ABBREVIATIONS: Cellular Telephone as CT. Mobile Device as MD. Non-Wireless Device as NWD. Internet Protocol as IP. The typical cellular telephone/mobile device (CT/MD) today has a single antenna, which is directly connected to a single receiver. While spread spectrum techniques often used in the CT/MD use a broad band of frequencies, at any specific point in time, only a single frequency connected to one receiver is used. While spread spectrum techniques greatly increase the reliability and stability of the transmission, signal “fade” and communication disconnects are often encountered. Some communications systems may rely on two separate systems; one at a high frequency and preferably using spread spectrum transmissions for clarity and reliability, and another providing a different set of frequencies, such as lower frequencies. The secondary system is used when signal fade is a problem in the main system. These are two separate, complementary systems, each devoted to solving a separate, distinguishable problem.
It is an object of the present invention to provide wireless enhancements to IP based cellular telephones/mobile wireless devices (CT/MD). The same enhancements are applied to IP based and locally based network switch boxes.
The typical CT/MD has one transmitter and one receiver (T/R), with one antenna. An unfulfilled need exists for multiple T/R in a CT/MD, providing enhanced capabilities, and the multiple T/R capabilities will often be best met with multiple antennas. The present invention is possible due to advances in the art which allow the necessary components to be integrated, with the size shrunk to achieve the package, performance, and cost desired. The multiple T/R capability allows the single CT/MD to perform tasks in different environments—each T/R being specifically designed or configured for that specific purpose.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, being incorporated in and forming a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention:
Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the invention, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, however, it will be understood that the preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. The invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents included, now or later, within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the present invention, one or more antennas and T/R units in a CT/MD will provide better tuning and greater bandwidth for a given frequency/application. For example, consider an embodiment of a cell phone, CB radio, and wireless phone, all in a single CT/MD for improving the data rates of a wireless device/network:
It is seen that the data rate of the CT/MD is increased. Currently the CT/MD data rates are very low and pose a severe limitation for high speed wireless data networking. 14.4 KBPS (kilobits per second) is probably the best reliable speed for a wireless network that is commercially available. The speed at which RF waves are transmitted from point A to point B is a physical property based on the frequency of transmission and reception in a given medium such as air. The signal speed is determined by the frequency and the signal strength is determined by the power, line of sight, interference, etc. In a given assigned frequency band, the data speed is fixed but the power may be varied. The rate at which data may be transmitted over a wireless network is also determined by the ability to encode and decode the signal at the T/R ends using the electronics and computing power resident at each end.
Data transferred to a CT/MD over a wireless network comes in encoded form and must be decoded at the CT/MD after the data is received, such as by a receiver. The ability to encode and decode the data is a function of the number of encoders/decoders available and assigned to the task at the CT/MD or at a network switch box. It will be appreciated that while a CT/MD and a network switch box are very similar in many ways, they are completely different functional units, with the CT/MD providing personal services and the network switch box providing system services. The ability to encode and decode the data is also a function of the speed at which the encoder/decoder electronics operate at the T/R ends. Of course, each encoder/decoder must be associated with appropriate electronics to effect this task when more than one encoder/decoder is used.
The antenna 322 is capable of receiving only a limited frequency band due to its design limitations, which are common to single antennas used for this purpose.
Adding additional antennas gives the CT/MD (by extension the same is true for the network switch box) enhanced capabilities to differentiate between various signals or to combine multiple paths into a single communication channel. As an example, the design considerations for receiving cellular telephone frequencies may be totally different from those for streaming video or data signals, and with the present invention both can be combined into the CT/MD.
Having more than one T/R unit gives a performance edge as each signal can be better processed and tuned to the specific frequency band of the signal. Thus better quality of output can be achieved for each type of signal and application. As an example, by having each of the data streams sampled at differing clock frequencies the performance can be better optimized.
Server C controls the communication protocols in conjunction with the network switching box or other devices, such as CT/MD 502. The multiple processors 506 allow for parallel and custom processing of each signal or data stream to achieve higher speed and better quality of output. This can also be done with a single processor that has the parallelism and pipeline capability built in for handling one or more data streams simultaneously. Processor 506 is the complete electronics inclusive of DSP, CPU, memory controller, and other elements essential to process various types of signals. These can be defined as, for example, either single chip or multichip solutions. The processor contained within the CT/MD 502 is further capable of delivering the required outputs to a number of different ports such as optical, USB, cable and others such as 1202 to 1210. The CT/MD 502 is also capable of taking different inputs, as well as wireless, for the appropriate processing to be done on these signals within the CT/MD 502 and outputting the desired signal on a designated port or ports. Thus the CT/MD 502 has universal connectivity in addition to having a wide range of functionality made possible through the features of multiple antennas, multiple T/R units 504 and processors 506 in this invention. These features may also exist in a network switch box, such as network switch box 552.
In
The network switch box 552 as disclosed above executes substantially the same function as the CT/MD 502. However, the network switch box 552 operates at a network system level capable of coordinating the operations of a number of mobile and other devices in one or more networks, while the CT/MD 502 performs at a personal level.
