Communications terminal having a single transducer for handset and handsfree receive functionality

• US 5,790,679 A
• Filed: 06/06/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Hawker, Larry Edward, Van Schyndel, Andre John, Forrester, Christopher Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,609
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 379/420, 379/428, 379/433, 379/421-427, 379/429-430, 455/89, 455/90, 381/163, 381/157, 381/168, 381/169, 381/183, 381/187, 181/155, 181/156
• US Class Current: 381/163
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• 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: H04R 1/2811 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/288 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

A wireless terminal for personal communication systems is provided with selective handsfree or handset receive mode of operation utilizing a single transducer. The transducer is mounted within a specially designed enclosure having front and back chambers each with strategically located acoustic ports for shaping the frequency response and providing good quality audio in each mode. Electronic equalization may be employed to further adjust the amplifier gain and shape the frequency response for dual mode operation.

Claims

1. A communications device having a casing defined by a front face, a back face and respective side walls, a transducer enclosure between said front face and said back face with a transverse partition separating said enclosure into first and second chambers, and a receive transducer for providing handset and handsfree receive functionality mounted on said partition, said first chamber having a plurality of acoustic ports comprising a first set thereof exiting from the front face in approximately co-axial alignment with said transducer and a second set of acoustic ports concentrically spaced from said first set of acoustic ports and exiting from the front face in an area not in alignment with the transducer and said second chamber having at least one acoustic port.

3. A communications device as defined in claim 1 wherein the acoustic ports of the first set are all located within a circular area of the front face such that they are within a circle circumscribed by the knife-edge of a standard frequency response testing artificial ear.

4. A communications device as defined in claim 3 wherein the acoustic ports of the second set exit on the front face in an area outside said circular area of the first set of acoustic ports.

5. A communications device as defined in claim 4 wherein the acoustic ports of the second set exiting to a pair of slots one on each side of said circular area of the first set of acoustic ports.

6. A communications device as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of acoustic ports further comprises a third set of acoustic ports located on the walls of the first chamber and exiting on at least one side wall of the device.

7. A communications device as defined in claim 6 wherein the third set of acoustic ports exit on the end wall of the device.

2. A transducer enclosure for use in a communication device adapted to provide handset and handsfree receive functionality, said enclosure having first and second chambers separated by a partition with a transducer mounted on said partition and facing into the first chamber wherein said second chamber has at least one acoustic port communicating with the exterior of the enclosure, said first chamber having a side wall and a face wall and having a plurality of acoustic ports comprising a first set thereof exiting through the face wall and located in an area approximately aligned with the transducer, and a second set of acoustic ports concentrically spaced from said first set of acoustic ports and exiting through the face wall in an area not aligned with the transducer.

8. A transducer enclosure as defined in claim 2 wherein the acoustic ports of the first set are all located within a circular area of the front face such that they are within a circle circumscribed by the knife-edge of a standard frequency response testing artificial ear.

9. A transducer enclosure as defined in claim 8 wherein the acoustic ports of the second set exit on the front face in an area outside said circular area of the first set of acoustic ports.

10. A transducer enclosure as defined in claim 2, wherein the plurality of acoustic ports further comprises a third set of acoustic ports located along the side wall of the first chamber.