Foldable wireless telephone wallet

• US 5,890,052 A
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryan, Desmond J., Fairless, Jeffrey L., Read, Clifford D., Beaton, Brian F., Smith, Colin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B.
• Application Number:
  US08/768,084
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 455/73, 455/90, 455/550, 455/566, 455/575, 379/110.01, 379/434, 379/440, 379/441, D14/137, D14/138, D14/140, D14/150
• US Class Current: 455/575.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235

Abstract

A portable wireless telephone structure in which a foldable wallet carries a telephone in addition to having a pocket to house paper currency. The telephone is exposed for use with the wallet in open condition and is housed with the wallet in closed condition. The telephone has a communication mode to a user monetary function to permit telephonic transfer of monetary units. Thus, the telephone may eliminate need for carrying credit or bank cards in the wallet except for the telephone use with a "smart" card for telephonic transfer of monetary amounts to the "smart" card for transaction purposes.

Claims

1. A portable wireless telephone structure comprising in combination:

a wallet having a foldable region and a pocket to house paper currency;

and a telephone carried by the wallet, the telephone comprising two parts each including operative elements of the telephone and disposed one on each side of the foldable region, the two parts electrically connected together by flexible electrical conductor means extending through the foldable region.

2. A portable wireless telephone structure comprising:

a wallet having a foldable region and a pocket to house paper currency;

and a telephone carried by the wallet and being housed by the wallet with the wallet in a folded condition and exposed for telephonic usage with the wallet in the unfolded condition, the telephone having a communication mode to a user monetary function to permit telephonic transfer of monetary units as permitted by that function,

the telephone comprising two parts, each carrying operative elements of the telephone and disposed one on each side of the foldable region, the two parts electrically connected together by flexible electrical conductor means extending through the foldable region.

3. A structure according to claim 2 wherein one of the two parts has an operative element consisting of a telephone speaker and the other part has an operative element in the form of a transmitter.

4. A structure according to claim 3 wherein the speaker and the transmitter are separated a distance apart to be substantially consistent with the distance between the mouth and ear of a user, and the foldable region enables a change in relative angular orientation of the parts to conform to the shape of the face of the user.

5. A structure according to claim 3 wherein the part of the telephone having the speaker also carries a dial pad.

6. A structure according to claim 3 wherein the part of the telephone having the transmitter also includes a display screen.

7. A structure according to claim 2 wherein, with the wallet in folded condition, the two parts have confronting surfaces which engage one another to protect the operative elements of the telephone from applied pressure.

8. A structure according to claim 7 wherein the telephone comprises operative elements in the form of a telephone speaker and a transmitter provided one in each of the parts, and with the wallet in folded condition the speaker and transmitter confront one another and are maintained spaced-apart by the confronting engaging surfaces of the parts.

9. A structure according to claim 7 wherein one of the parts also includes a dial pad and the other part includes a display screen, the dial pad and display screen confronting one another with the wallet in folded condition and being maintained spaced-apart by the confronting engaging surfaces of the housing.

10. A structure according to claim 2 wherein the two parts have surface registration means to register them together in the folded condition of the wallet to resist twisting of the wallet in the foldable region.

11. A structure according to claim 10 wherein the surface registration means is provided by a step in a surface of each part which confronts the other part with the wallet in folded condition, the two steps fitting into one another to resist twisting of the wallet in the foldable region.