communication means;

a baseband processing means for controlling operations of said telephone communication means; and

a link means for communicating data between said first processing means and said baseband processing means;

wherein;

said link means includes a protocol that is updateable by downloading an updated protocol from a vendor web site and installing the updated protocol on each of said first processing means and said baseband processing means; and

said data including user inputs and selections from said user interface means to said baseband processing means.