Patent Publication Number: US-8977320-B2

Title: Mobile wireless communications device with user navigation using an antenna and related methods

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of input devices, and, more particularly, to input devices for wireless communications devices and related methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Cellular communication systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular telephones allow users to place and receive phone calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as available cellular telephone technology has increased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-function devices usually allow users to wirelessly send and receive electronic mail (email) messages and access the internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example. 
     In the earliest cellular devices, the device included a numeric keyboard and small display for operation of the device. As cellular devices packaged more functionality therein, the typical numeric keypad gave way to the alphanumeric keypad, thereby allowing a user to readily enter full linguistic text. Another consequence of the expansion of cellular device functionality is the desire to increase display size and resolution. A typical tradeoff during design of cellular devices is the exchange of space between the display and the keypad. This design tradeoff may be more problematic as users demand smaller devices that are easier and more convenient to carry. 
     An approach to this design tradeoff is to include a touch screen input in the cellular device. In other words, this approach leans the aforementioned design tradeoff greatly in favor of the display by removing the keypad entirely as an input device, thereby providing the user with a larger display. Nevertheless, a potential drawback to these touch screen cellular devices is the lack of tactile feedback during input. Another approach is to include a touchless input device in the cellular device. For example, the cellular device may include a front facing camera which monitors the movement of the user&#39;s hand, thereby permitting touchless input. A drawback to this approach is that it is computationally intensive, which may be undesirable on a cellular device with limited battery power. Moreover, this approach may be subject to interference from backlight. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile wireless communications device. 
         FIG. 2  is a detailed schematic diagram of the display navigation input device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed schematic diagram of another embodiment of the display navigation input device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile device that may be used with the display navigation input device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a communication subsystem component of the mobile device of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is an example block diagram of a node of a wireless network. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating components of a host system in one example configuration for use with the wireless network of  FIG. 6  and the mobile device of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a mobile wireless communications device that may comprise a housing, a display carried by the housing, and a wireless transceiver carried by the housing. The mobile wireless communications device may also include a display navigation input device carried by the housing and comprising at least one antenna and at least one oscillation circuit coupled to the at least one antenna, and a controller coupled to the display, wireless transceiver, and display navigation input device. 
     More specifically, the display navigation input device may cooperate with the controller and may be configured to provide two-dimensional scrolling on the display. The at least one antenna may comprise first and second antennas, and the at least one oscillation circuit may comprise first and second oscillation circuits coupled to respective ones of the first and second antennas. 
     In some embodiments, the first and second antennas may have respective first and second different gain patterns. For example, the first and second antennas may be oriented in orthogonal directions. 
     In other embodiments, the first and second oscillation circuits may each comprise at least one inductor-capacitor (LC) oscillation circuit. For example, the at least one LC oscillation circuit may be tuned to a frequency in a range of 100 to 300 kHz. 
     Additionally, the display navigation input device may further comprise processing circuitry coupled to the at least one oscillation circuit. The processing circuitry may comprise a rectifier coupled to the at least one oscillator circuit, and an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the rectifier. Additionally, the processing circuitry may be configured to determine a user hand position value with respect to the housing based upon an output of the at least one oscillator circuit. 
     Another aspect is directed to a method of making a mobile wireless communications device. The method may include coupling a display and a wireless transceiver to be carried by a housing, coupling a display navigation input device to be carried by the housing and comprising at least one antenna, and at least one oscillation circuit coupled thereto, and coupling a controller to the display, wireless transceiver, and display navigation input device. 
     The present description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various example embodiments are shown. However, many different example embodiments may be used, and thus the description should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a mobile wireless communications device  10  is now described. The mobile wireless communications device  10  illustratively includes a housing  21 , and a display  11  carried by the housing. For example, the display  11  may comprise a high resolution large format screen and may be based upon a thin film transistor liquid crystal (TFT LCD) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or an active matrix OLED display. 
     The mobile wireless communications device  10  illustratively includes a wireless transceiver  14  carried by the housing  21 . For example, the wireless transceiver  14  may comprise a cellular transceiver. The mobile wireless communications device  10  illustratively includes a display navigation input device  15  carried by the housing  21 , a controller  13  coupled thereto, and a graphic processing unit coupled between the controller and the display  11 . Although illustrated as distinct modules, in some embodiments, the aforementioned devices may be located on a singled integrated circuit, i.e. on-chip. 
     The display navigation input device  15  illustratively includes first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas. For example, the first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas may comprise electrodes, for example, metallic electrodes. In the illustrated embodiment, the first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas are positioned in an orthogonal arrangement. Of course, in other embodiments, different positional arrangements of the first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas are possible. In some embodiments, the first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas may have respective first and second different gain patterns. 
