United States Patent
`Vallillee et al.
`
`(19
`
`|10A
`
`5,457,742
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`(45) Date of Patent: Oct. 10, 1995
`
`[54]
`
`WIRELESS TELEPHONE REMOTE
`5/1987 Kirchneret al... esessssessseeeees 370/94
`4,665,519
`6/1987 Monet et al. vice
`ecesessssesneees 379/58
`4,674,111
`CONTROL SYSTEM
`4,682,357—T/1987 TiO. csesssesessssssesseneeseneeseanesscss 379/356
`4,734,931 3/1988 Bourg et al.osc.eseeseseesceeee 379/93
`
`Inventors: George W. Vallillee, Kentwood; James
`[75]
`4,754,473
`6/1988 Edwards ..........sssesssseessensssenesnes 379/57
`F. MacKay, Grand Rapids, both of
`4,868,848
`9/1989 Magnussonet dl... 379/355
`Mich.
`
`4,876,742 10/1989 Vaconetal. ......cesscssescsssseseneees 455/66
`3/1990 Hannonet al. ws...escecssserseseees 379/58
`4,908,847
`4,914,688
`4/1990 Kobayashi etal. ....
`«» 379/99
`5,189,632
`2/1993 Paajanen et al... .sessscecseseesee 379/58
`5,276,729
`1/1994 Higuchi et al...esses 379/355
`
`[73]
`
`Assignee: Datalogic Corporation, Grand Rapids,
`Mich.
`
`
`
`
`[21]
`
`[22]
`
`[51]
`[52]
`
`[58]
`
`[56]
`
`Appl. No.: 139,264
`
`Filed:
`
`Oct. 18, 1993
`
`Tint. Cho ioceccscecssssssesssssscesssssensssesersseeess HO04M 11/00
`
`.. 379/352; 355/57; 355/58;
`USS. Cl. ....
`355/61
`
`Field of Search o.....ceccccccsseessceeeeee 379/352, 355,
`379/58, 356, 354, 357, 216
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,125,872
`4,341,929
`4,543,450
`4,661,659
`
`.......csssccsscccssseeseees 379/355
`11/1978 Maxwell
`7/1982 Alexanderet al.
`........ssccsseee 379/318
`9/1985 Brandt .
`4/1987 Nishimura ...............:cscsssenees 379/99
`
`Primary Examiner—James L. Dwyer
`Assistant Examiner—Jacques M.Saint-Surin
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm--Warner Norcross & Judd
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`
`A telephone remote control system for direct control of the
`dialing sequence of a telephone from a personal computer.
`The remote control system includes an RF transmitter unit
`mounted on a personal computer and an RF receiver unit
`within a phone. The transmitter receives dialing commands
`from a personal computer and transmits those commandsto
`a receiver unit via an RF signal. The receiver unit receives
`the dialing commands from the transmitter unit and directly
`controls the dialing sequence of the telephone.
`
`18 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`18
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 1 of 8
`Apple v. Uniloc
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 1 of 8
`Apple v. Uniloc
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 10, 1995
`
`Sheet 1 of 3
`
`5,457,742
`
`
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 2 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 2 of 8
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 10, 1995
`
`Sheet 2 of 3
`
`5,457,742
`
`N o L
`
`i
`
`CTF528C52bCI526Ck52d
`
`C548.CT54bhs4¢
`
`6a
`
`36b
`
`6c
`
`36d
`
`36 @gAITes
`YwilYW
`
`FIG.5
`
`FIG.4
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 3 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 3 of 8
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 10, 1995
`
`Sheet 3 of 3
`
`5,457,742
`
`RECEIVE DIALING
`COMMANDS FROM
`COMPUTER
`
`62
`
`CREATE DATA
`
`64
`
`RECEIVE
`
`
`DATA PACKET|————|_ DATA PACKET
`
`PACKET
` TRANSMIT
`
`
`
`
`APPLY DIALING
`
`
`SEQUENCE TO THE
`
`KEYPAD INTERFACE
`CIRCUIT
`
`
`
`
`APPLY DIALING
`SEQUENCE TO THE
`
`
`TELEPHONE MAIN
`CIRCUIT
`
`80
`
`FIG. 6
`
`
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 4 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 4 of 8
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`

`

`5,457,742
`
`1
`WIRELESS TELEPHONE REMOTE
`CONTROL SYSTEM
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to a telephone remote con-
`trol system.
