United States Patent [19J
`Weiser et al.
`
`I 1111111111111111 11111 lllll 111111111111111 11111 1111111111 111111111111111111
`US005982520A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`5,982,520
`Nov. 9, 1999
`
`[54] PERSONAL STORAGE DEVICE FOR
`APPLICATION AND DATA TRANSFER
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: Mark D. Weiser, Palo Alto; Roy Want,
`Mountain View; Stephanie L.
`Kozinski, Palo Alto; Hans-Juergen
`Boehm, San Jose, all of Calif.; Koma)
`S. Sethi, Pelham, N.Y.
`
`[73] Assignee: Xerox Corporation, Stamford, Conn.
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 08/623,436
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Mar. 28, 1996
`
`Int. Cl.6
`..................................................... H04B 10/00
`[51]
`[52] U.S. Cl. ............................................. 359/172; 359/152
`[58] Field of Search ..................................... 359/152, 172,
`359/145, 142, 143, 159; 340/825.72; 455/514,
`515
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,727,600
`4,856,090
`5,307,297
`5,343,319
`
`2/1988 Avakian .................................. 359/172
`8/1989 Kitani et al. ............................ 359/152
`4/1994 Iguchi et al. ... ... ... ... ... .... ... ... 364/708.1
`8/1994 Moore ..................................... 359/152
`
`5,359,448 10/1994 Laszlo et al. ........................... 359/180
`5,424,859
`6/1995 Cleham et al.
`......................... 359/172
`5,553,314
`9/1996 Grube et al. .............................. 379/63
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`0105540
`5/1988
`Japan ..................................... 359/172
`Primary Examiner-Rafael Bacares
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert A. Burtzlaff
`ABSTRACT
`
`[57]
`
`A personal storage device for receipt, storage, and transfer of
`digital information to other electronic devices has a pocket
`sized crush resistant casing with a volume of less than about
`ten cubic centimeters. A processor is positioned within the
`casing cavity and attached to the crush resistant casing,
`while a memory module also positioned within the casing
`cavity is configured to store received executable applications
`and data. An infrared transceiver is mounted on the crush
`resistant casing and in electronic communication with the
`processor and memory module to provide for receipt and
`storage of executable applications, and receipt, storage, and
`transfer of digital information to other electronic devices.
`The digital information stored by the personal storage device
`can be intermittently synchronized with other electronic
`devices.
`
`1 Claim, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
`16
`
`140
`
`150
`
`D
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 1 of 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 9, 1999
`
`Sheet 1 of 5
`
`5,982,520
`
`140
`
`16
`
`18
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`□ 150
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`
`142 0
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`L=_J
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 2 of 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 9, 1999
`
`Sheet 2 of 5
`
`5,982,520
`
`r- _ _{_~_
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`49
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`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 3 of 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 9, 1999
`
`Sheet 3 of 5
`
`5,982,520
`
`64
`
`62
`
`FIG. 3
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`76
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`75
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`94
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`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 4 of 11
`
`

`

`N =
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`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 5 of 11
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Nov. 9, 1999
`
`Sheet 5 of 5
`
`5,982,520
`
`Start
`
`{ 3 1 0
`
`Null Proc 351
`
`Button Save
`322
`
`Call User Fune
`326
`
`No
`
`350
`
`Yes
`
`Enable
`Rx Int
`364
`
`Transmit
`Packet
`362
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`Packet
`
`FIG. 8
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 6 of 11
`
`

`

`5,982,520
`
`1
`PERSONAL STORAGE DEVICE FOR
`APPLICATION AND DATA TRANSFER
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates to a portable electronic
`device for storage and transfer of digital data. More
`particularly, the present invention relates to personal storage
`device capable of receiving executable applications and data
`through a wireless link.