     The display navigation input device  15  illustratively includes first  17   a  and second  17   b  oscillation circuits coupled to respective ones of the first  16   a  and second  16   b  antennas. For example, the first  17   a  and second  17   b  oscillation circuits may be tuned to a frequency in a range of 100 to 300 kHz, and may comprise inductor-capacitor (LC) “tank” circuits. In other embodiments, the display navigation input device  15  may alternatively include only one antenna and one corresponding oscillation circuit. 
     Advantageously, the display navigation input device  15  is configured to provide a touchless interface for the user. In particular, this feature is provided by the antennas  16   a - 16   b  and corresponding oscillation circuits  17   a - 17   b  cooperating with each other to detect a position of the user&#39;s hand  18 . In particular, the antennas  16   a - 16   b  and the corresponding oscillation circuits  17   a - 17   b  operate as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,661,058 to Theremin, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In particular, and as explained herein, the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuits  17   a - 17   b  varies based upon the positioning of the user&#39;s hand  18 , thereby enabling the display navigation input device  15  to transmit user input via the touchless interface. 
     Given the orthogonal arrangement of the first and second antennas in the illustrated embodiment, the display navigation input device  15  is able to detect two-dimensional movement of the user&#39;s hand  18 . More specifically, the display navigation input device  15  cooperates with the controller  13  and is configured to provide touchless two-dimensional scrolling on the display  11 . Of course, in other embodiments, the antennas  16   a - 16   b  may not be orthogonal, but merely substantially parallel to the axes of the mobile wireless communications device  10  or in yet other embodiments, another arrangement. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG. 2 , another embodiment of the display navigation input device  15 ′ is now described. In this embodiment of the display navigation input device  15 ′, those elements already discussed above with respect to  FIG. 1  are given prime notation and most require no further discussion herein. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the display navigation input device  15 ′ further includes first  17   a ′ and second  17   b ′ LC oscillation circuits, which each comprise a pair of LC “tank” circuits coupled in series. Each individual LC “tank” circuit is tuned to the same frequency, the second one thereof shorting frequencies away from the tuned frequency. Moreover, as the change in capacitance on the capacitor for the first LC “tank” circuit increases, the output of the second LC “tank” circuit decreases. 
     Additionally, the display navigation input device  15 ′ further comprises processing circuitry coupled to the LC oscillation circuits  17   a ′- 17   b ′. In particular, the first and second antennas are coupled to respective capacitors in the respective first  17   a ′ and second  17   b ′ LC oscillator circuits. The processing circuitry comprises first  18   a ′ and second  18   b ′ rectifiers coupled to respective ones of the first  17   a ′ and second  17   b ′ LC oscillator circuits, and first  19   a ′ and second  19   b ′ analog-to-digital (ADC) converters coupled to respective ones of the first and second rectifiers. In other words, the processing circuitry determines a user hand position value with respect to the housing  21 ′ based upon an output of the first  17   a ′ and second  17   b ′ LC oscillator circuits. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the positioning of the user&#39;s hand changes the charge on the capacitor, which in turn changes the oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit  17   a ′- 17   b ′. The signal from the first LC oscillator circuit  17   a ′ is fed into the first rectifier  18   a ′, which converts it into a direct current signal. The output of the first rectifier  18   a ′ is fed into the first ADC converter  19   a ′, which feeds a digital signal to the controller  13 ′. The controller  13 ′ uses the digital signal to manipulate a graphical user interface provided on the display  11 ′. 
     As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the values of the capacitors and inductors in the first  17   a ′ and second  17   b ′ LC oscillator circuits can be varied depending on the application. For example, increasing capacitance and decreasing inductance would increase range of touchless detection but reduce the resolution. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG. 3 , another embodiment of the display navigation input device  15 ″ is now described. In this embodiment of the display navigation input device  15 ″, those elements already discussed above with respect to  FIG. 2  are given double prime notation and most require no further discussion herein. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the display navigation input device  15 ″ further includes, for each antenna  16   a ″- 16   b ″, a variable oscillator  17   a ″- 17   b ″ directly coupled to the respective antenna, and a fixed oscillator  25   a ″- 25   b ″. The display navigation input device  15 ″ further includes a first mixer  26   a ″ coupled to combine the output of the first variable and fixed oscillators  17   a ″,  25   a ″, and a second mixer  26   b ″ coupled to combine the output of the second variable and fixed oscillators  17   b ″,  25   b ″. The outputs of the first and second mixers  26   a ″- 26   b ″ are respectively received by the first and second rectifier blocks  18   a ″- 18   b″.    
