Telephone microphone

• US 8,358,776 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Basart, Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US13/076,773
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 379/420.03, 379/436
• US Class Current: 379/420.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/02 Constructional features of telephone sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0297 Telephone sets adapted to be mounted on a desk or on a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets

Abstract

A telephone comprising one or more speaker apertures, a microphone indicator disposed on a user-facing surface of the telephone, and one or more microphone apertures disposed proximate to the microphone indicator on a surface of the telephone other than the user-facing surface, where at least one of the microphone apertures is operable to allow audio to pass from the user to a microphone disposed in the telephone, and where the microphone indicator is arranged to direct the user to speak in a direction toward at least one of the microphone apertures.

Claims

1. A telephone, comprising:

a user interface disposed on a user-facing surface of the telephone, the user interface operable to input information from a user and output information to the user;

a speaker aperture disposed on a surface of the telephone, the speaker aperture operable to allow audio to pass from a speaker disposed in the telephone to the user;

a microphone indicator disposed along an edge of the user-facing surface of the telephone and extending downward along a side surface of the telephone, the microphone indicator being inoperable to process audio; and

a microphone aperture disposed proximate to the microphone indicator on a surface of the telephone other than the user-facing surface, the microphone aperture operable to allow audio to pass from the user to a microphone disposed in the telephone, the microphone indicator and the microphone being functionally independent, wherein the microphone indicator is arranged to direct the user to speak in a direction toward the microphone aperture.

2. The telephone of claim 1, wherein the microphone aperture is located on the side surface of the telephone and spaced from a bottom of the microphone indicator.

3. The telephone of claim 1, wherein the microphone aperture is located on a bottom surface of the telephone opposite the user-facing surface of the telephone.

4. The telephone of claim 1, wherein a top of the microphone indicator has a mesh-like surface.

5. The telephone of claim 1, wherein a top of the microphone indicator comprises a plurality of apertures.

6. The telephone of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises:

a display screen operable to visually display information to the user; and

a keypad operable to receive information from the user.

7. The telephone of claim 1, further comprising a handset operable to output audio to the user and receive audio from the user.

8. A telephone, comprising:

one or more speaker apertures disposed on a surface of the telephone, at least one of the speaker apertures operable to allow audio to pass from a speaker disposed in the telephone to the user;

a microphone indicator disposed on the user-facing surface of the telephone, the microphone indicator being inoperable to process audio; and

one or more microphone apertures disposed proximate to the microphone indicator on a surface of the telephone other than the user-facing surface, at least one of the microphone apertures operable to allow audio to pass from the user to a microphone disposed in the telephone, wherein the microphone indicator is arranged to direct the user to speak in a direction toward at least one of the microphone apertures.

9. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator is functionally independent from the microphone.

10. The telephone of claim 8, wherein at least one of the microphone apertures is located on a side surface of the telephone adjacent the user-facing surface of the telephone.

11. The telephone of claim 8, wherein at least one of the microphone apertures is located on a bottom surface of the telephone opposite the user-facing surface of the telephone.

12. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator includes a top disposed along an edge of the user-facing surface and a side extending downward from the top along a side surface of the telephone, the top of the microphone indicator being substantially flat and the side of the microphone indicator being curved and protruding outward from the side surface of the telephone.

13. The telephone of claim 12, wherein the top of the microphone indicator has a mesh-like surface.

14. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator is provided on a stalk that is mechanically coupled to the user-facing surface.

15. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator comprises a plurality of apertures.

16. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator comprises an image of a microphone.

17. The telephone of claim 16, wherein the image is electronically generated and displayed on the user interface.

18. The telephone of claim 8, wherein the microphone indicator is located no more than approximately 10 cm from at least one of the microphone apertures.

19. The telephone of claim 8, further comprising a user interface disposed on a user-facing surface of the telephone, the user interface operable to input information from a user and output information to the user.

20. The telephone of claim 19, wherein the user interface comprises:

a display screen operable to visually display information to the user; and

a keypad operable to receive information from the user.

21. The telephone of claim 8, further comprising a handset operable to output audio to the user and receive audio from the user.

22. A telephone, comprising:

one or more speaker apertures disposed on a surface of the telephone, at least one of the speaker apertures operable to allow audio to pass from a speaker disposed in the telephone to the user;

a plurality of microphone indicators disposed on the user-facing surface of the telephone, the microphone indicators being inoperable to process audio; and

a plurality of microphone apertures, each microphone aperture disposed proximate to one of the microphone indicators on a surface of the telephone other than the user-facing surface, each microphone aperture operable to allow audio to pass from the user to at least one microphone disposed in the telephone, wherein the microphone indicators are arranged to direct the user to speak in a direction toward the corresponding microphone aperture.

23. The telephone of claim 22, wherein the microphone indicators are functionally independent from the at least one microphone.

24. The telephone of claim 22, wherein the microphone apertures are located on a side surface of the telephone adjacent the user-facing surface of the telephone.

25. The telephone of claim 22, wherein the microphone apertures are located on a bottom surface of the telephone opposite the user-facing surface of the telephone.

26. The telephone of claim 22, wherein three microphone indicators are provided proximate to three microphone apertures.

27. The telephone of claim 22, wherein four microphone indicators are provided proximate to four microphone apertures.