Changeable contour construction of wireless telephone

• US 5,440,629 A
• Filed: 07/02/1993
• Issued: 08/08/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert R. Gray
• Original Assignee: Robert R. Gray
• Inventors: Gray, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Application Number:
  US08/087,165
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 379/428, 379/433, 379/434, D14/138, D14/147, D14/148
• US Class Current: 379/433.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

A portable telephone handset construction is provided having a chassis to which is slidably assembled an end closure which is collapsible to a position for protecting a selected portion of said chassis from contact and impact by other objects and to minimize its contamination by dust and other debris. When fully extended the end closure may represent an earpiece or mouthpiece of the handset construction which is capable of angular orientation relative to the chassis so as to assume the normal configuration of the earpiece or mouthpiece of a conventional telephone handset. The end closures are guided during sliding movement relative to the chassis by means of cooperating guide tracks and guide elements. The end closures containing the earpiece and mouthpiece are articulated relative to the chassis by spring members and interrelating mechanical structure.

Claims

1. A portable telephone handset comprising:

(a) an elongate substantially straight telephone handset chassis having an end section;

(b) a pair of guide and positioning arms each having pivots connected in pivotal relation with said telephone chassis, each of said guide and positioning arms being flexible and having an elongate arm section and a locking projection thereon;

(c) at least one end closure defining internal guide slots of elongate configuration and having spaced locking recesses defined in part by a cam surface and being disposed for receiving a respective one of said locking projections, said end closure being in linear sliding and articulatable assembly with said telephone handset chassis and being movable easily from a collapsed position where said at least one end closure encloses said end section of said telephone handset chassis and being linearly movable to an extended position exposing said end section of said telephone handset chassis;

(d) said elongate arm section of each of said guide and positioning arms being received in guiding relation within a respective one of said internal guide slots; and

(e) said at least one end closure being linearly movable in guided relation with said telephone chassis and said guide and positioning arms from collapsed positions enclosing said end section of said telephone chassis and extended positions exposing said end section of said telephone chassis, said at least one end closure further being pivotally movable about said pivots at the substantially fully extended positions to thus provide for articulation of said at least one end closure to inclined relation with said telephone chassis.

2. The portable telephone handset of claim 1, wherein:

said at least one end closure being a pair of end closures each being receivable in movable relation with said telephone handset chassis and in the collapsed positions thereof enclosing respective extremities of said telephone handset chassis, each of said end closures having means for auditory transmission of sound waves.

3. The collapsible telephone handset of claim 1, wherein:

said pivot arms each defining of elongate straight portions being receivable in guided relation within respective guide slots and permitting articulation of said at least one end closure relative to said chassis only when said at least one end closure is substantially fully extended relative to said chassis.

4. The collapsible telephone handset of claim 1, wherein:

said locking recesses being defined in part by cam surfaces oriented for shifting said locking projections from said locking recesses upon linear movement of said at least one end closure relative to said chassis.

5. The portable telephone handset of claim 1, wherein:

said at least one end closure being articulatable to angulated relation with said telephone handset chassis when located at said extended position relative to said telephone handset chassis.

6. The portable telephone handset of claim 1, further comprising:

spring means being interposed between said telephone handset chassis and said pivot arms for spring urged positioning and restraining of said at least one end closure at said angulated relation with said telephone handset chassis.

7. The portable telephone handset of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) first positioning means being defined by said telephone handset chassis;

(b) second positioning means being defined by said at least one end closure and cooperatively engaging said first positioning means for positioning said at least one end closure in said inclined relation with said chassis.

8. A portable telephone handset construction comprising:

(a) an elongate, substantially rigid telephone handset chassis defining first and second extremities;

(b) a pair of guide and positioning arms each having pivots connected in pivotal relation with said telephone chassis each of said guide and positioning arms being flexible and having an elongate arm section and a locking projection thereon;

(c) end closure means defining internal guide slots of elongate configuration and having spaced locking recesses defined in part by a cam surface and being disposed for receiving a respective one of said locking projections, said end closure being movable to a collapsed position enclosing an extremity of said telephone handset chassis and being movable to an extended and angulated position relative to said telephone handset chassis for exposing a portion of said first and second extremities of said telephone handset chassis;

(d) said elongate arm section of each of said guide and positioning arms being received in guiding relation within a respective one of said internal guide slots; and

(e) said end closures being linearly movable in guided relation with said telephone chassis and said guide and positioning arms from collapsed positions enclosing respectively said first and second extremities of said telephone chassis and extended positions exposing selected portions of said telephone chassis, said end closures further being pivotally movable about said pivots at the substantially fully extended positions to thus provide for articulation of said end closures to inclined relation with said telephone chassis.

9. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, wherein:

(a) said telephone handset chassis defines at least one closure orienting surface at each end thereof; and

(b) said end closure having at least one internal positioning surface for orienting engagement with said closure orienting surface.

10. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, further comprising:

spring elements being disposed in urging relation with said telephone handset chassis and each of said pivot arms, said spring elements urging said pivot arms in a direction for angulated positioning of said end closures.

11. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, further comprising:

(a) pivot arm positioning means being exposed externally of said telephone handset chassis;

(b) said pivot arms each defining positioning recesses for releasably receiving said pivot arm positioning means at predetermined angulated positions thereof relative to said telephone handset chassis to thus provide for releasable angulated positioning of said pivot arms and said end closures relative to said telephone handset chassis.

12. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, further comprising:

stop elements being located on said telephone handset chassis and limiting pivotal movement of said pivot arms relative to said telephone handset chassis.

13. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, further comprising:

a control switch being located externally of said telephone handset chassis and at a location traversed by at least one of said pivot arms during closure angulating movement thereof, whereby, upon angulating movement of said pivot arm and end closure, said control switch being actuated.

14. The portable telephone handset construction of claim 8, wherein:

(a) said telephone handset chassis defines sound openings at respective end portions thereof;

(b) speaker and microphone elements being enclosed within said telephone handset chassis for emitting and receiving sound through said sound openings; and

(c) said end closures each having perforate sound sections and conducting sound to and from said sound openings of said telephone handset chassis to and from said perforate sound sections of said end closures.

15. A portable telephone handset comprising:

(a) an elongate substantially straight telephone chassis defining first and second extremities;

(b) a pair of guide and positioning arms each having pivots connected in pivotal relation with said telephone chassis, each of said guide and positioning arms being flexible and having an elongate arm section and a locking projection thereon;

(c) a pair of end closure elements each defining internal guide slots of elongate configuration and defining spaced locking recesses, said spaced locking recesses being defined in part by cam surfaces and being disposed for receiving a respective one of said locking projections;

(d) said elongate arm section of each of said guide and positioning arms being received in guiding relation within a respective one of said internal guide slots; and

(e) said end closures being linearly movable in guided relation with said telephone chassis and said guide and positioning arms from collapsed positions enclosing respectively said first and second extremities of said telephone chassis and extended positions exposing selected portions of said telephone chassis, said end closures further being pivotally movable about said pivots at the substantially fully extended positions to thus provide for articulation of said end closures to inclined relation with said telephone chassis.