Mobile wireless communications device with slidable configuration providing hearing aid compatibility features and related methods

• US 8,538,051 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Qi, Yihong, Jarmuszewski, Perry, Man, Ying Tong
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen D
• Application Number:
  US12/758,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20100195854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 381/312, 381/315, 381/322, 381/328, 381/330, 381/331, 379/52, 379/431, 379/440, 379/443, 379/444, 455/575.1, 455/575.4, 455/575.7, 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/726
• US Class Current: 381/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2474 Telephone terminals specially adapted for disabled people user interfaces for cordless or mobile telephones specially adapted for disabled users H04M1/72475; network based special services or facilities for hearing-impaired persons H04M3/42391; devices for conversing with the deaf-blind G09B21/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

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.

Claims

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 coupled 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 the top end of said upper housing and accessible to the electronic hearing aid of the user;

an audio input transducer carried by the bottom end of said lower housing; and

a multi-frequency band antenna within said lower housing so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from said multi-frequency band antenna when said upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling with the electronic hearing aid;

said multi-frequency band antenna comprising a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces thereon defining a main loop conductor having a gap therein.

2. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said dielectric substrate has a non-planar shape.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said multi-frequency band antenna is operable in at least two of a 850 MHz Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) band, a 900 MHz GSM band, a DCS band, a PCS band, and a WCDMA band.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising:

a circuit board carried by said lower housing; and

wireless communications circuitry carried by said circuit board and coupled to said multi-frequency band antenna.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 4 further comprising a processor cooperating with said wireless communications circuitry for performing at least one email function.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein the bottom of said upper housing overlaps the top of said lower housing in the extended use position defining an overlap region;

and wherein said multi-frequency band antenna is below the overlap region.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a release catch for allowing movement of said upper housing and said lower housing between the retracted and the extended use positions.

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a display carried by said upper housing.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising an input keypad carried by said lower housing comprising a plurality of multi-symbol keys.

10. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 9 wherein the symbols comprise letters;

and wherein said multi-symbol keys are arranged to define a QWERTY layout.

11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 9 wherein at least some of said multi-symbol keys have numeric indicia thereon, and wherein the at least some multi-symbol keys are arranged to define a telephone keypad layout.

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a battery carried within said lower housing.

13. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

an upper housing and a lower housing being coupled 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;

an audio input transducer carried by said lower housing; and

a multi-frequency band antenna within said lower housing;

said multi-frequency band antenna comprising a dielectric substrate having a non-planar shape and a plurality of conductive traces thereon defining a main loop conductor having a gap therein.

14. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 wherein said multi-frequency band antenna is operable in at least two of a 850 MHz Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) band, a 900 MHz GSM band, a DCS band, a PCS band, and a WCDMA band.

15. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 further comprising:

a circuit board carried by said lower housing; and

wireless communications circuitry carried by said circuit board and coupled to said multi-frequency band antenna.

16. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 15 further comprising a processor cooperating with said wireless communications circuitry for performing at least one email function.

17. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 wherein the bottom of said upper housing overlaps the top of said lower housing in the extended use position defining an overlap region;

and wherein said multi-frequency band antenna is below the overlap region.

18. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 further comprising a release catch for allowing movement of said upper housing and said lower housing between the retracted and the extended use positions.

19. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 further comprising a display carried by said upper housing.

20. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 13 further comprising an input keypad carried by said lower housing.

21. A method for making a mobile wireless communications device for a user wearing an electronic hearing aid, the method user comprising:

coupling an upper housing and a lower housing 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 carried by the upper housing and accessible to the electronic hearing aid of the user;

positioning an audio input transducer carried by the lower housing; and

positioning a multi-frequency band antenna within the lower housing so that the electronic hearing aid of the user is further separated from the multi-frequency band antenna when the upper and lower housings are in the extended use position to thereby reduce undesired coupling with the electronic hearing aid, the multi-frequency band antenna comprising a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces thereon defining a main loop conductor having a gap therein.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the dielectric substrate has a non-planar shape.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the multi-frequency band antenna is operable in at least two of a 850 MHz Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) band, a 900 MHz GSM band, a DCS band, a PCS band, and a WCDMA band.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising positioning a circuit board carried by the lower housing, and with wireless communications circuitry carried by the circuit board and coupled to the multi-frequency band antenna.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising a positioning a processor carried by the circuit board for cooperating with the wireless communications circuitry for performing at least one email function.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the bottom of the upper housing overlaps the top of the lower housing in the extended use position defining an overlap region;

and wherein the multi-frequency band antenna is below the overlap region.