Telephone assembly with handset having a transmitting and/or receiving component

• US 20020003874A1
• Filed: 06/21/2001
• Published: 01/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andreas Peiker
• Original Assignee: Andreas Peiker
• Inventors: Peiker, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 7,068,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/419
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0217 for loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0241 for telephones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0247 for microphones or earphones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0005 Dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0052 using screws, bolts, rivets or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0059 using clips, clamps, straps or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0071 using latches, clips, clamps, straps or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0075 using a containment or docking space
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0078 Quick-disconnect two-parts mounting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241

Abstract

A telephone assembly including a handset containing a microphone and/or a receiver (8.1, 13; 8.2, 12). The handset is equipped with a space designed to hold a hand-held cordless telephone (1; 24; 39) that can be removed from the handset, and for electrical coupling of the cordless telephone.

Claims

1. Telephone assembly comprising a handset that can be freely moved about manually can be held in a mounting fixture (19;

26;

41;

55) such that it can be removed, and is equipped with a microphone (13;

35;

44;

74;

229) and a receiver, which contains a space for holding and electrically coupling a cordless telephone (1;

24;

39;

101;

205;

302) which can be removed from the handset, and also contains a microphone and a receiver.

2. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the handset is equipped with an adapter for the cordless telephone (1;

24;

39;

51;

101;

205;

302) which is designed as a hand-held shell (8;

25;

40;

53;

105;

205) and is preferably connected in terms of signals to a telephonic circuit integrated into the cordless telephone (1) to permit it to assume the acoustic functions of the cordless telephone (1), wherein especially the microphone in the mouthpiece is designed as, and can be switched on as, a hands-free microphone (16).

3. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the mounting fixture is designed as a console (19;

26;

41;

55), which is equipped with a manually operable release unit (83), so that the handset (8;

25;

40;

53), even in a console (19;

26;

41;

55) that is mounted in a vehicle, cannot fall loose as a result of vibrations of the vehicle.

4. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the handset (53) is equipped with an insertion piece (69) that is preferably capable of swinging out by 10* to 20* and is especially sheath-like, into which the cordless telephone (5 1) can be partially inserted such that the operating elements (70) of the cordless telephone (51) remain accessible.

5. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that the insertion piece (69) is held stable both in the swung-out- and the swung-in position, in order to prevent vibrations, especially when the assembly is mounted in a vehicle.

6. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the swiveling axis (67) of the sheath-type insertion piece (69) is positioned on the outside of the hollow cavity of the sheath (71), especially on its upper half, and the rear panel of the sheath (73) extends upward beyond the rim of the sheath (75), in order to serve as a guide plate (72) for the cordless telephone (51) to be inserted.

7. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 4 through 6, characterized in that the insertion piece (304) can be swiveled from a swung-in position of rest to a swung-out pick-up position via a spring-mounted swiveling mechanism (319) that is supported on the base of the shell (303), and can be pushed into the swung-in position of rest by pressing on the cordless telephone (302) being held in the insertion piece, against the spring force of the swiveling mechanism (319), and in that the insertion piece is held securely in this position via a mounting element (322) that acts upon either the insertion piece or the cordless telephone (302), wherein a mounting element (323) is positioned on the insertion piece (304) or on the hand-held shell (303) which catches, allowing some play, both below and above the cordless telephone (302), and spring-mounted pressure elements (337) become engaged directly through a recess (332) in the insertion piece (304) or indirectly via a pressure transfer element (336) on the underside of the cordless telephone (302) and press the telephone against the overlapping portion (338) of the mounting element (323) when the insertion piece (304) is pushed into the swung-in position of rest, wherein the spring-mounted pressure elements (337), when the insertion piece (304) is in the swung-out pick-up position, exert no, or at most only slight, pressure on the cordless telephone (302), in order that the cordless telephone (302) may be inserted into and removed from the mounting (323) without requiring any pressure;

the spring-mounted pressure elements are preferably comprised of at least one pressure spring (337), which advantageously becomes engaged directly or indirectly at the end of the cordless telephone (302) that faces away from the mounting fixture (322); and

especially the spring-mounted pressure elements (337) act upon a movable pressure transfer organ that is formed on or coupled to the insertion piece (304), that preferably is formed via a thin pressure tongue or bracket (336) that is injection molded to the insertion piece (304).

8. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 4 through 7, characterized in that the insertion piece (126) is equipped with at least one collar piece (129a, 129b), positioned within the insertion cavity, for supporting the lower portion of the cordless telephone (101), and a recessed area for the collar piece, wherein, in the swiveling of the insertion piece (126) a relative movement between the cordless telephone support surface (132b) of the collar piece (129b) and the upper edge (137) of the insertion cavity (126), especially its front edge area (141), is created, allowing the cordless telephone (101) to be easily removed in the swung-out position, but holding it securely in the swung-in position.

9. Telephone assembly in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the recessed area remains fixed in terms of the position of the swiveling axis (125) of the insertion piece (126), in that the cordless telephone support surface (132b) in the collar piece (129b) runs parallel to the swiveling axis (125) and perpendicular to the insertion plane for the cordless telephone (101) in an inserted position, and fills in nearly the entire cross-section of the insertion cavity (126) up to the allowable distance required for swinging out, and in that the swiveling axis (125) of the insertion cavity (126) in the base area of the collar piece (129b) is preferably turned backwards in relation to the support surface (132b) for the lower portion of the cordless telephone (101).

10. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 1 through 9, characterized in that the hand-held shell (105) preferably contains a recessed area for the antenna base or for that part of the housing that holds the antenna base, in that the cordless telephone (101) is held securely in the hand-held shell (105) via a locking mechanism (119) that overlaps at least with its surface area when the telephone is inserted, and in that the locking mechanism (119) is designed as a spring-mounted slide coupler, which preferably securely covers the antenna base or that part of the cordless telephone housing (101) that holds the antenna base, wherein the locking mechanism (119) is preferably held in the open position such that it can be moved manually, and in this position is held by a spring-mounted tappet (156) that catches in the locking mechanism (119), and preferably for a surface (121) of the cordless telephone (101) a catching point (120, 121) for the tappet (156) is present, through which the tappet (156), when the cordless telephone (101) is inserted, can be moved out of the locked position, with the release of the securing mechanism (119).

11. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 2 through 10, characterized in that the hand-held shell (203) is equipped with a rigid insertion cavity (220) for the lateral, positive-lock mounting of the lower edge of the cordless telephone (221), and has, in the upper area (211), a locking element (230) for the rear upper portion of the cordless telephone, in which the cordless telephone (205) can be pressed in and automatically locked in, and can be released for removal only via a release mechanism (231), and in that preferably an ejection mechanism (239) that operates in conjunction with the mounting element (230) is present, which, when the upper portion of the cordless telephone (211) is released while the lower edge of the cordless telephone (21) remains in the insertion cavity (220), preferably at an angle of between 5* and 20* shifts forward for easy manual removal.

12. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 1 through 11, characterized by an interface (226) especially for signal and power transmission from the handheld shell (203) into the cordless telephone (205), wherein one half of the interface (226) is preferably positioned, spring-mounted and floating, in the insertion cavity (220), around a swiveling axis (227) that runs parallel to the base of the shell (223) and perpendicular to its lengthwise extension.

13. Telephone assembly in accordance with one of claims 2 through 12, characterized in that the hand-held shell (8;

25;

53), especially in combination with the inserted cordless telephone (39;

51), is designed in the form of a conventional telephone receiver, or is slightly curved in shape, wherein the ear-piece and mouthpiece (8.2 and 8.1, respectively;

35) in the shell are positioned on the side that is opposite the side that contains the space to hold the cordless telephone, and the recess (9;

29) for the cordless telephone (1;

8) is constructed such that the buttons (3;

70) on the cordless telephone remain accessible after it has been inserted.