     Example components that may be used in the mobile wireless communications device of  FIG. 1  are further described below with reference to  FIGS. 4-7 . Generally speaking, a mobile device may be&#39;configured according to an IT policy. It should be noted that the term IT policy, in general, refers to a collection of IT policy rules, in which the IT policy rules can be defined as being either grouped or non-grouped and global or per-user. The terms grouped, non-grouped, global and per-user are defined further below. Examples of applicable communication devices include pagers, cellular phones, cellular smart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital assistants, computers, laptops, handheld wireless communication devices, wirelessly enabled notebook computers and the like. 
     The mobile device is a two-way communication device with advanced data communication capabilities including the capability to communicate with other mobile devices or computer systems through a network of transceiver stations. The mobile device may also have the capability to allow voice communication. Depending on the functionality provided by the mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with or without telephony capabilities). To aid the reader in understanding the structure of the mobile device and how it communicates with other devices and host systems, reference will now be made to  FIGS. 4-7 . 
     Referring first to  FIG. 4 , shown therein is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile device  100 . The mobile device  100  includes a number of components such as a main processor  102  that controls the overall operation of the mobile device  100 . Communication functions, including data and voice communications, are performed through a communication subsystem  104 . The communication subsystem  104  receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network  200 . In this example embodiment of the mobile device  100 , the communication subsystem  104  is configured in accordance with the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is used worldwide and it is expected that these standards will be superseded eventually by Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS). New standards are still being defined, but it is believed that they will have similarities to the network behavior described herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled in the art that the example embodiments described herein are intended to use any other suitable standards that are developed in the future. The wireless link connecting the communication subsystem  104  with the wireless network  200  represents one or more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according to defined protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newer network protocols, these channels are capable of supporting both circuit switched voice communications and packet switched data communications. 
     Although the wireless network  200  associated with mobile device  100  is a GSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation, other wireless networks may also be associated with the mobile device  100  in variant implementations. The different types of wireless networks that may be employed include, for example, data-centric wireless networks, voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can support both voice and data communications over the same physical base stations. Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks (as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networks like EDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi 802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems. Examples of other voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems (PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems. 
     The main processor  102  also interacts with additional subsystems such as a Random Access Memory (RAM)  106 , a flash memory  108 , a display  110 , an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem  112 , a data port  114 , a keyboard  116 , a speaker  118 , a microphone  120 , short-range communications  122  and other device subsystems  124 . 
     Some of the subsystems of the mobile device  100  perform communication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display  110  and the keyboard  116  may be used for both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message for transmission over the network  200 , and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task list. 
     The mobile device  100  can send and receive communication signals over the wireless network  200  after required network registration or activation procedures have been completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of the mobile device  100 . To identify a subscriber, the mobile device  100  requires a SIM/RUIM card  126  (i.e., Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to be inserted into a SIM/RUIM interface  128  in order to communicate with a network. The SIM card or RUIM  126  is one type of a conventional “smart card” that can be used to identify a subscriber of the mobile device  100  and to personalize the mobile device  100 , among other things. Without the SIM card  126 , the mobile device  100  is not fully operational for communication with the wireless network  200 . By inserting the SIM card/RUIM  126  into the SIM/RUIM interface  128 , a subscriber can access all subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing and messaging such as email, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include: point of sale, field service and sales force automation. The SIM card/RUIM  126  includes a processor and memory for storing information. Once the SIM card/RUIM  126  is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface  128 , it is coupled to the main processor  102 . In order to identify the subscriber, the SIM card/RUIM  126  can include some user parameters such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage of using the SIM card/RUIM  126  is that a subscriber is not necessarily bound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM  126  may store additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well, including date book (or calendar) information and recent call information. Alternatively, user identification information can also be programmed into the flash memory  108 . 
     The mobile device  100  is a battery-powered device and includes a battery interface  132  for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries  130 . In at least some example embodiments, the battery  130  can be a smart battery with an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface  132  is coupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the battery  130  in providing power V+ to the mobile device  100 . Although current technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells may provide the power to the mobile device  100 . 
     The mobile device  100  also includes an operating system  134  and software components  136  to  146  which are described in more detail below. The operating system  134  and the software components  136  to  146  that are executed by the main processor  102  are typically stored in a persistent store such as the flash memory  108 , which may alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system  134  and the software components  136  to  146 , such as specific device applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into a volatile store such as the RAM  106 . Other software components can also be included, as is well known to those skilled in the art. 
