Electronic, acoustical tone generating communications system and method

A system for communicating data between a computer and a unit remote from the computer, comprising means in the remote unit for receiving input information from a user and for producing data signals corresponding to the input information;

• means for producing error corrected message signals from the data signals;
• means for generating acoustical tones corresponding to the error corrected message signals;
• a speaker that emits the acoustical tones into a mouthpiece of a telephone handset held adjacent to the speaker to cause the acoustical tones to be received by a microphone in the telephone mouthpiece and transduced by the microphone into electrical signals to send the error corrected message signals to the computer;
• a receiving means in the remote unit for unidirectionally receiving data from the computer over a second communications link, which is independent of the telephone handset;
• and means for providing an acknowledgment signal over an earpiece of the telephone handset to the user to provide instructions to the user.

A method for communicating data between a computer and a unit remote from the computer, comprising:

• receiving input information from a user to the remote unit;
• generating data signals in the remote unit corresponding to the input information;
• producing error corrected message signals in the remote unit corresponding to the data signals;
• generating acoustical tones in the remote unit corresponding to the error corrected message signals;
• holding a speaker of the remote unit adjacent to a mouthpiece of a telephone handset;
• emitting the acoustical tones from the speaker into the mouthpiece of the telephone handset to cause the acoustical tones to be received by a microphone in the telephone mouthpiece and transduced by the microphone into electrical signals to send the acoustical tones over a telephone line;
• receiving, in a receiving unit of the remote unit, data from the computer over a receive-only second communications link, which is independent of the first communications link;
• and
• means for providing an acknowledgment over the telephone line to the user to provide instructions to the user.

For use in a system for communicating data between a computer and a unit remote to the computer, the remote unit comprising means for receiving input information from a user and for producing data signals corresponding to the input information;

• means for producing error corrected message signals from the data signals;
• means for generating acoustical tones corresponding to the error corrected message signals;
• a speaker for emitting the acoustical tones towards an adjacently located mouthpiece of a telephone handset so that the acoustical tones are received by a microphone in the telephone mouthpiece and transduced by the microphone into electrical signals for transmission to the computer;
• means for providing an acknowledgment signal, over the first communications link to the user of the remote unit to provide instructions to the user;
• and a receiving means for receiving data from the computer over a send-only second communications link, which is independent of the first communications link.

A method for communicating data from a handheld device to a remote computer over a telephone line, comprising:

• entering data into the device using a user input device;
• generating error corrected signals based on the entered data;
• holding a speaker of the device adjacent to a mouthpiece of a telephone handset;
• and
• emitting acoustical tones from a speaker in the device into the mouthpiece of the telephone handset to cause the acoustical tones to be received by a microphone in the telephone mouthpiece and transduced by the microphone into electrical signals in order to communicate the error corrected signals to the remote computer.