Radio telephone with detachable pager

• US 5,854,984 A
• Filed: 12/21/1995
• Issued: 12/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Wireless Services Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Montemayor, Jane, Buhrmann, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/576,385
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556, 455/557, 455/550, 455/575, 455/415, 455/426, 455/31.2, 455/31.3, 455/552, 455/586, 455/90, D14/138, 340/825.44, 340/466, 370/393, 370/394, 370/395, 370/396
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/023 with message or information receiving capability

Abstract

A radio telephone and pager system includes a radio telephone handset and a pager that detachably mounts to the handset. The pager employs a transceiver that provides both paging service, such as a messaging service, and radio telephone service, such as cellular service, when the pager is mounted. Also, the transceiver provides the pager service when the pager is detached. The invention achieves a reduction in a number of components while enabling subscribers to use a single telephone system to provide both a radio telephone and a stand-along pager.

Claims

1. A radio telephone and pager system comprising:

a radio telephone having at least one contact; and

a pager having at least one mounting mechanism to detachably mount the pager to the handset, the pager having at least one contact corresponding to the handset contact to provide a signal interface between the pager and the handset, the pager further having a transceiver coupled to the pager contact wherein the transceiver is operable to provide messaging signals to the pager, and when the pager is mounted to the handset, the transceiver is operable to provide radio telephone signals to the handset and messaging signals to the pager.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the pager has a display operable to provide user information for pager service, and for radio telephone service when the pager is mounted to the handset.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein a mounting position for the pager on the handset is disposed between an earpiece and a mouthpiece of the handset.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said pager is rotatably mountable to said handset and when mounted, said pager rotates as a flip element.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a first power supply disposed in the pager.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second power supply disposed in the handset.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is a time division multiple access transceiver.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronic Industries Association Interim Standard 136.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with Global Speciale Mobile standard.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with Personal Handyphone System standard.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is a code division multiple access transceiver.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with the Telecommunications Industry Association and Electronic Industries Association Interim Standard 95.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a memory contained in said telephone handset containing at least a portion of mobile terminal identification information.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a memory contained in said pager containing at least a portion of mobile terminal identification information.

15. A pager comprising:

a transceiver; and

a housing containing the transceiver, the housing having at least one contact and at least one mounting mechanism, the housing being detachably mountable to a radio telephone handset by the mounting mechanism, the contact being coupled to the transceiver and arranged on the pager to couple to corresponding contacts on the handset, wherein the transceiver is operable to provide messaging signals to the pager, and when mounted to the handset, the transceiver is operable to provide messaging signals to the pager and radio telephone signals to the handset.

16. The pager of claim 15 wherein the transceiver is a time division multiple access transceiver.

17. The pager of claim 16 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Electronic Industries Association Interim Standard 136.

18. The pager of claim 16 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with Global Speciale Mobile standard.

19. The pager of claim 16 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with Personal Handyphone System standard.

20. The pager of claim 15 wherein the transceiver is a code division multiple access transceiver.

21. The pager of claim 20 wherein the transceiver is operable to provide telephone service and pager short messaging service in accordance with the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Electronic Industries Association Interim Standard 95.

22. The pager of claim 15 further comprising a memory contained in said pager containing at least a portion of mobile telephone identification information.