Memory configuration for a wireless communications device

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system that uses serial, writable, nonvolatile memory (serial memory) in a portable radio telephone. According to an object of the present invention, the serial memory may be integral to a cell phone or attached to a cell phone via an add-on card or the like. According to another object, the serial memory may be embedded in a cell phone accessory or attached to an accessory via an add-on card or the like. In both objects, once the portable radio telephone is powered on, data stored in serial memory is transferred into onboard random access memory (RAM), which in turn is utilized by the CPU and/or other cell phone systems. Serial memory includes, but is not limited to, NAND-type flash memory, as well as, flash and EEPROM memories that utilize the following interface architectures: the mircowire bus, the I 2 C bus, the SPI bus and/or the MPS bus. Among other things, serial memory may store the operating system, applications, and radio calibration parameters.

1 - 43 . (canceled)  
     
     
         44 . A memory configuration for a wireless communications device, comprising: 
 a NAND-type flash memory for storing data, the NAND-type flash memory serially addressable through a serial port;    a serial address and data bus including a first bus end and a second bus end, the first end connected to the serial port of the NAND-type flash memory;    a processing unit connected to the second bus end, the processing unit configured to read the data from the NAND-type flash memory upon a power-on condition, the processing unit for converting the serial data to parallel data for storage in a volatile random access memory (RAM);    the volatile RAM memory for storing at least a portion of the data read from the NAND-type flash memory;    a communications circuit connected to the processing unit, the processing unit controlling the communications circuit utilizing the at least a portion of the data read from the volatile RAM memory, the communications circuit comprising: 
 a transmitter circuit;  
 a receiver circuit; and  
 an antenna connected to the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit.  
   
     
     
         45 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , wherein the NAND-type flash memory is non-volatile serial memory.  
     
     
         46 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , further comprising a device housing for housing the NAND-type flash memory, the serial address and data bus, the processing unit, the volatile RAM memory and the communication circuit.  
     
     
         47 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , further comprising a serial connector port connected between the first bus end and the second bus end, the serial connector port for removably connecting the NAND-type flash memory.  
     
     
         48 . The memory configuration of  claim 47 , further comprising: 
 a device housing for housing the serial address and data bus, the processing unit, the volatile RAM memory and the communication circuit;    wherein the serial connector port is on a surface of the device housing and the NAND-type flash memory is connected external to the device housing.    
     
     
         49 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , wherein the power-on condition triggers the processing unit to determine whether the NAND-type flash memory is connected to the processing unit to begin transfer of the at least a portion of the data from the NAND-type flash memory to the RAM memory.  
     
     
         50 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , wherein the at least a portion of the data stored in the NAND-type flash memory is critical operations data.  
     
     
         51 . The memory configuration of  claim 50 , wherein the critical operations data is an application program that is critical to an operation of the wireless communications device.  
     
     
         52 . The memory configuration of  claim 44 , wherein the at least a portion of the data stored in the NAND-type flash memory is non-critical operations data comprising at least one of user interface information, a recent call list, a display setting, a roaming preference, a ringer preference, a non-critical application program, and a phone book.  
     
     
         53 . A method for initializing a memory configuration in a wireless communications device, comprising the steps of: 
 serially addressing a NAND-type flash memory via a serial address bus, the NAND-type flash memory for storing data, the serial address and data bus including a first bus end and a second bus end, the first end connected to a serial port of the NAND-type flash memory;    reading data from the NAND-type flash memory upon a power-on condition utilizing a processing unit connected to the second bus end;    converting the serial data to parallel data;    storing at least a portion of the converted data in a volatile random access memory (RAM);    reading the at least a portion of the data from the volatile RAM memory to control a communications circuit comprising a transmitter circuit, a receiver circuit, and an antenna connected to the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit.    
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the NAND-type flash memory is non-volatile serial memory.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the NAND-type flash memory, the serial address and data bus, the processing unit, the volatile RAM memory and the communication circuit are contained in a communications device housing.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein a serial connector port is connected between the first bus end and the second bus end, the method further comprising the step of: 
 electrically connecting the NAND-type flash memory the serial connector port prior to the power-on condition.    
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the serial address and data bus, the processing unit, the volatile RAM memory and the communication circuit are contained in a communications device housing, and wherein the serial connector port is on a surface of the device housing, wherein the step of electrically connecting the NAND-type flash memory comprises the step of: 
 electrically connecting the NAND-type flash memory to the serial connector port external to the communications device housing.    
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising the steps of: 
 determining whether the NAND-type flash memory is connected to a processing unit upon the power-on condition; and    transferring the at least a portion of the data from the NAND-type flash memory to the RAM memory if the NAND-type flash memory is connected.    
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the at least a portion of the data stored in the NAND-type flash memory is critical operations data.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59 , wherein the critical operations data is an application program that is critical to an operation of the wireless communications device.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the at least a portion of the data stored in the NAND-type flash memory is non-critical operations data comprising at least one of user interface information, a recent call list, a display setting, a roaming preference, a ringer preference, a non-critical application program, and a phone book.