Hand held telephone set with separable keyboard

• US 6,115,616 A
• Filed: 05/28/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rutledge, Joseph D., Wu, Chai Wah, Schrott, Alejandro Gabriel, Tresser, Charles P., Halperin, Arnold, von Gutfeld, Robert Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEAMER, TEMICA M
• Application Number:
  US09/086,160
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556, 455/557, 455/90, 455/550, 455/11.1, 455/347, 455/348, 455/349, 455/88, 455/419, 455/420, 455/564, 455/74.1, 379/56.3, 379/355, 379/456
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A detachable keyboard for a telephone set is provided in the form of a keyboard card clipped to the headset, which is completely detached from the body when unclipped. Wireless communication between the handset body and keyboard is used when the card is unclipped, while contacts are activated in the clipped position so that the wireless handset then functions as in the case of a non detachable keyboard.

Claims

1. A hand held telephone set with a separable keyboard comprising:

a handset body housing a microphone and a speaker, said handset body including a series of first contacts and a receiver and a switch which activates said first contacts and deactivates said receiver when the keyboard is attached to the handset body and activates said receiver and deactivates said first contacts when the keyboard is detached from the handset body; and

a keyboard card having a numeric keypad attachable and detachable between the microphone and speaker on the handset body, said keyboard card including a series of second contacts mating with said series of first contacts, said first contacts being hidden when the keyboard card is attached to the handset, said keyboard card further including a transmitter to transmit keyboard information to the receiver in the handset, and a switch which activates the second contacts and deactivates said transmitter when the keyboard card is attached to the handset body and activates the transmitter and deactivates the second contacts when the keyboard card is detached from the handset body.

2. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the receiver in the handset and the transmitter in the keyboard card are wireless.

3. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes a battery for powering the keyboard card when detached from the handset body.

4. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 3 wherein the keyboard card includes circuitry which is normally in a dormant mode and activates only when a key is pressed on the key pad.

5. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmitter in the keyboard card comprises passive tags which, when queried, modulate a reflected wave.

6. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes a dual tone, multi-frequency (DTMF) generator responsive to the keypad to generate DTMF signals.

7. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 6 wherein the keyboard card further includes a modulator for modulating a carrier signal with the DTMF signals, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.

8. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 6 wherein the keyboard card further includes:

a DTMF receiver for generating a multi-digit code; and

a modulator responsive to the multi-digit code for modulating a carrier signal, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.

9. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes:

a memory addressed by the keypad for generating a multi-digit code; and

a modulator responsive to the multi-digit code for modulating a carrier signal, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.

10. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the telephone set is a wireless telephone.

11. The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the telephone set is a cellular telephone.