Patent Application
20060270444
The present invention relates generally to the field of web enabled cellular telephones and more specifically to a web enabled cellular telephone with an optional second keypad.
The present invention was originally disclosed in Disclosure Document No. 566353 received at the U.S. patent office on Dec. 6, 2004, and in Disclosure Document No. 571164 received at the U.S. patent office on Feb. 24, 2005.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone in 1876. The basic concept of transforming a human voice into an undulating current that is then used to reproduce the voice at a remote location is still in use today in some analog wire line systems. Advances in modern technology have added to the capabilities of the modern telephones wherein both voice and data can be carried over a telephone line in a digital form. Today, a physical telephone line today is not even a requirement as radio waves can now be used to carry voice and data. Such radio waves are used in cordless telephones found in many of today's households and also make cellular telephone systems possible.
A basic telephone set contains a transmitter that transfers the caller's voice, a receiver that amplifies sound from an incoming call, a rotary or push-button dial and, a ringer or alerter. A small assembly of electrical parts, called the anti-sidetone network that keeps the caller's voice from sounding too loud through the receiver is also included. A speakerphone has a microphone and speaker in the base in addition to the transmitter and receiver in the handset. Speakerphones allow callers' hands to be free, and allow more than two people to listen and speak during a call. In a cordless phone, the handset cord is replaced by a radio link between the handset and base, but a line cord is still used between the base and the telephone line. This allows a caller to move about in a limited area while on the telephone. A cellular phone has miniaturized components that make it possible to combine the base and handset into one handheld unit. No line or handset cord is needed with a cellular phone thereby providing maximum mobility.
A cellular telephone is designed to give the user maximum freedom of movement while using a telephone. A cellular telephone uses radio signals to communicate between the “cell phone” and a base station, via an antenna. The served area is divided into cells something like a honeycomb, and an antenna is placed within each cell and connected by telephone lines to one exchange devoted to cellular-telephone calls. This exchange connects cellular telephones to one another and transfers the call to a regular exchange, public switched telephone network, if the call is between a cellular telephone and a non-cellular telephone. The special cellular exchange, through computer control, selects the antenna closest to the telephone when service is requested. As the telephone roams, the exchange automatically determines when to change the serving cell based on the power of the radio signal received simultaneously at adjacent sites. This change occurs without interrupting conversation. Practical power considerations limit the distance between the telephone and the nearest cellular antenna, and since cellular phones use radio signals, it is possible for unauthorized people to access communications carried out over cellular phones. One of the reasons why digital cell phones have gained in popularity, besides being able to access the Internet, is because their radio signals are harder to intercept and decode.
Analog transmission, in which speech or data is converted directly into a varying electrical current, is suitable for local calls. But once the call involves any significant distance, the necessary amplification of the analog signal can add so much noise that the received signal becomes unintelligible. For long-distance calls, the signal is digitized, or converted to a series of pulses that encodes the information. When an analog electrical signal is digitized, samples of the signal's strength are taken at regular intervals, usually about 8000 samples per second. Each sample is converted into a binary form; a number made up of a series of 1s and 0s. This number is easily and swiftly passed through the switching system. Digital transmission systems are much less subject to interfering noise than are analog systems. The digitized signal can then be passed through a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) at a point close to the receiving party, and converted to a form that the ear cannot distinguish from the original signal. There are several ways a digital or analog signal may be transmitted, including coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave and longwave radio signals sent along the ground or bounced off satellites in orbit around the earth. A coaxial wire, like the wire between a videocassette recorder (VCR) and a television set, is an efficient transmission system. A coaxial wire has a conducting tube surrounding another conductor. A coaxial cable contains several coaxial wires in a common outer covering. The important benefit of a coaxial cable over a cable composed of simple wires is that the coaxial cable is more efficient at carrying very high frequency currents. This is important because in providing transmission over long distances, many telephone conversations are combined using frequency modulation (FM) techniques similar to the combining of many channels in the television system. The combined signal containing hundreds of individual telephone conversations is sent over one pair of wires in a coaxial cable, so the signal has to be very clear.
Fiber optic cable offer another telephone-transmission method that uses bundles of optical fibers, long strands of specially made glass encased in a protective coating. Optical fibers transmit energy in the form of light pulses. The technology is similar to that of the coaxial cable, except that the optical fibers can handle tens of thousands of conversations simultaneously. Another approach to long-distance transmission is the use of radio. Before coaxial cables were invented, very powerful longwave (low frequency) radio stations were used for intercontinental calls. Microwave radio uses very high frequency radio waves and has the ability to handle a large number of simultaneous conversations over the same microwave link. Because cable does not have to be installed between microwave towers, this system is usually cheaper than coaxial cable. On land, the coaxial-cable systems are often supplemented with microwave-radio systems. The technology of microwave radio is carried one step further by the use of communications satellites. Most communications satellites are in geosynchronous orbit—that is, they orbit the earth once a day over the equator, so the satellite is always above the same place on the earth's surface. That way, only a single satellite is needed for continuous service between two points on the surface, provided both points can be seen from the satellite. A combination of microwave, coaxial cable, optical fiber, and satellite paths now link the major cities of the world. The capacity of each type of system depends on its age and the territory covered, but capacities generally fall into the following ranges: frequency modulation over a simple pair of wires like the earliest telephone lines yields tens of circuits (a circuit can transmit one telephone conversation) per pair; coaxial cable yields hundreds of circuits per pair of conductors, and thousands per cable; microwave and satellite transmissions yield thousands of circuits per link; and optical fiber has the potential for tens of thousands of circuits per fiber.
