International Business Machines Corporation

Pacific Communication Sciences, Inc.

Neal A Osborn

Francis James Canova, Jr

David J Allard

Andrew B McNeill

Jose L Rivero

Thomas H Newsom

Howard J Locker

James Robert Lewis

Don S Keener

Jerry D Dixon

Raymond L Yee

Joaquin F Pacheco

Charles S Lanier

Byron K Tiller

Debra A Johnson

Julie F Goodwin

Bradley J DeBauche

Brent A Beatty

William Villafana

Daniel Ming-Te Hsieh

Gerald A Marazas

Wayne P Whitley

Robert Bedford Ferrier

James Christian Wulf

Russell Stephen Padgett

Thomas T Murakami

Roger L Cox

Jean Luter Stout

Eddie M Reid

Connie Yudip Au

Bryon K Tiller

Brent Beatty

Anthony F Corkell

Daniel Bensimon

A personal communication device which includes the ability to generate dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals to provide automatic telephone dialing of a numbers received in messages. A message which includes a number is received, decoded, and displayed on a display device. The user may then select to have a number which is included as part of the message encoded into an audible DTMF, series of signals which can be coupled to a conventional &ldquo;touch-tone&rdquo; telephone (i.e. a telephone that supports tone dialing) through speaker in the personal communication device and the microphone of the conventional telephone. The user may select all or any part of the message to be encoded into DTMF signals. Accordingly, if the message includes other information in addition to a telephone number, the user can parse the message to indicate which portion of the message includes the number to be dialed. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a processor within the personal communication device parses the message to detect numbers from among the information that has been transmitted. The user may then verify that the processor has properly identified numbers which the user wishes to encode in DTMF signals.

Method and apparatus for automatic telephone dialing from a pager message

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.

Selective reconfiguration method and apparatus in a multiple application

An intelligent removable information storage device (100), for coupling to a host microcomputer system (10), includes a local processor unit (106) including apparatus for preventing the microcomputer system from reading from, or writing to, the storage device absent the entry of an appropriate password by a user of the host microcomputer system. The storage device also includes a storage medium (e.g., a magnetic disk) for storing information including at least one password. The local processor unit includes apparatus for preventing access to the information stored in the storage means absent receipt of a valid password.

Removable computer security device

Apparatus for assigning addresses to devices connected to a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus. A second configure bus interconnects address assignable devices on the SCSI bus. The assignable devices may be used in a mixed system where some devices have fixed non-assignable addresses. The master device in the SCSI bus transmits configuration commands over the configuration bus and addresses for assignment over the SCSI bus. Acknowledgements are received back from a device which has accepted an address. Once configured with an address, the device propagates subsequent configuration commands to an adjacent device.

Apparatus and method for assigning addresses to SCSI supported

A plug-in feature board for a computer system has special circuitry to permit the board to customize itself to the particular slot into which it is inserted. Computers of the type intended for individual use or use in small networks typically provide insertion slots including connectors to permit feature boards to be added and connected to a bus of the computer for adding new function or capacity. As the computing power of such systems has increased there have been increases in the size of portions of the connecting bus to permit improvements in data transfer performance. In a given computer system there are often two or more bus connector configurations presented in respective slots. By so converting electrical states at selected connector positions as to provide signal information for determining bus configuration for the slot, special logic provided on the board is enabled to determine the characteristics of the slot in which the board is placed and customizes the board to respond or limit response in accordance with the requirements for that configuration. By so adapting to the slot the board achieves enhanced applicability and avoids certain system disabling malfunctions which can occur when a board is plugged into a slot for which it is not configured.

Feature board with automatic adjustment to one of two bus widths based

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Delray Beach, FL, United States of America

Neal A Osborn