Portable telephone attachment for person hard of hearing

• US 6,914,996 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 07/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Temco Japan Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Temco Japan Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeda, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ensey, Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/181,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20040013279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 381/374, 381/380, 381/381, 381/326, 455/90.3, 455/550.1, 455/575.6, 379/443, 379/444, 379/447
• US Class Current: 381/380
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users

Abstract

The purpose is to provide a cellular phone attachment for a hearing-impaired person. The attachment is adapted to be used as a hearing aid for catching a voice sound issued from the conversation partners when the hearing-impaired person makes conversation to his or her partners through the cellular phone. The attachment is constructed of: a microphone disposed closely adjacent to a receiver opening of the cellular phone in use; a bone conduction speaker adapted to be brought into contact with a portion of the person'"'"'s head; a main body portion provided with an amplifier and a battery; and, a fitting means for mounting each of the microphone, the bone conduction speaker and the main body portion on the cellular phone.

Claims

1. A cellular phone attachment for a hearing-impaired person comprises:

a microphone disposed closely adjacent to a receiver opening of a cellular phone in use;

a bone conduction speaker adapted to be brought into contact with a portion of a user'"'"'s head;

a main body portion provided with an amplifier and a battery; and

, a fitting means for mounting each of said microphone, said bone conduction speaker and said main body portion on said cellular phone

wherein said fitting means has at least a part thereof constructed of an extensible and retractable portion, and is of a snap-on type provided with opposite end portions, wherein an upper one of said opposite end portions is snapped on an upper surface of said cellular phone, and a lower one of said opposite end portions is snapped on a lower surface of said cellular phone.

2. The cellular phone attachment for the hearing impaired person as set forth in claim 1, wherein both said microphone and said bone conduction speaker are received in a single casing.

3. The cellular phone attachment as set forth in claim 1 or 2 for the hearing-impaired person wherein said extensible and retractable portion is engaged between said opposite end portions.

4. The cellular phone attachment as set forth in claim 1 or 2 for the hearing-impaired person wherein said battery is rechargeable through terminals disposed outside the main body.