     The subset of software applications  136  that control basic device operations, including data and voice communication applications, will normally be installed on the mobile device  100  during its manufacture. Other software applications include a message application  138  that can be any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device  100  to send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives exist for the message application  138  as is well known to those skilled in the art. Messages that have been sent or received by the user are typically stored in the flash memory  108  of the mobile device  100  or some other suitable storage element in the mobile device  100 . In at least some example embodiments, some of the sent and received messages may be stored remotely from the device  100  such as in a data store of an associated host system that the mobile device  100  communicates with. 
     The software applications can further include a device state module  140 , a Personal Information Manager (PIM)  142 , and other suitable modules (not shown). The device state module  140  provides persistence, i.e., the device state module  140  ensures that important device data is stored in persistent memory, such as the flash memory  108 , so that the data is not lost when the mobile device  100  is turned off or loses power. 
     The PIM  142  includes functionality for organizing and managing data items of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, email, contacts, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. A PIM application has the ability to send and receive data items via the wireless network  200 . PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated via the wireless network  200  with the mobile device subscriber&#39;s corresponding data items stored and/or associated with a host computer system. This functionality creates a mirrored host computer on the mobile device  100  with respect to such items. This can be particularly advantageous when the host computer system is the mobile device subscriber&#39;s office computer system. 
     The mobile device  100  also includes a connect module  144 , and an IT policy module  146 . The connect module  144  implements the communication protocols that are required for the mobile device  100  to communicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as an enterprise system, that the mobile device  100  is authorized to interface with. Examples of a wireless infrastructure and an enterprise system are given in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , which are described in more detail below. 
     The connect module  144  includes a set of APIs that can be integrated with the mobile device  100  to allow the mobile device  100  to use any number of services associated with the enterprise system. The connect module  144  allows the mobile device  100  to establish an end-to-end secure, authenticated communication pipe with the host system. A subset of applications for which access is provided by the connect module  144  can be used to pass IT policy commands from the host system to the mobile device  100 . This can be done in a wireless or wired manner. These instructions can then be passed to the IT policy module  146  to modify the configuration of the device  100 . Alternatively, in some cases, the IT policy update can also be done over a wired connection. 
     The IT policy module  146  receives IT policy data that encodes the IT policy. The IT policy module  146  then ensures that the IT policy data is authenticated by the mobile device  100 . The IT policy data can then be stored in the flash memory  106  in its native form. After the IT policy data is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policy module  146  to all of the applications residing on the mobile device  100 . Applications for which the IT policy may be applicable then respond by reading the IT policy data to look for IT policy rules that are applicable. 
     The IT policy module  146  can include a parser (not shown), which can be used by the applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases, another module or application can provide the parser. Grouped IT policy rules, described in more detail below, are retrieved as byte streams, which are then sent (recursively, in a sense) into the parser to determine the values of each IT policy rule defined within the grouped IT policy rule. In at least some example embodiments, the IT policy module  146  can determine which applications are affected by the IT policy data and send a notification to only those applications. In either of these cases, for applications that aren&#39;t running at the time of the notification, the applications can call the parser or the IT policy module  146  when they are executed to determine if there are any relevant IT policy rules in the newly received IT policy data. 
     All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to know the type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the “WEP User Name” IT policy rule is known to be a string; therefore the value in the IT policy data that corresponds to this rule is interpreted as a string. As another example, the setting for the “Set Maximum Password Attempts” IT policy rule is known to be an integer, and therefore the value in the IT policy data that corresponds to this rule is interpreted as such. 
     After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicable applications or configuration files, the IT policy module  146  sends an acknowledgement back to the host system to indicate that the IT policy data was received and successfully applied. 
     Other types of software applications can also be installed on the mobile device  100 . These software applications can be third party applications, which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device  100 . Examples of third party applications include games, calculators, utilities, etc. 
     The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device  100  through at least one of the wireless network  200 , the auxiliary I/O subsystem  112 , the data port  114 , the short-range communications subsystem  122 , or any other suitable device subsystem  124 . This flexibility in application installation increases the functionality of the mobile device  100  and may provide enhanced on-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. For example, secure communication applications may enable electronic commerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performed using the mobile device  100 . 
     The data port  114  enables a subscriber to set preferences through an external device or software application and extends the capabilities of the mobile device  100  by providing for information or software downloads to the mobile device  100  other than through a wireless communication network. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to load an encryption key onto the mobile device  100  through a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to provide secure device communication. 