`
`BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`Currently available portable computing devices include
`laptop, notebook, subnotebook, or handheld computers, per(cid:173)
`sonal digital assistants, personal organizers, personal com(cid:173)
`municators (eg. two way pagers) or digitally readable smart
`cards. These existing portable computing devices can be
`divided into two classes based on a combination of size,
`functionality, and processing power. The first class can be
`considered to be a desktop computer replacement, and is
`typified by personal digital assistants, personal organizers,
`subnotebook, notebook, and handheld computers. These are
`relatively large devices having a processing power and
`functionality comparable to traditional desktop computers,
`but sized to permit their ready transport by a user. As would
`be expected, the small size of a personal digital assistant
`results in a somewhat reduced functionality as compared to
`desktop computers, in large part because its size permits
`only a relatively small display screen and it is unable to
`support a full sized keyboard. Other limitations in function(cid:173)
`ality are attendant to the substantial power requirements of
`the processor, attached harddrive, PCM CIA modem, cursor
`controllers, and small format keyboard or graphical input
`device ( eg., for pen based personal digital assistants). Trade(cid:173)
`offs between available battery power and performance of a
`personal digital assistant must be made, with its battery
`lifetime decreasing as communication devices are added,
`storage capacity increased, memory added, or processing
`speed enhanced. In practice, users of personal digital assis(cid:173)
`tants or laptop computers have wanted to retain a function(cid:173)
`ality that approaches a desktop computer, inevitably result(cid:173)
`ing in a powerful portable computer that is only
`intermittently available for data transfer or analysis between
`battery rechargings.
`The other class of devices, exemplified by smart cards or
`two way pagers, is not intended as a desktop computer
`replacement. Instead, such devices are optimized for transfer
`of limited amounts of application specific data. For example,
`a smartcard can be used to enable financial transactions
`through debit transfers, while a two way pager can be used
`to receive and send a limited range of preprogrammed
`responses. As compared to a personal digital assistant, smart
`cards or pagers can be extremely small, need only limited
`processing power, and require minimal battery power.
`Because of its small size, and because the battery lifetime
`can be measured in months or years, rather than hours, a user
`is much more likely to habitually carry a powered smart card
`ready for use than a bulky personal digital assistant that
`needs constant recharging or battery replacement.
`As will be appreciated, the small size and minimal power
`requirements of smart cards comes at price. Unlike personal
`digital assistants, smart cards are not generally able to
`provide a broad range of programmable functions. They are
`typically limited to a narrow range of specific tasks, such as
`credit transfers or readout of personal medical data. For
`example, reprogramming a smart card intended for a limited
`
`5
`
`2
`range of financial transactions to hold and inspect a text file
`or a spreadsheet is generally not possible.
`For transfer of small amounts of data in diverse formats,
`what is needed is a device having some of the programmable
`flexibility of a personal digital assistant, with the size and
`battery power requirements of a pager or smart card. Such
`a device is much more likely to be carried by a user than a
`personal digital assistant, and would still provide signifi(cid:173)
`cantly greater data transfer options than a smart card.
`10 Contemplated applications for a device intermediate in
`functionality and power usage between a smart card and a
`personal digital assistant include storage of long term data
`such as name, address, telephone numbers, drivers license
`number, social security number, medical information, pro-
`15 fessional qualifications, current employer, personal or cor(cid:173)
`porate web page site identifiers (URL's), e-mail addresses,
`login information, or even advertising and sales information
`such as a company product descriptions.
`Accordingly, the present invention provides for a class of
`20 devices that can be characterized as "personal storage
`devices". A personal storage device provides a subset of the
`functionality of full featured personal digital assistant (PDA)
`or laptop computer, while having a significantly smaller size
`and electrical power requirements. A personal storage device
`25 in accordance with the present invention provides for
`receipt, storage, and transfer of digital information to other
`electronic devices, typically through an infrared, optical, or
`radio link. To ensure long life and durability, the personal
`storage device has a pocket sized crush resistant casing with
`30 a casing cavity therein. A processor, display, and electrically
`connected memory module are positioned within the casing
`cavity. The processor is connected to the display and
`attached to the crush resistant casing, with the memory
`module being configured to store both received executable
`35 applications and data. In preferred embodiments, an infrared
`transceiver is mounted on the crush resistant casing and in
`electronic communication with the processor and memory
`module to provide for receipt and storage of executable
`applications, and receipt, storage, and transfer of data to
`40 other electronic devices.
