Cellular phone with high-quality sound reproduction capability
First Claim
1. A cellular phone comprising a speaker for making sound and a microphone for catching sound, wherein:
- the speaker and the microphone are implemented by a first signal-vibration transducer and a second signal-vibration transducer that are functionally equivalent, and the first signal-vibration transducer functions as the speaker and the second signal-vibration transducer functions as the microphone when the cellular phone is used for conversation, and the first signal-vibration transducer and the second signal-vibration transducer function in cooperation as stereo speakers when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a cellular phone, stereophonic sound reproduction of music etc. is realized by using a microphone and a speaker of the cellular phone as stereophonic speakers. By the stereophonic sound reproduction function, radio broadcasting from FM stations, streaming sound from the Internet, etc. are reproduced by the cellular phone. The speaker and the microphone are removed from the front of the housing of the cellular phone (where a display and operation buttons are mounted) and are placed on the back of the housing, thereby the diameters of the speaker and the microphone are enlarged and thereby wide-range and high-volume-level sound reproduction is realized. The speaker and the microphone are preferably implemented by low-profile flat-panel speakers that are functionally equivalent. Further, by the removal of the speaker and microphone from the front of the housing, the sizes of the display and the operation buttons are enlarged, thereby the viewability of the display and the operability of the operation buttons are improved. Such features are effectively realized in, for example, a folding cellular phone that can be unfolded to an angle larger than 180°.
231 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A cellular phone comprising a speaker for making sound and a microphone for catching sound, wherein:
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the speaker and the microphone are implemented by a first signal-vibration transducer and a second signal-vibration transducer that are functionally equivalent, and the first signal-vibration transducer functions as the speaker and the second signal-vibration transducer functions as the microphone when the cellular phone is used for conversation, and the first signal-vibration transducer and the second signal-vibration transducer function in cooperation as stereo speakers when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
a display and operation buttons of the cellular phone are placed on a side of a housing of the cellular phone, and the speaker and the microphone are placed apart on the other side of the housing of the cellular phone.
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3. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing includes:
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a display section including the display;
an operation section including the operation buttons; and
a hinge section connecting the display section and the operation section so that the cellular phone can be folded into a folded state in which the display faces the operation buttons and can be unfolded into an unfolded state in which the display is apart from the operation buttons.
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4. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 3, wherein the housing is designed so that the angle between the display and the operation buttons in the unfolded state can be set larger than 180°
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5. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 3, wherein:
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the display is provided to the display section so as to occupy approximately the total area of the side of the display section for the display, and the operation buttons are provided to the operation section so as to occupy approximately the total area of the side of the operation section for the operation buttons.
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6. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first signal-vibration transducer and the second signal-vibration transducer are implemented by flat-panel speakers.
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7. A cellular phone comprising:
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radio telephone means for executing processes for the communication with radio base stations;
stereo sound reproduction means for executing processes for stereophonic sound reproduction;
a first signal-vibration transducer for functioning as a speaker of the cellular phone when the cellular phone is used for conversation, while functioning as one of stereo speakers when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction;
a second signal-vibration transducer for functioning as a microphone of the cellular phone when the cellular phone is used for conversation, while functioning as the other of the stereo speakers when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction; and
control means for controlling the connections of the signal-vibration transducers with the radio telephone means and the stereo sound reproduction means depending on whether the cellular phone is used for conversation or for sound reproduction. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
a display and operation buttons of the cellular phone are placed on a side of a housing of the cellular phone, and the first signal-vibration transducer and the second signal-vibration transducer are placed apart on the other side of the housing of the cellular phone.
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9. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 8, wherein the housing includes:
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a display section including the display;
an operation section including the operation buttons; and
a hinge section connecting the display section and the operation section so that the cellular phone can be folded into a folded state in which the display faces the operation buttons and can be unfolded into an unfolded state in which the display is apart from the operation buttons.
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10. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 9, wherein the housing is designed so that the angle between the display and the operation buttons in the unfolded state can be set larger than 180°
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11. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 9, wherein:
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the display is provided to the display section so as to occupy approximately the total area of the side of the display section for the display, and the operation buttons are provided to the operation section so as to occupy approximately the total area of the side of the operation section for the operation buttons.
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12. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first signal-vibration transducer and the second signal-vibration transducer are implemented by flat-panel speakers.
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13. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stereo sound reproduction means receives radio signals from radio stations and reproduces the radio broadcasting.
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14. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 13, wherein the stereo sound reproduction means receives FM signals from FM stations and reproduces the FM broadcasting.
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15. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stereo sound reproduction means receives streaming data from the Internet and reproduces the streaming sound.
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16. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cellular phone is designed to be connectable to an AC adapter for long time sound reproduction.
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17. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stereo sound reproduction means reads a sound file from a card-like medium and reproduces sound from the sound file.
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18. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, wherein the stereo sound reproduction means obtains a sound file from another device through a cable and reproduces sound from the sound file.
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19. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:
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a received sound amplifier for amplifying a received sound signal which is supplied from the radio telephone means;
a transmitted sound amplifier for amplifying a sound signal to be transmitted which is supplied from the second signal-vibration transducer as the microphone;
a first sound reproduction amplifier for amplifying one of stereo sound signals reproduced by the stereo sound reproduction means; and
a second sound reproduction amplifier for amplifying the other of the stereo sound signals reproduced by the stereo sound reproduction means.
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20. A cellular phone as claimed in claim 19, further comprising:
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a first switch for connecting the first signal-vibration transducer with the output terminal of the received sound amplifier when the cellular phone is used for conversation, while connecting the first signal-vibration transducer with the output terminal of the first sound reproduction amplifier when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction; and
a second switch for connecting the second signal-vibration transducer with the input terminal of the transmitted sound amplifier when the cellular phone is used for conversation, while connecting the second signal-vibration transducer with the output terminal of the second sound reproduction amplifier when the cellular phone is used for sound reproduction.
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Specification