Patent Application
20080189443
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wireless communication device, and more particularly to the device that is applicable to the internet voice communication system and that can be stored in the memory extension slot of the notebook computer.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As well known in the art, the technique of voice over internet protocol (VoIP), widely used in network voice communication, transmits audio data through the internet by encoding, compressing and packing analog voice or image signals into a data packet. Unlike the VoIP gateways and the VoIP network phones, the software network phones, such as the Skype, the MSN messenger, the Yahoo messenger and the ICQ, become the mainstream network phoning tools for their low communication rates. In application of the aforesaid software network phones, a common instant messenger software is the only requirement to both parties at distant computer ends. Particularly, the software network may connect with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and thus make possible the communication between the computer, the domestic phone set, the cellular phone and the oversea phone.
Among various software networks, the Skype further includes a peer-to-peer connection technique that can bypass the verification of the server or the firewall so as to process directly mutual data transmission between the connecting computers. Upon such an arrangement, the inherent communication lag in networking can be reduced to a minimum and thus a quality network communication can be ensured.
Referring now to
Generally, the receiving apparatus 10 is an audio headset, and the signal connection port 120 is a built-in hole for receiving an earphone or a microphone in the computer 12. Except for the audio headset, the receiving apparatus 10 can also be a USB portable phone set, while the signal connection port 120 is one of the USB slots in the computer 12. Conventionally, the USB portable phone set, resembled to a general phone set but connected to the USB slot of the computer 12, can be seen as a kind of sound cards to override the built-in audio device of the computer 12. The digital audio packet signals transmitted from the USB slot are converted into respective analog audio signals at the USB portable phone set, and then the analog audio signals can be broadcasted through a handset of the USB portable phone set.
Nowadays, wide-spread cable network has been constructed in modern countries. Also, with the help of thousands access points from numerous wireless local area networks in major metropolis, a portable notebook computer can cruise arbitrarily the network, either wireless or cable-ly, and can utilize conveniently the network phone as well. However, to apply the network phone at the notebook computer, an optional receiving apparatus 10, either the audio headset or the USB portable phone set, is required, but such an additional part degrades the portability of the notebook computer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication device that can be accommodated inside a memory extension slot of a notebook computer so as to waive the portability problem in carrying a conventional receiving device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wireless communication device that can connect wireless with the notebook computer so as to enhance the convenience of the VoIP.
In accordance with the present invention, the wireless communication device includes a radio frequency (RF) module, an audio-processing module, a receiving/transmitting module and a housing. The RF module connected wireless with a notebook computer is used for receiving/transmitting an RF data signal and converting the RF data signal into a respective digital audio signal. The audio-processing module is used to perform bi-directional conversion between digital audio signals and analog audio signals. The receiving/transmitting module is used to input or output the analog audio signals. The housing is used to integrate structurally the RF module, the audio-processing module and the receiving/transmitting module so as to appear the wireless communication device a size as a typical computer memory cartridge that can be accommodated, or say storable, inside a memory extension slot of the notebook computer.
The aforesaid notebook computer connecting wireless with an internet can transform an RF data signal into a network audio packet signal for further VoIP operation. The RF data signal ought to meet a transmission standard of wireless personal area network (WPAN) such as a Bluetooth transmission standard or an ultra-wideband (UWB) transmission standard.
To have the notebook computer meeting a specific wireless transmission standard, another aspect of the wireless communication device according to the present invention includes a housing, a wireless supportive module, an RF module, an audio-processing module and a receiving/transmitting module. The housing, introduced to present the wireless communication device a size as a typical computer memory cartridge that can be accommodated inside a memory extension slot of a notebook computer, further has a receiving slot for nesting the wireless supportive module. The wireless supportive module is used to engage with a connection port of the notebook computer. By providing the wireless supportive module, the notebook computer can receive or transmit RF data signals. The RF module located inside the housing is used to receive or transmit the RF data signal and is also used to perform bi-directional conversions between the digital audio signals and the analog audio signals. The receiving/transmitting module mounted inside the housing is used to input or output the analog audio signals.
In the present invention, the size of the housing is resembled to a PC card (or say, PCMCIA card), a PCI express card/34 or a PCI express card/54.
In the present invention, the wireless communication device further includes a battery and a charge loop. The battery can be the power source of the wireless communication device, while the charge loop is used to recharge the battery. The charge loop has a charge interface for engaging with a connection port of a memory extension slot of the notebook computer.
By providing the wireless communication device of the present invention to wireless connect with the notebook computer, the VoIP operation can be more conveniently. Further, the present wireless communication device can be accommodated inside the memory extension slot of the notebook computer, so that a portability merit over the conventional design can be obtained. Also, by providing the charge loop and the battery inside the wireless communication device, the recharging of the wireless communication device can be easily processed inside the notebook computer.
All these objects are achieved by the wireless communication device described below.
The present invention will now be specified with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:
The invention disclosed herein is directed to a wireless communication module. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. In other instance, well-known components are not described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
Referring now to
Referring now to
After the receiving/transmitting module 23 inputs an analog audio signal, the audio-processing module 22 converts the analog audio signal into a respective digital audio signal. Then, the RF module 21 converts the digital audio signal into a respective wireless data signal to be transmitted to the notebook computer 28. On the other hand, as the RF module 21 receives a wireless data signal from the notebook computer 28, the module 21 converts immediately the wireless data signal into a respective digital audio signal and forwards the digital audio signal to the audio-processing module 22. The audio-processing module 22 further converts the digital audio signal into a respective analog audio signal and then forwards the analog audio signal to the receiving/transmitting module 23 for further broadcasting.
The notebook computer 28 connected wireless to an appropriate internet 29 can transform RF data signals into respective network audio packet signals for processing network voice communication. The aforesaid wireless data signals should meet a transmission standard of the WPAN, such as a Bluetooth transmission standard or a UWB transmission standard.
The receiving/transmitting module further includes a receiver 233 for transmitting analog audio signals and a microphone 231 for receiving analog audio signals. The wireless communication device 20 can further include a volume adjustment button 234 for controlling the output volume of the analog audio signals. In the first embodiment as shown in
The wireless communication device 20 can further include a battery 24 and a charge loop 25. The battery 24 is used to power the wireless communication device 20, and the charge loop 25 is used to recharge the battery 24. The charge loop 25 can further has a charge interface 250 for engaging with a connection port of a memory extension slot 280 of the notebook computer 28. As shown in
Referring now to
The housing 200 includes a main body 201 and a stand 202 preferably pivotally engaging to the main body 201. As shown in
In the present invention, the wireless data signals can also be video signals, i.e. the audio signals plus the imaging signals. In this aspect, by providing an image-processing chip and accompanying circuits to the RF module 21, the RF module 21 can demodulate, extract and decode the wireless data signals into respective video signals including the audio signals and the image signals. In addition, the wireless communication device 20 can include a display (not shown in the figures) for displaying the image signals.
In general, not all notebook computers in the market have a short-ranged wireless communication function. To upgrade a current notebook computer without the short-ranged wireless communication function, please refer to the improvements provided in
Referring now to
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In the present invention, by providing the wireless communication device to wireless connect with the notebook computer, the network voice communication can be made more convenient. Equally importantly, the design of having the wireless communication device storable and rechargeable inside the memory extension slot of the notebook computer make more compact and portable the combination of the notebook computer and the wireless communication device.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
