Portable phone capable of being switched into hearing aid function

• US 20050288057A1
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Lai, Cheng-Shing, Ji, Yin-Shan
• Granted Patent: US 7,317,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users

Abstract

The present invention discloses a portable phone using a sound receiving unit installed in the portable phone to receive a sound in the surrounding within an appropriate range, and then using a sound source playback device to play a sound after being amplified, so that a person having a hearing problem can just carry a mobile phone to concurrently have the basic functions of the mobile phone and use the sound amplification function of the mobile phone to supplement the deficiency of the hearing ability when talking to or communicating with others. The portable phone can be toggled between the regular telephone function and the hearing aid function, and thus concurrently serving as a hearing aid to the people who have a hearing problem.

Claims

1. A portable phone capable of being switched into hearing aid function and having a circuit board disposed therein and a central processing unit disposed on said circuit board, and said central processing unit being coupled to the following components for a signal transmission:

a screen, disposed at an appropriate position on a casing of said portable phone;

a plurality of press buttons, disposed at an easy-to-operate position on said casing of said portable phone;

a sound receiving unit, for receiving an analog signal transmitted from a surrounding environment within a finite range;

an analog/digital converting unit, for converting a received audio signal selectively into an analog signal and a digital signal;

a data processing unit, for appropriately amplifying the volume of said digital signal and filtering noises;

a sound playback unit, for playing an analog signal with an amplified volume; and

a toggle unit, for toggling between a hearing aid function and a telephone function.

2. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said toggle unit is a hardware switch built on a casing of said portable phone and electrically coupled with said circuit board for a signal connection, such that said hearing aid function of said portable phone is selectively enabled and disabled by flipping said hardware switch.

3. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said toggle unit is a software switch built in a man-machine interface of said portable phone, such that said screen and said plurality of press buttons enable users to enter into an option of said man-machine interface to selectively enable and disable said hearing aid function of said portable phone.

4. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said sound playback unit comprises:

a cable ear phone, having a signal line, and a connecting terminal is disposed at an end of said signal line and at least a speaker disposed at the other end of said signal line; and

a connector, coupled with a circuit board, and having an insert hole thereon, so that said connecting terminal being inserted into said insert hole.

5. The portable phone of claim 4, wherein said circuit board comprises a channel control device for adjusting the sound volume of a left channel and a right channel of said speaker.

6. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said sound playback unit comprises:

a wireless ear phone, having a radio receiver and at least one other speaker thereon; and

a radio transmission module, for sending an analog signal after its sound volume is amplified to said radio receiver, so that said other speaker plays said analog signal.

7. The portable phone of claim 6, wherein said circuit board comprises a channel control device for adjusting the sound volume of said left channel and said right channel of said other speaker.

8. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said circuit board comprises a replay control device and a data storage device, and said replay control device is capable of saving an amplified digital signal into said data storage device.

9. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said portable phone is a personal digital assistant having a communication function.

10. The portable phone of claim 1, wherein said portable phone is a mobile phone.