`Computersare often used to maintain extensive data bases
`~ which may include records for customers, suppliers, clien-
`tele and more. The data bases often store the telephone
`number(s) of the individuals contained in each of these
`records. To fully exploit the information stored in these data
`bases, it is desirable to have the ability to automatically dial
`the stored telephone numbers directly from the computer.
`There are a variety of methods for achieving this type of
`computer autodialing.
`First, some telephone manufacturers have provided an
`RS- 232 interface on their telephone work stations for
`autodialing and other telephone/PC control functions. This
`method is relatively expensive and the selection of tele-
`phonesincluding such an interface is limited.
`Second, computer autodialing can be achieved through
`the use of a modem connected to a dedicated line with an
`auxiliary single line telephone attached to the modem for
`voice transmission. This method adds the expense of a
`dedicated line and results in the inability to use the primary
`phoneandits features.
`Third, some computer users have attempted to avoid the
`need for a dedicated line by purchasing a voice/data switch
`for manually or automatically switching a single line
`between voice and digital transmission. Voice/data switches
`such as “Intelemate II,” available from Datalogic Corpora-
`tion of Grand Rapids, Mich., pass DTMFtones from a
`modem through the PBX to the telephone company central
`office. However, it has been found that some PBXs and
`telephone company central offices are unable to recognize
`analog DTMFtonesfor addressing instructions. Further, the
`cost of a voice/data switch and a modem makethisalter-
`native economically undesirable.
`Finally, a computer operated system for dialing telephone
`numbers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,848 issued Sep.
`19, 1989 to Magnussonet al. This system includesa dialing
`circuit coupled to the printer port of the computer. The
`dialing circuit provides DTMFdialing signals to an existing
`telephone line. This system only functions with PBXs and
`telephone company central offices that recognize analog
`DTMFtones.
`
`SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION
`
`The aforementioned problems are overcome by the
`present invention wherein a wireless telephone remote con-
`trol system provides direct wireless control of the dialing
`sequence of a telephone from a personal computer. The
`system includes a transmitter unit to be mounted on a
`computer and a receiver unit mounted within the controlled
`phone. The transmitter unit mounts on and receives signals
`through the serial port of a personal computer. The trans-
`mitter unit recognizes standard Hayes “AT” commandset
`instructions and appears to the computer to be a modem.
`This allows the system to be driven by any of a multitude of
`autodialing software packages available on the market
`today. The transmitter unit receives dialing instructions from
`the computer and forms a data packet including a unique
`station identifier, the digits to be dialed, and a checksum to
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`validate the data. The data packetis then transmitted using
`conventional wireless RF technology.
`The receiver unit is connected internally to the tele-
`phone’s main circuit and directly controls the dialing
`sequence of the telephone while still allowing use of the
`telephone’s manual key pad. The receiver unit receives the
`data packet transmitted by the transmitter unit, verifies that
`the data packet is directed to that unit, verifies the integrity
`of the data packet, and then sends the appropriate dialing
`sequenceto the telephone’s main circuit.
`In this manner, the present invention provides a simple
`and effective means for remote control of a telephone from
`a personal computer without the need for a modem or a
`dedicated line. The wireless technology used to communi-
`cate with the receiver unit eliminates the need for unsightly,
`unmanageable and restrictive hard wiring. Further, direct
`control of the existing telephone renders the system com-
`patible with all PBXs and telephone companycentral offices
`regardless of whether they recognize DTMFtones.Finally,
`the system allows full use of the existing telephone’s func-
`tions and features.
`
`These and other objects, advantages, and features of the
`invention will be more readily understood and appreciated
`by reference to the detailed description of the preferred
`embodiment and the drawings.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention;
`FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transmitter unit of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the
`installation of a receiver unit in a conventional telephone;
`FIG.4 is a block diagram of a transmitter unit;
`FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a receiver unit;
`FIG.6 is a flow chart of the primary steps involved in the
`present invention; and
`FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the keypad interface
`circuit.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
`
`The wireless telephone remote control system of the
`present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1, and generally
`designated 10. The remote control system includes a trans-
`mitter unit 12 and a receiver unit 14, which comprise a pair
`(see FIGS. 2 and 3). Each transmitter unit 12 and receiver
`unit 14 pair are assigned matching unique station identifiers
`which enable remote control commandsto be addressed to
`the proper telephone.