`In another preferred embodiment, the present invention
`includes a system for receipt, storage, and transfer of per(cid:173)
`sonal information in digital format to other electronic
`devices. This system includes a personal storage device
`45 having a pocket sized crush resistant casing with a casing
`cavity therein, a memory module being positioned within
`the casing cavity and attached to the crush resistant casing.
`The memory module is configured to store received execut(cid:173)
`able applications and data. A first infrared transceiver is
`50 mounted on the crush resistant casing and maintained in
`electronic communication with the memory module to pro(cid:173)
`vide for receipt and storage of executable applications, and
`receipt, storage, and transfer of data to other electronic
`devices. In preferred embodiments, the personal storage
`55 device further has a request module for requesting receipt of
`executable applications or data from a personal computer or
`other electronic device connected to a second infrared
`transceiver for transmitting executable applications to the
`personal storage device in response to the request signal
`60 from the request module of the personal storage.
`Advantageously, this allows for automatic receipt of data,
`including automatic synchronization with data files main(cid:173)
`tained on a personal computer.
`A personal storage device or system in accordance with
`65 the present invention provides a user with the ability to
`customize or transfer small amounts of data (typically in the
`range of 128 kilobytes to 1 Megabyte) to many different
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 7 of 11
`
`

`

`5,982,520
`
`4
`FIG. 6 illustrates a presently preferred form for a personal
`storage device, having a plurality of buttons and thumb(cid:173)
`wheel functioning as a physical user interface, and an
`alphanumeric display for output;
`FIG. 7 is a detailed electronic schematic of the personal
`storage device illustrated in FIG. 6; and
`FIG. 8 is a detailed flow chart illustrating control logic for
`the personal storage device illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`10
`
`3
`machines for his or her use, without needing to carry a
`floppy disk, a personal digital assistant, or a laptop com(cid:173)
`puter. The personal storage device is configured to be small
`enough to be attached to a keychain or kept unobtrusively in
`a pocket, or purse. Most importantly, the personal storage 5
`device contains a small, modestly powered microprocessor,
`display, and memory subsystem that can execute commu(cid:173)
`nication protocols, accept downloadable applications or data
`"on the fly" and display, manage, process, transmit, receive,
`or encrypt data useful to a user.
`There are many uses for the personal storage device,
`transfer of personal and credit information to a merchant
`utilizing an electronic transaction system. For example, a
`user of the personal storage device may be required by a
`merchant to provide many personal details, either verbally,
`or by filling in a printed form. After receipt of this 15
`information, the information must be laboriously typed into
`the computer, subjecting it to a substantial risk of error
`through misspellings or mistyping. If a personal storage
`device were instead employed, the customer would simply
`point the device at the appropriate computer input device 20
`and accurately transfer the required name, address, and
`credit information with a single button push.
`Another contemplated use of a personal storage device is
`to enhance the ease of use of personal computers or other
`programmable electronic devices to a user. For example, 25
`current personal computer operating systems allow for the
`possibility of launching a custom set of applications, or
`providing unique interface features such as predefined icon
`positions, colors, patterns, and sound alarms. However, if
`personal computers are heavily customized, they may 30
`appear unfamiliar to other users. A personal storage device
`can eliminate problems associated with shared personal
`computers having user defined non-standard interfaces by
`transferring user identification or data that allows for recon(cid:173)
`figuration of the originally present personal computer inter- 35
`face.
