`BOrk
`
`USOO625580OB1
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 6,255,800 B1
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Jul. 3, 2001
`
`Primary Examiner Peter S. Wong
`ASSistant Examiner Pia Tibbits
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ronald O. Neerings; Wade
`James Brady, III; Frederick J. Telecky, Jr.
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`A mobile device charging cradle (46) to enable short dis
`tance wireleSS communication between a personal computer
`(10) and at least one other short distance wireless commu
`nication enabled electronic device (50). In a preferred
`embodiment of the invention, a short distance wireleSS radio
`(transceiver-Bluetooth enabled) (44) and antenna (42) are
`added to a charging cradle to produce a combination charg
`ing and Short distance wireleSS communication enabled
`cradle (46) which is coupled via a data cable (12) to a
`personal computer (10). The short distance wireless (in this
`case RF) communication enabled cradle enables a System in
`which a legacy architecture personal computer may com
`municate with other short distance RF communication
`enabled electronic devices. Such communication is enabled
`whether or not another RF communication enabled portable
`electronic device is coupled to the cradle. In another
`embodiment of the invention, a universal serial bus USB in
`a computer is used as a power Source for the previously
`described cradle. In one embodiment, a data/power cable
`(78) couples a computer (70) having an external USB
`connector (72) to the short distance wireless communication
`enabled cradle (74). The cable includes electronic circuitry
`(82) for converting the voltage level Supplied by the USB to
`a voltage level usable by the cradle-including its Bluetooth
`radio (44) and any peripheral electronic device that may be
`coupled to the cradle (52.54).
`
`30 Claims, 13 Drawing Sheets
`
`22
`
`(54) BLUETOOTHENABLED MOBILE DEVICE
`CHARGING CRADLE AND SYSTEM
`
`(75) Inventor: Stephan Bork, Richardson, TX (US)
`(73) Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated,
`Dallas, TX (US)
`Subj
`y disclai
`h
`f thi
`ubject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`* Y Not
`Otice:
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/476,986
`(22) Filed:
`Jan. 3, 2000
`(51) Int. Cl." ........................................................ H02. 7700
`(52) U.S. Cl. ...
`... 320/115; 455/463
`(58) Field of Search ............................. 320/115; 455/463,
`455/557, 466, 404
`
`
`
`(56)
`
`5,892,949
`6,023.241
`6,028,764
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`3/1999 Noble ....................................... 717/4
`11/1998 Clapper..........
`342/357.13
`3/1999 Richardson et al. ................. 361/681
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`“Specification of the Bluetooth System”, Specification vol.
`1, The ad hoc Scatternet for affordable and highly functional
`wireless connectivity, Core, v 1.OA, 7/99.
`“WinHec 99 White Paper”, Windows(R Hardware Engi
`neering Conference: Advancing the Platform, Bluetooth
`Radio System Overview, 4/99, 19 pages.
`* cited by examiner
`
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`26
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`22
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`Page 1 of 20
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 1 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`FIC.
`1
`(PRIOR ART)
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`
`
`FIC. 2
`(PRIOR ART)
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`28
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`Page 2 of 20
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 2 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`FIC 3
`(PRIOR ART)
`
`
`
`FIC.
`4
`(PRIOR ART)
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`28.'
