Cordless telephone system having speaker phone function

• US 5,572,575 A
• Filed: 03/20/1995
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsushiro, Takashi, Yamamoto, Ikuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Application Number:
  US08/406,391
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/61, 379/67, 379/88, 379/388, 379/389, 379/420, 379/432
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• 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 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line

Abstract

A cordless telephone system comprises a base station, a handset unit, and a speaker phone circuit provided in the base station. In response to a request signal indicating that the handset unit uses the speaker phone circuit of the base station, the base station controls its communication path switching means (SW 33, 34) to connect its own speaker phone circuit (28) to a radio transmitting section (20) and a radio receiving section (18). Audio signals picked up by a microphone of the handset unit are transmitted to the speaker phone circuit (28), while audio signals of the speaker phone (28) are sent to a speaker of the handset unit. With this arrangement, a speaker phone communication is realized by the handset unit even if the handset unit has no speaker phone circuit.

Claims

1. A cordless telephone system comprising:

a base station connected to a telephone line for transmitting and receiving audio signals, said base station having a speaker phone circuit, a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section;

a handset unit having a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section for executing radio communication with corresponding radio transmitting section and radio receiving section of said base station;

said handset unit having request means for generating a request signal indicating that said handset unit uses said speaker phone circuit of said base station;

said base station further comprising;

a monitor speaker and a microphone for executing a speaker phone communication; and

communication path switching means for switching communication path in response to said request signal generated by said request means, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from an audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station are sent to an audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit wherein said communication path switching means enables a communication path to be established between the hand set unit and the telephone line via the speaker phone circuit of said base station.

2. The cordless phone system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of said base station and handset unit has recording means for recording audio signals received.

3. A cordless telephone system comprising a base station having a speaker phone circuit and a handset unit communicating with said base station by radio,

said handset unit comprising:

a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section for executing radio communication with said base station;

a monitor speaker and a microphone for executing a speaker phone communication; and

request means for generating a request signal indicating that said handset unit uses said speaker phone circuit of said base station;

said base station, connected to a telephone line for transmitting and receiving audio signals, comprising;

a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section for executing radio communication with corresponding radio transmitting section and radio receiving section of said handset unit;

a monitor speaker, connected to an audio signal output terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for outputting voice in response to audio signals generated from said audio signal output terminal;

a microphone, connected to an audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for converting user'"'"'s voices into audio signals and then transmitting the converted audio signals to said audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit;

communication path switching means for switching communication path; and

speaker phone communication control means for controlling said communication path switching means in response to said request signal generated by said request means, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from an audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station are sent to an audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit wherein said communication path switching means enables a communication path to be established between the hand set unit and the telephone line via the speaker phone circuit of said base station.

4. The cordless phone system in accordance with claim 3, wherein at least one of said base station and handset unit has recording means for recording audio signals received.

5. A cordless telephone system comprising:

a base station connected to a telephone line for transmitting and receiving audio signals, said base station having a speaker phone circuit, a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section;

a handset unit having a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section for executing radio communication with corresponding radio transmitting section and radio receiving section of said base station;

said handset unit having request means for generating a request signal indicating that said handset unit uses said speaker phone circuit of said base station;

said base station further comprising;

a monitor speaker, connected to an audio signal output terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for outputting voice in response to audio signals generated from said audio signal output terminal;

a microphone, connected to an audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for converting user'"'"'s voices into audio signals and then transmitting the converted audio signals to said audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit;

communication path switching means for switching communication path;

speaker phone communication control means for controlling said communication path switching means in response to said request signal generated by said request means, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from an audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station are sent to an audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit; and

internal communication control means for controlling said communication path switching means, when said handset unit designates an internal communication to be executed between said base station and said handset unit, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from a telephone-line audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station are sent to a telephone-line audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit, said telephone-line audio signal input and output terminals being connected to the telephone line wherein said communication path switching means enables a communication path to be established between the hand set unit and the telephone line via the speaker phone circuit of said base station.

6. The cordless phone system in accordance with claim 5, wherein at least one of said base station and handset unit has recording means for recording audio signals received.

7. A cordless telephone system comprising:

a base station connected to a telephone line for transmitting and receiving audio signals, said base station having a speaker phone circuit, a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section;

a handset unit having a radio transmitting section and a radio receiving section for executing radio communication with corresponding radio transmitting section and radio receiving section of said base station;

said handset unit having request means for generating a request signal indicating that said handset unit uses said speaker phone circuit of said base station;

said base station further comprising;

a monitor speaker, connected to an audio signal output terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for outputting voice in response to audio signals generated from said audio signal output terminal;

a microphone, connected to an audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit, for converting user'"'"'s voices into audio signals and then transmitting the converted audio signals to said audio signal input terminal of said speaker phone circuit;

communication path switching means for switching communication path;

speaker phone communication control means for controlling said communication path switching means in response to said request signal generated by said request means, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from an audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station are sent to an audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit; and

three-way communication control means for controlling said communication path switching means, when said handset unit designates a three-way communication to be executed among said base station, said handset unit and an external party through said telephone line, in such a manner that audio signals of the speaker phone circuit are sent from a telephone-line audio signal output terminal of the speaker phone circuit to said radio transmitting section of said base station and to said telephone line, while audio signals received by said radio receiving section of the base station and audio signals sent from said telephone line are both sent to a telephone-line audio signal input terminal of the speaker phone circuit, said-telephone-line audio signal input and output terminals being connected to the telephone line wherein said communication path switching means enables a communication path to be established between the hand set unit and the telephone line via the speaker phone circuit of said base station.