`I. Transmitter Unit
`As shown in FIG. 4, the transmitter unit 12 generally
`includes a microprocessor 22, a transmitter 24 and an
`RS-232 input port 16. The RS-232 input port 16 allows the
`transmitter unit 12 to interface with a personal computer 40
`via a standard RS-232 COM port, such as the computer’s
`serial port 42.
`The microprocessor 22 is interfaced with and receives 62
`command instruction from the computer 40 through the
`RS-232 input port 16 in a manner well known to those
`skilled in the art (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The microprocessor 22
`recognizes standard modem commandsandisofa type well
`knownto one skilled in the art. One such microprocessoris
`the “PIC 16C57” manufactured by Microchip, which is
`compatible with standard Hayes “AT” code. As a result of
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 5 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 5 of 8
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`5,457,742
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`3
`the microprocessor’s 22 ability to follow standard modem
`commands, the transmitter unit 12 appears to the computer
`40 to be a standard modem. This allows the remote control
`system 10 to be driven by any commercial modem remote
`control software that has the ability to communicate with a
`modem connected to a serial port. After receiving a dialing
`command from the computer 40, the microprocessor 22
`creates 64 a data packet for transmission by the transmitter
`24 (see FIG. 6). The data packet includes the digits to be
`dialed, a uniquestation identifier, and a checksum. The data
`packetis created in a manner and format well knownto one
`skilled in the art and its contents will be discussed in more
`detail below.
`Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6,the transmitter 24 receivesthe
`data packet from the microprocessor 22 and transmits 66it
`using conventional wireless RF (radio frequency) technol-
`ogy. In a preferred embodiment, the transmitter is capable of
`sending a 310 MHz AM (amplitude modulated) signal.
`Conventional transmitter circuitry is employed in the present
`invention and is well known to one skilled in the art. As is
`readily apparent, a variety of frequencies and/or other wire-
`less technologies can be incorporated into the present inven-
`tion.
`Ii. Receiver Unit
`The receiver unit 14 generally includes a receiver 26, a
`- microprocessor 28, an output port 30, and a keypad interface
`circuit 32 (see FIG. 5). In an embodimentillustrated in FIG.
`3, the receiver unit 14 interfaces with the dialing circuit of
`a telephone 18 via output port 30. The output port 30
`includes a connector which links directly to the manual dial
`keypad input 60 on the telephone main circuit. The receiver
`unit 14 further includes a keypad input port 34 for connect-
`ing the manual dial keypad 62 to the receiver unit 30. The
`output port 30 acts as a splitter to allow signals to be passed
`to the main circuit of the telephone 18 from either the
`microprocessor 28 or the telephone’s manual dial keypad
`62. While different telephones will require different connec-
`tors or connection techniques, the. basic circuitry for each
`remains the same. The receiver unit 14 can interface with the
`telephone 18 without connecting directly to the keypad input
`60 on the-telephone main circuit, for example, through the
`auxiliary jack increasingly present on phones.
`In operation, the receiver 26 receives 68 the data packet
`transmitted by the transmitter unit 12 (see FIG. 6). In a
`preferred embodiment, the receiveris capable of receiving a
`310 MHz AM signal. However,the frequency and format of
`the receiver 26 must match that of the transmitter 24. The
`data packet is converted to digital format and directed to the
`microprocessor 28. The microprocessor 28 is of a type well
`knownin the art, such as the “PIC 16C57” manufactured by
`Microchip. The microprocessor 28 verifies that the data
`packet was addressedto this receiver unit 14 by comparing
`70 the unique station identifier included in the data packet
`with the uniquestation identifier assigned to the receiver 26.
`A unique station identifier that does not match that of the
`receiver unit 14 indicates that the data packet is directed to
`another receiver unit and the data packetis ignored72.If the
`unique station identifiers match, then the microprocessor 28
`verifies 74 the integrity of the data packet by comparison to
`the checksum in a manner. well known in the art. If the
`integrity of the data packet is verified, then the micropro-
`cessor 28 applies 78 the dialing sequence contained in the
`data packet to the keypad interface circuit 32. The keypad
`interface circuit 32 in turn applies 80 the dialing sequenceto
`the main circuit of the telephone 18 through outputport 30.
`The keypadinterface circuit 32 is illustrated in FIG. 7, and
`generally includes a load 56, a series of row transistors 36a—
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`d, a series of column transistors 38a—c, and a series of row
`52a-d and column 54a-c commons. The circuit 32 is
`designed to directly control
`the dialing sequence of the
`telephone by emulating the manual depression of a key on
`the telephone keypad 62. In +!#ventional
`telephone cir-
`cuitry, each key is assigned a distinct row and column
`designation. The telephone main circuit recognizes the
`depression of a key by scanning each possible row/column
`pair on the manual dial keypad input 60 for a particular load.
