Power outlet mount for a portable telephone

• US 5,539,821 A
• Filed: 01/24/1995
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T IPM Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blonder, Greg E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Application Number:
  US08/378,040
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 379/446, 379/426, 379/454, 379/455, 379/66, 455/89, 455/90, 439/655, 439/638, 439/639, 439/651, 439/652, 439/956, 363/146, 320/2
• US Class Current: 379/446
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0293 Terminal boxes for telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04

Abstract

An apparatus (10) mounts a telephone, particularly the handset (15) of a portable telephone, to a wall A.C. power outlet (11) and supplies power from the power outlet to the telephone. The apparatus comprises a chassis (12), at least one A.C. power plug (30,31) carried by the chassis for electrically connecting to, and mounting the chassis on, the A.C. power outlet, at least one A.C. power socket (40, 41) connected to the A.C. power plug and carried on the chassis so as not to deprive a user of the use of the power outlet, a cradle (14) carried by the chassis for the telephone handset (15) of a portable phone, and a power converter (18) carried by the chassis for obtaining A.C. power from the A.C. power outlet through the A.C. power plug, converting the obtained power into D.C. power, and supplying the D.C. power to the telephone handset through the cradle.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a chassis;

at least one A.C. power plug carried by the chassis, for electrically connecting to at least one A.C. socket of an A.C. power outlet and mounting the chassis on the A.C. power outlet;

at least one A.C. power socket carried by the chassis and connected to the at least one A.C. power plug, the at least one A.C. power socket carried by the chassis serving as a direct substitute for the at least one A.C. socket of the A.C. power outlet while the chassis is mounted on the A.C. power outlet to provide an A.C. power connection to the A.C. power outlet while the chassis is mounted on the A.C. power outlet that duplicates an A.C. power connection to the A.C. power outlet provided by the at least one A.C. socket of the A.C. power outlet while the chassis is not mounted on the A.C. power outlet;

a cradle carried by the chassis for a telephone handset of a telephone means; and

a power converter carried by the chassis for obtaining A.C. power from the A.C. power outlet through the at least one A.C. power plug without preempting the A.C. power connection to the A.C. power outlet provided by the at least one A.C. power socket carried by the chassis, converting the obtained A.C. power into telephone power, and supplying the telephone power to the telephone means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the telephone power comprises D.C. power.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the cradle is removably mounted on the chassis and mounts on the chassis in a first position, and in a second position rotated 180°

with respect to the first position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

one of a telephone power plug and a telephone power socket carried by the chassis; and

the other of the telephone power plug and the telephone power socket carried by the cradle, for making electrical contact with and mounting the cradle on the one of the telephone power plug and the telephone power socket carried by the chassis.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:

the telephone power plug and the telephone power socket mate with each other in a first position, and in a second position wherein the telephone power plug and the telephone power socket are rotated with respect to each other by 180°

relative to the first position.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the telephone handset is a portable telephone handset; and

the cradle includes electric contact means for making electric contact with the portable telephone handset to supply the telephone power to the portable telephone handset.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

the telephone means, including

the telephone handset, and

telephone base circuitry carried by the chassis, for communicating with the handset.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the telephone means further include

means connected to the at least one power plug for providing a communications connection between the telephone base circuitry and a telephone line through the power outlet.