Mobile terminal apparatus

• US 9,231,645 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Miwa, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, NAM TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/231,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20140248926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 4555691-570, 455/575.6, 455/414.1, 455/418, 379/421
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/46 by voice-frequency signals; by pilot signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/605 involving control of the receiver volume to provide a dual operational mode at close or far distance from the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72516 with means for out-of-range alerting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A mobile terminal apparatus includes: a microphone; a switch control unit, which switches between a normal mode, in which a voice uttered toward the microphone is transmitted to an intended party, and a mute mode, in which the voice is not transmitted to the intended party; and a proximity sensor, which detects whether a detection object is in proximity to the proximity sensor, wherein, while the mute mode is being executed, if the detection object is detected by the proximity sensor, the switch control unit switches to the normal mode.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a microphone;

a switch controller, which switches between a normal mode, in which a voice uttered toward the microphone is transmitted to a intended party, and a mute mode, in which the voice is not transmitted to the intended party; and

a proximity sensor, which detects whether a detection object is in proximity to the proximity sensor,

wherein, if a predetermined condition is satisfied while a normal mode is being executed, if the detection object is not detected by the proximity sensor for a predetermined the switch controller switches from the normal mode to the mute mode, and

wherein, if a specific operation is performed before the predetermined period is over, the switch controller does not switch from the normal mode to the mute mode until after detection of the detection object by the proximity sensor, and when the detection object is no longer detected by the proximity sensor the switch controller switches to the mute mode.

2. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a condition detecting unit, which detects a condition of the mobile terminal apparatus,

wherein the switch controller switches to the normal mode based on the condition detected by the condition detecting unit.

3. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a movement detecting unit, which detects a movement of the mobile terminal apparatus,

wherein, after the movement detecting unit detects the movement of the mobile terminal apparatus, if the detection object is detected by the proximity sensor, the switch controller switches to the normal mode.

4. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a posture detecting unit, which detects a posture of the mobile terminal apparatus,

wherein, after the posture detecting unit detects that the mobile terminal apparatus is tilted more than a predetermined angle, if the detection object is detected by the proximity sensor, the switch controller switches to the normal mode.

5. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the proximity sensor includes a first detector and a second detector disposed at a position different from the first detector, and

wherein, only if both of the first detector and the second detector detect the detection object, the switch controller switches to the normal mode.

6. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a speaker, which output a voice transmitted from the intended party,

wherein the first detector is disposed around the speaker, and the second detector is disposed to be closer to the microphone than the first detector, and

wherein, when both of the first detector and the second detector do not detect the detection objects, the switch controller switches to the mute mode.

7. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating unit provided to perform a switch operation to switch to the mute mode,

wherein, if the switch operation is performed, the switch controller switches to the mute mode.

8. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, while the normal mode is being executed, if the proximity sensor detects that the detection object is taken away from the proximity sensor, the switch controller switches to the mute mode.

9. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the switch controller does not switch to the mute mode, during a period between a start of a telephone call and a detection of the detection object at the first time by the proximity sensor.

10. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein, while the normal mode is being executed, if the proximity sensor detects that the detection object is taken away from the proximity sensor for a predetermined time, the switch controller switches to the mute mode.

11. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein, even when the predetermined time is over, if a specific operation is performed before the predetermined time is over, the switch controller does not switch to the mute mode.

12. The mobile terminal apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the specific operation is performed during a telephone call, and the telephone call is continued after the specific operation is performed.