Methods and apparatus for enabling portable telephone handset to automatically go off-hook

• US 6,310,955 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1998
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Reeves, Mark David
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Application Number:
  US09/097,835
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 379/32-33, 379/130, 379/161, 379/184, 379/194-195, 379/377, 379/379, 379/381, 379/387, 379/422, 379/424-427, 379/433
• US Class Current: 379/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A system for setting a wireless handset to an offhook condition when the handset is moved during the presence of a specified condition, such as an incoming call. A signal is sent to the handset to indicate an incoming call. If the handset is moved during the pendency of the incoming call, a sensor sends a signal to a controller indicating movement of the handset. A dedicated circuit may be employed to send an offhlook signal only when a movement threshold has been detected. If the signal reaches a predetermined threshold, the controller sets the handset to an offhook condition.

Claims

1. An automatic offhook system for use in a telephone handset, comprising:

an incoming call detector;

a movement sensor for detecting a change in condition of the handset, the sensor comprising a tube, a series of electrical contacts placed along the tube, adjacent contacts being connected to differing voltages and a conductive ball positioned to roll along the tube during movement of the handset, the rolling of the ball providing an electrical connection between adjacent contacts resulting in a series of voltage changes caused by the connection of different ones of the adjacent contacts; and

a controller responsive to the incoming call detector and the sensor, the controller being operative to set the handset to an offhook condition when the sensor detects a change in condition of the handset during a pendency of an incoming call detected by the incoming call detector, the controller being operative to receive information from the sensor indicating a degree of movement of the handset and to set the handset to an offhook condition if the degree of movement detected by the sensor reaches a predetermined threshold and to leave the handset in a non-offhook condition if the degree of movement does not reach the predetermined threshold.

2. The offhook system of claim 1 wherein the tube is generally U-shaped.

3. An automatic offhook system for use in a telephone handset, comprising:

an incoming call detector;

a movement sensor for detecting a change in condition of the handset, the sensor comprising a an axis, a wheel mounted on the axis, the wheel being able to rotate freely, one portion of the wheel being weighted so that the weighted portion of the wheel always seeks a lowest position, the wheel having an alternating series of opaque and transparent areas along its circumference and a light source and a light detector positioned on opposite sides of the wheel so that light passes from the light source to the light detector when a transparent portion of the wheel is between the light source and the light detector so that rotation of the wheel caused by movement of the handset brings an alternating series of opaque and transparent portions of the wheel between the light source and the light detector, causing the light detector to detect alternating periods of light and dark and to produce a series of alternating voltages caused by the alternating periods of light and dark; and

a controller responsive to the incoming call detector and the sensor, the controller being operative to set the handset to an offhook condition when the sensor detects a change in condition of the handset during a pendency of an incoming call detected by the incoming call detector, the controller being operative to receive information from the sensor indicating a degree of movement of the handset and to set the handset to an offhook condition if the degree of movement detected by the sensor reaches a predetermined threshold and to leave the handset in a non-offhook condition if the degree of movement does not reach the predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the transparent portions of the wheel are open slots.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the light source is an LED and the light detector is a photodiode.