Power conserving mobile telephone usable as a portable phone and as an installed phone

• US 5,353,330 A
• Filed: 02/05/1992
• Issued: 10/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Ryuhei
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US07/831,431
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/67, 455/88, 455/11.1, 455/13.4
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile telephone usable both as a portable and as an installed telephone, capable of saving battery power when used as a portable telephone, and safely starting up voice-dialing when used as an installed telephone. Discriminating circuit (3, 3A, 14) discriminates which use the telephone is now in, portable or installed. In the former use, start-up circuit (7, 15) is manually activated to supply power from battery pack (1) to voice-dialing unit (8). The power supply is cut off in response to reset signal R supplied from the voice-dialing unit when voice-dialing ends. In the latter use, voice-dialing unit is kept switched on to the vehicle battery and ready for start-up in response to voice input.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising:

a voice-dialing telephone unit and a battery pack, usable both as a portable telephone when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit and as an installed telephone when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to a vehicle battery;

discrimination means for discriminating the battery pack currently attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit;

voice-dialing means for creating a telephone number through speech recognition, the voice-dialing means delivering a reset signal when voice dialing processing ends, provided that the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit;

manual start-up means for manually commanding a start-up of the voice-dialing means, provided that the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit; and

switching means for electrically connecting the voice-dialing means to the battery pack or to the vehicle battery to actuate the voice-dialing means, wherein, when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit, the switching means turns on in response to a start-up command supplied from the manual start-up means and turns off when the reset signal is supplied from the voice-dialing means, and, when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to the vehicle battery, the switching means is retained in the on-state,

wherein attaching the battery pack to the voice-dialing telephone unit, or the voice-dialing telephone unit to the vehicle battery is effected with first and second terminals of the voice-dialing telephone unit being electrically connected to first and second electrodes of the battery pack or vehicle battery respectively, and the discriminating means comprises a center tap provided in the battery pack having a predetermined potential with respect to the first or second electrode of the battery pack, a discriminating-signal terminal provided in the voice-dialing telephone unit, which couples with the terminal of the center tap when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit, but does not couple with any electrode terminal in the vehicle battery when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to the vehicle battery, and a first resister connected between the first and discriminating-signal terminals of the voice-dialing telephone unit, whereby the discriminating means provides at the discriminating-signal terminal a discriminating signal of a first logic level corresponding to the potential of the center tap when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit, and provides a discriminating signal of a second logic level corresponding to the potential of the first electrode of the vehicle battery.

2. A mobile telephone comprising:

a voice-dialing telephone unit and a battery pack, usable both as a portable telephone when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit and as an installed telephone when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to a vehicle battery;

discrimination means for discriminating the battery pack currently attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit;

voice-dialing means for creating a telephone number through speech recognition, the voice-dialing means delivering a reset signal when voice dialing processing ends, provided that the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit;

manual start-up means for manually commanding a start-up of the voice-dialing means, provided that the battery back is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit; and

switching means for electrically connecting the voice-dialing means to the battery pack or to the vehicle battery to actuate the voice-dialing means, wherein, when the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit, the switching means turns on in response to a start-up command supplied from the manual start-up means and turns off when the reset signal is supplied from the voice-dialing means, and, when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to the vehicle battery, the switching means is retained in the on-state,

wherein attaching the battery pack to the voice-dialing telephone unit, or the voice-dialing telephone unit to the vehicle battery is effected with first and second terminals of the voice-dialing telephone unit being electrically connected to first and second electrodes of the battery pack or vehicle battery, respectively, and the manual start-up means comprises a resistor and a manually operable switch connected in series between the first and second terminals of the voice-dialing telephone unit, whereby a start-up signal indicative of start-up of the voice-dialing means is provided at the junction series between the first and second terminals of the voice-dialing telephone unit, whereby a start-up signal indicative of start-up of the voice-dialing means is provided at the junction of the resistor and the switch when the switch is manually operated to activate the manual start-up means, provided that the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit.

3. A mobile telephone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching means comprises a switching transistor for connecting the voice-dialing means to the battery pack or the vehicle battery in response to an on/off control signal, a set/reset flip-flop for providing the on/off control signal, which is reset by the reset signal supplied from the voice-dialing means, and gate means for providing a set signal to the set/reset flip-flop, the gate means delivering the set signal either when both the battery pack is attached to the voice-dialing telephone unit and the start-up signal is supplied from the manual start-up means, or when the voice-dialing telephone unit is attached to the vehicle battery, the set/reset flip-flop delivering an on/off signal when it receives the set signal and stopping output of the on/off signal when it receives the reset signal.