Coupler for a communications device

• US 6,304,638 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pocketmail, Inc.
• Inventors: Coulter, Richard L., Fullam, Scott F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/502,156
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.37, 379/52, 379/110.01, 379/442-444
• US Class Current: 379/93.37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60

Abstract

A coupler enabling communication of information between a communication device, such as a PIM device, and an acoustic device, such as a telephone, using acoustic tones. The coupler includes a speaker for transmitting information in the form of acoustic tones to the acoustic device and a speaker for receiving acoustic tones from the acoustic device. The coupler may also include an adjustment mechanism which facilitates coupling between the microphone and an earpiece of the acoustic device and between the speaker and a mouthpiece of the acoustic device. The microphone and speaker positions may be adjustable to adapt to a variety of telephone handset styles, such as cellular telephones or cordless telephones.

Claims

1. A system for enabling communication of information between a first device and a second device, comprising:

a coupler detachably attachable to the first device, the coupler configured to receive information from the second device in the form of acoustic tones and to communicate the information received from the second device to the first device in a form useable by the first device, and to receive information from the first device and communicate the information to the second device in the form of acoustic tones;

wherein the coupler comprises a speaker for transmitting the information in the form of acoustical tones to the second device, a microphone for receiving information from the second device in the form of acoustical tones, and an adjustment mechanism for facilitating coupling between the speaker and the second device and between the microphone and the second device; and

a biasing mechanism for biasing the microphone to engage an earpiece of the second device to establish an acoustical coupling between the microphone and the earpiece,

wherein the biasing mechanism comprises a spring tending to bias the microphone away from the coupler to facilitate coupling between the microphone and the earpiece.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first device is a portable handheld device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the speaker, the microphone, and the adjustment mechanism are disposed along a side portion of the coupler.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the microphone and the speaker are positioned juxtaposed to the first device when the coupler is mounted on the first device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the microphone is biased to sealing engage the earpiece of the second device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the adjustment mechanism is configured to allow adjustment of positions of the speaker and microphone relative to each other to vary the distance between the microphone and the speaker.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a microphone adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the microphone relative to the position of the speaker.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the microphone adjustment mechanism comprises a microphone carrier supporting the microphone, the microphone carrier capable of being moved within a channel of the coupler from a retracted position to an extended position, the moving of the microphone carrier adjusting the position of the microphone relative to the speaker.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the microphone carrier comprises a first section which is capable of being moved within the channel and a second section which is rotatably attached to the first section and biased away from the coupler by a biasing mechanism.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the microphone carrier comprises a plurality of bend points near the microphone which bends as the earpiece of the second device is pressed against the microphone carrier and biases the microphone towards the earpiece.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the microphone adjustment mechanism comprises a recess in the coupler into which the microphone is stored when the microphone is in a retracted position.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the microphone adjustment mechanism comprises:

a microphone recess in the coupler; and

a microphone carrier rotatably attached to the coupler that moves from a closed position in the microphone recess to an open position, wherein the microphone is exposed only when the microphone carrier is in the open position.

13. The system of claim 6 wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a speaker adjustment mechanism for moving the position of the speaker relative to the position of the microphone.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the speaker adjustment mechanism further comprises a speaker carrier supporting the speaker, the speaker carrier capable of being moved within a channel of the coupler from a retracted position to an extended position, the moving of the speaker carrier adjusting the position of the speaker relative to the microphone.

15. A method of communicating information between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:

providing a coupler detachably coupled to the first device;

acoustically coupling the coupler to the second device;

communicating information from the second device to the coupler in the form of acoustic tones;

communicating the information received by the coupler to the first device in a form useable by the first device;

communicating information from the first device to the coupler;

generating acoustic tones at the coupler corresponding to the information received from the first device;

communicating the acoustic tones to the second device;

wherein acoustically coupling the coupler to the second device comprises;

providing a microphone coupled to the coupler for receiving the acoustic tones from the second device;

providing a speaker coupled to the coupler for transmitting the information in the form of acoustical tones from the coupler to the second device; and

adjusting positions of the speaker and microphone relative to each other to vary the distance between the microphone and the speaker to facilitate coupling between the speaker and a mouthpiece of the second device and between the microphone and an earpiece of the second device; and

biasing the microphone to engage the earpiece of the second device by providing a spring tending to bias the microphone away from the coupler to facilitate coupling between the microphone and the earpiece.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein adjusting positions of the speaker and the microphone comprises moving the microphone relative to the position of the speaker and the microphone comprises moving the microphone relative to the position of the speaker.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein moving the microphone relative to the speaker comprises:

supporting the microphone on an microphone carrier capable of being moved between a retracted position and an extended position within a channel on the coupler; and

moving the microphone carrier to facilitate coupling between the speaker and the mouthpiece of the second device and between the microphone and the earpiece of the second device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein moving the microphone relative to the speaker comprises:

supporting the microphone on a microphone carrier rotatably attached to the coupler; and

exposing the microphone by moving the microphone carrier from a closed position to an open position to facilitate coupling between the speaker and the mouthpiece of the second device and between the microphone and the earpiece of the second device.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first device is a portable handheld device.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein adjusting positions of the speaker and the microphone comprises moving the speaker relative to the position of the microphone.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the microphone is biased to sealingly engage the earpiece of the second device.

22. A system for enabling communication of information between a first device and a second device, comprising:

a coupler detachably attachable to the first device, the first device being a portable handheld device, the coupler configured to receive information from the second device in the form of acoustic tones and to communicate the information received from the second device to the first device in a form useable by the first device, and to receive information from the first device and communicate the information to the second device in the form of acoustic tones;

wherein the coupler comprises a speaker for transmitting the information in the form of acoustical tones to the second device, a microphone for receiving information from the second device in the form of acoustical tones, and an adjustment mechanism for facilitating coupling between the speaker and the second device and between the microphone and the second device;

wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a microphone adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the microphone relative to the position of the speaker,

wherein the microphone adjustment mechanism comprises a microphone carrier supporting the microphone, the microphone carrier capable of being moved within a channel of the coupler from a retracted position to an extended position, the moving of the microphone carrier adjusting the position of the microphone relative to the speaker,

wherein the microphone carrier comprises a plurality of bend points near the microphone which bends as the earpiece of the second device is pressed against the microphone carrier and biases the microphone towards the earpiece.