Methods and apparatus for causing wireless communication devices to vibrate via piezo-ceramic vibrators

• US 6,389,302 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Vance, Scott L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US09/301,218
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/575, 455/557, 455/571, 455/572, 455/573, 455/550, 455/567, 340/211.1, 340/825.56, 340/407, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 340/7.6
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/06 operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls

Abstract

A miniaturized piezo-ceramic member is positioned in a radiotelephone or wireless communication device to relatively rapidly deflect in a first direction and a second direction. The piezo-ceramic member contacts and forces a component of the radiotelephone or device having a sufficient mass to translate in the first and second direction in response to the deflection or movement of the piezo-ceramic member thereby generating a vibrating or shaking motion for the radiotelephone or device which is detectable by a user. In a preferred embodiment the component is a battery having a mass which is at least about 10% the mass of the device or radiotelelphone.

Claims

1. A method of providing a silent alert for a radiotelephone, the radiotelephone having a flip or cover, a rotational antenna, a clip, and front and back housing members, comprising the steps of:

mounting a piezo-ceramic member so that at least one end is fixed to a stationary portion of the radiotelephone;

mounting a selected radiotelephone component to the radiotelephone so that it is free to undergo repetitive movement in response to contact with the piezo-ceramic member;

deflecting the piezo-ceramic member from a non-electrically driven position to an electrically driven position;

contacting the selected component with the deflected piezo-ceramic member; and

repeatedly moving said selected component a distance in a first direction and a distance in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction, said translating step corresponding to said deflecting and contacting steps, wherein the selected component has a mass which is sufficiently large with respect to the overall mass of the radiotelephone to generate a user detectable vibration due to translation thereof.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the selected component is one or more of the flip, cover, clip, antenna, battery, front, and back housing.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the piezo-ceramic member is electrically driven by a repeating series of electrical waveforms.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the selected component has a mass which is greater than or equal to 10% of the total mass of the radiotelephone.

5. A radiotelephone, comprising:

a radiotelephone housing;

a battery resiliently mounted to said radiotelephone housing such that the battery is able to float relative to the housing and translate toward and away from a portion of the housing so that it is free to undergo repetitive movement relative thereto; and

a non-rotational vibrator operably associated with said battery;

wherein, in operation, said vibrator deflects in a first direction and a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction, and wherein said battery undergoes repetitive movement relative to said radiotelephone housing and translates independent of said housing responsive to the deflection of said vibrator, thereby providing a vibrating sensation for said radiotelephone.

6. A radiotelephone according to claim 5, wherein said vibrator source is a piezo-ceramic vibrator.

7. A radiotelephone according to claim 6, wherein said radiotelephone includes at least one spring-loaded battery contact, and wherein said battery repetitively oscillates toward and away from said spring-loaded contact in response to operation of said non-rotational piezo-ceramic vibrator.

8. A radiotelephone according to claim 7, wherein said piezo-ceramic vibrator has a substantially planar blade configuration with major surfaces, and wherein said piezo-ceramic vibrator is mounted in said radiotelephone such that the major surfaces of said piezo-ceramic member are oriented to be in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of translation of said battery.

9. A radiotelephone according to claim 5, said radiotelephone further comprising an electronic driver source operably associated with said piezo-ceramic vibrator, wherein said electronic driver source drives said piezo-ceramic vibrator with a successive series of waveforms.

10. A radiotelephone according to claim 9, wherein said radiotelephone further comprises an electro-luminescence source, and wherein said electronic driver is operably associated with both said electro-luminescence source and said piezo-ceramic vibrator.

11. A radiotelephone according to claim 5, wherein said housing has a pair of opposing sidewalls and at least one lateral wall extending therebetween to define a battery receptacle with a floor, wherein said radiotelephone further comprises a plurality of spaced apart resilient battery contacts, and wherein said battery is sized and configured to reside in said battery channel so that it rests against said floor and floats in a direction which is toward said floor or toward said lateral wall so as to be in contact with said resilient battery contacts, and wherein said battery repetitively slides so as to oscillate toward and away from said contacts in response to deflection of said piezo-ceramic vibrator, wherein said piezo-ceramic member has a substantially planar blade configuration with major surfaces, and wherein said piezo-ceramic vibrator is mounted to said radiotelephone such that the major surfaces of said piezo-ceramic vibrator are oriented in a direction which is substantially parallel to the direction of translation of said battery.

12. A radiotelephone according to claim 5, wherein said battery has a weight which is greater than or equal to 10% of the total weight of said radiotelephone.

13. A radiotelephone according to claim 5, wherein said housing includes two opposing sidewalls and a lateral wall extending therebetween defining a battery channel with a floor, wherein said radiotelephone includes a plurality of resilient battery contacts located in said battery channel, and wherein said battery is sized and configured to reside in said battery channel so that it rests against the floor and floats in the direction of said lateral wall so as to be in contact with said resilient battery contacts, and wherein said battery repetitively slides so as to oscillate toward and away from said contacts on said lateral wall in response to deflection of said piezo-ceramic vibrator.

14. A radiotelephone according to claim 13, wherein said piezo-ceramic vibrator has opposing ends and an intermediate section therebetween, wherein both ends of said piezo-ceramic vibrator are affixed to said radiotelephone housing and said intermediate section deflects in response to an electric input to said piezo-ceramic vibrator, and wherein said battery channel includes at least one low friction surface so as to facilitate a sliding movement of said battery toward and away from said lateral wall.