Note that the cradle adapter 604 connection also allows I/O contacts 608 between a non-wireless device (NWD) 613 and a wireless cradle adapter 604 or similar wireless enabling attachment. The enabling attachment can make any non-wireless device (NWD) unit 613 wireless enabled while being plugged into the cradle adapter 604, as shown for CT/MD 612, to access a number of wired, optical or wireless communication paths through the ports 608. The cradle adapter itself may have multiple antennas, multiple T/R units and multiple processors built-in to deliver full functionality. The cradle adapter 604 may also accommodate multiple wired or wireless devices to be plugged in at the same time. The cradle adapter may also contain power ports for the individual devices in addition to the I/O ports. The cradle adapter 604 may be a passive pass through connection enabling device or may have internal electronic smarts to perform certain server functions to control data traffic. Alternately, a Server C located on a LAN, WAN or the Internet can be the control vehicle.
This avoids delay in processing the signal and improves quality/performance. Similar conversions can be done by the processor for other input/output protocols or systems such as universal serial bus (USB) or Ethernet either locally or in conjunction with a server such as Server C 706 to receive/deliver input output signals as needed. By extension, the same features are possible for the network switch box such as network switch box 552.
Some unique features of the present invention, which apply to either a CT/MD such as CT/MD 802 or to a network switch box such as network switch box 552, are:
Multiple antennas for greater signal range and bandwidth.
Multiple T/R units so that paths or tasks can be paralleled.
Multiple internal signal processors, or one or more processors that execute in parallel.
Multiple built in input/outputs for universal connectivity to different network environments.
Capability to interface wired and wireless devices through a cradle adapter to achieve universal connectivity.
Parallel processing of signals and data streams at a system level using hardware and software on a server such as Server C 706.
VPN 1306 shows network switch box 1322 communicating with a server 1324 and optionally with CT/MD 1326. As shown, the VPN 1302 and the VPN 1306 operate in parallel, and may both be under the supervision and control of server 1314, which acts as a sort of executive level supervisor.
VPN 1310 shows network switch box 1328 and server 1330, with both CT/MD 1332 and CT/MD 1334 in the VPN 1310. Network box 1328 may communicate with either or both CT/MD 1332 and 1334, and CT/MD 1332 and CT/MD 1334 may intercommunicate as well. VPN 1310 may also be under the supervision and control of server 1314. The server 1314 may also control and supervise VPN 1302 and 1306.
The present invention includes the following features:
(1) A cellular telephone/mobile device (CT/MD) with two or more antennas as opposed to the current state of the art in a single antenna system. Each antenna may be specifically designed for a specific frequency or application or may be multiplexed for different uses.
(2) A CT/MD with two or more transmit/receive (T/R) units as opposed to the prior art single T/R unit. Each T/R unit in the CT/MD may be designed for a specific frequency or application or may be multiplexed for different uses.
(3) A CT/MD with two or more processor units (or a single processor unit with built in parallelism to execute same, different and or custom applications) as opposed to the prior art of a single processor unit. Each processor unit in the CT/MD may be designed for a specific application or may be multiplexed for different uses. As an example one processor may be specifically designed to handle voice, another for data, another for high quality audio and yet another for streaming video.
(4) A CT/MD that has multiple input/output ports as opposed to a single input/output (I/O) port as in the prior art. The CT/MD may have a universal serial bus (USB) port, a coaxial cable port, a standard telephone (POTS) port, a twisted pair port, Ethernet port, and most importantly an optical port. The CT/MD thus can fully interface and interact with different environments sequentially or simultaneously. The feature is more than one port being available with variations in the number of ports (I/O) from one to N.
(5) A network switch box with two or more antennas as opposed to the prior art of a single antenna system. Each antenna may be specifically designed for an assigned frequency or application or may be multiplexed for different uses.
(6) A network switch box with two or more T/R units within it as opposed to the prior art of a single T/R unit. Each T/R unit may be designed for an assigned frequency or application or may be multiplexed for different uses.
(7) A network switch box with two or more processor units (or a single processor unit with built in parallelism to execute same, different and or custom applications) as opposed to the prior art of a single processor unit. Each processor unit in the network box may be designed for a specific application or may be multiplexed for different uses. As an example one processor may be specifically designed to handle voice, another for data, another for high quality audio and yet another for streaming video.
(8) A network switch box has multiple input/output ports as opposed to a single input/output (I/O) port as in the prior art. The network switch box may have a universal serial bus (USB) port, a coaxial cable port, a standard telephone (POTS) port, a twisted pair port, Ethernet port, and most importantly an optical port. The network switch box thus can fully interface and interact with different environments sequentially or simultaneously. The feature is more than one port being available with variations in the number of ports (I/O) from one to N.
(9) The ability to use the same CT/MD in different environments and applications and the ability to quickly interface to various inputs and outputs by a quick and easy plug in method into a receptacle or socket or by wired or wireless means such as a docking station.