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`Page 3 of 20
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`U.S. Patent
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 3 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`FIC. 6
`(PRIOR ART)
`
`BATTERY
`PACK
`28
`
`
`
`HIC. 6
`(PRIOR ART)
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`Page 4 of 20
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`Sheet 4 of 13
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`FIC 7
`(PRIOR ART)
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`10
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`26
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`24
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`22
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`FIC. 8
`(PRIOR ART)
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`Page 5 of 20
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`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`Jul. 3, 2001
`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 5 of 13
`Sheet 5 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
`US 6,255,800 B1
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`PIG. 9
`(PRIOR ART)
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 6 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`48
`Y
`DATA LINES POWER LINE
`38
`36 42
`CRADLE WITH
`BLUETOOTH
`RA
`DO
`
`
`
`RF TRANSCEIVER
`46
`BLUETOOTHENABLED
`CHARGING CRADLE
`
`N
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`MOBILE DEVICE
`WITHOUT
`BLUETOOTH RADIO
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`52
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`BLUETOOTH
`BLUETOOTH
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`
`DATA LINES POWER LINE
`42
`
`
`
`CRADLE WITH
`BLUETOOTH
`RADIO
`
`FIC. 13
`
`
`
`
`
`BLUETOOTH
`RADIO
`
`50
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`Page 7 of 20
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`Sheet 7 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`
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`N
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`
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`54
`MOBILE DEVICE
`WITH BLUETOOTH
`RADIO
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`42
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`CRADLE WITH
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`RADIO
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`10
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`46
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`50- BLUETOOTH
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`FIC. 16
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`VA
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`42
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`Page 8 of 20
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 8 of 13
`Sheet 8 of 13
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`U.S. Patent
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`U.S. Patent
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`US 6,255,800 B1
`US 6,255,800 B1
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`68
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`ADVISER
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`FIC. 18
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`AND HOST CONTROLLER
`BLUETOOTH LM
`BLUETOOTH BASEBAND
`
`Page 10 of 20
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`Sheet 10 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`WOZT
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`Page 11 of 20
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`Sheet 11 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`
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`
`
`HOST
`(ROOT TIER)
`
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`UPSTREAM
`DATA PORT
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`
`FIC. 23
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`DATA PORT
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`Page 12 of 20
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`Jul. 3, 2001
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`Sheet 12 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
`US 6,255,800 B1
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`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`FIG. 27
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`Sheet 13 of 13
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`US 6,255,800 B1
`US 6,255,800 B1
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`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
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`
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`
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`US 6,255,800 B1
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`1
`BLUETOOTHENABLED MOBILE DEVICE
`CHARGING CRADLE AND SYSTEM
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates to the field of short distance
`wireleSS communications. More specifically, He present
`invention relates to a method of using a charging cradle to
`enable Short distance wireleSS communication between a
`personal computing apparatus and at least one other short
`distance wireleSS communication enabled electronic device.
`
`2
`circuit 26. For example, a transformer or other Voltage
`conversion or regulator circuitry may be used to reduce a
`Supply Voltage of 110 VAC, Supplied by a power receptacle
`on a wall, to the required input voltage of the device. For
`devices requiring DC voltage, an AC/DC converter may also
`coupled between the Step down transformer and the device.
`Whether obtaining power solely from batteries, or from
`batteries only when no conventional power Supply is
`available, the batteries will eventually run down and require
`replacement unless the batteries are of the rechargeable type
`and are recharged separately or while the device of which
`the batteries are a part is coupled to a conventional power
`Supply. Rechargeable batteries may be recharged in one of
`three methods. First, batteries 28 within a portable electronic
`device may be physically removed from the device and
`placed in a battery recharge mechanism 30 until recharged,
`as illustrated in FIG. 5. The batteries are replaced in the
`electronic device after being recharged. Second, batteries 28
`may be recharged within the electronic device it powers (in
`this case portable computer 10, portable telephone 14 or RF
`device 16) via a power cord 22 (typically having a trans
`former 26 at one end of the power cord-typically the
`portion that plugs into the power Source) coupling the
`portable electronic device to a conventional power Supply
`24, as discussed above and illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
`Third, batteries within small portable electronic devices,
`Such as portable phone 14 may also be recharged within the
`device while the device is placed within a cradle or recep
`tacle 32 that is coupled, via a power cord 22, to a conven
`tional power supply 24, as illustrated in FIG. 6.
`Removing a device's batteries for recharging (as shown in
`FIG. 5) is awkward and burdensome. The electronic device
`using the batteries is typically unusable—if of the battery
`only type- while its batteries are removed. There is also the
`potential problem of losing or damaging the batteries and/or
`the device itself through mishandling of the device or
`batteries and wear resulting from the continual process of
`removing and replacing batteries. If the device is of the type
`allowing operation from a power cord only, the mobility of
`the device is limited to the length of the power cord. The
`method of recharging batteries shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is
`more convenient than the method of FIG. 5 in that the
`batteries are not removed from the device while recharging,
`which facilitates immediate operation of the device, even if
`the batteries are not fully charged. For devices Small enough,
`the recharging cradle is the most convenient method of
`recharging. One disadvantage of the charging cradles of the
`prior art is that they require a power cable coupling the
`charging cradle to a dedicated power Source, Such as a 110
`VAC wall outlet or 12 VDC outlet (such as an automotive
`cirgarette lighter power Supply). Such recharging techniques
`are useleSS in situations where there are no, or insufficient,
`discrete power Sources available to plug in the power cord
`of the charging cable.
