Abstract:
A communications device for interfacing a computer to a cellular telephone which includes memory, voicemail, caller identification and a display screen includes a housing accessible to a human operator, a telephone interface attached to the housing to communicatively connect to the cellular telephone, a telephone connection to connect to a telephone line; and means for uploading the voicemail of the cellular telephone via the telephone connection and telephone interface to the memory of the cellular telephone. Attaching the cellular telephone to the telephone interface actuates the uploading of the voicemail of the cellular telephone to the memory of the cellular telephone for display in the display screen of the cellular telephone.

Description:
RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/165,315, “Cellular Telephone Accessory Device for a Personal Computer System”, filed Nov. 12, 1999 by Tommyca Freadman, incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to the input and output of data from a computer, particularly, computers having the ability to send and receive data from a cellular telephone. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Personal computers and cellular telephones have become indispensable tools for managing one&#39;s affairs in the contemporary business environment. Cellular telephones, because they are mobile, allow the user to send and receive phone calls from anywhere within the range of a cellular transmission tower. This greatly facilitates communication since parties are no longer tied to desk phones or pay phones. Contemporary cellular phones support many features to optimize their use, such as internal memory to support voicemail and email, and synchronization interfaces so that they may be connected to a computer. A list of callers and the contents of voicemail or email messages may be displayed in the phone&#39;s display screen, and a typical phone possesses buttons that allow the user to scroll through a list and select a number or person to call. Many phones will also support a task list of reminders for the user that may be displayed in the display screen. Because of the limited number of keys on a phone, the user will usually enter this information on a personal computer and then download it to the cellular phone via the synchronization connection. However, the memory on the cellular phone is limited, and this in turn limits the amount of information that may be downloaded to the phone, as well as the length of the voicemail or email messages it may store. The synchronization of data between cellular phones and personal computers is well known in the art. One type of synchronization is the HotSync technology by 3Com. 
     The above methods of entering information to the cellular phone require keyboard entry by the user. An easier method would be for the user to talk directly to the phone, and have the phone interpret the speaker&#39;s words. Cellular phones, however, do not currently possess the computing power to recognize speech and convert the audio signal to text. On the other hand, such software technology is available for personal computers and is well known in the art. Furthermore, computers possess the memory for maintaining lists with more information, such as lists of incoming phone calls along with messages of essentially unlimited length, and detailed task lists. 
     Thus, there is a need for a method and a system to integrate a cellular telephone with a personal computer so that the computer can handle the memory-intensive and computational-intensive tasks that the phone cannot handle, and for the computer and phone to interact and communicate with each other so that the phone may access the data stored on the computer and the user may control the phone by voice. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need to easily manage the functionality of a cellular telephone by means of a personal computer. In particular, the present invention is directed to an interface apparatus to which a cellular telephone may be attached so that it may communicate with the apparatus and a host computer. The invention is also directed to a means for a cellular telephone attached to the interface to perform as a speakerphone. One feature of the invention is a means and apparatus for maintaining a list of incoming phone calls, including the name and number of the caller, the time of the call, any message left by the caller, and a means for automatically displaying this list on the cellular telephone and replaying the messages. Another feature is a means for the attached cellular phone to display the number and caller of an incoming non-cellular phone call. Additional features of the present invention include means for the automatic dialing of outgoing calls, managing conference calls, and the maintenance of a task list. The invention also includes speech recognition means for voice control of the apparatus and of selecting outgoing phone calls and maintaining a task list. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a view of one embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 a  shows a view of one embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention with a cellular telephone attached. 
     FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram of the circuitry of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The accessory device of the present invention is connected to a computer and comprises a housing for enclosing and supporting internal elements. These elements include: (1) a microprocessor for interfacing the accessory device to the host computer; (2) a software program resident in the host computer for managing the functions of the accessory device, and for recognizing and acting on voice commands and voice data input; (3) a bidirectional interface device to which a cellular telephone may be attached; (4) various input means to input commands into the accessory device to control various functions, including recording messages, replaying messages, playing messages at a future date, saving messages, displaying the phone list, conference calls, displaying the task list, and replicating the functions of a telephone keypad; (5) a pointer device for choosing and selecting options performed in conjunction with the computer; (6) an audio input device for a user to input audio information to the accessory device; (7) an audio output device for a user to receive audio information from the accessory device; and (8) a means for connecting to a phone line. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connection to the computer is by means of a universal serial bus (USB) cable, although other types of connection, such as an RS 232 serial connection, a parallel connection, or a wireless connection, are of course possible. The USB connection is a preferred connection because it permits peripherals to be plugged in and unplugged without turning the system off, and because it distributes 500 mamps of power through the port. Thus, a low-power device that would otherwise require its own power connection can be powered through the USB connection. This invention is intended for use with a cellular telephone with an interface to an external device, and preferably whose user subscribes to a caller identification service such as Caller ID. 
