Mobile wireless communications device with slidable configuration providing hearing aid compatibility features and related methods
First Claim
1. A mobile wireless communications device for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid adjacent an ear of the user, the mobile wireless communications device comprising:
- an upper housing and a lower housing being slidably connected together for sliding relative to one another between a retracted position and an extended use position, said upper and lower housings each having respective top and bottom ends, the top end of said upper housing being further separated from the bottom end of said lower housing when in the extended use position as compared to the retracted position;
an audio output transducer carried by said upper housing and accessible to the electronic hearing aid of the user adjacent the top end of said upper housing;
an audio input transducer carried by said lower housing and accessible to a mouth of the user adjacent the bottom end of said lower housing;
an antenna having portions extending in three dimensions and carried by said lower housing adjacent the bottom end thereof so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from said antenna when said upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling from said antenna to the electronic hearing aid; and
a wireless circuit board carried by said lower housing and at least one wireless communications circuit carried thereby, said at least one wireless communications circuit comprising a wireless transceiver connected to said antenna;
said antenna comprisinga dielectric substrate,an antenna frame extending outwardly from said dielectric substrate,a plurality of conductive traces on said dielectric substrate, andat least one of said plurality of conductive traces wrapping from said dielectric substrate onto said antenna frame.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile wireless communications device is for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid adjacent an ear of the user and may include an upper housing and a lower housing being slidably connected together for sliding between a retracted position and an extended use position. An audio output transducer may be carried by the upper housing and accessible to the hearing aid of the user adjacent a top end of the upper housing, and an audio input transducer may be carried by the lower housing and accessible to a mouth of the user adjacent a bottom end of the lower housing. An antenna may be carried by the lower housing adjacent the bottom end thereof so that the hearing aid is further separated from the antenna when the upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to reduce undesired coupling from the antenna to the hearing aid.
22 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A mobile wireless communications device for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid adjacent an ear of the user, the mobile wireless communications device comprising:
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an upper housing and a lower housing being slidably connected together for sliding relative to one another between a retracted position and an extended use position, said upper and lower housings each having respective top and bottom ends, the top end of said upper housing being further separated from the bottom end of said lower housing when in the extended use position as compared to the retracted position; an audio output transducer carried by said upper housing and accessible to the electronic hearing aid of the user adjacent the top end of said upper housing; an audio input transducer carried by said lower housing and accessible to a mouth of the user adjacent the bottom end of said lower housing; an antenna having portions extending in three dimensions and carried by said lower housing adjacent the bottom end thereof so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from said antenna when said upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling from said antenna to the electronic hearing aid; and a wireless circuit board carried by said lower housing and at least one wireless communications circuit carried thereby, said at least one wireless communications circuit comprising a wireless transceiver connected to said antenna; said antenna comprising a dielectric substrate, an antenna frame extending outwardly from said dielectric substrate, a plurality of conductive traces on said dielectric substrate, and at least one of said plurality of conductive traces wrapping from said dielectric substrate onto said antenna frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:
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an upper housing and a lower housing being slidably connected together for sliding relative to one another between a retracted position and an extended use position, said upper and lower housings each having respective top and bottom ends, the top end of said upper housing being further separated from the bottom end of said lower housing when in the extended use position as compared to the retracted position; an audio output transducer carried by said upper housing and accessible to an ear of a user adjacent the top end of said upper housing; an audio input transducer carried by said lower housing and accessible to a mouth of the user adjacent the bottom end of said lower housing; an antenna having portions extending in three dimensions and carried by said lower housing adjacent the bottom end thereof so that the ear of the user is further separated from said antenna when said upper and lower housings are in the extended use position; and a wireless circuit board carried by said lower housing and at least one wireless communications circuit carried thereby, said at least one wireless communications circuit comprising a wireless transceiver connected to said antenna; said antenna comprising a dielectric substrate, an antenna frame extending outwardly from said dielectric substrate, a plurality of conductive traces on said dielectric substrate, and at least one of said plurality of conductive traces wrapping from said dielectric substrate onto said antenna frame. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for making a mobile wireless communications device for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid adjacent an ear of the user, the method comprising:
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slidably connecting an upper housing and a lower housing together for sliding relative to one another between a retracted position and an extended use position, the upper and lower housings each having respective top and bottom ends, the top end of the upper housing being further separated from the bottom end of the lower housing when in the extended use position as compared to the retracted position; positioning an audio output transducer adjacent the top end of the upper housing to be accessible to the electronic hearing aid of the user; positioning an audio input transducer adjacent the bottom end of the lower housing to be accessible to a mouth of the user; positioning an antenna having portions extending in three dimensions adjacent the bottom end of the lower housing so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from the antenna when the upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling from the antenna to the electronic hearing aid; and positioning a wireless circuit board having at least one wireless communications circuit carried thereby in the lower housing, the at least one wireless communications circuit comprising a wireless transceiver connected to the antenna; the antenna comprising a dielectric substrate, an antenna frame extending outwardly from the dielectric substrate, a plurality of conductive traces on the dielectric substrate, and at least one of the plurality of conductive traces wrapping from the dielectric substrate onto the antenna frame. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for making a mobile wireless communications device hearing aid compatible for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid adjacent an ear of the user, the mobile wireless communications device comprising an upper housing and a lower housing being slidably connected together for sliding relative to one another between a retracted position and an extended use position, an audio output transducer carried by the upper housing and accessible to an ear of a user adjacent the top end of said upper housing, and an audio input transducer carried by the lower housing and accessible to a mouth of the user adjacent the bottom end of the lower housing, the upper and lower housings each having respective top and bottom ends, the top end of the upper housing being further separated from the bottom end of the lower housing when in the extended use position as compared to the retracted position, the method comprising:
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positioning an antenna having portions extending in three dimensions adjacent the bottom end of the lower housing so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from the antenna when the upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling from the antenna to the electronic hearing aid; and positioning a wireless circuit board having at least one wireless communications circuit carried thereby in the lower housing, the at least one wireless communications circuit comprising a wireless transceiver connected to the antenna; the antenna comprising a dielectric substrate, an antenna frame extending outwardly from the dielectric substrate, a plurality of conductive traces on the dielectric substrate, and at least one of the plurality of conductive traces wrapping from the dielectric substrate onto the antenna frame. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification