Telephone having receive call indicating function and mute/light key

• US 4,982,424 A
• Filed: 05/14/1990
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Tomoko, Saito, Akio, Ishigami, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Application Number:
  US07/523,258
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 379/376, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/61, 379/62, 379/63, 379/421, 379/433, 379/396, 379/387, 455/89, 455/90
• US Class Current: 379/376.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device

Abstract

The housing of a hand held portable telephone has only a limited amount of surface area for providing a number of functions such as providing for a microphone, a receiver, a ringer, a keypad, an information display panel, a panel light, and a control key. By a reoperation of a control key, some equipment on the surface area is reused to perform a second function without requiring additional surface space.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the turning on and off of a back-light of a display panel of a telephone in response to closing and opening a switch which is connected between said back-light and a back-light driver, and the muting of a microphone of the same telephone, wherein said method comprises the following steps of:

a first step (i) for detecting whether or not a key is pressed down;

a second step (ii) for turning on back-light driver means if said key is pressed at said first step (i);

a third step (iii) for closing a switch after the completion of said second step (i);

a fourth step (iv) for (a) detecting the presence of a received call signal after the completion of said third step (iii), and (b) returning to said first step (i) if the presence of a received call signal is not detected;

a fifth step (v) for (a) detecting whether or not said telephone is off hook if the presence of a received call signal is detected at said fourth step (iv), and (b) returning to said third step (iii) after an opening of said switch if the telephone is not in an off-hook state;

a sixth step (vi) for opening said switch if the telephone is in an off-hook state;

a seventh step (vii) or detecting whether or not said key is pressed after the completion of said sixth step (vi), and for repeating said seventh step until said key is pressed; and

an eighth step (viii) for simultaneously muting said microphone and closing said switch if said key is pressed at seventh step (vii).

2. A hand held portable telephone comprising a housing having a surface area devoted to equipment comprising at least a microphone, receiver, ringer, key pad, an information display panel, a panel light, and a control key, and control means for enabling said control key to function as a mute control key during a telephone conversation and to function as a light control key of said panel light except during said telephone conversation.

3. A hand held portable telephone comprising a housing having a surface area devoted to equipment comprising at least a microphone, receiver, ringer, key pad, an information display panel, a panel light, and a control key, and control means for intermittently providing a first control signal in response to the arrival of a call, and switch means responsive to said first control signal for actuating said panel light to illuminate the information display panel.

4. A hand held portable telephone comprising a housing having a surface area devoted to equipment comprising at least a microphone, receiver, ringer, key pad, an information display panel, a panel light, and a control key, and control means for producing a first control signal responsive to an arrival of a call, for producing a second control signal jointly responsive to an operation of said control key and a busy condition at said telephone, and for producing a third control signal jointly responsive to an operation of said control key and an idle condition at said telephone, means responsive to said first and third signals for actuating said panel light to illuminate said information display panel, and means responsive to said second signal for disabling said microphone.

5. A telephone having a received call indicating function and a mute/light key, said telephone comprising:

information display panel means for displaying at least the information of the arrival of a call;

illuminating means for illuminating said information display panel means;

key means for manually providing a key signal;

control means for providing a first control signal in response to the arrival of a call, for providing a second control signal in response to said key signal during conversation, and for providing a third control signal in response to said key signal during stand-by state;

driver means for driving intermittently said illuminating means in response to said first control signal, and for driving continuously said illuminating means in response to said third control signal; and

microphone unit means for being in a muted state in response to said second control signal.

6. A telephone at claimed in claim 5, wherein said information display panel means is comprised of a liquid crystal display (LCD).

7. A telephone at claimed in claim 6, wherein said illuminating means is comprised of a back-light for illuminating said LCD from behind.

8. A telephone having a receive call indicating function and a mute/light key, said telephone comprising:

information display panel means for displaying at least the information of the arrival of a call;

illuminating means of illuminating said information display panel means;

key means for manually providing a key signal;

control means for providing a control signal in response to the arrival of a call; and

driver means for driving intermittently said illuminating means in response to said control signal.

9. A telephone having a receive call indicating function and a mute/light key, said telephone comprising:

information display panel means for displaying at least the information of the arrival of a call;

illuminating means for illuminating said information display panel means;

key means for manually providing a key signal;

control means for providing a first control signal in response to said key signal during a conversation, and for providing a second control signal in response to said key signal during a stand-by state;

driver means for driving continuously said illuminating means in response to said second control signal; and

microphone unit means for placing said telephone in a muted state in response to said first control signal.