Communications terminal

• US 20030143986A1
• Filed: 01/30/2003
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nam, Tae-Hyun, Mufti, Moyeen Shujauddin
• Granted Patent: US 7,027,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0274 by switching on or off the equipment or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communications terminal comprising means operable, in the absence of significant input to the terminal, to automatically terminate a call.

Claims

1. A communication terminal, which includes a micro-processor, a microphone and a keypad, for communicating via a communication channel, comprising:

a comparator for comparing, while said communication channel is open, a microphone output voltage level and a predetermined reference voltage level, wherein the microphone output voltage level corresponds to an audio signal input to said microphone;

an automatic disconnect unit (ADU) which receives a low volume alert signal from the comparator when the microphone output voltage level falls below the predetermined reference voltage level; and

first and second timers, wherein;

if the comparator sends the low volume alert signal for a first predetermined period, the first timer provides a user alert and starts the second timer, and

 

if an acknowledgement is not received during a second predetermined period of the second timer, the ADU automatically terminates the communication channel.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the user alert is an audio signal.

3. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the user alert is a visual signal provided via an LED.

4. The communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising a voice activity detector operable to detect human speech usable for detecting the acknowledgement.

5. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is a wireless communication terminal.

6. The communication terminal of claim 1, the communication terminal is a landline communication terminal.

7. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the ADU is implemented by software.

8. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference voltage level is set to zero when a data cable is connected to the terminal.

9. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference voltage level varies for a plurality of preset user-selected modes, including a meeting mode and an outdoor mode.

10. A method for automatically terminating a communication channel of a communication terminal which includes a micro-processor, a microphone and a keypad, for communicating via said communication channel;

said method comprising;

comparing, by a comparator, while said communication channel is open, a microphone output voltage level and a predetermined reference voltage level, wherein the microphone output voltage level corresponds to an audio signal input to said microphone;

receiving a low volume alert signal from the comparator when the microphone output voltage level falls below the predetermined reference voltage level; and

providing, if the comparator sends the low volume alert signal for a first predetermined period of a first timer, a user alert and starting a second timer; and

automatically terminating the communication channel if an acknowledgement is not received during a second predetermined period of the second timer.