Telephone assembly with automatic antenna adjustment

• US 6,208,874 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Ryan, Sean, Rudisill, Charles Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/184,381
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/95, 455/556, 455/562, 455/575, 455/550, D14/138, D14/217, D14/230, D14/231, D14/236, D14/237, D14/238, 379/428, 379/433, 379/434, 343/702, 343/878, 343/881, 343/882, 343/752
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/084 Pivotable antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts

Abstract

A telephone is provided with a first housing and a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position. The telephone also includes an antenna pivotably attached to said second housing. A position control mechanism is provided to pivot said antenna away from said second housing, and a guide is provided to secure said antenna against pivoting when said second housing is in said closed position.

Claims

1. A telephone comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position with said telephone in an operative state;

an antenna pivotably attached to said second housing;

a position control mechanism pivoting said antenna away from said second housing responsive to said second housing sliding to said open position relative to said first housing; and

a guide securing said antenna against pivoting when said second housing is in said closed position.

2. The telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

a wall attached to one of the first and second housings with an channel-like track defined therein; and

a rail-like guide attached to the other of the first and second housings which is disposed in the channel-like track.

3. The telephone of claim 2, wherein the channel-like track has a pair of oppositely facing curved sides which define a curved pathway, and the rail-like guide has a pair of curved sides each of which face one of the sides of the channel-like track.

4. The telephone of claim 2, wherein the channel-like track has a pair of oppositely facing planar sides which define a linear pathway, and the rail-like guide has a pair of planar sides each of which face one of the sides of the channel-like track.

5. The telephone of claim 1, wherein:

the first housing has a wall; and

the second housing has a wall which when the second housing is in the closed position substantially overlies the first housing wall and which when the second housing is in the open condition is disposed remotely from the first housing wall so that the first housing wall is exposed.

6. The telephone of claim 5, wherein:

the first housing wall has a first section and a second section; and

the second housing wall overlies only the first section of the first housing wall when the second housing is in the closed position.

7. A telephone, comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position;

an antenna pivotably attached to said second housing;

a position control mechanism pivoting said antenna away from said second housing; and

a guide securing said antenna against pivoting when said second housing is in said closed position, said guide being attached to the first housing and said first housing having a first wall which faces the guide to define a channel-like space therebetween wherein the antenna is substantially disposed within the channel-like space with the second housing in the closed position and substantially projects from the channel-like space with the second housing in the open position.

8. The telephone of claim 7, wherein:

the first housing has a second wall adjacent the channel-like space; and

the antenna is disposed on one side of the second wall and the second housing is disposed on the other side of the second wall.

9. The telephone of claim 8, further comprising a pin fixedly attached to the antenna and pivotably attached to the second housing, the second wall of the first housing having a slot therethrough through which the pin depends.

10. A telephone comprising:

a first housing having a wall with a first section and a second section;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position, said second housing further having a wall which when the second housing is in the closed position substantially overlies only the first section of the first housing wall and which when the second housing is in the open position is disposed remotely from the first housing wall so that the first housing wall is exposed;

an antenna pivotably attached to said second housing;

a position control mechanism pivoting said antenna away from said second housing;

a guide securing said antenna against pivoting when said second housing is in said closed position;

a keypad attached to the first section of the first housing wall; and

a display attached to the second section of the first housing wall.

11. A telephone, comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position;

an antenna pivotably attached at one end to said second housing;

a biasing member urging said antenna toward pivoting about said one end in a first direction to an extended position away from said second housing; and

a guide blocking said antenna from pivoting to said extended position when said second housing is in said closed position, said guide allowing said biasing member to move said antenna to said extended position responsive to said second housing being in said open position.

12. The telephone according to claim 11, wherein the biasing member comprises a torsional spring.

13. A telephone, comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position;

an antenna pivotably attached at one end to said second housing;

a biasing member urging said antenna toward pivoting about said one end in a first direction to an extended position away from said second housing; and

a guide blocking said antenna from pivoting to said extended position when said second housing is in said closed position, said guide being attached to the first housing and said first housing having a first wall which faces the guide to define a channel-like space therebetween wherein the antenna is substantially disposed within the channel-like space with the second housing in the closed position and substantially projects from the channel-like space with the second housing in the open position.

14. The telephone of claim 13, wherein:

the antenna comprises a blade-type antenna having a first end which is pivotably attached to the second housing and a second end having an enlarged head which abuts the guide with the antenna in the channel-like space.

15. A telephone comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position;

an antenna;

a pivot member attaching said antenna to said second housing; and

a guide assembly controlling movement of said antenna relative to said first housing when said second housing moves between said open and closed positions, said guide assembly including a pivot control mechanism cooperating with said pivot member to pivot said antenna to an extended position away from said second housing when said second housing is moved to said open position.

16. The telephone of claim 15, wherein the pivot control mechanism comprises a first surface defined on the first housing and a second curved surface defined on the antenna, the first surface abutting the second curved surface at a position offset from the pivot member.

17. The telephone of claim 16, wherein the pivot control mechanism comprises a pin attached to the first housing which defines the first surface and a slot in the antenna which is defined by the second surface.

18. The telephone of claim 17, wherein:

the pivot member comprises a pin attached to the antenna having a first cross-sectional area; and

the second housing has a slot in which the antenna pin is disposed which has a cross-sectional area which is greater than the cross-sectional area of the antenna pin.

19. The telephone of claim 15, wherein said guide assembly comprises a pin and slot connection between said antenna and said first housing, said slot extending substantially in the direction of sliding movement of said second housing.

20. The telephone of claim 19, wherein said pivot control mechanism comprises a slot end engaging said pin prior to said second housing reaching said open position.

21. A telephone comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position; and

an antenna slideably secured to the first housing and having a first end which is moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, said antenna projecting out from said first housing with the first end spaced from the first housing in said extended position,

a control mechanism attaching said first end of the antenna to the second housing.

22. The telephone of claim 21, wherein:

the antenna comprises a rod having a first end which defines the first end of the antenna; and

the control mechanism comprises a pair of arms projecting from the second housing and defining a slot therebetween in which the first end of the rod is disposed to attach the first end of the antenna to the second housing.

23. A telephone comprising:

a first housing;

a contact on the first housing;

a second housing slideably secured to the first housing for movement between an open position and a closed position, said second housing projecting out from said first housing in said open position; and

first and second antennas on second housing,

the first antenna positioned on said second housing to couple with the contact when the second housing is in the closed position,

the second antenna position on said second housing to couple with the contact when the second housing is in the open position.

24. The telephone of claim 23, wherein:

the first housing has a wall with a surface; and

the second housing has a wall with a surface which faces the surface of the wall of the first housing with the second housing in the closed position,

the first and second antennas attached to the surface of the second housing.

25. The telephone of claim 24, wherein the first and second antennas comprise metal stampings which are glued to the surface of the wall of the second housing.

26. The telephone of claim 24, wherein the first and second antennas comprise metal stampings which are ultrasonically attached to the surface of the wall of the second housing.

27. The telephone of claim 24, wherein the first and second antennas comprise thin flexible films which are attached to the surface of the wall of the second housing.

28. The telephone of claim 24, wherein the first and second antennas comprise photoetched platings on the surface of the wall of the second housing.