Accelerometer influenced communication device

• US 6,549,792 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bell Northern Research, LLC (Hilco Inc. (d/b/a Hilco Global))
• Original Assignee: Agere Systems Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Johanson, James A., Cannon, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US09/339,893
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 455/343, 455/38.3, 455/89, 455/575, 455/90, 379/61, 379/424, 379/58, 379/63, 340/7.32
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• 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 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, a communication device according to the invention includes an accelerometer, and an operational aspect of the communication device is adapted to be influenced by an output of the accelerometer. The communication device may be a telephone, such as a wireless telephone, and the accelerometer may influence the operational aspect of the wireless telephone to advantageously make the wireless telephone operate more like a wired telephone. An exemplary wireless handset according to the invention may include a wireless transceiver, a controller, and an accelerometer, wherein the controller is adapted to receive an output from the accelerometer and affect a state of the wireless transceiver based thereon. In another embodiment according to the invention, a method of operating a communication device includes the steps of determining a motion characteristic of the communication device, and affecting an operational aspect of the communication device based on the motion characteristic. An exemplary method of operating a wireless telephone handset according to the invention includes the steps of receiving a ring signal, sensing a movement of the handset, and transitioning to an off-hook state from an on-hook state based on the sensed movement. An alternative method of operating a wireless telephone handset includes the steps of determining an absence of voice activity, determining an absence of motion, and transitioning to an on-hook state based on the absence of voice activity and absence of motion.

Claims

1. A cordless telephone, comprising:

a handset with an accelerometer;

a transceiver;

a controller; and

a ring detection unit adapted to provide a ring indication to said controller;

wherein there is a transition of said cordless telephone between an on-hook state and an off-hook state based on an output of said accelerometer showing an active movement of said handset.

2. A cordless telephone as recited in claim 1,

wherein the transition is from the on-hook state to the off-hook state.

3. A cordless telephone as recited in claim 1,

wherein the transition is from the off-hook state to the on-hook state.

4. A wireless handset, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a controller;

an accelerometer; and

a ring detection unit adapted to provide a ring indication to said controller,

wherein said controller is adapted to affect the state of said wireless handset based on an output from said accelerometer and said ring indication.

5. A wireless handset as recited in claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to cause the wireless transceiver to begin only part of a transition from a standby state to an operational state based on an output from the accelerometer indicating movement and a ring indication corresponding to a lack of an incoming ring signal.

6. A wireless handset as recited in claim 4,

wherein the controller is adapted to cause the wireless transceiver to transition from a standby state to an operational state based on an output from the accelerometer indicating movement and a ring indication corresponding to the presence of an incoming ring signal.

7. A cordless handset, comprising:

a transceiver;

a controller; and

a handset with an accelerometer;

wherein the controller is adapted to cause the transceiver to transition from an on-hook state to an off-hook state based on an output from said accelerometer indicating an active movement of said handset.

8. A cordless handset as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a voice activity detector,

wherein the controller is further adapted to transition to the standby state based on an indication of no activity from the voice activity detector.

9. A wireless handset, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a controller; and

an accelerometer,

wherein the controller is adapted to receive an output from the accelerometer showing an active movement of said wireless telephone and affect a state of said wireless transceiver based on a change in a motion history.

10. A wireless handset as recited in claim 9, wherein the change in motion history is from a period of no movement to a period of movement.

11. A wireless handset as recited in claim 9, wherein the change in motion history is from a period of movement to a period of no movement.

12. A wireless handset as recited in claim 9, wherein the change in motion history is from a period of a first type of movement to a period of a second type of movement.

13. A wireless handset as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the first type of movement and the second type of movement is periodic.

14. A method of operating a cordless telephone, comprising the steps of:

determining a motion characteristic of a cordless telephone handset; and

influencing a transition between an on-hook and an off-hook state based on a comparison to a prior history of said motion characteristic.

15. A method of operating a cordless telephone handset, comprising the steps of:

receiving a ring signal;

sensing an active movement of the cordless telephone handset; and

transitioning to an off-hook state from an on-hook state based on a movement history.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the transition to the off-hook state is based on a sensed movement including a substantial component along an axis perpendicular to the surface of the earth.

17. A method of operating a wireless telephone handset, comprising the steps of:

receiving a ring signal;

sensing an active movement of the wireless telephone handset; and

transitioning to an operational state from a standby state based on a comparison of the sensed movement and a movement history.

18. A method of operating a wireless telephone handset, comprising the steps of:

determining an absence of voice activity;

determining an absence of motion; and

transitioning to a standby state based on the absence of voice activity and absence of motion.

19. A cordless telephone handset, comprising:

means for receiving a ring signal;

means for sensing a movement of the handset; and

means for transitioning to an off-hook state from an on-hook state based on a movement history.

20. A wireless telephone handset, comprising:

means for receiving a ring signal;

means for sensing an active movement of the telephone handset; and

means for transitioning to an off-hook state from an on-hook state based on comparing the sensed movement and a movement history.

21. A wireless telephone handset, comprising:

means for determining an absence of voice activity;

means for determining an absence of motion; and

means for transitioning to an on-hook state based on the absence of voice activity and absence of motion.