15. A wireless communication device, comprising:

a wireless communication device housing;

an assembly component having a predetermined mass mounted to said wireless communication device housing such that it is able to float in a predetermined travel path so that it is free to undergo repeated movement relative to said device housing; and

a non-rotational piezo-ceramic member operably associated with said component and held in said device housing so as to be unattached to and able to move away and toward said assembly component, wherein in operation, said piezo-ceramic member deflects in a first direction and a second direction opposite to said first direction, and wherein said selected component translates relative to said wireless communication device housing such that said selected component travels in the predetermined travel path toward and away from one of a primary or minor surface of the housing responsive to the repeated deflection of said piezo-ceramic member thereby providing a vibrating sensation for said wireless communication device.

16. A wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein said wireless communication device housing includes two opposing sidewalls and a lateral wall defining a battery channel with a floor therebetween, wherein said wireless communication device includes a plurality of battery contacts located in said battery channel, and wherein said selected component is a battery which is sized and configured to reside captured in said battery channel so as to be translate in a pivotal manner toward and away from said battery channel floor about said battery contacts.

17. A wireless communication device according to claim 16, wherein said piezo-ceramic member has a substantially planar blade configuration with opposing primary surfaces, and wherein said piezo-ceramic member is mounted in said wireless communication device such that said primary surfaces are oriented in a direction which is substantially parallel to the direction of translation of said selected component.

18. A wireless communication device according to claim 16, wherein said component has a weight which is greater than or equal to 10% of the total weight of said wireless communication device.

19. A wireless communication device according to claim 16, wherein said piezo-ceramic member has opposing ends, and wherein one end of said piezo-ceramic member is affixed to said wireless communication device housing to define a cantilevered piezo-ceramic member.

20. A wireless communication device according to claim 16, wherein said piezo-ceramic member has opposing ends and an intermediate section therebetween, wherein both ends of said piezo-ceramic member are affixed to said wireless communication device housing and said intermediate section deflects in response to an electric input to said piezo-ceramic member.

21. A wireless communication device according to claim 15, said wireless communication device further comprising a flip, an antenna, a clip, front housing, back housing, battery, and printed circuit board, wherein said assembly component is at least one of same.

22. A wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein said piezo-ceramic member is operably associated with an electronic driver source which drives said piezo-ceramic member with a series of electrical waveforms.

23. A wireless communication device according to claim 22, wherein said device further comprises an inverter and an electro-luminescence source, and wherein said inverter is operably associated with both said electro-luminescence source and said piezo-ceramic member.

24. A wireless communication device according to claim 15, wherein said wireless communication device housing includes two opposing sidewalls and a lateral wall defining a battery channel with a floor therebetween, wherein said wireless communication device includes a plurality of resilient battery contacts located in said battery channel, and wherein said selected component is a battery which is sized and configured to reside in said battery channel so that it rests against the floor and floats in the direction of said lateral wall so as to be in contact with said resilient battery contacts, and wherein said battery repetitively slides so as to oscillate towards and away from said contacts in response to deflection of said piezo-ceramic member.

25. A wireless communication device according to claim 24, wherein said battery channel floor includes a low friction sliding surface, wherein, in operation, said battery slides over said low friction sliding surface, wherein said piezo-ceramic member has a substantially planar blade configuration, with opposing primary surfaces and wherein said piezo-ceramic member is mounted in said wireless communication device such that its primary surfaces are oriented in a deflection direction which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of translation of said battery.

26. A method of providing an alert for a wireless communications device, the wireless communications device having a flip or cover, a rotational antenna, a clip, a battery and front and back housing members, comprising the steps of:

mounting a piezo-ceramic member so that at least one end is fixed to a stationary portion of the wireless communications device;

mounting a selected wireless communications device component to the wireless communications device so that it is proximate to but unattached to the piezo-ceramic member so that it is free to undergo repetitive movement in response to contact with the piezo-ceramic member;

deflecting the piezo-ceramic member from a non-electrically driven position to an electrically driven position;

contacting the selected component with the deflected piezo-ceramic member; and

repeatedly moving said selected component a distance in a first direction and a distance in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction, said moving step corresponding to said deflecting and contacting steps, wherein the selected component has a mass which is sufficiently large with respect to the overall mass of the wireless communications device to generate a user detectable vibration due to translation thereof.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the selected component is a battery, and wherein said moving step comprises sliding the battery.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein said wireless communication device includes a plurality of spaced apart resilient battery contacts, and wherein the battery slides over a low friction slide surface to repetitively oscillate toward and away from the contacts in response to deflection of the piezo-ceramic member.

29. A method according to claim 26, wherein said selected component is a non-cylindrical battery which powers the operation of the radiotelephone, and wherein said moving step comprises repetitively forcing the battery away from a static resting position and then allowing it to return thereto while providing power to the radiotelephone.

30. A method according to claim 26, wherein the selected component is one or more of the flip, cover, clip, antenna, battery, front, and back housing.

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein the piezo-ceramic member is electrically driven by a repeating series of electrical waveforms.

32. A method according to claim 31, wherein the selected component has a mass which is greater than or equal to 10% of the mass of the wireless communication device, and wherein the selected component is directly contacted by the deflected piezo-ceramic member.