Telephone-terminal combination with plural keyboards

• US 5,577,118 A
• Filed: 12/18/1995
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verifone, Inc. (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Arakaki, James S., Sasaki, Jeffrey K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Application Number:
  US08/573,720
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 379/428, 379/429, 379/435, 379/437, 379/436, 379/420, 379/433, 379/368, 379/96, 400/455, 341/22, 341/23
• US Class Current: 379/428.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0289 Telephone sets for operators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/915 Soft key

Abstract

A microprocessor-based telephone having a housing, a lower key panel positioned within a top portion of the housing, and an upper key panel hingedly mounted to the housing to swing away and reveal the lower key panel. The lower key panel carries an alphanumeric keyboard thereon to enable a user to perform alphanumeric data entry. The upper key panel carries a telephone keypad to enable a user to dial telephone numbers.

Claims

1. A microprocessor-based telephone apparatus comprising:

a housing, a display screen mounted in said housing, a lower key panel carried in a fixed position within a top portion of said housing separated from said display screen, and an upper key panel overlying said lower key panel while in a first position thereof and being hingedly mounted to said housing in a manner so as to swing away from said first position to a second position thereof and thereby to provide access to said lower key panel without obscuring said display screen;

said lower key panel carrying an alphanumeric keyboard on a top surface thereof to enable a user to perform alphanumeric data entry after swinging away said upper key panel to said second position thereof; and

said upper key panel carrying a telephone keypad to enable a user to dial telephone numbers when said upper key panel is in said first position overlying said lower key panel,

whereby only said telephone keypad carried on said upper key panel is accessible for operation by a user when said upper key panel is in said first position thereof and only said alphanumeric keyboard is accessible for operation by a user when said upper key panel is in said second position thereof.

2. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

means for detecting whether said upper key panel is in a closed position covering said lower key panel,

said telephone keypad carried on said upper key panel having individual keys mounted in positions to actuate a prearranged associated key of said alphanumeric keyboard carried on said lower key panel,

whereby said alphanumeric keyboard is used for dialing telephone numbers when said upper key panel is closed and is used for alphanumeric data entry when said upper key panel is open.

3. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said upper key panel is hingedly mounted to said housing at a rear portion of said housing and a rear portion of said upper key panel so that said upper key panel swings upwardly and rearwardly away from said lower key panel.

4. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

said upper key panel is hingedly mounted to said housing at a forward portion of said housing and a forward portion of said upper key panel so that said upper key panel swings upwardly and forwardly away from said lower key panel.

5. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

hinge means is provided for hingedly mounting said upper key panel to said housing,

said telephone keypad includes

an array of keys,

circuit means for registering individual key presses, and

cable means connected at one end thereof to said circuit means and extending through said hinge means into said housing.

6. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising

handset mounting wells defined in a top wall portion of said housing at a position to the left side of said upper key panel,

an alphanumeric display mounted in a top wall portion of said housing at a position to the rear of said upper key panel, and

a magnetic stripe card reader mounted in a top wall portion of said housing intermediate said upper key panel and said alphanumeric display, including a card slot extending parallel to front and rear walls of said housing with a card insert portion of said card slot formed at a position to the right of said said handset mounting wells and a card exit portion of said card slot formed in a right sidewall of said housing and a card read station formed intermediate said card insert portion and card exit portion.

7. A microprocessor-based telephone apparatus capable of performing transaction terminal functions and comprising

a housing forming an enclosure, a microprocessor system carried on a circuit board mounted within said enclosure, a display screen carried on said housing and interfaced to said microprocessor system, display screen function keys carried on said housing and interfaced to said microprocessor system, a magnetic stripe card reader carried on said housing and interfaced to said microprocessor system, a telephone keypad interfaced to said microprocessor system, and an alphanumeric keyboard interfaced to said microprocessor system,

a lower key panel mounted in a fixed position within a top portion of said housing and carrying said alphanumeric keyboard,

an upper key panel hingedly mounted to said housing and carrying said telephone keypad between a panel closed position in which said telephone keypad overlies and covers said alphanumeric keyboard and a panel open position in which said telephone keypad swings away without obscuring said display screen to reveal said alphanumeric keyboard

whereby only one of said telephone keypad and said alphanumeric keyboard are accessable to a user at any particular time, depending on the position of said upper key panel, said telephone keypad being accessible to a user only when said said upper key panel is in said panel closed position, said alphanumeric keyboard being accessible to a user only when said upper key panel is in said panel open position.

8. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising

means for detecting whether said upper key panel is in a closed position covering said lower key panel,

and wherein

said telephone keypad carried on said upper key panel has individual keys mounted in positions to actuate a prearranged associated key of said alphanumeric keyboard carried on said lower key panel,

whereby said alphanumeric keyboard is used for dialing telephone numbers when said upper key panel is closed and is used for alphanumeric data entry when said upper key panel is open.

9. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said upper key panel is hingedly mounted to said housing at a rear portion of said housing and a rear portion of said upper key panel so that said upper key panel swings upwardly and rearwardly away from said lower key panel.

10. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said upper key panel is hingedly mounted to said housing at a forward portion of said housing and a forward portion of said upper key panel so that said upper key panel swings upwardly and forwardly away from said lower key panel.

11. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

hinge means is provided for hingedly mounting said upper key panel to said housing,

said telephone keypad includes

an array of keys,

circuit means for registering individual key presses, and

cable means connected at one end thereof to said circuit means and extending through said hinge means into said enclosure and connecting to said circuit board carrying said microprocessor system.

12. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein

said display screen comprises an alphanumeric display and said alphanumeric display is mounted in a top wall portion of said housing at a position to the rear of and spaced from said upper key panel, and

said magnetic stripe card reader is mounted in a top wall portion of said housing intermediate said upper key panel and said alphanumeric display, including a card slot extending parallel to front and rear walls of said housing with a card insert portion of said card slot formed at a position to the right of said said handset mounting wells and a card exit portion of said card slot formed in a right sidewall of said housing and a card read station formed intermediate said card insert portion and card exit portion.

13. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein

said housing has a major top wall surface forming a portion of said enclosure,

said lower key panel being mounted in a recessed portion of said enclosure at a forward thereof with said alphanumeric keyboard having top key surfaces recessed below said major top wall surface of said housing;

said upper key panel comprising a separate enclosure with top, bottom and side walls and being mounted to said housing by hinge means at a front wall of said housing to swing between a closed position covering said lower key panel and an open position exposing said lower key panel, said top wall of said upper key panel being flush with said major top wall surface of said housing in said closed position and said upper key panel swinging upward and forward to lie forward of said housing in said open position.

14. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein

said telephone keypad includes

an array of keys having top surfaces extending through apertures in said top surface of said upper key panel,

circuit board means carried within said separate enclosure for registering key presses, and

cable means formed integral with said circuit board means and extending through said hinge means to connect said circuit board means to said circuit board within said housing.

15. Telephone apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein

said display screen comprises an alphanumeric display and said alphanumeric display is mounted in said top wall portion of said housing at a position to the rear of and spaced from said upper key panel, and

said magnetic stripe card reader is mounted in a top wall portion of said housing intermediate and spaced from both said upper key panel and said alphanumeric display, and includes a card slot extending parallel to front and rear walls of said housing with a card insert portion of said card slot formed at a position to the right of said said handset mounting wells and a card exit portion of said card slot formed in a right sidewall of said housing and a card read station formed intermediate said card insert portion and card exit portion.