A portable communication apparatus suitable for integration into a garment includes
a host unit, an interface and an interactive communication unit. The host unit
comprises a removable host device which can be docked into a docking station located
in, e.g., the torso area of the garment, and may also be used in a standalone fashion
when undocked. The host unit is connected to the interactive communication unit
through an interface, which may be a wired or wireless interface. The interactive
display unit is preferably located at the end of the sleeve, and may include a
graphical display device, a microphone, a speaker, and/or user-activated buttons.
The host device may act as a pager as well as perform other functions, and may
be replaced with another host device in the docking station having different function
and features. The host unit may have a data port, which may be used to connect
a remote speaker located in another area of the garment, such as the collar, near
the wearer's ear. The communication apparatus may provide advanced messaging, cellular
telephony, IP telephony, digital audio generation and/or pager functionality.
