The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 04, 2000
Filed:
May. 08, 1997
Lee Daniel Griffin, Raleigh, NC (US);
Robert Anthony Campitello, Raleigh, NC (US);
Ericsson Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing communication between and among multiple keyboards and a common host. The keyboards can be peers, transmitting to the host either independently (without provision for controlling interference) or cooperatively (communicating with each other prior to communicating with the common host). Alternatively, the keyboards can be prioritized, with lower-priority keyboards transmit to the host only when higher-priority keyboards are not, thereby avoiding interference with the higher-priority keyboards. Also, the keyboards can be prioritized with lower-priority keyboards communicating with the host only through the higher-priority keyboards, the higher-priority keyboards storing and forwarding data from the lower priority keyboards to higher-priority keyboards and/or the host. A method for organizing data from multiple keyboards for transmission to the host is also disclosed, in which the intended message is received by the host in the presence of interference.