Portable communication system comprising a local and wide area communication units which can store a communication when the wide area communication system is not available

Claim 2

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver constructed and arranged to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of said personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; control means, disposed in said portable housing for selectively controlling said local-area wireless communication unit and said wide-area communication unit; means, disposed in said portable housing, for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to said wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding said communication when said wide-area communication system becomes available to said wide-area communication unit.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for interfacing communications from said at least one wide-area communication system to at least one of said plurality of personal communication devices, wherein said interfacing is transparent to a user.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1, wherein said at least some of said personal communication devices differ from one another in that at least two of said at least some of said personal communication devices utilize different communication protocols.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of personal communication devices is a measurement instrument.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing internal alarms to at least one of said plurality of personal communication devices.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1, wherein said local-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 8

The system of claim 1, wherein said wide-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for supporting multiple communication protocols.

Claim 10

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for supporting multiple information formats.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for interfacing to said control means a first wide-area communication unit from a first wide-area communication system; and means for interfacing to said control means a second wide-area communication unit from a second wide-area communication system, wherein said means for interfacing said first wide-area communication unit and said means for interfacing said second wide-area communication unit provide the same electrical and physical interface.

Claim 12

The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for receiving a wide-area communication; means, coupled to said means for receiving, for converting said wide-area communication to a local-area communication; and means, coupled to said means for converting, for forwarding said local-area communication to an appropriate local-area communication unit.

Claim 13

The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for storing a communication when a personal communication device is not available; and means for forwarding said communication when said personal communication device becomes available.

Claim 14

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for updating status and location with said wide-area communication system and logging into said wide-area communication system.

Claim 15

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for providing authorized entry and preventing unauthorized entry into said portable housing.

Claim 16

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for granting access to communication resources supported within said portable housing.

Claim 17

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for enabling multiple users the ability to access said portable housing.

Claim 18

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for distributing data to a computer external to the portable housing.

Claim 19

The system of claim 1, further comprising means for supplying computing ability within the portable housing.

Claim 20

The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for entering an event with a date in as electronic calendar; and means for providing an alarm of said event from said calendar when said date occurs.

Claim 21

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver constructed and arranged to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of said personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; means, disposed in said portable housing, for receiving a wide-area communication; means, coupled to said means for receiving, for converting said wide-area communication to a local-area communication; means, coupled to said means for converting, for forwarding said local-area communication to an appropriate local-area communication unit; means, disposed in said portable housing for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to said wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding said communication when said wide-area communication system becomes available to said wide-area communication unit.

Claim 22

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver constructed and arranged to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of said personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit, disposed in said portable housing, including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; means, disposed in said portable housing, for receiving a wide-area communication; means, coupled to said means for receiving, for converting said wide-area communication to a local-area communication; means, coupled to said means for converting, for forwarding said local-area communication to an appropriate local-area communication unit; means, disposed in said portable housing for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to said wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding said communication when said wide-area communication system becomes available to said wide-area communication unit.

Claim 23

The system of claim 20, wherein said local-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 24

The system of claim 20, wherein said wide-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 25

The system of claim 20, further comprising means for supporting multiple communication protocols.

Claim 26

The system of claim 20, further comprising: means for interfacing to a first wide-area communication unit from a first wide-area communication system; and means for interfacing to a second wide-area communication unit from a second wide-area communication system, wherein said means for interfacing said first wide-area communication unit and said means for interfacing said second wide-area communication unit provide the same electrical and physical interface.

Claim 27

The system of claim 20, further comprising: means for storing a communication when a personal communication device is not available; and means for forwarding said communication when said personal communication device becomes available.

Claim 28

The system of claim 20, further comprising means for updating status and location with said wide-area communication system and logging into said wide-area communication system.

Claim 29

The system of claim 20, further comprising means for distributing data to a computer external to the portable housing.

Claim 30

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit disposed in said portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of said personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit disposed in said portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; means, disposed in said portable housing, for receiving a wide-area communication; means, coupled to said means for receiving, for converting said wide-area communication to a local-area communication; means, coupled to said means for converting, for forwarding said local-area communication to an appropriate local-area communication unit; means, operatively coupled to said portable housing, for interfacing to a first wide-area communication unit from a first wide-area communication system; means, operatively coupled to said portable housing, for interfacing to a second wide-area communication unit from a second wide-area communication system, wherein said means for interfacing said first wide-area communication unit and said means for interfacing said second wide-area communication unit provide the same electrical and physical interface; means, disposed in said portable housing, for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to said wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding said communication when said wide-area communication system becomes available to said wide-area communication unit.

Claim 31

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit disposed in said portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of said personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit disposed in said portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; means, disposed in said portable housing, for receiving a wide-area communication; means, coupled to said means for receiving, for converting said wide-area communication to a local-area communication; means, coupled to said means for converting, for forwarding said local-area communication to an appropriate local-area communication unit; means, operatively coupled to said portable housing, for interfacing to a first wide-area communication unit from a first wide-area communication system; means, operatively coupled to said portable housing, for interfacing to a second wide-area communication unit from a second wide-area communication system, wherein said means for interfacing said first wide-area communication unit and said means for interfacing said second wide-area communication unit provide the same electrical and physical interface; means, disposed in said portable housing, for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to said wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding said communication when said wide-area communication system becomes available to said wide-area communication unit.

Claim 32

The system of claim 28, wherein said local-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 33

The system of claim 28, wherein said wide-area wireless communication unit is further supported by a wireline connection.

Claim 34

The system of claim 28, further comprising means for supporting multiple communication protocols.

Claim 35

The system of claim 28, further comprising: means for storing a communication when a personal communication device is not available; and means for forwarding said communication when said personal communication device becomes available.

Claim 36

The system of claim 28, further comprising means for updating status and location with said wide-area communication system and logging into said wide-area communication system.

Claim 37

The system of claim 28, further comprising means for distributing data to a computer external to the portable housing.

Claim 38

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit disposed in the portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of the personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit disposed in the portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; control means disposed in the portable housing for selectively controlling the local-area wireless communication unit and the wide-area communication unit; means, disposed in the portable housing, for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to the wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding the communication when the wide-area communication system becomes available to the wide-area communication unit.

Claim 39

A communication system, comprising: a portable housing; a local-area wireless communication unit disposed in the portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with a plurality of local-area wireless personal communication devices, wherein at least some of the personal communication devices are different from one another; a wide-area communication unit disposed in the portable housing including a transceiver to communicate with at least one wide-area communication system; control means disposed in the portable housing for selectively controlling the local-area wireless communication unit and the wide-area communication unit; means, disposed in the portable housing, for storing a communication when a wide-area communication system is not available to the wide-area communication unit; and means for forwarding the communication when the wide-area communication system becomes available to the wide-area communication unit.

Claim 40

The system of claim 1, further comprising: means for distributing data to a computer external to the portable housing; and means for receiving data from a computer external to the portable housing.

Claim 41

The system of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor that supplies computing ability within the portable housing.