Portable telephone having removable transducer

• US 5,724,667 A
• Filed: 07/07/1997
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Furuno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Armstrong, Darnell R.
• Application Number:
  US08/889,085
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/550, 455/569, 455/575, 455/100, 455/95, 455/128, 379/422, 379/431, 379/424, 379/425, 379/430, 379/428, 379/433, 242/398, 242/385, 242/385.2, 381/123, 381/74
• US Class Current: 455/575.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/15 Protecting or guiding telephone cords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone

Abstract

A portable telephone includes a main body of the telephone, a transducer (preferably an earphone) contained in the main body so that it can be removed therefrom, a cord connecting the transducer and the main body, and a switching mechanism. The portable telephone further comprises transmitting means and a transmission/reception circuit. In one embodiment of the present invention, the switching mechanism switches between an off-hook state and an on-hook state in conjunction with the removing and containing of the transducer from and into the main body of the telephone preferably through the delivery or taking up of the cord from and into the main body of the telephone. In a second embodiment, the portable telephone further includes a hinged lid which is rotatably supported to close an opening provided in the main body. The hinged lid preferably has a protuberance thereon so that when the hinged lid is opened and closed, the projection causes the switching mechanism to place the telephone in an off-hook and on-hook state, respectively.

Claims

1. A portable telephone comprising:

a transducer earphone;

a main body of said portable telephone removably housing said transducer earphone and fixedly housing a microphone;

a cord connecting said transducer earphone and said main body;

take-up means for taking up said cord into said main body; and

,

switching means for switching between an on-hook state and an off-hook state of said portable telephone in conjunction with removal of said cord from said main body and the taking up of said cord by said take-up means, said switching means comprising;

a first switch for setting said off-hook state, said first switch being actuated by removing said transducer earphone from said main body; and

,

a second switch for setting said on-hook state, said second switch being actuated upon commencement of the taking-up movement of said cord.

2. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein said take-up means comprises a reel rotatably mounted in said main body, an urging member for urging said reel in a take-up direction of said cord, a blocking mechanism for blocking the rotation of said reel in said take-up direction against said urging member, and a releasing mechanism for releasing the blockage of the rotation of said reel by said blocking mechanism, said second switch being triggered by the releasing operation of said release mechanism.

3. The portable telephone according to claim 1, further comprising delay means for delaying setting said off-hook state for a predetermined time after said first switch is operated by removal of said transducer earphone so that the user is given sufficient time to pull said cord before setting the off-hook state.