Description of a Personal Communications Device for the 21st Century

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This system is not really a particular communications device but rather a modular and flexible approach to varied types of communication. The future of electronic communication cannot really rely on a particular type of device so this approach is more realistic than imagining that someone could invent some specific device which would serve all needs.

The system has 2 main hardware components:

1. The user's personal computer

2. A small device, carried by the user (both at home and away) which is available in several models varying in size from the size of a deck of playing cards to the size of a pocket novel

1. From the rest of the world to the computer

2. From the computer to the hand-held device

3. From the device to the user

4. From the user to the device

5. From the device to the computer

6. From the computer to the rest of the world

The system is modular in the sense that the method of communication between, say, the rest of the world and the personal computer is independant of the method of communication between the device and the user. The communication method from the computer to the device is also independant of the communication method from the device to the computer, as is the communication method from the device to the user independant from the communication method from the user to the device and so on.

All communications between devices are encrypted (whenever possible). Communication between the computer and the rest of the world uses public/private key encryption (e.g. PGP). Passwords may be programmed for entry by any of the input devices mentioned below.

Communication between the computer and the rest of the world is optionally by:

1. Fibre-optic or copper or co-axial connections with the phone company or the cable company

2. Radio transmission (as with cellular phones)

3. Satellite

Some options (such as satellite) are only available for receiving and not for transmitting. All communication from the rest of the world to the computer would be stored for immediate or delayed transmission to the hand-held device. The communication protocol follows whatever is currently in use on the Internet (e.g. TCP/IP) whenever possible.

Communication between the computer and the hand-held device is optionally by:

1. A wire running between the devices (when used at home)

2. Infrared or short-range radio transmission (as with a remote-control device)

3. Internet transfer (when the device is connected to some other computer on the Internet)

4. Telephone transfer (when the device is connected to the public telephone system)

5. Analog or digital radio transmission (as with cellular/digital phones)

Communication between the device and the user is the most interesting aspect of this system. Multiple methods of communication may be used simultaneously. A variety of methods of communication are available (some purchased as add-on options) to deal with the special needs of users (due to physical limitations such as blindness or hearing disability (or both) or due to the needs of the user's situation (not wanting to make noise, not able to hear due to ambient noise and so on)). Devices may be connected to other appropriately configured computers to allow the user to use that computer as if it were their own.

The hand-held device runs on AC or DC power. The battery may be removed and recharged separately so that the user can own more than 1 battery. The battery charger is available in a model small enough to be carried by the user and plugged into any standard AC outlet.

Communication between the user and the hand-held device is by one or more complementary methods:

1. A pair of special glasses (or clip-on glasses) which contain dual display screens on the back of the lenses (as with current "virtual reality" glasses) as well as stereo speakers near the ears (very small speakers) and a built-in microphone. The glasses allow the user to see the world around them and the output from the device simultaneously. The device may be controlled by the user's voice (or, optionally, by other means) to make the display more prominent than the world around them or to make the world around them more prominent than the display. The dominance of the display relative to the environment around the user may be controlled separately for each lens. The lenses are able to monitor the position of each of the user's pupils so that the user may use looking at the display combined with blinking or speaking or touching the device (or a switch connected to the device) to communicate back to the device or to the computer.

2. A pair of earphones and a microphone to do all of the things mentioned above which do not require visual I/O.

3. A hand-held braille output device.

4. A Morse code input device (similar in function to the device often held by Stephen Hawking).

5. A video input device (a camera, either attached to the hand-held device or a small camera on the glasses or a separate small camera or a jack allowing a video camera to be connected to the device).

6. A jack allowing the device to be connected to a television.

7. A jack allowing the device to be connected to another computer.

8. A hand-held switch (with numeric keypad and an optional touch-screen) which would optionally accept voice input and produce audio output. The device itself would be available in a model which incorporates a screen and/or keypad and/or speakers and microphone. The glasses mentioned above would allow for a smaller, lighter device to be used because the device itself would not need a screen and keypad.

9. A vibrating output device (simple or coded vibrations or Morse code, programmable by the user).

10. Some devices do not allow for all of the communications methods mentioned above so that the size of the device can be smaller and/or the cost lower. Companies will introduce devices with various features as they currently do for personal stereo systems and video cameras. All devices communicate using a common method and have standard-sized jacks (as we have today with standard CD formats and stereo connectors).

Some types of communication from the rest of the world to the computer are not displayable on some of the device accessories (video transmissions are not displayable on a vibrating device for instance) but whenever possible the transmission is translated to the appropriate format (e.g. the computer can listen to a voice transmission and translate to text display or braille or Morse code).

The user is be able to tell the computer to where incoming communications should be forwared in order to reach the user or whether they should be held in the computer for later transmission.

Communications from the user to the rest of the world can be stored in the computer for later scheduled transmission or until the user releases them manually (e.g. "Send all of my queued outgoing messages now").

The device also allows the user to retrieve or store information not related to communicating with the rest of the world (maps or data or music or video stored on the computer or to be stored on the computer).

The strength of the system is in its flexibility. Devices and methods of communication used in one part of the system are reasonably independant of those used in another. You could add a vibrating listening device or a satellite receiving device to one part of the system without having to change another part. The various methods of communication allow for varying needs of the users (both varying needs over time for the same user and varying needs between users).

Although this system does not consist of any specific type of device, the most fun and interesting device is the glasses which contain a microphone and speakers.