     The data port  114  can be any suitable port that enables data communication between the mobile device  100  and another computing device. The data port  114  can be a serial or a parallel port. In some instances, the data port  114  can be a USB port that includes data lines for data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging current to charge the battery  130  of the mobile device  100 . 
     The short-range communications subsystem  122  provides for communication between the mobile device  100  and different systems or devices, without the use of the wireless network  200 . For example, the subsystem  122  may include an infrared device and associated circuits and components for short-range communication. Examples of short-range communication standards include standards developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth, and the 802. 11 family of standards developed by IEEE. 
     In use, a received signal such as a text message, an email message, or web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem  104  and input to the main processor  102 . The main processor  102  will then process the received signal for output to the display  110  or alternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem  112 . A subscriber may also compose data items, such as email messages, for example, using the keyboard  116  in conjunction with the display  110  and possibly the auxiliary I/O subsystem  112 . The auxiliary subsystem  112  may include devices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. The keyboard  116  is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard and/or telephone-type keypad. However, other types of keyboards may also be used. A composed item may be transmitted over the wireless network  200  through the communication subsystem  104 . 
     For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device  100  is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output to the speaker  118 , and signals for transmission are generated by the microphone  120 . Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, can also be implemented on the mobile device  100 . Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished primarily through the speaker  118 , the display  110  can also be used to provide additional information such as the identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , an example block diagram of the communication subsystem component  104  is shown. The communication subsystem  104  includes a receiver  150 , a transmitter  152 , as well as associated components such as one or more embedded or internal antenna elements  154  and  156 , Local Oscillators (LOs)  158 , and a processing module such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP)  160 . The particular design of the communication subsystem  104  is dependent upon the communication network  200  with which the mobile device  100  is intended to operate. Thus, it should be understood that the design illustrated in  FIG. 5  serves only as one example. 
     Signals received by the antenna  154  through the wireless network  200  are input to the receiver  150 , which may perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/D conversion of a received signal allows more complex communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP  160 . In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including modulation and encoding, by the DSP  160 . These DSP-processed signals are input to the transmitter  152  for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission over the wireless network  200  via the antenna  156 . The DSP  160  not only processes communication signals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied to communication signals in the receiver  150  and the transmitter  152  may be adaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithms implemented in the DSP  160 . 
     The wireless link between the mobile device  100  and the wireless network  200  can contain one or more different channels, typically different RF channels, and associated protocols used between the mobile device  100  and the wireless network  200 . An RF channel is a limited resource that must be conserved, typically due to limits in overall bandwidth and limited battery power of the mobile device  100 . 
     When the mobile device  100  is fully operational, the transmitter  152  is typically keyed or turned on only when it is transmitting to the wireless network  200  and is otherwise turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, the receiver  150  is periodically turned off to conserve power until it is needed to receive signals or information (if at all) during designated time periods. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a block diagram of an example implementation of a node  202  of the wireless network  200  is shown. In practice, the wireless network  200  includes one or more nodes  202 . In conjunction with the connect module  144 , the mobile device  100  can communicate with the node  202  within the wireless network  200 . In the example implementation of  FIG. 6 , the node  202  is configured in accordance with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies. The node  202  includes a base station controller (BSC)  204  with an associated tower station  206 , a Packet Control Unit (PCU)  208  added for GPRS support in GSM, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)  210 , a Home Location Register (HLR)  212 , a Visitor Location Registry (VLR)  214 , a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)  216 , a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)  218 , and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)  220 . This list of components is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the components of every node  202  within a GSM/GPRS network, but rather a list of components that are commonly used in communications through the network  200 . 
     In a GSM network, the MSC  210  is coupled to the BSC  204  and to a landline network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)  222  to satisfy circuit switched requirements. The connection through the PCU  208 , the SGSN  216  and the GGSN  218  to a public or private network (Internet)  224  (also referred to herein generally as a shared network infrastructure) represents the data path for GPRS capable mobile devices. In a GSM network extended with GPRS capabilities, the BSC  204  also contains the Packet Control Unit (PCU)  208  that connects to the SGSN  216  to control segmentation, radio channel allocation and to satisfy packet switched requirements. To track the location of the mobile device  100  and availability for both circuit switched and packet switched management, the HLR  212  is shared between the MSC  210  and the SGSN  216 . Access to the VLR  214  is controlled by the MSC  210 . 
     The station  206  is a fixed transceiver station and together with the BSC  204  form fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiver equipment provides wireless network coverage for a particular coverage area commonly referred to as a “cell.” The fixed transceiver equipment transmits communication signals to and receives communication signals from mobile devices within its cell via the station  206 . The fixed transceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation and possibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to the mobile device  100  in accordance with particular, usually predetermined, communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller. The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possibly decodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals received from the mobile device  100  within its cell. Communication protocols and parameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node may employ a different modulation scheme and operate at different frequencies than other nodes. 
