Portable telephone with integrated heads-up display and data terminal functions

• US 6,073,033 A
• Filed: 11/01/1996
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telxon Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Campo, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US08/742,034
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/568, 455/569, 455/575, 455/90, 379/88.13, 379/93.17, 379/110.01, 379/433, 379/434, 348/14
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/05 specially adapted for use on head, throat or breast

Abstract

A portable telephone device with telephone, data terminal and/or heads-up display functions in an integrated package having a size and weight on the order of conventional portable wireless telephones. The device includes a hand-held body structure having a main body portion and a heads-up display body portion. The main body portion may be held in a normal telephone handset position at a side of a user'"'"'s head to position audio input and output transducers in functional relationship to the user'"'"'s mouth and adjacent ear. The heads-up display body portion is rotatable from a storage position to an operative position for locating a display in front of the adjacent eye of the user for display of data. The device further comprises, within the hand-held body structure, a processor and associated memory, a keyboard, a transceiver for voice and data communications with a remote telephone and/or data terminal unit, and a battery compartment for housing a battery that supplies power to the device.

Claims

1. A telephone device with integrated heads-up display, comprising:

input and output audio transducers;

a heads-up display;

communications circuitry for receiving and transmitting voice data and non-voice data to and from a remote site;

electronic circuitry for operatively interconnecting said input and output transducers and said heads-up display to said wireless communications circuitry;

a hand-held body structure housing said input and output audio transducers, heads-up display, communications circuitry and electronic circuitry; and

a selector device for switching between a normal telephone speech mode and a system voice command input mode.

2. A telephone device with integrated heads-up display, comprising:

input and output audio transducers;

a heads-up display;

communications circuitry for receiving and transmitting voice data and non-voice data to and from a remote site;

electronic circuitry for operatively interconnecting said input and output transducers and said heads-up display to said communications circuitry; and

a body structure housing said input and output audio transducers, heads-up display, communications circuitry and electronic circuitry;

said body structure including a main body portion and a display body portion, said display body portion including said heads-up display and being mounted to said main body portion for movement between a neutral position and at least one operative position for locating said heads-up display in front of a user'"'"'s eye when said body structure is positioned adjacent one side of a user'"'"'s head.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said electronic circuitry includes display control circuitry for displaying an image on said heads-up display, and further comprising a sensing device for detecting said display body portion in said neutral position, and said display control circuitry being responsive to an output of said sensing device for powering down said display control circuitry.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said heads-up display is covered by said main body portion when said display body portion is in said neutral position.

5. A device as set forth in claim 2, comprising an orientation sensor for sensing a predetermined orientation of said orientation sensor, and said electronic circuitry includes circuitry for increasing the volume of the audio output transducer in response to an output of said orientation sensor, whereby the device can function in a speaker phone mode.

6. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said communications circuitry includes a radio transceiver.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said radio transceiver operates at data transfer rates of at least 1 mbps.

8. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said display body portion includes a display arm pivotally mounted at one end to said main body portion and housing at an opposite end said heads-up display.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said display arm has a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of said main body portion when said display body portion is in said neutral position, and said display arm extends obliquely to said main body portion when said display body portion is in either one of said first and second operational positions.

10. A device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said display arm is telescopically extendible and retractable to adjust the length thereof.

11. A device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said input and output transducers are housed within said main body portion at opposite first and second ends of said main body portion, respectively, and said display arm is pivotally mounted to said main body portion at said second end thereof.

12. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said at least one operative position includes first and second operative positions disposed on opposite sides of said neutral position and respectively associated with use of said device on respective opposite sides of the user'"'"'s head.

13. A device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said electronic circuitry includes display control circuitry for displaying an image on said heads-up display in either one of first and second orientations relative to said heads-up display, and an image orientation selector for selecting one of said first and second orientations for display of the image.

14. A device as set forth in claim 13, wherein said image orientation selector includes a sensing device for detecting said display body portion in said first and second operative positions, and said display control circuitry is responsive to an output of said sensing device for displaying the image in said first orientation when said sensing device detects said display body in said first operative position and in said second orientation when said sensing device detects movement of said display body portion in said second operative position.

