Apparatus for hands-free operation of a mobile telephone unit in a car

• US 5,490,213 A
• Filed: 11/28/1994
• Issued: 02/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lin-Wei Huang
• Original Assignee: Lin-Wei Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Lin-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Application Number:
  US08/345,932
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 379/442, 379/426, 379/454, 379/455, 379/420, 379/441
• US Class Current: 379/442
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241

Abstract

An apparatus for permitting hands-free operation of a mobile telephone unit in a car includes a wireless microphone transmitter for generating wireless outgoing signals corresponding to sounds picked up in the passenger room of a car, and a main terminal which has a terminal housing with one end adapted to be inserted into a cigarette lighter socket of the car. A receiver circuit is disposed in the terminal housing and is capable of receiving the wireless outgoing signals from the transmitter. A telephone connector is adapted to be connected electrically to the mobile telephone unit and enables the mobile telephone unit to receive the wireless outgoing signals from the receiver circuit and transmit wirelessly the wireless outgoing signals. Wireless incoming signals received by the mobile telephone unit are received by a loudspeaker in the terminal housing. The loudspeaker generates an acoustic output corresponding to the wireless incoming signals. A set of electrical contacts on the one end of the terminal housing connects electrically the receiver circuit and the loudspeaker to a car battery of the car via the cigarette lighter socket.

Claims

1. An apparatus for permitting hands-free operation of a mobile telephone unit in a car, comprising:

a wireless microphone transmitter, to be disposed in a passenger room of the car, for generating wireless outgoing signals corresponding to sounds picked up in the passenger room; and

a main terminal including;

a terminal housing to be disposed in the passenger room, said terminal housing confining a receiving space and having one end adapted to be inserted into a cigarette lighter socket of the car;

a circuit board mounted in said receiving space;

a receiver circuit mounted on said circuit board and capable of receiving said wireless outgoing signals from said transmitter;

a connector unit including an electrical cable having one end connected electrically to said receiver circuit and an opposite end extending out of said terminal housing, and a telephone connector connected electrically to said opposite end of said electrical cable and adapted to be connected electrically to the mobile telephone unit to enable the mobile telephone unit to receive said wireless outgoing signals from said receiver circuit and transmit wirelessly said wireless outgoing signals;

a loudspeaker mounted on said circuit board and connected electrically to said one end of said electrical cable, wireless incoming signals received by the mobile telephone unit being received by said loudspeaker via said electrical cable, said loudspeaker generating an acoustic output corresponding to the wireless incoming signals; and

a set of electrical contacts provided on said one end of said terminal housing and connected electrically to said receiver circuit and said loudspeaker, said electrical contacts being adapted to connect electrically said receiver circuit and said loudspeaker to a car battery of the car via the cigarette lighter socket so as to permit supply of electric power to said receiver circuit and said loudspeaker.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one end of said terminal housing is formed as a tubular housing part with a pair of longitudinally extending notches, said electrical contacts including a pair of resilient first contacts formed as a pair of curved strips that are secured to said tubular housing part and that extend respectively out of said notches, and a spring-loaded second contact that is disposed axially in said tubular housing part between said first contacts and that extends through a tip of said tubular housing part.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said circuit board is formed with a mounting hole, said loudspeaker having a magnet portion secured in said mounting hole and a cone portion, said terminal housing being formed with a plurality of air holes adjacent said cone portion to permit said acoustic output to be heard by a person in the passenger room.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmitter comprises a transmitter casing formed with a plurality of air holes and provided with a clip, a microphone disposed in said transmitter casing for generating said wireless outgoing signals, and a transmitter circuit disposed in said transmitter casing and connected electrically to said microphone, said transmitter circuit transmitting wirelessly said wireless outgoing signals.