     For all mobile devices  100  registered with a specific network, permanent configuration data such as a user profile is stored in the HLR  212 . The HLR  212  also contains location information for each registered mobile device and can be queried to determine the current location of a mobile device. The MSC  210  is responsible for a group of location areas and stores the data of the mobile devices currently in its area of responsibility in the VLR  214 . Further, the VLR  214  also contains information on mobile devices that are visiting other networks. The information in the VLR  214  includes part of the permanent mobile device data transmitted from the HLR  212  to the VLR  214  for faster access. By moving additional information from a remote HLR  212  node to the VLR  214 , the amount of traffic between these nodes can be reduced so that voice and data services can be provided with faster response times and at the same time requiring less use of computing resources. 
     The SGSN  216  and the GGSN  218  are elements added for GPRS support, namely packet switched data support, within GSM. The SGSN  216  and the MSC  210  have similar responsibilities within the wireless network  200  by keeping track of the location of each mobile device  100 . The SGSN  216  also performs security functions and access control for data traffic on the wireless network  200 . The GGSN  218  provides internetworking connections with external packet switched networks and connects to one or more SGSN&#39;s  216  via an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone network operated within the network  200 . During normal operations, a given mobile device  100  must perform a “GPRS Attach” to acquire an IP address and to access data services. This requirement is not present in circuit switched voice channels as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) addresses are used for routing incoming and outgoing calls. Currently, all GPRS capable networks use private, dynamically assigned IP addresses, thus requiring the DHCP server  220  connected to the GGSN  218 . There are many mechanisms for dynamic IP assignment, including using a combination of a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) server and a DHCP server. Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a logical connection is established from a mobile device  100 , through the PCU  208 , and the SGSN  216  to an Access Point Node (APN) within the GGSN  218 . The APN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel that can either access direct Internet compatible services or private network connections. The APN also represents a security mechanism for the network  200 , insofar as each mobile device  100  must be assigned to one or more APNs and mobile devices  100  cannot exchange data without first performing a GPRS Attach to an APN that it has been authorized to use. The APN may be considered to be similar to an Internet domain name such as “myconnection. wireless. com.” 
     Once the GPRS Attach operation is complete, a tunnel is created and all traffic is exchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol that can be supported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such as IP over IP as in the case with some IPSecurity (IPsec) connections used with Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred to as Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number of these available in the network  200 . To maximize use of the PDP Contexts, the network  200  will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determine if there is a lack of activity. When a mobile device  100  is not using its PDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP address returned to the IP address pool managed by the DHCP server  220 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , shown therein is a block diagram illustrating components of an example configuration of a host system  250  that the mobile device  100  can communicate with in conjunction with the connect module  144 . The host system  250  will typically be a corporate enterprise or other local area network (LAN), but may also be a home office computer or some other private system, for example, in variant implementations. In this example shown in  FIG. 7 , the host system  250  is depicted as a LAN of an organization to which a user of the mobile device  100  belongs. Typically, a plurality of mobile devices can communicate wirelessly with the host system  250  through one or more nodes  202  of the wireless network  200 . 
     The host system  250  includes a number of network components connected to each other by a network  260 . For instance, a user&#39;s desktop computer  262   a  with an accompanying cradle  264  for the user&#39;s mobile device  100  is situated on a LAN connection. The cradle  264  for the mobile device  100  can be coupled to the computer  262   a  by a serial or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, for example. Other user computers  262   b - 262   n  are also situated on the network  260 , and each may or may not be equipped with an accompanying cradle  264 . The cradle  264  facilitates the loading of information (e.g., PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys to facilitate secure communications) from the user computer  262   a  to the mobile device  100 , and may be particularly useful for bulk information updates often performed in initializing the mobile device  100  for use. The information downloaded to the mobile device  100  may include certificates used in the exchange of messages. 
     It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the user computers  262   a - 262   n  will typically also be connected to other peripheral devices, such as printers, etc. which are not explicitly shown in  FIG. 7 . Furthermore, only a subset of network components of the host system  250  are shown in  FIG. 4  for ease of exposition, and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the host system  250  will include additional components that are not explicitly shown in  FIG. 5  for this example configuration. More generally, the host system  250  may represent a smaller part of a larger network (not shown) of the organization, and may include different components and/or be arranged in different topologies than that shown in the example embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
     To facilitate the operation of the mobile device  100  and the wireless communication of messages and message-related data between the mobile device  100  and components of the host system  250 , a number of wireless communication support components  270  can be provided. In some implementations, the wireless communication support components  270  can include a message management server  272 , a mobile data server  274 , a contact server  276 , and a device manager module  278 . The device manager module  278  includes an IT Policy editor  280  and an IT user property editor  282 , as well as other software components for allowing an IT administrator to configure the mobile devices  100 . In an alternative example embodiment, there may be one editor that provides the functionality of both the IT policy editor  280  and the IT user property editor  282 . The support components  270  also include a data store  284 , and an IT policy server  286 . The IT policy server  286  includes a processor  288 , a network interface  290  and a memory unit  292 . The processor  288  controls the operation of the IT policy server  286  and executes functions related to the standardized IT policy as described below. The network interface  290  allows the IT policy server  286  to communicate with the various components of the host system  250  and the mobile devices  100 . The memory unit  292  can store functions used in implementing the IT policy as well as related data. Those skilled in the art know how to implement these various components. Other components may also be included as is well known to those skilled in the art. Further, in some implementations, the data store  284  can be part of any one of the servers. 
     In this example embodiment, the mobile device  100  communicates with the host system  250  through node  202  of the wireless network  200  and a shared network infrastructure  224  such as a service provider network or the public Internet. Access to the host system  250  may be provided through one or more routers (not shown), and computing devices of the host system  250  may operate from behind a firewall or proxy server  266 . The proxy server  266  provides a secure node and a wireless Internet gateway for the host system  250 . The proxy server  266  intelligently routes data to the correct destination server within the host system  250 . 
     In some implementations, the host system  250  can include a wireless VPN router (not shown) to facilitate data exchange between the host system  250  and the mobile device  100 . The wireless VPN router allows a VPN connection to be established directly through a specific wireless network to the mobile device  100 . The wireless VPN router can be used with the Internet Protocol (IP) Version 6 (IPV6) and IP-based wireless networks. This protocol can provide enough IP addresses so that each mobile device has a dedicated IP address, making it possible to push information to a mobile device at any time. An advantage of using a wireless VPN router is that it can be an off-the-shelf VPN component, and does not require a separate wireless gateway and separate wireless infrastructure. A VPN connection can preferably be a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/TP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/IP connection for delivering the messages directly to the mobile device  100  in this alternative implementation. 
     Messages intended for a user of the mobile device  100  are initially received by a message server  268  of the host system  250 . Such messages may originate from any number of sources. For instance, a message may have been sent by a sender from the computer  262   b  within the host system  250 , from a different mobile device (not shown) connected to the wireless network  200  or a different wireless network, or from a different computing device, or other device capable of sending messages, via the shared network infrastructure  224 , possibly through an application service provider (ASP) or Internet service provider (ISP), for example. 
     The message server  268  typically acts as the primary interface for the exchange of messages, particularly email messages, within the organization and over the shared network infrastructure  224 . Each user in the organization that has been set up to send and receive messages is typically associated with a user account managed by the message server  268 . Some example implementations of the message server  268  include a Microsoft Exchange™ server, a Lotus Domino™ server, a Novell Groupwise™ server, or another suitable mail server installed in a corporate environment. In some implementations, the host system  250  may include multiple message servers  268 . The message server  268  may also be adapted to provide additional functions beyond message management, including the management of data associated with calendars and task lists, for example. 
     When messages are received by the message server  268 , they are typically stored in a data store associated with the message server  268 . In at least some example embodiments, the data store may be a separate hardware unit, such as data store  284 , that the message server  268  communicates with. Messages can be subsequently retrieved and delivered to users by accessing the message server  268 . For instance, an email client application operating on a user&#39;s computer  262   a  may request the email messages associated with that user&#39;s account stored on the data store associated with the message server  268 . These messages are then retrieved from the data store and stored locally on the computer  262   a . The data store associated with the message server  268  can store copies of each message that is locally stored on the mobile device  100 . Alternatively, the data store associated with the message server  268  can store all of the messages for the user of the mobile device  100  and only a smaller number of messages can be stored on the mobile device  100  to conserve memory. For instance, the most recent messages (i.e., those received in the past two to three months for example) can be stored on the mobile device  100 . 
     When operating the mobile device  100 , the user may wish to have email messages retrieved for delivery to the mobile device  100 . The message application  138  operating on the mobile device  100  may also request messages associated with the user&#39;s account from the message server  268 . The message application  138  may be configured (either by the user or by an administrator, possibly in accordance with an organization&#39;s information technology (IT) policy) to make this request at the direction of the user, at some pre-defined time interval, or upon the occurrence of some pre-defined event. In some implementations, the mobile device  100  is assigned its own email address, and messages addressed specifically to the mobile device  100  are automatically redirected to the mobile device  100  as they are received by the message server  268 . 