`Once the telephone main circuit recognizes the load across
`any row/column pair, the telephone performs the function
`associated with the key assigned to the row and column
`bearing the load. For example, a conventional telephone
`keypad includesthe digits 0-9, an asterisk (“*’’) and a pound
`sign (‘“#’). This allows the entire array of twelve keys to be
`represented in a three-by-four matrix with each key being
`assigned a distinct row and column designation. Suppose,
`only for purposes of this example, that the digit six (“6”) has
`been assigned a row designation of three and a column
`designation of two. The telephone main circuit will recog-
`nize that the digit six has been depressed when the appro-
`priate load is applied across the row three and column two
`commons.
`
`To emulate the manual depression of a key, the keypad
`interface circuit 32 applies a load 50 across the appropriate
`row 52a—d and column 54a—c commonsof the manualdial
`keypad input 60 on the telephone main circuit. The load 50
`is preferably selected to match the resistance of the type of
`switch incorporated into the telephone keypad 62, such as a
`membrane switch. The keypad interface circuit 32 is
`designed to mimic the row/column key designations that are
`recognized by the telephone 18. The specific number and
`arrangement of rows and columnsoftransistors will vary
`depending on the number of keys to be emulated and the
`row/column designations recognized by the particular tele-
`phone. However, the basic circuitry remains essentially the
`same for each telephone.
`In the present embodiment, the circuit 32 includes four
`row transistors 36a—d and three column transistors 38a—c
`(see FIG. 7). The circuit 32 functions by activating the row
`transistor 36a—d and the column transistor 38a—c which
`correspondto the key to be emulated. The activation of both
`transistors, results in load 50 being applied across the
`commonsfor the corresponding row and column.Thetele-
`phonecircuitry recognizes this load 50 by row 52a~d and
`column 54a—c numberandreacts as though the correspond-
`ing key was manually pressed. The receiver unit 14 sequen-
`tially emulates the manual depression of each key contained
`in the dialing sequence received from the transmitter unit 12.
`In this manner, any number or sequence of keys can be
`automatically entered into the telephone maincircuit includ-
`ing non-numeric keys such as speed dialing, speaker phone,
`and transfer.
`.
`The above description is that of a preferred embodiment
`of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be
`made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects
`of the invention as defined in the claims, which are to be
`interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law,
`including the doctrine of equivalents.
`The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
`property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
`1. A telephone remote control system for directly control-
`ling the dialing sequenceof a telephone from a computer, the
`telephone including keys and circuitry, said control system
`comprising:
`a transmitter unit including:
`connector means for mechanically connecting said
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 6 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 6 of 8
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`

`5,457,742
`
`5
`transmitter unit to a communications port of the
`computer,
`input means for receiving dialing commands from the
`computer, and
`transmitter means for transmitting the dialing com-
`mands from said transmitter unit using wireless
`communication technology; and
`a receiver unit including:
`connector means
`for electrically connecting said
`receiver unit to the circuitry of the telephone,
`receiver means for receiving said dialing commands
`transmitted by said transmitter unit, and
`control means for directly causing the telephone cir-
`cuitry to execute the dialing commands by emulating
`manual operation of the telephone keys automati-
`cally in response to receiving the dialing commands.
`2. The telephone remote control system of claim 1,
`wherein said wireless communication technology is radio
`frequency technology.
`3. The telephone remote control system of claim 2,
`wherein said transmitter unit
`input means includes an
`RS-232 input port.
`4. The telephone remote control system of claim 3,
`wherein the dialing commands follow a standard modem
`commandinstruction set.
`5. The telephone remote control system of claim 4,
`wherein said transmitter means further includes means for
`transmitting a uniquestation identifier along with the dialing
`commands, said receiver means further including means for
`receiving the unique station identifier, and said receiverunit
`further including a receiver unit identifier and means for
`ignoring the dialing commands transmitted by said trans-
`mitter unit unless the unique station identifier transmitted
`along with the dialing commands matchesthe receiver unit
`identifier.
`6. The telephone remote control system of claim 5,
`wherein said transmitter means further includes means for
`transmitting a checksum along with the unique station
`identifier and the dialing commands, said receiver means
`further including means for receiving the checksum, and
`said receiver unit further including means for checking the
`integrity of the dialing commands by verification of the
`checksum.
