Mobile terminal with loudspeaker sound redirection

• US 7,415,290 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2004
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Eaton, William Chris, Murray, Mathew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan; Kiet
• Application Number:
  US10/905,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20060128440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.1, 455/575.1, 455/565, 455/575.3, 455/566, 455/89
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0225 Rotatable telephones, i.e. the body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/345 for loudspeakers

Abstract

A mobile terminal having a pivoting design includes an earpiece (receiver unit) and a separate, dedicated loudspeaker and loudspeaker port that may direct sound toward a user when the terminal is in the open position and ports the sound in a different direction when the terminal is in a closed position. This separate, dedicated loudspeaker transducer and loudspeaker porting may provide separate, hands-free voice and alert signals from a position spaced from that of a conventional receiver (or earpiece), which may contribute to appropriately adjusted acoustic levels for a user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a base including a housing having a front surface and a back surface;

a flip pivotally mounted to the base, the flip including a housing with an opening therethrough, the opening disposed proximate to the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip, wherein the terminal has an open, extended position where the flip is pivoted away from the front surface of the base and a closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base; and

a transducer for producing sound mounted to the inside of the flip and in acoustic communication with the opening,

wherein the transducer produces sound and the opening emits sound when the terminal is in both the open, extended position and in the closed position,

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment between the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position and wherein the opening is concurrently blocked from the environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position; and

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the closed position.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal has push-to-talk functionality and the transducer is the push-to-talk loudspeaker.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is clamshell-style.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is jack-knife-style.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip comprises at least one hinge.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hinge is oriented in the plane of the front surface of the base.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hinge is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the front surface of the base.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the pivotal mounting is made at one end of the base and one end of the flip, the base with two edges perpendicular to the respective ends with hinges along the base edges, the flip with a central portion proximate to the pivotal mounting and extending between the hinges, and the opening is disposed on the central portion.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the pivotal mounting is made at one end of the base and one end of the flip, the flip with two edges perpendicular to the respective ends with hinges along the flip edges, the base with a central portion proximate to the pivotal mounting and extending between the hinges, and the opening is disposed on at least one hinge.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the transducer functions as a microphone and as a loudspeaker.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the transducer provides sound for hands-free voice and alert signals.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a volume control system that automatically varies the sound pressure level provided by the transducer depending on whether the terminal is in the open position or the closed position.

13. A mobile terminal comprising:

a flip including a housing;

a base pivotally mounted to the flip and including a front surface and a back surface, the base including a housing with an opening therethrough, the opening disposed proximate to the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip, wherein the terminal has an open, extended position where the flip is pivoted away from the front surface of the base and a closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base; and

a transducer for producing sound mounted to the inside of the base and in acoustic communication with the opening,

wherein the transducer produces sound and the opening emits sound when the terminal is in both the open, extended position and in the closed position,

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment between the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position and wherein the opening is concurrently blocked from the environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position; and

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the closed position.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the flip has a front surface and a back surface, and when the terminal is in the closed position the flip is in complementary registration with the front surface of the base and the front surface of the flip opposes the front surface of the base, and further comprising a sound reflector extending partially around the opening of the pivotal mounting between the back surface of the base and the back surface of the flip when the terminal is in the open position.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal has push-to-talk functionality and the transducer is the push-to-talk loudspeaker.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal is clamshell-style.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal is jack-knife-style.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip comprises at least one hinge.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hinge is oriented in the plane of the front surface of the base.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the longitudinal axis of the hinge is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the front surface of the base.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the pivotal mounting is made at one end of the base and one end of the flip, the flip with two edges perpendicular to the respective ends with hinges along the flip edges, the base with a central portion proximate to the pivotal mounting and extending between the hinges, and the opening is disposed on the central portion.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the pivotal mounting is made at one end of the base and one end of the flip, the base with two edges perpendicular to the respective ends with hinges along the base edges, the flip with a central portion proximate to the connection and extending between the hinges, and the opening is disposed on at least one hinge.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the transducer functions as a microphone and as a loudspeaker.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the transducer provides sound for hands-free voice and alert signals.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 13, further comprising a volume control system that automatically varies the sound pressure level provided by the transducer depending on whether the terminal is in the open position or the closed position.

26. A method of making a mobile terminal, comprising:

providing a base including a housing having a front surface and a back surface;

pivotally mounting a flip to the base, the flip including a housing with an opening therethrough, the opening disposed proximate to the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip, wherein the terminal has an open, extended position where the flip is pivoted away from the front surface of the base and a closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base; and

mounting a transducer for producing sound to the inside of the flip and in acoustic communication with the opening,

wherein the transducer produces sound and the opening emits sound when the terminal is in both the open, extended position and in the closed position,

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment between the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position and wherein the opening is concurrently blocked from the environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position; and

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the closed position.

27. A method of making a mobile terminal, comprising:

providing a flip including a housing;

pivotally mounting a base to the flip, the base including a front surface and a back surface, the base including a housing with an opening therethrough, the opening disposed proximate to the pivotal mounting between the base and the flip, wherein the terminal has an open, extended position where the flip is pivoted away from the front surface of the base and a closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base; and

mounting a transducer for producing sound to the inside of the base and in acoustic communication with the opening,

wherein the transducer produces sound and the opening emits sound when the terminal is in both the open, extended position and in the closed position,

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment between the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position and wherein the opening is concurrently blocked from the environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the open position; and

wherein the opening is at least partially exposed to an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base when the terminal is in the closed position.

28. The method of making a mobile terminal of claim 27, wherein the flip has a front surface and a back surface, and when the terminal is in the closed position the flip is complementary registration with the front surface of the base and the front surface of the flip opposes the front surface of the base, and further comprising providing a sound reflector extending partially around the opening of the pivotal mounting between the back surface of the base and the back surface of the flip when the terminal is in the open position.

29. A method of directing sound from a mobile terminal including a flip and a base with a front surface and having an open, extended position where the flip is pivoted away from the front surface of the base and a closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base, comprising:

stimulating a transducer in the terminal to produce sound in both the open, extended position and closed position of the mobile terminal;

porting the sound from the transducer to an opening proximate to a pivotal mounting between the base and the flip;

disposing the terminal in the open, extended position;

when the terminal is in the open, extended position, exposing the opening to an environment between the flip and the front surface of the base and concurrently blocking the opening from an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base;

disposing the terminal in the closed position where the flip is in complimentary registration with the front surface of the base; and

when the terminal is in the closed position, exposing the opening to an environment away from the flip and the front surface of the base.