     The message management server  272  can be used to specifically provide support for the management of messages, such as email messages, that are to be handled by mobile devices. Generally, while messages are still stored on the message server  268 , the message management server  272  can be used to control when, if, and how messages are sent to the mobile device  100 . The message management server  272  also facilitates the handling of messages composed on the mobile device  100 , which are sent to the message server  268  for subsequent delivery. 
     For example, the message management server  272  may monitor the user&#39;s “mailbox” (e.g., the message store associated with the user&#39;s account on the message server  268 ) for new email messages, and apply user-definable filters to new messages to determine if and how the messages are relayed to the user&#39;s mobile device  100 . The message management server  272  may also compress and encrypt new messages (e.g., using an encryption technique such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)) and push them to the mobile device  100  via the shared network infrastructure  224  and the wireless network  200 . The message management server  272  may also receive messages composed on the mobile device  100  (e.g., encrypted using Triple DES), decrypt and decompress the composed messages, re-format the composed messages if desired so that they will appear to have originated from the user&#39;s computer  262   a , and re-route the composed messages to the message server  268  for delivery. 
     Certain properties or restrictions associated with messages that are to be sent from and/or received by the mobile device  100  can be defined (e.g., by an administrator in accordance with IT policy) and enforced by the message management server  272 . These may include whether the mobile device  100  may receive encrypted and/or signed messages, minimum encryption key sizes, whether outgoing messages must be encrypted and/or signed, and whether copies of all secure messages sent from the mobile device  100  are to be sent to a pre-defined copy address, for example. 
     The message management server  272  may also be adapted to provide other control functions, such as only pushing certain message information or pre-defined portions (e.g., “blocks”) of a message stored on the message server  268  to the mobile device  100 . For example, in some cases, when a message is initially retrieved by the mobile device  100  from the message server  268 , the message management server  272  may push only the first part of a message to the mobile device  100 , with the part being of a pre-defined size (e.g., 2 KB). The user can then request that more of the message be delivered in similar-sized blocks by the message management server  272  to the mobile device  100 , possibly up to a maximum predefined message size. Accordingly, the message management server  272  facilitates better control over the type of data and the amount of data that is communicated to the mobile device  100 , and can help to minimize potential waste of bandwidth or other resources. 
     The mobile data server  274  encompasses any other server that stores information that is relevant to the corporation. The mobile data server  274  may include, but is not limited to, databases, online data document repositories, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, or enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. 
     The contact server  276  can provide information for a list of contacts for the user in a similar fashion as the address book on the mobile device  100 . Accordingly, for a given contact, the contact server  276  can include the name, phone number, work address and email address of the contact, among other information. The contact server  276  can also provide a global address list that contains the contact information for all of the contacts associated with the host system  250 . 
     It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the message management server  272 , the mobile data server  274 , the contact server  276 , the device manager module  278 , the data store  284  and the IT policy server  286  do not need to be implemented on separate physical servers within the host system  250 . For example, some or all of the functions associated with the message management server  272  may be integrated with the message server  268 , or some other server in the host system  250 . Alternatively, the host system  250  may include multiple message management servers  272 , particularly in variant implementations where a large number of mobile devices need to be supported. 
     Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the IT policy server  286  can provide the IT policy editor  280 , the IT user property editor  282  and the data store  284 . In some cases, the IT policy server  286  can also provide the device manager module  278 . The processor  288  of the IT policy server  286  can be used to perform the various steps of a method for providing IT policy data that is customizable on a per-user basis. The processor  288  can execute the editors  280  and  282 . In some cases, the functionality of the editors  280  and  282  can be provided by a single editor. In some cases, the memory unit  292  can provide the data store  284 . 
     The device manager module  278  provides an IT administrator with a graphical user interface with which the IT administrator interacts to configure various settings for the mobile devices  100 . As mentioned, the IT administrator can use IT policy rules to define behaviors of certain applications on the mobile device  100  that are permitted such as phone, web browser or Instant Messenger use. The IT policy rules can also be used to set specific values for configuration settings that an organization requires on the mobile devices  100  such as auto signature text, WLAN/VoIP/VPN configuration, security requirements (e.g., encryption algorithms, password rules, etc.), specifying themes or applications that are allowed to run on the mobile device  100 , and the like. 
     Many modifications and other embodiments will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that various modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.