`FIG. 7 illustrates a cradle 34 adapted to supply both power
`and data to an electronic device 14. In one embodiment,
`shown in FIG. 8, cradle 34 has both a connector for power
`36 and a data connector 38. In another embodiment, shown
`in FIG. 9, cradle 34 has a single power and data connector
`40 for coupling power (via cable 22) and data (via cable 12)
`to the portable phone 14.
`Combining the RF communication and power
`requirements, it Soon becomes apparent that a user of any
`one of the previously described communication Systems will
`need a portable computer 10, a power cord 22 for Supplying
`external power to computer 10, a portable phone 14 or RF
`module 16, a power cable 22 for Supplying external power
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`Currently, the most common form of Short distance wire
`less communication between a personal computer (“PC”)
`and a wireleSS communication enabled electronic device is
`infrared (“IR) communication. IR communication, however,
`has shortcomings in being a very Short distance communi
`cation technique (typically a few meters at best) and requires
`an uninterrupted line of sight between RF ports on both
`devices. Both of the limitations associated with IR commu
`nication are problematic in the modern world of portable
`electronic devices.
`Another form of wireleSS communication is radio fre
`quency (“RF) communication. Some legacy type architec
`ture computers incorporate an IR port and circuitry to
`Support IR communication. For Short distance wireleSS
`applications, a legacy type computer can be combined with
`a portable phone (of the type used for short distance com
`munication around the home or office-a traditional cellular
`phone is not acceptable for this purpose due to power,
`frequency and operational expense requirements) via a cable
`or direct connection to give the computer the ability to
`communicate with another electronic device (typically
`another computer) via RF communication from the portable
`phone to a receiver Spaced a short distance away. FIG. 1
`illustrates a prior art embodiment of a legacy architecture
`portable computer 10 that is coupled via a cable 12 to a
`portable telephone 14, as required by Such a System. Por
`table telephone 14 provides RF transceiver functionality for
`portable computer 10. FIG. 2 illustrates another prior art
`embodiment of a short distance RF communication System
`in which a legacy architecture portable computer 10 is
`coupled via a data cable 12 to a dedicated short distance RF
`communication module or device 16 (i.e., which is able to
`transmit and receive RF signals over a short distance-e.g.,
`up to 10 meters). RF module or device 16 has an antenna 18
`and RF circuitry 20 (typically transceiver functionality)
`coupled to antenna 18. In both of the systems disclosed in
`FIGS. 1 and 2, there are two electronic apparatus and a
`coupling cable that a user must keep together.
`In addition to the above, portable computer 10, portable
`phone 14 and RF module or device 16 (as well as all
`electronic devices) each require a power Source for proper
`operation. While one or more of these devices may derive its
`power Solely from batteries, the more common and practical
`practice is to have each device derive its power from
`batteries while the device is in a portable mode and from a
`power cord coupled to a conventional power Supply when
`the device is near a permanent power supply. FIGS. 3 and 4
`illustrate the systems of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, in
`which portable computer 10, portable phone 14 and RF
`device 16 obtain their power from a power cord 22 coupled
`to a conventional power Supply 24 (Such as a power
`receptacle-for example, 110 VAC). Devices having an
`input Voltage requirement less than the Supply Voltage may
`also have a step down transformer or Voltage reducing
`
`15
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`to portable phone 14 or RF module 16, and a data cable 14
`for coupling portable computer 10 to portable telephone 14
`or RF module 16-for a total of two electronic devices, two
`power cords and a data cable. For the recharging cradle
`embodiments-a total of three electronic devices, two
`power cords and a data cable are required.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The invention disclosed herein comprises a method of
`using a mobile device-charging cradle to enable short dis
`tance wireleSS RF communication between a personal com
`puter and at least one other short distance wireleSS RF
`communication enabled electronic device. In a preferred
`embodiment of the invention, a short distance wireleSS radio
`(transceiver-Bluetooth in this example) and antenna are
`added to a charging cradle to produce a combination charg
`ing and Short distance wireleSS communication enabled
`cradle which is coupled via a data cable to a personal
`computer. The short distance wireless (in this case RF)
`communication enabled cradle enables a System in which a
`legacy architecture personal computer may communicate
`with other short distance RF communication enabled elec
`tronic devices. Such communication is enabled whether or
`not another RF communication enabled portable electronic
`device is coupled to the cradle.