`Yet another feature of a personal storage device in accor(cid:173)
`dance with the present invention is based upon its ability to
`execute small applications as well as transfer data. The
`personal storage device can be configured to be location
`sensitive, with periodic infrared transmissions used to deter(cid:173)
`mine the relative or absolute position of other infrared
`capable electronic devices. A user can then send data to
`adjacent devices, based on the personal storage devices
`ability to determine spatial proximity. This function would
`be particularly advantageous for exchange of information
`such as "business card" data in a crowded room having
`many operating personal storage devices. For example, two
`users attempting to exchange data would merely have to
`move near each other, direct an infrared output cone toward
`each other's respective personal storage devices, and
`depress a button to initiate transfer of information to the
`adjacent personal storage device.
`Additional functions, objects, advantages, and features of
`the present invention will become apparent from consider- 55
`ation of the following description and drawings of preferred
`embodiments.
`
`A wireless information transfer system 10 that utilizes a
`personal storage device 30 for facilitating exchange of
`executable applications or data between electronic devices is
`shown in FIG. 1. In the particular embodiment illustrated in
`FIG. 1, the personal storage device 30 is configured to have
`a substantially cylindrical shock and crush resistant casing
`38 that externally supports an alphanumeric output display
`34, several input buttons 32 for user control, and a wireless
`transceiver 36 for transmission and reception of digital
`information. The casing 38 is small enough to be easily
`carried on a keychain, clipped to a user's belt, or dropped in
`a user's pocket. The casing 38 typically has rectangular
`dimensions of less than five centimeters square, and less
`than about 2.5 centimeters thick, or alternatively, a circular
`diameter less than about five centimeters and a thickness of
`less than two or three centimeters. Typically, the casing 38
`will have a volume between about 10 to about 100 cubic
`centimeters, and can be constructed from aluminum, stain(cid:173)
`less steel, or crush resistant/high durability plastics.
`As can be seen by inspection of FIG. 1, the personal
`storage device 30 can be maintained in continuous or
`intermittent wireless communication with a number of suit(cid:173)
`ably equipped electronic devices, including a personal com(cid:173)
`puter 12 having monitor 14 and transceiver 140, automation
`control system 20 with transceiver 142, security authoriza-
`tion unit 21 with transceiver 144, personal digital assistant
`22 with transceiver 146, notebook computer 23 with trans-
`40 ceiver 148, or computer workstation 24 with transceiver
`150. The personal computer 12 can be connected by line 16
`to a local area network 18, for example, while the computer
`workstation 24 may be a server connected to a wide area
`network 19 through line 17. Each of these electronic devices
`45 12, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 is able to transfer of information
`to, and receive of information from, the personal storage
`device 30. In preferred embodiments wireless communica(cid:173)
`tion with the personal storage device 30 utilizes infrared
`signals adhering to widely utilized IRDA communication
`50 standards, although alternative communication standards, or
`even alternative communication carriers such as
`radiofrequency, optical, or acoustic can of course be
`employed.
`As best seen with reference to the general electronic
`schematic of FIG. 2, the casing 38 (dotted line) of the
`personal storage device 30 externally supports a user acces(cid:173)
`sible display 34, input buttons 32, and transceiver 46. The
`transceiver 46 includes a wireless receiver 47 and a wireless
`transmitter 48, for respectively receiving wireless transmis-
`60 sions 112 and sending wireless transmissions 110. Internally,
`the casing cavity 39 of casing 38 holds processor 40,
`memory 42, a real time clock 43 and input controller 44. In
`the illustrated embodiment, the display 34, clock 43,
`memory 42 and processor 40 are connected by a common
`65 data bus 45, and all components of personal storage device
`30 are powered by a low voltage (typically 3 to 6 volt) power
`source 44. The power source 44 is typically a commonly
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a schematic outline of a personal storage device
`supported by a system for receipt, storage, and transfer of
`personal information in digital format;
`FIG. 2 is an electronic schematic of a personal storage
`device;
`FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate alternative crush resistant
`casing forms, with various display and input devices respec(cid:173)
`tively shown;
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 8 of 11
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`5,982,520
`
`5
`available lithium battery, although alkaline batteries,
`rechargeable nicad batteries, or other types of batteries may
`be employed. Input from buttons 32 to the processor 40 is
`mediated through an input controller 40.
