Adaptable portable radio

• US 5,752,205 A
• Filed: 07/24/1997
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, John F., Gatto, Donald F., Meenen, Raymond P., Tyneski, Frank M., Dzung, John C., Habbaba, Faris S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANKS HAROLD, MARSHA DENISE
• Application Number:
  US08/900,057
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/95, 455/128, 455/344, 455/347, 455/348, 455/349, 455/351, 455/572, 455/573, 455/575, 379/433, 379/428, 340/825.44, 340/505, D14/138, D14/217, D14/240, D14/248, D13/103, 292/DIG. 38, 307/150, 320/2, 429/97, 429/98, 429/100, 429/123, 429/151, 429/153, 429/163, 429/177, 439/600, 439/929
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment

Abstract

A radio housing (101) includes first and second retention mechanisms (216, 218) on both its back and bottom surfaces (104, 106) for selectively retaining a variety of battery form factors and providing a variety of radio configurations.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a portable radio portion including top, bottom, back, and side surfaces;

a first set of conductive contacts coupled to the back surface of the portable radio portion;

a second set of conductive contacts coupled to the bottom surface of the portable radio portion;

and

a battery portion coupled to the back and bottom surfaces of the portable radio portion, the battery portion including battery contacts for mating with both of the first and second set of conductive contacts, the communication device being adaptable in both thickness and length by the battery portion being coupled to the back and bottom surfaces of the portable radio portion.

2. A communication device as described in claim 1, wherein said portable radio portion further comprises a first retention means located on the bottom surface of the portable radio portion and the battery portion further comprises a first corresponding retention means for mating to said first retention means.

3. A communication device as described in claim 2, wherein said portable radio portion further comprises a second retention means located on the back surface of the portable radio portion, and the battery portion further comprises a second corresponding retention means for mating to said second retention means.

4. A communication device as described in claim 3, wherein the first and second retention means comprise first and second sets of clips respectively and said first and second corresponding retention means comprise first and second sets of keyed indentations for receiving said first and second sets of clips respectively.

5. A portable radio for receiving a battery including first and second battery portions, comprising:

a radio housing including front, back, side, top, and bottom surfaces, said back surface being coupled to the first battery portion and said bottom surface being coupled to said second battery portion, the portable radio being selectively configurable in thickness and in length by varying the size of the first battery portion coupled to the back surface of the radio housing and varying the size of the second battery portion coupled to the bottom surface of the radio housing;

a first latching section coupled to the back surface of the radio housing for retaining the first battery portion of the battery;

a second latching section coupled to the bottom surface of the radio housing for retaining the second battery portion of the battery;

a first set of conductive contacts coupled to the back surface of the radio housing;

a second set of conductive contacts coupled to the bottom surface of the radio housing; and

battery contacts located on the battery for coupling to both the first set of conductive contacts and the second set of conductive contacts.

6. A portable radio for selectively receiving one of a plurality of batteries, comprising:

a radio housing including back and bottom portions;

first and second sets of conductive contacts coupled to the back and bottom portions of the radio housing respectively;

each of said plurality of batteries mountable onto said back and bottom portions of said radio housing;

each of said plurality of batteries including battery contacts for coupling to both of said first and second sets of conductive contacts of said radio housing; and

said plurality of batteries providing a plurality of radio configurations when mounted onto the back and bottom portions of said radio housing, the plurality of radio configurations providing for a portable radio which can be selectively lengthened and thickened.

7. A portable radio for selectively receiving one of a plurality of batteries as described in claim 6, further comprising a retention means for coupling the back and bottom portions of the radio housing to the selected removable battery.

8. A portable radio for selectively receiving one of a plurality of batteries as described in claim 10, further comprising:

retaining clips located on the back and bottom portions of the radio housing; and

said plurality of batteries each including keyed indentations for receiving the retaining clips.