`In another embodiment of the invention, a universal Serial
`bus “USB' in a computer as a power source for the previ
`ously described cradle. In one embodiment, a data/power
`cable couples a computer having an external USB connector
`to the Short distance wireleSS communication enabled cradle.
`The cable includes electronic circuitry for converting the
`voltage level Supplied by the USB to a voltage level usable
`by the cradle-including its Bluetooth radio and any periph
`eral electronic device that may be coupled to the cradle.
`Advantages of the above-described embodiments of the
`invention include: elimination of the need to purchase a
`Bluetooth enabled computer in order to enable Bluetooth
`communications between a non-Bluetooth enabled com
`puter and another Bluetooth enabled electronic device;
`elimination of the need to purchase a Bluetooth enabled
`computer in order to enable Bluetooth communications
`between a Bluetooth enabled computer having disabled or
`disabled Bluetooth capability with another Bluetooth
`enabled electronic device; elimination of the need for a
`Second power cable when the computer and the cradle are
`used together-Saving both cost of acquiring the additional
`power cable and travel Space; a reduction from two dedi
`cated power Sources (one for computer and one for the
`cradle) to one (for the computer only); and a convenient way
`to Supply power to the cradle from the computer's batteries
`when no external power Source is available for either device.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The novel features believed characteristic of the invention
`are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself,
`however as well as other features and advantages thereof,
`will be best understood by reference to the detailed descrip
`tion which follows, read in conjunction with the accompa
`nying drawings, wherein:
`60
`FIG. 1 illustrates a data cable coupling a portable com
`puter to a cellular telephone.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a data cable coupling a portable com
`puter to a dedicated Short distance RF communication
`module or device.
`65
`FIG. 3 illustrates a data cable coupling a portable com
`puter to a cellular telephone; a first power cable coupling the
`
`45
`
`50
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`55
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`4
`computer to a dedicated AC power Supply, and a Second
`power cable coupling the cellular phone to a dedicated AC
`power Supply.
`FIG. 4 illustrates a data cable coupling a portable com
`puter to a dedicated Short distance RF communication
`module or device; a first power cable coupling the computer
`to a dedicated AC power Supply; and a Second power cable
`coupling the dedicated Short distance RF communication
`module or device to a dedicated AC power Supply.
`FIG. 5 illustrates a battery pack being recharged in a
`dedicated battery recharger.
`FIG. 6 illustrates a cellular phone recharging in a cradle
`which itself is coupled to a dedicated power Supply via a
`power cable.
`FIG. 7 illustrates a cradle for a cellular phone in which the
`cradle has a first connector coupled to a dedicated power
`Supply via a power cable and a Second connector coupled to
`a data Source (computer) via a data cable.
`FIG. 8 illustrates a system in which a data cable couples
`a portable computer to a cradle upon which a cellular phone
`is resting and recharging, a power cable couples the portable
`computer to a dedicated AC power Supply; and a power
`cable coupling the cradle to a dedicated AC power Supply.
`FIG. 9 illustrates a system in which a data cable couples
`a portable computer to a cradle having a Single data/power
`connector upon which a cellular phone may rest and/or
`recharge, a power cable couples the portable computer to a
`dedicated AC power Supply; and a power cable coupling the
`cradle to a dedicated AC power Supply.
