Patent ID: 7917034

Claim:
A method of wireless data communication via an electronic device, said method comprising: providing a data transfer interface on the electronic device, wherein the data transfer interface supports processing of selected data by a processor of the electronic device that is functionally connected to an illumination light source, which light source generates visible light that is utilized for illuminating a separate component in the electronic device and which light source is also selectively utilized for transmitting data via optical pulses while the illumination light source is in a data communication mode; and switching the illumination light source from an illumination mode to the data communication mode; and transmitting a data stream from the electronic device by encoding the data in optical pulses from said illumination light source while the illumination light source is in the data communication mode; wherein the illumination light source is one type of light source from among different types of light sources comprising (a) a display light source for illuminating a display of the electronic device, (b) a keypad light source, which illuminates a keypad of the portable electronic device when the keypad light source is utilized for illumination, and (c) a self-illuminating, emissive type display of the electronic device; receiving, via an optical receiver, a second data stream encoded in optical pulses, wherein the optical receiver is functionally connected to the processor; extracting the second data stream from the optical pulses and enabling processing of the data stream by the processor; wherein the electronic device is a first electronic device having the illumination light source and the optical receiver and wherein said transmitting of the data stream and receiving of the second data stream is provided on a bidirectional duplex communication link created with a second optical receiver and an optical data transmission mechanism of a second electronic device, wherein: the first data stream is transmitted via the optical pulses from the first electronic device and is received by the second optical receiver of the second electronic device; and the second data stream is transmitted from the second electronic device and is received by the first optical receiver of the first electronic device; wherein said first electronic device is a portable electronic device; transmitting said data stream via the optical pulses activates initiation of preset functions, including one or more of: initiating and establishing the communication link; requesting a retransmission of at least a portion of the data transmitted via the communication link when an error in transmission is detected in the received data stream; and confirming the completion of data transmission.