     A top view of one embodiment of the accessory device of the invention is depicted in FIG.  1 . The accessory device includes a housing  110  onto which a cradle  140  is attached. The cradle  140  serves as a bi-directional interface for a cellular telephone. In one preferred embodiment, the cradle  140  has hot-sync capability. In another preferred embodiment, the cradle  140  is attachable/detachable so that different cradles for different brands of telephones may be attached and removed. One commonly used brand of cellular telephone that has a data interface is the Nokia 6160. The housing also contains internal circuitry interconnecting the various elements of the device. A block diagram of the circuitry is depicted in FIG. 2, described below. 
     FIG. 1 a  depicts this embodiment of the invention with cellular phone  200  attached to the cradle  140 , and illustrates the relationship of the housing  110  of the device with host computer  100 . The host computer  100  to which the accessory device is connected via a USB cable  171  can be any type of personal computer, including those machines based on Intel&#39;s Pentium processor or similar CPU running Microsoft Windows, Apple&#39;s Macintosh, a Unix-based workstation, or even a mainframe. The computer  100  is preferably equipped with a sound board with an attached digital signal processor for the processing of audio signals. The host computer  100  is provided with software to process signals received from the accessory device, to control the device&#39;s functionality, and to upload a voicemail list back to the cellular telephone  200  via the USB cable, the internal circuitry of the accessory device and the cradle  140 . In a preferred embodiment, the software includes a speech recognition component that can recognize spoken voice commands and convert these commands into text strings processible by the software. Speech recognition technology is well known in the art. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the cable  171  connecting the housing  110  of the accessory device to computer  100  is identical to that used for the Audio Accessory Device, provisional patent application No. 60/165325 filed on Nov. 12, 1999 by Tommyca Freadman, incorporated herein by reference. The cable includes audio-in and audio-out components for connection to the sound board. A USB cable without the audio connections can of course be used. 
     Referring back to FIG. 1, housing  110  includes a telephone keypad  130 , further including control keys  131 ,  132 ,  133 ,  134 , to support the device&#39;s play, record, stop, and delete functions, respectively. This list of keys is illustrative, and more or fewer keys can be used, depending upon the embodiment. The keys  130  can be electromechanical switches, membrane switches or any similar type of transducer known to those skilled in the art. Depressing one of the keys  130  transmits a signal via the internal circuitry of housing  110  and the USB cable to the software resident on computer  100 , which then takes the appropriate action. Above the telephone keys  130  is a display screen  175 . In addition, a depressible rotary dial  120  is mounted on the top face of housing  110 . Rotary dial  120  is capable of selecting between various options displayed on the either the display area of cellular phone  200 , display screen  175  or the host computer&#39;s monitor and transmitting a selection signal via the internal circuitry of housing  110  and the USB cable to the software provided for host computer  100 , and to the attached cellular phone  200  via the interface of the cradle  140 . 
     Other components mounted within housing  110  include a rotary volume control knob  135 , speaker  160 , microphone  150 , and a USB connection means  170  for connection to a USB cable connecting the accessory device to the host computer  100 . In a preferred embodiment, computer  100  is equipped with a modem for connection to a land-based telephone line. Telephone signals are transmitted from the telephone keys  130  of the housing  110  to the host computer  100  via the USB cable  171 . In another embodiment, the housing includes a power connection  190  to enable recharging of the cellular telephone  200  when attached to the cradle  140 . In an alternative embodiment, the housing  110  includes both a power connection and a land-based telephone connection so that the device can operate independent of the host computer  100 . In another embodiment, the apparatus includes auxiliary audio input and audio output connections  151 ,  152 ,  153  so that separate microphones, speakers, or headphones may be used. In this embodiment, buttons  156 ,  157  are provided to selectively mute the microphone  150  and speaker  160  mounted within housing  110 . 
     When the cellular phone  200  is detached from its cradle  140 , the accessory device and its supporting software acts as a land based speaker telephone and answering machine system, since it has its own telephone connection. In conjunction with the caller identification service, the accessory device keeps a voicemail list of all incoming calls. When the accessory device receives an incoming call, a signal is transmitted to the software resident in computer  100 . The signal includes information such as the phone number and name of the caller, the time of the call, and any messages left by the caller. The software saves this information to the voicemail list maintained in a mass storage device, such as the hard drive of the host computer  100 . 
     When the cellular phone  200  is re-attached to the cradle  140 , a signal is transmitted via the bidirectional interface of cradle  140 , the internal circuitry of the accessory device and the USB cable to the software in computer  100 , instructing the software to upload this list to the phone  100  so that the list can be displayed on cellular phone&#39;s display area. In addition, the software initiates a connection to the voicemail service of cellular phone  200  so the contents of that list can be transmitted and uploaded to the cellular phone  200 . The voicemail list can also be displayed on the device&#39;s display screen  175  or on a monitor attached to computer  100 . In addition, the phone number and name of an incoming call received either on the land-based telephone line or the cellular phone  200  can be displayed in the cellular phone&#39;s display area, display screen  175 , or the monitor of computer  100 . If an incoming call is unanswered while the telephone  200  is attached to the cradle  140 , the caller information will be added to the voicemail list. 