`FIG. 10 illustrates a system in which a data cable couples
`a portable computer to a cradle having a Bluetooth radio and
`a data connector and a power connector upon which a
`cellular phone may rest and/or recharge, a power cable
`couples the portable computer to a dedicated AC power
`Supply, and a power cable coupling the cradle to a dedicated
`AC power Supply.
`FIG. 11 illustrates the system of FIG. 10 further including
`one technique for coupling the components within the
`cradle.
`FIG. 12 is a high-level block diagram of a system in which
`a data cable couples a personal computer to a cradle incor
`porating a Bluetooth radio.
`FIG. 13 is the high-level block diagram of FIG. 12 further
`including another Bluetooth radio to which the Bluetooth
`radio in the cradle communicates.
`FIG. 14 is the high-level block diagram of FIG. 13 further
`including a mobile device without a Bluetooth radio being
`coupled to the cradle.
`FIG. 15 illustrates the system of FIG. 10 further including
`a non-Bluetooth enabled cellular telephone resting in the
`cradle and being coupled to the cradle's power and data
`COnnectOrS.
`FIG. 16 is the high-level block diagram of FIG. 13 further
`including a mobile device incorporating a Bluetooth radio
`being coupled to the cradle.
`FIG. 17 illustrates the system of FIG. 10 further including
`a Bluetooth enabled cellular telephone resting in the cradle
`and being coupled to the cradle's power and data connectors.
`FIG. 18 illustrates a high level block diagram of the
`relevant portions of personal computer 10 that enable the
`computer to communicate with a Bluetooth radio in a cradle.
`FIG. 19 is a high-level block diagram of the relevant
`elements of a cradle.
`FIG. 20 illustrates a portable computer equipped with at
`least one universal serial bus “USB' connector.
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`FIG. 21 illustrates a bus topology for a universal serial
`bus.
`FIG. 22 illustrates a USB cable.
`FIG. 23 illustrates a low-power bus-powered function.
`FIG. 24 illustrates a high-power bus-powered function.
`FIG. 25 illustrates a system in which a data/power cable
`couples a portable computer to a cradle having a Bluetooth
`radio and a data connector and a power connector upon
`which a cellular phone may rest and/or recharge and a power
`cable couples the portable computer to a dedicated AC
`power Supply, according to another embodiment of the
`invention.
`FIG. 26 illustrates the system of FIG. 25 further including
`one technique for coupling the components within the
`cradle.
`FIG. 27 illustrates a connector that couples a data/power
`cable to the USB connector of a computer.
`FIG. 28 illustrates a system in which a first data/power
`cable couples a portable computer to a module having
`electronic circuitry, a Second data/power cable couples the
`module to a cradle having a Bluetooth radio and a data
`connector and a power connector upon which a cellular
`phone may rest and/or recharge and a power cable couples
`the portable computer to a dedicated AC power Supply,
`according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
`FIG. 29 illustrates the system of FIG. 25 in which a
`combined data/power connector replaces the Separate data
`and power connectors in the cradle, according to Still yet
`another embodiment of the invention.
`
`5
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`15
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`25
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`6
`telephone that includes a transceiver and antenna to com
`municate with cellular telephone base Stations, but is not
`otherwise enabled to communicate with low power short
`distance wireless devices. FIG. 15 illustrates a system imple
`mentation of the block diagram of FIG. 14.
`FIG. 16 illustrates the system of FIG. 13 further including
`a mobile device with a Bluetooth radio 54. In this particular
`embodiment, mobile device 54 is a cellular telephone that
`includes a transceiver and antenna to communicate with
`cellular telephone base Stations and includes a transceiver
`and antenna to communicate with low power short distance
`wireless devices. FIG. 17 illustrates a system implementa
`tion of the block diagram of FIG. 16.
