Wireless mobile phone including a headset

• US 7,373,182 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Smart Phone Concepts LLC
• Original Assignee: Varia Mobil LLC
• Inventors: Dabrowski, Christopher J., Heddle, Robert M., Zatloukal, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/087,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20040192402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 4555691-5692, 4555751-5752, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/575.9, 455/90.3, 381/74, 379/430, 37942001-42004, 379422-423, 379441-442
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A wireless mobile phone is provided with an input-output interface and an output interface. The input-output interface may be employed singularly to facilitate removable attachment of a telephony headset to the phone to receive at least telephony audio signals from the phone, and to provide audio signals to the phone. Similarly, the output interface may be employed singularly to facilitate removable attachment of an audio output only headset to the phone to receive at least a selected one of telephony and non-telephony audio signals from the phone. However, the input-output interface and the output interface may also be used jointly to facilitate removable attachment of a two-plug headset to the phone to receive at least a selected one of telephony and non-telephony audio signals from the phone, and to provide audio signals to the phone.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

telephony means for wirelessly sending and receiving telephony signals;

audio means for generating non-telephony audio signals;

an input-output interface to facilitate removable attachment of a first headset to said wireless mobile phone, and output of telephony audio signals to said first headset, and/or input of audio signals to said wireless mobile phone;

an output interface to facilitate removable attachment of a second headset to said wireless mobile phone, and output of at least a selected one of telephony and non-telephony audio signals for said first headset; and

audio signal paths to couple said input-output interface and said output interface to said telephony means and said audio means in a manner, to allow said input-output interface to be singularly employed for said first headset, said output interface to be singularly employed for said second headset, and said input-output and output interfaces to be jointly employed for said first and second headsets where said first and second headsets being the same headset.

2. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein telephony means comprises a wireless telephony signal transceiver.

3. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said audio means comprises radio means for receiving and rendering radio programming.

4. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said audio means comprises a digital audio player.

5. The wireless mobile phone of claim 4, wherein said digital audio player comprises a MP3 player.

6. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said input-output interface comprises an input-output port designed to accept a 2.5 mm input-output plug.

7. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said output interface comprises an output port designed to accept an ⅛

inch audio plug.

8. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said first headset is a telephony headset comprising a microphone and at least one earpiece receiver.

9. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said second headset is an audio output only headset.

10. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said first and second headsets the same headset, and said same headset comprises two complementary plugs to mate with said output interface and said input-output interface.

11. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile phone is of a digital type.