Battery pack with audio coil

• US 5,991,420 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Stern, Trampas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Willis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Hieu T.
• Application Number:
  US08/757,516
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575, 455/572, 455/90, 455/349, 455/351, 381/321, 381/322, 381/315, 381/330, 381/328, 381/331, 379/52
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/215 by non-intrusive coupling means, e.g. acoustic couplers

Abstract

A battery pack is provided for use with a mobile phone. The battery pack includes audio signal power amplifier circuitry with an inductive coil. The inductive coil boosts the magnetic field strength of the audio signal received by the phone, so that a tele-coil circuit for a hearing aid can be used to pick up the audio signal received by the phone. Consequently, the picked up audio signal can be discerned from the magnetic noise created by the phone. Also, the use of the battery coil allows a tele-coil pick up of the audio signal even if the phone has a speaker that does not generate an appreciable magnetic field.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

at least one battery cell;

amplification means for amplifying an audio signal from a mobile phone powered by said at least one battery cell; and

wherein said amplification means comprises an inductive coil.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said amplification means further comprises a gain control.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said amplification means further comprises audio amplification circuitry operably connected to said audio signal.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said mobile phone comprises a cellular phone.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said mobile phone comprises a remote telephone.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising a connector for operably linking said mobile phone and the battery pack, said connector thereby providing said audio signal to said amplification means.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein said connector is removably attached to the battery pack.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said amplification means amplifies a magnetic field carrying said audio signal to approximately 40 db above a magnetic noise level.

9. A battery pack, comprising:

at least one battery cell;

an amplifier;

at least one contact that receives an audio signal from a mobile phone, said at least one contact in communication with said amplifier;

an inductive coil, said inductive coil in communication with said amplifier; and

whereby said audio signal may be propagated from said at least one contact to said amplifier, and from said amplifier to said inductive coil.

10. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein said amplifier includes a gain control device, which can control the amount of signal power received by said inductive coil.

11. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein said amplifier includes an ON control.

12. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein said mobile phone comprises a cellular phone.

13. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein said mobile phone comprises a remote telephone.

14. The battery pack according to claim 9, further comprising a connector for providing said audio signal from said mobile phone to said at least one contact.

15. The battery pack according to claim 14, wherein said connector is removably attached to the battery pack.

16. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein said amplifier causes said inductive coil to produce a magnetic field carrying said audio signal at approximately 40 db above a magnetic noise level.