`7. The telephone remote control system of claim 6,
`wherein the telephone includes a keypad and a keypad input
`jack, wherein said receiver unit control means includes
`means for interfacing said receiver unit with the telephone
`keypad input jack, wherein said receiver unit emulates the
`manual operation of the telephone keypad.
`8. The telephone remote control system of claim 7,
`wherein said receiver unit further includes a keypad bypass
`means for connecting the telephone keypad to the telephone
`keypad input jack through said receiverunit, thereby allow-
`ing the telephone to receive dialing commands either
`remotely through said receiver unit or directly through said
`telephone keypad.
`9. A telephone remote control system for directly control-
`ling the dialing sequence of a telephone from a computer,
`wherein the computer includes a communications port,
`wherein the telephone includes a main circuit, a keypad, a
`keypad input jack, and a receiver for receiving incoming
`transmissions over a telephone connection, said system
`comprising:
`a transmitter unit including:
`connector means for mechanically connecting said
`transmitter unit to the communications port of the
`computer,
`
`in
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`input meansfor receiving dialing commands from the
`computer,
`transmitter control means for creating a data packet
`including the dialing commands, a unique station
`identifier, and a checksum, and
`transmitter meansfor transmitting the data packet using
`wireless communication technology; and
`a receiver unit separate from thereceiverof the telephone,
`said receiver unit including:
`connector means for connecting said receiver unit to
`the telephone,
`receiver means for receiving the data packet transmit-
`ted by said transmitter unit, and
`receiver control means for ignoring said data packet
`unless the station identifier
`transmitted therein
`matches a unique station identifier assigned to said
`receiver unit, for checking the integrity of the data
`packet by verification of the checksum of the data
`packet, and for directly causing the main circuit to
`execute
`the dialing sequence
`immediately in
`response to receiving an assigned, verified data
`packet.
`10. The telephone remote control system of claim 9,
`wherein said wireless communication technology is radio
`frequency technology.
`11. The telephone remote control system of claim 10,
`wherein said transmitter unit
`input means includes an
`RS-232 inputport.
`12. The telephone remote control system of claim 11,
`wherein the dialing commands follow a standard modem
`command instructionset.
`13. The telephone remote control system of claim 12,
`wherein said receiver unit interfaces directly with the tele-
`phone main circuit.
`14. The telephone remote control system of claim 11,
`wherein said receiver unit control means includes means for
`interfacing said receiver unit with the telephone keypad
`input jack, wherein said receiver unit emulates the manual
`operation of the telephone keypad.
`15. The telephone remote control system of claim 14,
`wherein said receiver unit further includes a keypad bypass
`meansfor connecting the telephone keypadto the telephone
`keypad input jack through said receiver unit, thereby allow-
`ing the telephone to receive dialing commands either
`remotely through said receiver unit or directly through said
`telephone keypad.
`16. Acomputer controlled phone dialing system compris-
`ing:
`a transmitter unit including connector means for opera-
`tively connecting said transmitter unit to a communi-
`cations port on a computer, receiving means connected
`to said connector means for receiving information
`indicative of a telephone number to be dialed, and
`transmitter means for transmitting the information via
`a wireless signal; and
`a receiver unit including connector meansfor operatively
`connecting said receiver unit to the internal circuitry of
`a telephone, receiving meansfor receiving the wireless
`signal and embodied information transmitted by said
`transmitter unit, and control means responsive to the
`information for issuing dialing commandsto thetele-
`phone circuitry by electrically emulating the manual
`operation of the telephone’s keys causing the circuitry
`to dial the telephone number.
`17. The computer controlled phone dialing system of
`claim 16 wherein:
`each of said transmitter unit and said receiver unit are
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 7 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 7 of 8
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`5,457,742
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`7
`assigned the same uniquestation identifier;
`the RF signal includes the unique identifier; and
`said control means within said receiver unit includes
`means for ignoring any RF signal not containing the
`unique identifier, whereby said receiver unit is respon-
`sive only to said transmitter unit in an environment
`where multiple transmitter units may be present.
`18. The computer controlled phone dialing system of
`
`8
`claim 16 wherein said receiver unit is adapted to be con-
`nected between the keypad connector and the keypad jack of
`the telephone, whereby the phone can be dialed using either
`remotely through said computer controlled phone dialing
`system or directly through the telephone keypad.
`
`APPL-1013 / Page 8 of 8
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`APPL-1013 / Page 8 of 8
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`