Emergency personal device with base station

• US 6,847,814 B1
• Filed: 11/14/1997
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lifeline Systems Company (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Vogeleisen, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, BLANE J
• Application Number:
  US08/970,883
• Time in Patent Office: 2,629 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404, 455/414, 455/462, 455/463, 455/521, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/564, 455/565, 455/500, 455/507, 455/414.1, 455/569.1, 379/38, 379/45, 379/40, 379/388.01
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72424 with manual activation of emergency-service functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A communication system is disclosed having a wireless telephone and a base station. The wireless telephone has a transceiver, a microphone, a speaker and a keyboard. The base station is connectable to the wireless telephone by a radio link and is connected to a switched network. The keyboard of the wireless telephone includes an emergency key which dials a pre-stored number and activates the microphone and speaker for hands-free operation of the wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a personal device having a transceiver, a microphone, a speaker and a keyboard;

a base station connectable to said personal device by a radio link, said base station being connected to a switched network;

said keyboard including an emergency key which dials a pre-stored number and activates said microphone and said speaker for hands-free operation of said personal device;

wherein said base station includes a base speaker which is activated by said emergency key.

2. A method of communicating comprising:

depressing an emergency key of a personal device having a transceiver, a microphone, a speaker and a keyboard;

dialing a pre-stored number in response to the depressing step;

activating said microphone and said speaker in response to the depressing step for hands-free operation of said personal device; and

activating a base speaker of a base station in response to the depressing step.