`FIG. 18 illustrates a high level block diagram of the
`relevant portions of personal computer 10 that enable the
`computer to communicate with the Bluetooth radio in cradle
`46. Computer 10 includes a bus driver 56 (one example
`being shown on FIG. 3, page 12, of the WinHEC 99 White
`Page Bluetooth Radio System Overview, hereby incorpo
`rated by reference). RF Communication 58 emulates a serial
`port to personal computer 10 (or, as an alternative, it can
`interface to the Network Transport Protocols, as shown in
`FIG. 3 of the WinHEC 99 White Page Bluetooth Radio
`System Overview). As a result, a PC application program
`mer only Sees the Serial port, not the Bluetooth connection
`that is behind the serial port. Computer 10 also requires
`Bluetooth profiles 60, such as found in the Bluetooth Profile
`Specification, which can be found at www.Bluetooth.com or
`www.Bluetooth.net, hereby incorporated by reference,
`which are applications that insure compatibility between
`devices-not just at the physical layer or protocol layer, but
`compatibility at the application layer So that if, for example,
`data Synchronization is required, the computer knows how
`to do data synchronization with mobile device 54 (see for
`example, FIG. 21 in the Profile Stack section on page 171 of
`the Bluetooth Profile Specification). Computer 10 can be
`enhanced by the addition of an application 60 that enables
`the user to configure, control, and use all Bluetooth devices
`that are connected to a computer (e.g., application Such as
`Bluetooth Advisor-see WinHEC 99 White Paper submitted
`here with, or Bluetooth Neighborhood-see also
`www.Bluetooth.net). In the event that computer 10 is to be
`coupled to cradle 46 via a Universal Serial Bus “USB, the
`computer 10 also requires a USB driver 62 in addition to a
`PC operating system 61, such as Microsoft's Windows 98.
`FIG. 19 is a high-level block diagram of the relevant
`elements of cradle 46. As with computer 10, cradle 46
`requires a bus driver. If computer 10 is to be coupled to
`cradle 46 via a Universal Serial Bus “USB', cradle 46 will
`require a USB driver 62. Next, USB driver 62 is coupled to
`HCI 64 (which is a set of commands that describes how the
`cradle communicates with the computer-an example of
`which can also be see in HCI USB Transport Layer
`addendum to the HCI document-in particular FIG. 1.2 on
`page 753 of the Bluetooth Specification Version 1.08, hereby
`incorporated by reference-or in general Host Controller
`Interface Functional Specification page 516–748, also incor
`porated by reference). USB driver 62 and HCI 64 (host
`controller I/F for interpreting the Bluetooth software module
`high level commands) are further coupled to a Link Manager
`(carries control information exchange between the Link
`Manager master and slave-one example being shown on
`page 77 or the Bluetooth Baseband Specification-see also
`pages 191-244) and a Link Controller 66 (carries low level
`link control information like ARQ flow control and payload
`characterization-one example being shown on page 77 of
`the Bluetooth Baseband Specification and otherwise dis
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`The communications industry has adopted the Bluetooth
`Specification as a recommended communications technique
`for short distance wireleSS RF communication applications.
`The Bluetooth Specification can be found at www.Blue
`tooth.com or www.Bluetooth.net. FIG. 10 discloses a pre
`ferred embodiment of the invention in which an antenna 42
`and an RF transceiver or radio 44 (a Bluetooth radio in the
`preferred embodiment, but could also be any other RF
`transceiver having a low power transmitter capable of short
`distance transmissions of less than 100 m) are added to a
`charging cradle (such as charging cradle 34) to produce a
`combination charging and short distance communication (in
`this case Bluetooth) enabled cradle 46. FIG. 11 illustrates
`one technique for coupling the data cable 12 to a USB hub
`43. USB hub 43 is coupled to radio 44 and to data connector
`38. Power line 22 is coupled to power connector 36 and
`radio 44.
