Selective reconfiguration method and apparatus in a multiple application personal communications device

• Main Authors: JOHNSON, DEBRA ANN GAWNE, CORKELL, ANTHONY FERGUSON, COX, ROGER LAWRENCE, RIVERO, JOSE LOUIS, DEBAUCHE, BRADLEY JAMES, LANIER, CHARLES STERLING, STOUT, JEAN LUTER, VILLAFANA, WILLIAM, ALLARD, DAVID JOSEPH, WHITLEY, WAYNE PHILLIP, OSBORN, NEAL ALLEN, BEATTY, BRENT ALLEN, TILLER, BYRON KEVIN, PADGETT, RUSSELL STEPHEN, WULF, JAMES CHRISTIAN, GOODWIN, JULIE FRANCIS, LEWIS, JAMES ROBERT, CANOVA, FRANCIS JAMES, JR, YEE, RAYMOND LEE, AU, CONNIE YUDIP, MURAKAMI, THOMAS TOMOMI, FERRIER, ROBERT BEDFORD, HSIEH, DANIEL MING-TE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 31.01.1996
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; SELECTING; TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION; TRANSMISSION; WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

An option attach connector has a first indicator bit combination that alerts the device that a public switched telephone network connection has been made to it. The presence of the first indicator bit combination is a signal to the device that telephone, FAX, and E-MAIL communications applications are to be conducted over a PSTN link. The presence of the first indicator bit combination invokes a stored computer program to provide appropriate connections between the PSTN link and the telephone, FAX, and modem hardware in the device. The connections are made by an audio multiplexer that receives control signals from the system CPU, while executing the stored computer program. The program determines the communications application selected by the user and selectively configures the PSTN link to be connected to the either the ear piece and microphone for voice communications, or to the FAX/modem for FAX communications, or to the modem alone for E-MAIL communications. The absence of the option attach connector invokes a default indicator bit combination that alerts the device that a cellular telephone network connection is desired by the user. The presence of the default indicator bit combination is a signal to the device that telephone, FAX, and E-mail communications applications are to be conducted over a cellular network.