`In operation, the processor 40 is capable of running small 5
`programs or applications stored in memory 42. Processing
`speed is determined by processor clock rate, and processing
`may be intermittent to reduce power consumption. Appli(cid:173)
`cations running on processor 40 may be able to present data
`to the user on display 34 ( eg., time and date, brief messages, 10
`reminders, or acknowledgments), or can be used to send/
`receive control information from other electronic devices
`such as illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the personal
`storage device 30 may be brought into proximity of a user's
`personal computer 12. The personal storage device can be 15
`programmed to automatically send a request (by way of
`wireless transmitter 48 and signal 110) to a wireless trans(cid:173)
`ceiver connected ( typically by a serial port) to personal
`computer 12. An application(s) running on personal com(cid:173)
`puter 12 interprets the request and automatically sends the 20
`appropriate information to the personal storage device, con(cid:173)
`sequently updating the stored appointment or scheduling
`information in memory 42, and synchronizing data files
`between the user's personal computer and the personal
`storage device.
`As will be appreciated, similar transfer, synchronization,
`or updating of information may also occur between the
`personal storage device 30 and other suitable electronic
`devices, examples of which are illustrated in FIG. 1. Data
`can be exchanged via wireless transfer ( arrows 126 and 128, 30
`mediated by transceiver 146) to the personal digital assistant
`22, the notebook computer 23 (arrows 122 and 124, medi(cid:173)
`ated by transceiver 148), or the computer workstation 24
`(arrows 114 and 116, mediated by transceiver 150). This
`information can of course then be transferred to a computer 35
`network 18 or 19 as desired. In practice, personal storage
`device 30 can act as a convenient temporary storage device
`for digital information that needs to be transferred, for
`example, from network 18 to network 19. Alternatively, the
`personal storage device can store a user's authorization 40
`information, graphical interface customization information,
`or other access relevant information capable of simplifying
`the temporary transfer of a user from personal workstation
`12 to workstation 24. This is particularly valuable for
`organizations having offices or sites not connected in a 45
`common wide area network that may still want to provide
`computer access to temporary visitors.
`Another use for the personal storage device 30 involves
`application specific access or control of electronic devices
`that are not general purpose computers. For example, the
`personal storage device 30 can communicate with the auto(cid:173)
`mation control system 20 (arrows 134 and 136 to and from
`transceiver 142) to control, for example, lighting levels,
`temperature, or other automatable functions. Similarly, the
`personal storage device can be used in place of electronic 55
`locks or numeric keypads that secure facilities by commu(cid:173)
`nicating with security authorization unit 21 ( transceiver 144,
`arrows 130 and 132) to allow for automatic unlocking of
`doors or entranceways.
`When applications or devices are in place to permit 60
`proximity detection, the functionality of personal storage
`device 30 can be further extended. For example, if a user is
`in an environment supporting multiple wireless electronic
`devices, attempting to exchange information corresponding
`to that commonly found on business cards may result in 65
`repeated attempts to contact multiple wireless devices. This
`can be avoided if the personal storage device 30 is selected
`
`6
`to enter a mode that requires transfer to the nearest wireless
`device, rather than a specifically named device, or all
`devices in a room. In practice, exchange of electronic
`"business cards" with another user of a personal storage
`device (personal storage device 60, with transceiver 149,
`and wireless communication indicated by arrows 118 and
`120) would only require that the exchanging users' move
`adjacent to each other, and trigger a button specified by an
`executable application running of the personal storage
`device. The personal storage device 30 can determine the
`spatial locations of eligible wireless electronic devices, and
`send the required data to the nearest wireless electronic
`device, in this case the personal storage device 60. The
`respective users of personal storage device 30 and personal
`storage device 60 can later transfer the information into an
`address and contact database running on their respective
`desktop personal computer 12 and workstation 24.