(10) The ability to use the same network switch box in different environments and applications and the ability to quickly interface to various inputs and outputs by a quick and easy plug in method into a receptacle or socket or by wired or wireless means such as a docking station.
(11) The CT/MD and the network switch box may be used for communication, control, command, compute, entertainment, gaming, or other applications that may be defined in the future for both wireless and wired equipment.
(12) The unique feature that allows one or more antennas, one or more T/R units, one or more processors and one or more input/outputs to coexist in totality or as subsets of any combination of the above in one single CT/MD or a network switch box.
(13) The feature described in item 10 above and this invention allows parallel processing of the signals and data streams through the antennas, through the T/R units, through the multiple processors and through the I/O. This allows the present invention to achieve faster data rates with flexible connections for making multiple applications sequentially or simultaneously available using the same CT/MD or network switch box. As an example, video, audio and other uses can be accessed simultaneously with performance optimized for each through dedicated or multiplexed antenna paths, T/R paths, through multiple processors and I/O paths.
(14) The internal electronics of a CT/MD or a network switch box other than the antenna, T/R and I/O may be shared or separate. For example, the processor, memory, etc. may be common or may be separate as defined by the application, cost, and site, etc.
(15) The ability to have an internal IP based web server function within the CT/MD and the network switch box or an external server C connected by wired or wireless means to keep track of all the communication protocols within the unit and with the outside world and other units.
(16) The electronics that converts wireless to optical signals directly, to efficiently interface wireless and optical signals and systems without intermediate transport.
(17) The ability to process in parallel signals derived from optical signals such as at a much higher frequency.
(18) The attachment that makes a non-wireless device fully wireless (see
(19) The ability to form many concentric/overlaying networks and have the CT/MD exist in one or more wired or wireless networks simultaneously. Thus one single CT/MD can, at the same time, be part of one or more wired or wireless VPN (virtual private networks) or of a public network. Thus a mixed network, a mixed VPN, is dynamically made possible under the supervision of server C. In this mixed VPN one or more network boxes from different networks, different CT/MDs and base stations coexist in a new virtual network. All of these VPNs, mixed VPNs and public networks being accessible by the CT/MD through the supervision of the central server C located on a LAN, WAN, or the Internet.
(20) The ability for a CT/MD to communicate with one or more CT/MDs and other wired or wireless devices in one or more VPNs and public networks directly allowing for paging and data transmission and communication between one or more CT/MDs. This is accomplished with all the VPNs being under the control of Server C located on a LAN, WAN or the Internet.
(21) The network box may also operate as a wireless base station, with the characteristics enumerated for the network box, such as multiple antennas, multiple T/R units, multiple processors and multiple I/O ports. The base station may receive inputs from one type of network and transmit to another type of network seamlessly. For example, an optical network input may be transmitted as a wireless RF output over the wireless network. In reverse the wireless input to base station may be seamlessly converted into optical output for transmission over an optical network.
(22) In either the base station configuration or the network box configuration, the units have the ability to take optical data and multiplex the data for wireless transmission over one or more channels, at one or more frequencies and power levels. The base station, the network box or the CT/MD may use one or more transmission protocols as deemed optimal and appropriate by the local server C or the super server C located in a LAN, WAN or the Internet. Thus the base station unit, the network box and the CT/MD determines the required frequency spectrum, other wireless parameters such as power and signal to noise ratio to optimally transmit the data. In addition the units have the ability to multiplex between one or more transmission protocols such as CDMA, TDMA to ensure that the fast data rates of the optical network or matched closely in a wireless network to minimize the potential data transmission speed degradation of a wireless network. As an example, the data path between two optical networks may involve a wireless hop due to physical constraints. In such a case the wireless hop transmission speed is likely to be a bottleneck. The base station or the network box, configured as described in the present invention at the hardware level offers universal functionality. In addition the software capability that is resident internally to the unit, at the local server C level or network server C level, is capable of dynamically determining a number of factors for best data transfer. As an example, the unit can determine the best transmission frequencies and protocols, determine the best error correction and channel coding algorithms and multiplexes the transmission paths and tasks. Thus it is possible that various optical and wireless protocols can co-exist in a network.
(23) The network box or network boxes may also be used to configure a predominantly optical network that has wireless capability as an adjunct or a predominantly wireless network that has optical capability as an adjunct. Other combinations are possible by extension with or without multiplexing. The optical to wireless multiplexer, can be part of a wireless ethernet or optical ethernet. Similarly other types of conversion and transmission multiplexers could be defined to be incorporated into the CT/MD, the network box or the base station to optimally and seamlessly transfer data between networks or within a network.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it should be understood that many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments, with various modifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
The present application is a continuation and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/621,294, filed on Sep. 17, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,614,943, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/912,607 filed on Oct. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,824,434, which is a continuation of U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 10/940,428, filed Sep. 13, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,848,300, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/617,608, filed on Jul. 17, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,286,502; the disclosures of all the above referenced matters are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. The disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/281,739, filed Jun. 4, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,789 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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