`Short distance RF communication enabled cradle 46
`enables a System in which a legacy architecture personal
`computer 10 (to which it is coupled) to communicate to
`other Short distance RF communication enabled electronic
`devices. Such communication is enabled whether or not
`another RF communication enabled portable electronic
`device is coupled to cradle 46. FIG. 12 is a high-level block
`diagram of a System comprising personal computer 10, data
`cable 12 and cradle 46. FIG. 13 illustrates the high level
`block diagram of the system of FIG. 12 further including
`another short distance RF communication device 50, Such as
`a computer System, PDA, keyboard, etc., which can com
`municate with Short distance RF communication enabled
`system 48. FIG. 14 illustrates the system of FIG. 13 further
`including a mobile device without a Bluetooth radio 52. In
`this particular embodiment, mobile device 52 is a cellular
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`cussed in the Bluetooth Baseband Specification) and to a
`Bluetooth Base Band processor 68 (such as a BSN 6020
`Base Band processor available from Texas Instruments). In
`this particular embodiment of the invention, the Blue tooth
`applications do not run on the phone. For example, on
`computer 10, you can implement an application called
`“Bluetooth Advisor” or something similar. At the control
`panel, you might have an icon “Bluetooth Advisor” which,
`when Selected, utilizes a data Sync profile to work with a
`service discovery profile, which would list all of the devices
`around computer 10 that are Bluetootli devices. All of the
`Bluetooth software stack below HCI is performed by the
`Bluetooth radio on cradle 46. The Software below the host
`controller interface is run on the radio in cradle 46. The rest
`is run on computer 10's processor. The result to computer 10
`is the same as if computer 10 were itself short distance RF
`wireleSS communication enabled. An advantage of the
`present invention is that it enables Legacy architecture
`computers (PC without Bluetooth) to now become Blue
`tooth enabled. It also enables a Bluetooth enabled computer,
`having a defective or disabled Bluetooth capability, to
`become Bluetooth enabled.
`In a preferred embodiment of the invention, computer 10
`communicates with cradle 46 via a Universal Serial Bus.
`FIG. 20 illustrates a portable computer 70 equipped with at
`least one universal serial bus “USB' connector 72. USB
`connector 72 is coupled to a USB within computer 70 (not
`shown). Universal serial bus is defined in the Universal
`Serial Bus Specification Revision 1.1, Sep. 23, 1998, incor
`porated herein by reference. FIG. 21 illustrates a bus topol
`ogy of the USB. The USB connects USB devices with the
`USB host. The USB physical interconnect is a tiered star
`topology. A hub is at the center of each star. Each wire
`Segment is a point-to-point connection between the host and
`a hub or function, or a hub connected to another hub or
`function. There is only one host in any USB system. The
`USB interface to the host computer system is referred to as
`the Host Controller. The Host Controller may be imple
`mented in a combination of hardware, firmware, or Software.
`A root hub is integrated within the host System to provide
`one or more attachment points.
`USB devices are one of the following: hubs, which
`provide additional attachment points to the USB; or
`functions, which provide capabilities to the System, Such as
`an ISDN connection, a digital joystick, Speakers, etc. USB
`devices present a standard USB interface in terms of the
`following: their comprehension of the USB protocol; their
`response to Standard USB operations, Such as configuration
`and reset, and their Standard capability descriptive informa
`tion.
`The USB transfers signal and power over a four-wire
`cable, shown in FIG. 22. The signal occurs over two wires
`on each point-to-point Segment. There are two data rates: the
`USB full-speed signal bit rate is 12 Mb/s; and a limited
`capability low-Speed Signal mode is also defined at 1.5 Mb/s.
`The low-speed mode requires less EMI protection. Both
`modes can be supported in the same USB bus by automatic
`dynamic mode Switching between transferS. The low-speed
`mode is defined to support a limited number of low
`bandwidth devices, Such as mice, because general use would
`degrade buS utilization. The clock is transmitted, encoded
`along with the differential data. The clock-encoding Scheme
`is NRZI with bit stuffing to ensure adequate transitions. A
`SYNC field precedes each packet to allow the receiver(s) to
`Synchronize their bit recovery clockS. The cable also carries
`Vbus is nominally +5 V at the source. The USB allows cable
`Segments of variable lengths, up to Several meters, by
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`choosing the appropriate conductor gauge to match the
`Specified IR drop and other attributes Such as device power
`budget and cable flexibility. In order to provide guaranteed
`input voltage levels and proper termination impedance,
`biased terminations are used at each end of the cable. The
`terminations also permit the detection of attach and detach
`at each port and differentiate between full-speed and low
`Speed devices.
`There are also both low and high power bus-powered
`functions. A low power function is one that draws up to one
`unit load from