`Advantageously, the use of wireless digital transfer in accor(cid:173)
`dance with the present invention reduces the chance of error
`inherent in any transcription of paper based business card
`information to digital format.
`As will be appreciated, the exact form, user interface, and
`contents of a personal storage device in accordance with the
`present invention can be widely varied to suit the needs of
`25 a user. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates a roughly pen shaped
`personal storage device 70 optimized for clipping to a shirt
`pocket. Two buttons 64 and a slide 65 provide user input,
`with an infrared transceiver 66 being used for wireless
`communication, and display 62 used for showing brief
`messages or confirmations. Alternatively, a somewhat larger
`form factor rectangular personal storage device 70 more
`suitable for clipping to a user's belt is illustrated in FIG. 4.
`Device 70 is controlled with buttons 74 and a thumbwheel
`75, with a much larger (as compared to device 60) display
`72 being available to display information received through
`transceiver 76. Yet another form for a personal storage
`device 80, that of a circular disk, is illustrated in FIG. 5.
`Again, this device supports a transceiver 86 and buttons 84,
`with marked arrow buttons 85 being used for scrolling
`through lists on display 82. As will be appreciated by
`consideration of the foregoing embodiments, a wide variety
`of embodiments, including embodiments having non(cid:173)
`utilitarian or decorative aspects, can present a suitable
`physical form for supporting functionality of a personal
`storage device.
`A presently preferred personal storage device 90 is illus(cid:173)
`trated in FIG. 6. This illustrated embodiment is a rectangular
`solid, having dimensions of about 4 centimeters wide, 2.5
`centimeters long, and about 1 centimeter thick, giving a
`50 volume of about 10 cubic centimeters. This size is much
`smaller than typical personal digital assistant, which typi(cid:173)
`cally have a volume greatly in excess of 100 cubic
`centimeters, and dimensions much greater than the "key
`chain" or pocket sized form of the present device. Personal
`storage device 90 supports a two line alphanumeric display
`92. Commonly available inexpensive displays permit pre(cid:173)
`sentation of sixteen alphanumeric characters on each line,
`but more expensive displays having twenty or more alpha(cid:173)
`numeric characters can of course be used if needed. Buttons
`94 can be used for initiation and control of tasks such as
`menu selection, program execution, data transmission, or list
`scrolling. In addition, it is possible to provide analog input
`devices such as a touch sensitive strip 98 to provide a user
`with additional control options.
`An electronic schematic of the personal storage device 90
`is illustrated in FIG. 7. In preferred embodiments, most
`elements are mounted on a circuit board that is later posi-
`
`Ex.1014
`APPLE INC. / Page 9 of 11
`
`

`

`5,982,520
`
`7
`tioned in a protected pos1t10n within the crush resistant
`casing, with user interface elements such as a display screen
`92 and buttons 94 projecting from the casing cavity to permit
`user access. In one preferred embodiment, the processor 240
`consists of a low power microcontroller, such as the 8051
`type microcontroller, the memory 242 is a low power CMOS
`RAM having 128 KB of storage, and the clock 243 is a
`standard clock such as the PCF8593 by Philips. A 32
`character display 92 having two rows of characters 16
`characters in length is also provided, with the display 92,
`memory 242, and clock 243 controlled by processor 240
`through a control bus 255. Addresses and data are passed
`along a data bus 245. Wireless transmission and reception of
`data and executable applications is provided by infrared
`transceiver 96, which includes transmitting LED and con(cid:173)
`nected infrared transmitter driver 248, and a receiving LED
`and infrared receiver amplifier 247 connected to processor
`240. Auditory signaling is also enabled by provision of a
`piezoelectric speaker 250 connected to processor 240. This
`can be used to provide tones that signal certain states of the
`device 90 to the user or with suitable Pulse Position Modu(cid:173)
`lation (PPM) can generate telephone quality DTMF tones
`for the purpose of dialing numbers contained in stored data.
