Phone for the visually impaired with dual battery arrangement

• US 7,509,151 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Edwards, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): YOUSSEF, ADEL Y
• Application Number:
  US11/063,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/572, 455/573
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72481 for visually impaired users

Abstract

A phone having an elongated housing with a top surface and a bottom surface. The phone includes a display screen affixed to the housing. The display screen forms a majority of the surface area of the top surface of the housing. The phone also includes a keypad having a plurality of keys corresponding with the digits 0-9. The plurality of keys are sequentially positioned along a side of the display on the top surface. The key for the digit 0 is adjacent to either the key for the digit 1 or the key for the digit 9. The phone further includes a first battery and a second battery that are coupled with the housing. In operation, the first and second batteries cooperatively provide power to operate the phone.

Claims

1. A phone comprising:

an elongated housing having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a display screen affixed to the housing, the display screen forming a majority of the surface area of the top surface of the housing;

a keypad having a plurality of keys corresponding with the digits 0-9, the plurality of keys being sequentially positioned along a side of the display on the top surface, the key for the digit 0 being adjacent to one of the key for the digit 1 and the key for the digit 9;

a first battery removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing; and

a second battery removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing,

wherein the housing comprises electrical contacts disposed on the bottom surface that, in operation, receive electrical power to operate the phone from the first battery and the second battery, and thus, in operation, the first and second batteries cooperatively provide power to operate the phone,

wherein the first battery and the second battery are arranged substantially symmetrically with each other on the bottom surface of the housing, wherein the first battery has a first battery housing that operates as a first exterior portion of the phone when the first battery is removably coupled with the phone, and wherein the second battery has a second battery housing that operates as a second exterior portion of the phone when the second battery is removably coupled with the phone,

wherein the first battery and the second battery are of identical form factor and are therefore interchangeable with each other, and

wherein, when the phone is engaged in a call, (i) the first battery can be removed and the second battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call and (ii) the second battery can be removed and the first battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call.

2. The phone of claim 1, wherein the first battery and the second battery are electrically coupled in parallel.

3. The phone of claim 1, wherein the first battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a first end of the housing and the second battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a second end of the housing.

4. The phone of claim 1, wherein the first battery extends from one edge of the bottom surface of the phone to a center part of the phone, and the second battery extends from an opposing edge of the bottom surface of the phone to the center part of the phone.

5. The phone of claim 1, wherein the first battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing along substantially an entire first side of the housing and the second battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing along substantially an entire second side of the housing.

6. The phone of claim 1, wherein the first battery and the second battery are adjacently removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a single end of the housing.

7. The phone of claim 1, wherein the keys for the digits 0-9 are positioned below the display in a substantially straight single row.

8. The phone of claim 7, wherein the plurality of keys further include a key for the character * and a key for the character # located at respective opposite ends of the keys for the digits 0-9.

9. A phone comprising:

an elongated housing having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a display screen affixed to the housing, the display screen forming a majority of the surface area of the top surface of the housing;

a keypad having a plurality of keys corresponding with the digits 0-9, the plurality of keys being sequentially positioned along a side of the display on the top surface, the key for the digit 0 being adjacent to one of the key for the digit 1 and the key for the digit 9;

a first battery coupled with the housing; and

a second battery coupled with the housing, the first battery and the second battery being electrically coupled in parallel,

wherein, in operation, the first and second batteries cooperatively provide power to operate the phone and wherein a single one of the first battery and the second battery provides sufficient electrical power to operate the phone, such that when the phone is engaged in a call, (i) the first battery can be removed and the second battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call and (ii) the second battery can be removed and the first battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call.

10. The phone of claim 9, wherein the first and second batteries are removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing.

11. The phone of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises electrical contacts disposed on the bottom surface that, in operation, receive electrical power to operate the phone from the first battery and the second battery.

12. The phone of claim 9, wherein the first battery and the second battery are interchangeable.

13. The phone of claim 9, wherein the first battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a first end of the housing and the second battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a second end of the housing.

14. The phone of claim 9, wherein the first battery and the second battery are arranged substantially symmetrically on the bottom surface.

15. A phone comprising:

an elongated housing having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a display screen affixed to the housing, the display screen forming a majority of the surface area of the top surface of the housing;

a first battery removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing; and

a second battery removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing,

wherein the housing comprises electrical contacts disposed on the bottom surface that, in operation, receive electrical power to operate the phone from the first battery and the second battery, and thus, in operation, the first and second batteries cooperatively provide power to operate the phone,

wherein the first battery and the second battery are arranged substantially symmetrically with each other on the bottom surface of the housing, wherein the first battery has a first battery housing that operates as a first exterior portion of the phone when the first battery is removably coupled with the phone, and wherein the second battery has a second battery housing that operates as a second exterior portion of the phone when the second battery is removably coupled with the phone,

wherein the first battery and the second battery are of identical form factor and are therefore interchangeable with each other, and

wherein, when the phone is engaged in a call, (i) the first battery can be removed and the second battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call and (ii) the second battery can be removed and the first battery provides sufficient power to power the phone without dropping the call.

16. The phone of claim 15, wherein the first battery and the second battery are electrically coupled in parallel.

17. The phone of claim 15, wherein the first battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a first end of the housing and the second battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a second end of the housing.

18. The phone of claim 15, wherein the first battery extends from one edge of the bottom surface of the phone to a center part of the phone, and the second battery extends from an opposing edge of the bottom surface of the phone to the center part of the phone.

19. The phone of claim 15, wherein the first battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing along substantially an entire first side of the housing, and the second battery is removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing along substantially an entire second side of the housing.

20. The phone of claim 15, wherein the first battery and the second battery are adjacently removably coupled with the bottom surface of the housing at a single end of the housing.