An enhanced "Camel-back" or "Companion" Digital Organizer (CDO) is described that is designed to interface to a cellular telephone. The CDO 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 by converting the phone into a "smart" phone. Exemplary features of the CDO include an ability for the user to initiate a voice call on the phone from the CDO. Preferably, the user may initiate the voice call from any of multiple modules of the user's data, and not merely from a phone-book module. The CDO is also capable of stand-alone use as a personal organizer device, apart from the phone. The CDO preferably includes a docking unit that removably mates to particular model(s) of phones, and a main unit that removably docks to the docking unit. The docking unit preferably includes substantially all phone-model-specific geometries and features to thereby allow the main unit to be configured for stand-alone use as an organizer with few compromises made to accommodate specific model(s) of phones. Furthermore, the same main unit is suitable for use with multiple docking units that are respectively adapted for different models of phones. Note that some phones have an "automatic hang-up" feature in which the phone unilaterally hangs up a phone call that was initiated by an external device (e.g., a modem or the CDO) upon detaching of the device by the user. For such phones, the docking unit remains attached to the phone during a call initiated by the user via the CDO, even if the user should detach the main unit for stand-alone use as an organizer. The still-attached docking unit contains sufficient circuitry and physical features to prevent automatic hang-up. The main unit includes many features such as a choice of both left- and right-handed modes and the capability for handling electronic mail, remote browsing, remote synchronization, caller identification, and the like.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is related to, and claims the benefit of priority from, the following commonly-owned U.S. provisional patent applications, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, including any appendices or attachments thereof, for all purposes: Ser. No. 60/097,239, filed Aug. 20, 1998 and entitled ENHANCED CAMEL-BACK DIGITAL ORGANIZER FOR A CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE; Ser. No. 60/107,269, filed Nov. 4, 1998 and entitled COMPANION DIGITAL ORGANIZER FOR A CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE; and Ser. No. 60/107,151, filed Nov. 4, 1998 and entitled MULTI-COMPONENT INTERFACE CARD DIGITAL ORGANIZER;
The present application is a divisional application of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/369,812, filed Aug. 6, 1999 and entitled ENHANCED COMPANION DIGITAL ORGANIZER FOR A CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE, which is a continuation-in-part application of and claims the benefit of priority from, the following commonly-owned U.S. applications, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, including any appendices or attachments thereof, for all purposes: Ser. No. 09/071,748, filed May 1, 1998 now abandoned and entitled CAMEL-BACK DIGITAL ORGANIZER FOR A CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE; Ser. No. 09/071,732, filed May 1, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,055 and entitled CAMEL-BACK DIGITAL ORGANIZER AND COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR A CELLULAR PHONE DEVICE; and Ser. No. 09/098,634, filed Jun. 16, 1998 now abandoned and entitled MULTI-COMPONENT INTERFACE CARD ELECTRONIC ORGANIZER.
The present application is also related to the following commonly-owned U.S. patent applications, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, including any appendices or attachments thereof, for all purposes: Ser. No. 09/187,007, filed Nov. 4, 1998 and entitled USER INTERFACE METHODOLOGY SUPPORTING LIGHT DATA ENTRY FOR MICROPROCESSOR DEVICE HAVING LIMITED USER INPUT; Ser. No. 08/905,463, filed Aug. 4, 1997 and entitled USER INTERFACE METHODOLOGY FOR MICROPROCESSOR DEVICE HAVING LIMITED USER INPUT; Ser. No. 09/347,447, filed Jul. 3, 1999 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATASETS USING COOPERATION AMONG MULTIPLE SYNCHRONIZATION ENGINES; Ser. No. 09/311,781, filed May 13, 1999 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATASETS IN A NON-FIFO OR OTHERWISE DIFFICULT COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT; Ser. No. 09/208,815, filed Dec. 8, 1998 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ROBUST SYNCHRONIZATION OF DATASETS; Ser. No. 09/136,215, filed Aug. 18, 1998 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING TWO OR MORE DATASETS; and Ser. No. 08/923,612, filed Sep. 4, 1997 and entitled SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING INFORMATION AMONG DISPARATE DATASETS.
An apparatus and method are disclosed that can adapt off-the shelf PDA devices (90) to user input/output applications such as data entry applications and cellular phone applications. The resulting apparatus (10) may be sized and shaped to be durable and facilitate handheld operation when the user is mobile during use. The apparatus provides features required for portable data entry such as key entry, barcode scanning, radio frequency identification, and wireless local area network (LAN) as well as wide area network (WAN) communications. The apparatus may be operated (a) in a slave mode with inclusion of a PDA device (90) for use in certain input/output operations that are processor intensive as well as (b) in a stand-alone mode without inclusion of a PDA device (90) for use in certain other input/output operations that are not processor intensive.
The present invention relates to a mobile device interface and adaptation system that includes one or both of an adapter and a host device. In certain implementations, the adapter is designed to attach to a mobile device, and has one or more electrical contacts to interface with one or more electrical contacts of the mobile device when the adapter is attached to the mobile device. The adapter further has a connector portion that is electrically coupled to the one or more electrical contacts of the adapter. The host device has a connector portion that is a mate to the connector portion of the adapter. The connector portion of the host device has one or more electrical contacts to interface with one or more electrical contacts of the connector portion of the adapter when the adapter and host device are connected using the connector portions of the adapter and host device.
