Patent · US Expired

Dual mode modem for automatically selecting between wireless and wire-based communication modes

US6131136A · kind A · utility

80Cited by
15References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 12, 1997
Grant dateOct 10, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 12, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M11/06
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A dual modem automatically switches between a wireless and wire-based communication modes using mode selection circuitry that detects when a wire-based communications network, such as a standard land-line telephone network, is coupled to the modem. When the modem selection circuitry detects the presence of the wire-based communications network, it couples modem processing circuitry to a wire-based interface. When the modem selection circuitry fails to detect the presence of the wire-based communications network, it couples the modem processing circuitry to a wireless interface and the wireless interface is also powered for coupling to a wireless communications network, such as a cellular phone network. The wireless interface is not powered when the modem is coupled to the wire-based communications network.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.