15. A device as set forth in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of selector devices located on opposite side edges of said main body portion, and said electronic circuitry is responsive to the output of said sensing device for mapping a set of functions to said selector devices according to a first arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said first operative position and mapping the same set of functions to said selector devices according to a second arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said second operative position.

16. A device as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a sensing device for detecting said display body portion in said first and second operative positions, and a plurality of selector devices located on opposite side edges of said main body portion, and wherein said electronic circuitry is responsive to the output of said sensing device for mapping a set of functions to said selector devices according to a first arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said first operative position and mapping the same set of functions to said selector devices according to a second arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said second operative position.

17. A device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said sensing device is operative to detect said display body portion in said neutral position, and said electronic circuitry maps a different set of functions to said selector devices when said display body portion is in said neutral position.

18. A device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said set of functions includes a heads-up display screen scrolling function.

19. A device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said set of functions includes an action selection function.

20. A device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said set of functions includes a toggle function for switching between a normal telephone speech mode and a system voice command input mode.

21. A portable telephone device with integrated heads-up display, comprising:

input and output audio transducers;

a heads-up display;

wireless communications circuitry for receiving and transmitting voice data and non-voice data to and from a remote site;

electronic circuitry for operatively interconnecting said input and output transducers and said heads-up display to said wireless communications circuitry; and

a hand-held body structure housing said input and output audio transducers, heads-up display, wireless communications circuitry and electronic circuitry, the hand-held body structure including a main body portion and a display body portion, said display body portion including said heads-up display which is operative to present an image to a user'"'"'s eye when said body structure is positioned adjacent one side of a user'"'"'s head.

22. A device as set forth in claim 21, wherein said communications circuitry includes a radio transceiver.

23. A device as set forth in claim 21, comprising an orientation sensor for sensing a predetermined orientation of said orientation sensor, and said electronic circuitry includes circuitry for increasing the volume of the audio output transducer in response to an output of said orientation sensor, whereby the device can function in a speaker phone mode.

24. A device as set forth in claim 23, wherein said radio transceiver operates at data transfer rates of at least 1 mbps.

25. A device as set forth in claim 21, wherein said display body portion;

mounted to said main body portion for movement between a neutral position and at least one operative position for locating said heads-up display in front of a user'"'"'s eye when said hand-held body structure is held adjacent one side of a user'"'"'s head.

26. A device as set forth in claim 25, wherein said display body portion includes a display arm pivotally mounted at one end to said main body portion and housing at an opposite end said heads-up display.

27. A device as set forth in claim 25, wherein said at least one operative position includes first and second operative positions disposed on opposite sides of said neutral position and respectively associated with use of said device on respective opposite sides of the user'"'"'s head.

28. A device as set forth in claim 27, wherein said display arm has a longitudinal axis extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of said main body portion when said display body portion is in said neutral position, and said display arm extends obliquely to said main body portion when said display body portion is in either one of said first and second operational positions.

29. A device as set forth in claim 27, wherein said electronic circuitry includes display control circuitry for displaying the image on said heads-up display in either one of first and second orientations relative to said heads-up display, and an image orientation selector for selecting one of said first and second orientations for display of the image.

30. A device as set forth in claim 29, wherein said image orientation selector includes a sensing device for detecting said display body portion in said first and second operative positions, and said display control circuitry is responsive to an output of said sensing device for displaying the image in said first orientation when said sensing device detects said display body in said first operative position and in said second orientation when said sensing device detects movement of said display body portion in said second operative position.

31. A device as set forth in claim 27, further comprising a plurality of selector devices located on opposite side edges of said main body portion, and said electronic circuitry is responsive to the output of said sensing device for mapping a set of functions to said selector devices according to a first arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said first operative position and mapping the same set of functions to said selector devices according to a second arrangement when said sensing device detects said display body portion in said second operative position.

32. A device as set forth in claim 31, wherein said sensing device is operative to detect said display body portion in said neutral position, and said electronic circuitry maps a different set of functions to said selector devices when said display body portion is in said neutral position.

33. A device as set forth in claim 31, wherein said set of functions includes a heads-up display screen scrolling function.

34. A device as set forth in claim 31, wherein said set of functions includes an action selection function.

35. A device as set forth in claim 31, wherein said set of functions includes a toggle function for switching between a normal telephone speech mode and a system voice command input mode.