Systems and methods for intermittently communicating diagnostic information from user input devices
US6178527A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 24, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 23, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 24, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H2207/048
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A user input device, e.g., a wireless keyboard, for providing user inputs to a receiver unit via a communications medium intermittently transmits diagnostic messages in the communications medium such that a diagnostic message is transmitted after a predetermined interval following transmission of a preceding diagnostic message has expired. A receiver unit is responsive to the communications medium and configured to receive the transmitted diagnostic message and process the received diagnostic message to determine a status of the user input device. Preferably, the user input device is configured to transmit a diagnostic message following at least one of passage of a predetermined fixed time interval after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device and acceptance of a predetermined number of user inputs at the user input device after a diagnostic message was previously transmitted from the user input device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.