Telephone hand-free apparatus

• US 6,216,018 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Kazuhiko, Hashimoto, Kohei, Kobayashi, Yasuhiro, Takemori, Yoshihisa, Nakahara, Yasuhisa, Haga, Koichiro, Nakanishi, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US09/129,639
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569, 455/557, 455/559, 455/570, 455/90, 455/575, 455/212, 455/221, 455/301, 455/574, 379/420, 379/421, 379/454, 379/455
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241

Abstract

A telephone hand-free apparatus comprises a housing; a telephone receiving case installed in the housing, the telephone receiving case being so sized and constructed as to receive therein a portable telephone; a board on which a control circuit is arranged, the board being installed in the housing; an external microphone operatively connected to the control circuit and exposed to the outside of the housing; an external speaker operatively connected to the control circuit and installed in the housing; a connection cable extending from the control circuit, so that when the connection cable is connected to a socket of the portable telephone, the external microphone and the external speaker become operative in place of a microphone and a speaker of the portable telephone; and an electric power source which energizes the control circuit. The control circuit includes a muting section which makes the external microphone inoperative while the control circuit is receiving a voice signal from the portable telephone through the connection cable.

Claims

1. A telephone hand-free apparatus for use with a portable telephone which has a microphone and a speaker installed therein, said hand-free apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical can;

a telephone receiving case installed in said cylindrical can, said telephone receiving case being so sized and constructed as to receive therein said portable telephone;

a board on which a control circuit is arranged, said board being installed in said cylindrical can;

an external microphone operatively connected to said control circuit and exposed to the outside of said cylindrical can;

an external speaker operatively connected to said control circuit and installed in said cylindrical can;

a connection cable means extending from said control circuit, so that when said connection cable means is connected to a socket means of said portable telephone, said external microphone and said external speaker become operative in place of the microphone and the speaker of said portable telephone; and

an electric power source which energizes said control circuit,

wherein said control circuit includes a muting section which makes said external microphone inoperative while said control circuit is receiving a voice signal from said portable telephone through said connection cable means.

2. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electromagnetic wave shielding plate which is installed in said cylindrical can in a manner to cover an exposed outer surface of said control circuit.

3. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising condensers through which a wire from said external microphone and wires of said connection cable means are connected to said shielding plate.

4. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said condensers are of a through type condenser.

5. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which said shielding plate is formed with a plurality of openings which put therein said condensers respectively.

6. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said electric power source is a battery installed in said cylindrical can.

7. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprises a power saving section which is installed in said control circuit, said power saving section saving an electric power of the battery fed to said control circuit during the time when the portable telephone is in a stand-by condition.

8. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which said power saving section closes a connection between said battery and a power switching circuit of said control circuit when said portable telephone generates a certain magnitude of electromagnetic noise.

9. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the frequency of said electromagnetic noise generated by said portable telephone is 800 MHz or 1.2 GHz.

10. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which said power saving section comprises an antenna, a detector circuit, an amplifier circuit, a F/V converter circuit, a comparator circuit and a switching circuit which are connected in series, said switching circuit being interposed between said battery and said power switching circuit.

11. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which said antenna is printed on the control circuit board.

12. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said muting section blocks an electric connection between said external microphone and a control circuit of said portable telephone when receiving a muting signal from a power switching circuit which energizes a power amplifier of said external speaker when energized by said electric power source.

13. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a manual switch which is arranged between said electric power source and said power switching circuit.

14. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said cylindrical can has a circular bottom formed with a plurality of openings.

15. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 14, in which said telephone receiving case is detachably held in said cylindrical can by means of a latch mechanism.

16. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 15, in which the control circuit board is secured to an outer surface of a vertically extending flat wall which constitutes part of the telephone receiving case.

17. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which said telephone receiving case is formed at a lower section thereof with a battery holder in which a battery is detachably held.

18. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 14, in which said external microphone is fixed to a top of a rod-like flexible stand which extends upward from said cylindrical can.

19. A telephone hand-free apparatus as claimed in claim 14, in which said connection cable means comprises:

a cable extending from said control circuit; and

a 3P-plug connected to a leading end of said cable, said 3P-plug being detachably connectable to an input/output socket mounted on said portable telephone.

20. A telephone hand-free apparatus for use with a portable telephone which has a microphone and a speaker installed therein, said telephone hand-free apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical housing;

a telephone receiving case detachably installed in said cylindrical housing, said telephone receiving case being so sized and constructed as to detachably receive said portable telephone;

a board on which a control circuit is arranged, said board being received in said cylindrical housing and connected to a part of said telephone receiving case;

an external microphone operatively connected to said control circuit and exposed to the outside of said cylindrical housing;

an external speaker operatively connected to said control circuit and installed in said cylindrical housing;

a connection cable means extending from said control circuit, so that when said connection cable means is connected to a socket means of said portable telephone, said external microphone and said external speaker become operative in place of the microphone and the speaker of said portable telephone;

a battery for energizing said control circuit;

an electromagnetic wave shielding plate installed in said cylindrical housing in a manner to cover an exposed outer surface of said control circuit; and

condensers through which a wire from said external microphone and wires of said connection cable means are connected to said shielding plate,

wherein said control circuit includes;

a muting section which makes said external microphone inoperative while said control circuit is receiving a voice signal from said portable telephone through said connection cable means; and

a power saving section which saves an electric power of the battery fed to said control circuit during the time when the portable telephone is in a stand-by condition.