     Once the voicemail list has been uploaded to the cellular phone  200 , the rotary dial  120  can be used to scroll through the list. Rotating dial  120  transmits a signal via the interface of cradle  140  to cellular phone  200  instructing it to move the highlight through the displayed voicemail list. Once a voicemail message has highlighted, the message can be played by pressing the play button  131  on the telephone keypad  130 , and the playback can be terminated by pressing the stop button  133 . In an alternative embodiment, the user can depress the rotary dial  140  to both start and stop the message playback. The volume of the playback can be adjusted with volume control knob  135 . A highlighted message can be deleted from the voicemail list by depressing the delete button  134 . 
     An outgoing call can be made with or without the cellular phone  200  in the cradle  140 . In either case, the accessory device, with or without the cellular phone  200  being attached, functions as a full duplex speaker telephone, with the accessory device&#39;s microphone  150  and speaker  160  substituting for those of the cellular phone  200 . If the phone  200  is in the cradle  140 , the accessory device places the call through the cellular phone  200 . If the cellular phone  100  is not in the cradle  140 , the call is placed through the land-based connection  170 . In addition, if the cellular phone  200  is in the cradle  140 , the voicemail list will appear on the cell phone&#39;s display. Otherwise, the list will appear in the device&#39;s display screen  175  or in a window on the host computer&#39;s  100  monitor. The rotary dial  120  can be rotated to move a highlight through the phone list. Once the user has highlighted the desired recipient of the call, the user presses the rotary dial  120  to initiate the call. 
     Another method of initiating a phone call is for the user to vocalize a command to call the name or number of the desired party into the microphone  150 . The microphone  150  of the accessory device converts the sounds into electronic audio signals and transmits the signals via the USB cable to the software on computer  100 . The speech recognition component of the software will convert the audio signals into a data stream recognizable by the software associated with the device so that the software can select the callee from the voicemail list and initiate the call. A third method of placing a phone call is for the user to key in the phone number on the telephone keypad  130  and then pressing rotary dial  120  to initiate the call. When the attached cellular phone  200  is in operation, the user may detach it and speak into the phone  200  directly. To terminate, the user presses the rotary dial  120  again. 
     The present invention in the embodiment described above can also be used to manage a conference call between the cellular phone connection and either another cellular phone connection or the land phone connection. To do this, the user first initiates an outgoing call as described above. Once the first call is initiated, a second call can be initiated in the same manner. In addition, the user can initiate a conference call upon receipt of an incoming call on either the cellular phone or the land-based phone by initiating an outgoing call as described above. 
     The accessory device can be used to record and play back voice messages. These recorded messages can be saved as files themselves to be replayed at a future data, or can be attached to other documents, such as email. The method and functionality for recording, saving, attaching and replaying messages is identical to that of the Audio Accessory Device, provisional patent application No. 60/165325 filed on Nov. 12, 1999 by Tommyca Freadman, previously incorporated herein by reference. Included with this functionality is the automatic adjustment of record and play back volume levels by the software executing on host computer  100 , as described in the Audio Accessory Device provisional patent application. This software embeds the volume information in the file header of the file into which the recording is saved. 
     Alternatively, the speech recognition component of the software provided with the invention can recognize spoken voice commands in lieu of the user pressing a button on the housing  110  of the device. Once again, the microphone  150  converts the sounds into signals and transmits the signals via the USB cable to the software in computer  100 . 
     One application of saving a recorded file is to add a task to a to-do list. Once the user has finished recording a task, the user presses the rotary dial, which transmits a signal to the software in computer  100 , to bring up the audio file directory dialog box and selects the to-do list option. The speech recognition component of the software executing on computer  100  converts the spoken message into a text string and adds that string to the to-do list. In an alternative embodiment, a task key can be included with keypad  130 . Pressing this key transmits a signal to the software in computer  100 , which converts the recorded message to text, adds it to the to-do list. To display the task list in the embodiment described above, the user presses the task button on the apparatus. The list is displayed in the display of the phone  200 , if the phone  200  is attached. If the phone  200  is not attached, the list is displayed in a window on the host computer. Alternatively, once the list has been displayed, a user can record a message as previously described, and when complete press the rotary dial, which transmits a signal to the software in computer  100 , to attach that message to the list. The user can specify a future date when the message should be replayed in the future. The method by which a future playback date is specified is described in the Audio Accessory Device provisional patent application. The message will be replayed over the apparatus&#39;s speaker on the specified date and time. 
     An illustrative block-level diagram of the circuitry of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.  2 . Included within the housing  110  of the accessory device is the following: a micro-controller  240 ; a USB connection  180  that connects to the host computer&#39;s USB connection via USB cable  105 ; a digital-to-analog converter  235 ; a cellular phone interface circuit  245  that connects to cellular phone  200 ; a telephone chip  230  that connects to an incoming land-based telephone line, and to an outgoing line that connects to a telephone (not pictured); an echo suppression chip  225 , which receives audio input from microphone  150  via amplifier  220 , and which sends audio output to speaker  160  via the audio processor-equalizer chip  210  and power amplifier  205 . 
     While the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is evident that numerous alternative modifications, variations and uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.