Camel-back digital organizer and communication protocol for a cellular phone device

• Main Authors: Kahn, Philippe R, Bodnar, Eric O
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.01.2003

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. A "Camel-Back" Digital Organizer (CDO) system is described that is designed to attach to a cellular phone in the same manner as an auxiliary battery, and to interface with the phone through contact points available in the phone's interface port. The CDO system is preferably implemented as an add-on component which can be easily attached and detached from a phone by a user and, once in place, can dramatically enhance the phone's functionality, converting the phone into a "smart" phone. The CDO unit includes a main housing supporting, on its back or upper surface, a set of input/navigation buttons and a display screen. The set of buttons comprise a circular pad or circular configuration of buttons, placed at the bevel end of the unit, which are designed as a directional navigation disc or "NaviDisc." The NaviDisc provides for LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, and SELECT buttons (i.e., five buttons total). The unit also includes a second of set of buttons along its top edge, which are designed to mimic the rubber buttons on the phone itself. Communication methodologies of the present invention are described for facilitating use of the organizer component with a host cellular phone. Exemplary methods include: a method supporting user-initiated voice call from the organizer; a method supporting synchronization of a host phone list (e.g., contact information list) with a corresponding digital organizer list; and a method providing a synchronization protocol between the digital organizer and any host (e.g., PC or server).