`Higher quality DTMF tones can be produced by a standard
`part (PCD3312) connected to the control bus and drive the
`piezoelectric speaker 250 directly.
`A reset control module 252 is connected to the processor.
`When the processor 240 enables the reset control module
`252, any switch press signal received from switch interface
`249 resets the state of the processor 240. Reset can also
`occur by manual activation of a reset switch 254. User 30
`control of the personal storage device occurs primarily
`through operation of switches 94, which are connected to the
`switch interface 249. Additional user control can be pro(cid:173)
`vided by a touch sensitive strip, thumbwheel, or other device
`connected to a analog to digital converter 98 (which may be,
`for example, a PCF8591 converter by Philips). Power to the
`foregoing electronic elements is provided by batteries 244,
`typically consisting of a pair of 3 volt lithium cells, or
`alternatively, by a single 3 volt lithium cell and an attached
`3 volt to 5 volt converter.
`Operation of the foregoing embodiment of a personal
`storage device 90 is illustrated with reference to FIG. 7. The
`8051 microcontroller has a built-in power-down mode of
`operation utilized by the device 90. When the device 90 is
`not in use receiving information, processing data, or trans(cid:173)
`mitting information, it is maintained in a power-down mode
`to conserve the limited available power supply. To bring the
`device 90 out of this power down mode, reset control
`module 252 must be triggered. The switch interface 249 is
`designed to detect any switch press and initiate a reset to the
`processor 240, at which point it will execute code that
`disables further reset signals from the switch interface
`module 249 by asserting the reset inhibit control signal 253.
`Once in the powered up state, all the processor peripherals
`(eg. display 92, transceiver 96) are powered-up, and a timer
`is started. If there is no communication, or switch activity,
`for a set period of time (currently about 45 seconds) the
`processor 240 will disable the reset inhibit control signal
`253, turn off all the processor peripherals, and enter the
`power-down mode by setting a bit in the processor's 240 60
`PCON register. In addition to this switch based reset
`procedure, the processor 240 can also receive a reset signal
`as the result of applying power (for example, by changing
`the batteries) or pressing a manual reset button accessible in
`emergencies through a small hole in the case of device 90.
`After the power-up activity the device 90 enters a main
`polling loop 310 as illustrated in FIG. 8. This main polling
`
`8
`loop waits for switch presses, or the reception of a packet of
`data through the LED and infrared (IR) receiver amplifier
`247 of infrared transceiver 96 in FIG. 7. Alternatively, the
`main polling loop 310 can respond to a registered user
`5 defined procedure. Received IR packets are processed
`through the interrupt routine of processor 240 of FIG. 7. The
`LED and IR receiver amplifier 247 convert pulses of IR light
`into corresponding electrical pulses that are fed into an
`interrupt pin of the processor. The format of these pulses
`10 conforms to the physical and link layer formats (IrLAP)
`described in the industry standard Infrared Data Association
`IrDA specification, version 1.0, the disclosure of which is
`herein specifically incorporated by reference. As the bits are
`received the interrupt procedure is called for each one,
`15 resulting in the assemblage of received bits into bytes, and
`bytes into a packet, whereupon the main loop 310 of FIG. 8
`is notified.
`As seen in FIG. 8, after packet reception 312 the packet
`is examined for a valid IrLAP packet format, including a
`20 checksum 314 to establish data integrity, evaluation of
`device address 316, and check of packet format 318. If any
`of these tests fail and a valid packet was not received, the
`buttons on the device 90 are scanned for button presses (scan
`button 320). If a button was pressed, the last button state is
`25 saved (button save 322). This button state can be passed on
`to determine if a user definable function was being invoked
`(user func set 324 and call user func 326), whereupon the
`device 90 returns to start to wait for additional reception of
`packets.
`In the alternative, if a valid packet was received that
`passes tests 312, 314, 316, 318/,