Computer-controlled exchange switches make it possible to offer a variety of extra services to both the residential and the business customer. Some services to which users may subscribe at extra cost are call waiting, in which a second incoming call, instead of receiving a busy signal, hears normal ringing while the subscriber hears a beep superimposed on the conversation in progress; and three-way calling, in which a second outgoing call may be placed while one is already in progress so that three subscribers can then talk to each other. Other services available to users are: caller ID, in which the calling party's number is displayed to the receiver on special equipment before the call is answered; and repeat dialing, in which a called number, if busy, will be automatically redialed for a certain amount of time. Of course users have the ability to block their name and phone from being displayed on a caller ID display. Another popular service is voice mail. While traditional answering machines cannot take a message if a caller is already on the line, voice mail creates a second virtual line. While a caller is talking to one party, a second incoming call is greeted with a message asking the second party to leave a message. The user will then be notified of the waiting message.
Unified messaging and the arrival of mobile Internet services means Short Message Service (SMS), a mobile messaging service, will soon become the primary alert mechanism for users to check and pick up their e-mail, fax or voice messages. The rapidly growing availability of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) has enabled handsets to enhance the customer experience of reading and sending more messages. The arrival of the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) family's next phase of evolution in the form of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) will ensure faster speeds and boost the variety of mobile services available significantly. Mobile banking, M-Commerce, and customer service applications are also bolstering SMS traffic. The arrival of more advanced data services will yet again increase demand. During the First (1G) and Second (2G) Generations of mobile communications different regions of the world pursued different mobile phone standards. Europe pursued NMT and TACS for analog and GSM for digital. North America pursued AMPS for analog and a mix of TDMA, CDMA and GSM for digital. The Third Generation (3G), based on CDMA technology, will bring these incompatible standards together and allow convergence toward a common standard for mobile multimedia.
A personal communication device that provides a user with voice and data communications. The device being operable in a closed position wherein the device primarily provides voice communications and an open position wherein the device also provides enhanced text messaging, Internet browsing and gaming capabilities. The personal communication device comprises a housing, a display screen, a first keypad and a second keypad. The housing has a front, a back and an interior, the interior contains cellular telephone circuitry and other circuitry including gaming circuitry. The display screen is attached to the front of the housing and displays text and image information to the user. The first keypad is attached to the front of the housing below the display screen and is permanently exposed to the user. The first keypad includes separate keys for each single-digit number, zero through nine. The first keypad also includes separate keys for each letter in the left half of a qwerty keyboard. The second keypad is permanently and moveably attached to the back of the housing. The second keypad is exposed to the user when the device is in the open position and hidden behind the housing when the device is in the closed position. The second keypad includes separate keys for each letter in the right half of the qwerty keyboard so that when the device is in the open position the user has access to a full qwerty keyboard.
The device preferably includes a digital camera that is able to capture still and moving pictures. The display screen is capable of displaying the pictures captured by the camera. The digital camera is able to rotate 180 degrees, so that the camera can face toward the user and can also face away from the user.
The first keypad preferably includes a four or five way navigational key. The second keypad preferably includes an “Enter” key and a space bar. The device further preferably includes wireless data transmission applications that are compatible with SIM Application Toolkit, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi/Wi-Max and a TV tuner. The device also preferably is capable of using Short Message Service (SMS), Multi-media Messaging Service (MMS), Instant Messaging (IM), e-mail, and includes predictive text software.
In an alternative embodiment the second keypad is rotate-ably attached to the housing and the second keypad can be flipped between two opposite sides to alternatively expose half of a qwerty keyboard and a gaming control pad to the user. This alternative embodiment includes a pivoting base that facilitates movement of the second keypad between the open position and the closed position. The second keypad is hidden behind the housing in the closed position and swung 90 degrees to a position to a right of the first keypad in the open position. An optional cover can be provided to protect the exposed side of the second keypad when the device is in the closed position. Other alternative embodiments include detachable second keypads, which can optionally include a secondary battery pack.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a personal communication device that supports cellular communications and Internet access.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a full qwerty keyboard to the user for typing text messages and accessing the Internet.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a web enabled cellular telephone to the user that also includes gaming controls that allows the user to play video games on the device.
The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, given only by way of example, in which:
The preferred embodiment 100 includes hardware and software for supporting Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multi-media Messaging Service (MMS), Instant Messaging (IM), Electronic Mail (e-mail), Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi/Vi-Max, memory cards or sticks, and the viewing of television.
When the second keypad 805 is plugged into the side of the housing 130, the device automatically switches from a first mode to a second mode. In the first mode the device is used primarily as a cellular telephone. The second mode facilitates use of the device as a text messaging assistant and Internet browser. In the second mode, the letters are enabled on the primary keypad 105, and the keys on the second keypad 805 are enabled. Also in the second mode, text messaging and/or browser programs within the communication device are executed that provide the user with enhanced text messaging capabilities and Internet browsing capabilities, respectively. Preferably a bracket or pocket is provided on the back of the housing 130 to hold the second keypad 805 when it is not being used, and/or to hold other second keypads. The cellular telephone and digital camera capabilities are available to the user in both modes.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology of terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
