Cordless headset telephone for use with a business telephone

• US 5,426,689 A
• Filed: 03/02/1994
• Issued: 06/20/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Petty, Norman W., Griffith, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): OEHLING, GEORGE J
• Application Number:
  US08/204,696
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/61, 379/428, 379/430, 379/433, 379/436, 379/441, 379/442, 379/447
• US Class Current: 455/575.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line

Abstract

A wireless headset telephone whose base station interconnects to a standard electronic telephone station set via the speaker phone port of the standard electronic station set. The user of the wireless headset telephone is able to answer incoming telephone calls having been alerted by an audible signal and can originate calls by utilizing the dialing pad associated with the headset. The wireless headset telephone comprises a headset with a microphone and a mobile unit with an associated key pad. The mobile unit is designed so that it may be worn by the user of the headset in a manner similar to the well known Walkman radio sets. The mobile unit includes all of the communication circuits required to maintain a radio frequency link with a base station which is connected to the electronic telephone set.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing wireless telecommunication service via a telephone station set connected to a telephone switching system and the telephone station set has not been modified (unmodified) after being shipped from the manufacturing factory, comprising:

said unmodified telephone station set having a speaker phone port for allowing the interconnection of a speaker phone to said unmodified telephone station set;

a base station for interconnecting to said speaker phone port;

a wireless telephone headset for communicating control and audio call information with said base station via a wireless communication link;

said base station responsive to said control and audio call information for communicating said information with said unmodified telephone station set via said speaker phone port to allow a user of said wireless telephone headset to receive and place calls through said unmodified telephone station set by generating an offhook condition in said unmodified telephone station set.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wireless telephone headset comprises a headset having earphones and microphone for communicating said audio information;

a mobile unit for interconnecting to said headset and for establishing said wireless communication link with said base station;

said mobile unit comprises a plurality of switches for generating a portion of said control information to place a call through said unmodified telephone station set and said portion of said control information being transmitted to said base station via said wireless communication link; and

said base station further responsive to said generated portion of said control information for controlling the operation of said unmodified telephone station set to place said call through said unmodified telephone station set to said telephone switching system and for establishing an audio path between said mobile unit and said unmodified telephone station set through said base station and said wireless communication link.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said unmodified telephone station set responsive to an incoming call from said telephone switching system for transmitting an alerting signal to said base station;

said base station further responsive to said alerting signal from said telephone station set for transmitting an alerting signal of said control information to said mobile unit via said wireless communication link; and

said mobile unit responsive to said alerting signal of said control information for alerting said user via said headset

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the user of said wireless telephone headset accepts said incoming call by actuation of one of said plurality of said switches;

said mobile unit further responsive to said actuation of one of said plurality of said switches for transmitting a state signal of said control information to said base station whereby said state signal indicates acceptance of said incoming call by the user of said wireless telephone headset; and

said base station further responsive to said state signal of said control information to transmit a call accept message to said unmodified telephone station set whereby said unmodified telephone station set accepts the incoming call from said telephone switching system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wireless telephone headset comprises a headset having earphones and microphone for communicating said audio information and built-in circuitry for establishing said wireless communication link with said base station;

said headset further comprises a switch for indicating the state of said wireless telephone headset;

said unmodified telephone station set responsive to an incoming call from said telephone switching system for transmitting an alerting signal to said base station;

said base station responsive to said alerting signal from said unmodified telephone station set for transmitting an alerting signal of said control information to said built-in circuitry via said wireless communication link; and

said built-in circuitry responsive to said alerting signal of said control information for alerting said user via said headset; and

said user of said wireless telephone headset accepts said incoming call by actuation of said switch;

said built-circuitry further responsive to said actuation of said switch for transmitting a state signal of said control information to said base station whereby said state signal indicates acceptances of said incoming call by said user of said wireless telephone headset; and

said base station further responsive to said state signal of said control information to transmit a call accept message to said unmodified telephone station set whereby said unmodified telephone station set accepts the incoming call from said telephone switching system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a conventional wireless handset is used in place of said wireless telephone headset.