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

• US 20060140428A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Qi, Yihong, Jarmuszewski, Perry, Man, Ying Tong
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 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; and

an antenna 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.

2. 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 antenna is below the overlap region.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising 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 being connected to said antenna.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said antenna is carried within said lower housing.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces on said dielectric substrate.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises a multi-frequency band antenna.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises a single turn, main loop conductor having a gap therein defining first and second ends of said main loop conductor.

8. 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.

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

10. 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.

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

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

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 10 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.

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

14. A 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 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; and

an antenna 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.

15. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 wherein the bottom of said upper housing overlaps the top of said lower housing in the extended position defining an overlap region;

and wherein said antenna is below the overlap region.

16. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 further comprising 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 being connected to said antenna.

17. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 wherein said antenna is carried within said lower housing.

18. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 wherein said antenna comprises a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces on said dielectric substrate.

19. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 wherein said antenna comprises a multi-frequency band antenna.

20. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 wherein said antenna comprises a single turn, main loop conductor having a gap therein defining first and second ends of said main loop conductor.

21. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 further comprising a release catch for allowing movement of said upper housing and said lower housing between the retracted and the extended use positions.

22. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 further comprising a display carried by said upper housing.

23. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 further comprising an input keypad carried by said lower housing comprising a plurality of multi-symbol keys.

24. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 23 wherein the symbols comprise letters;

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

25. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 23 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.

26. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 14 further comprising a battery carried by said lower housing.

27. 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:

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; and

positioning an antenna 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.

28. The method of claim 27 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 antenna is below the overlap region.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising positioning a wireless circuit board in the lower housing and at least one wireless communications circuit thereon, and connecting the at least one wireless communications circuit to the antenna.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the antenna is carried within the lower housing.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the antenna comprises a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces on the dielectric substrate.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the antenna comprises a multi-frequency band antenna.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the antenna comprises a single turn, main loop conductor having a gap therein defining first and second ends of the main loop conductor.

34. 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:

positioning an antenna 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.

35. The method of claim 34 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 antenna is positioned below the overlap region.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the antenna is carried within the lower housing.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the antenna comprises a dielectric substrate and a plurality of conductive traces on the dielectric substrate.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein the antenna comprises a multi-frequency band antenna.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein the antenna comprises a single turn, main loop conductor having a gap therein defining first and second ends of the main loop conductor.