Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Having particular housing or support of a transceiver
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2002-10-08
Nguyen, Lee (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Having particular housing or support of a transceiver
C455S348000, C455S349000, C455S550100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06463263
ABSTRACT:
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119 and/or 365 to 99102036.3 filed in Europe on Feb. 1, 1999; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to communication station, e.g. a mobile station and in particular to a mobile telephone used for performing speech and data communication in a mobile radio communication network. The mobile radio communication network, in which said mobile station or telephone can be used, can e.g. be constituted by a GSM-network. The mobile station or telephone can also belong to a mobile communication network used at home or in an office allowing a free movement of the user. In particular, the invention relates to the construction of the mobile station, i.e. a mobile telephone allowing the use of the same functionalities with a plurality of different designs for the housing. The invention can be applied to all mobile communication units, e.g. mobile stations including mobile telephones and cordless telephones (e.g. DECT), and also other communication stations, e.g. fixed network cable telephone units.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A mobile station or telephone with which speech and/or data communications can be carried out in a mobile radio communication network typically comprises a power supply unit, an electronic circuit board, on which the electronic components and chips are mounted, which are necessary for providing functions of the mobile telephone, a microphone unit, a loudspeaker unit, a keypad unit, a display unit, an antenna unit, a shielding unit and a card reader unit. Furthermore, there may be provided light emitting diodes (LEDs) which are used for indicating a stand-by operation mode or other operation modes of the mobile telephone and which are also used for illumination e.g. of the keypad. The mobile telephone also comprises a socket which can be connected with a charging device in order to charge a battery of the power supply unit, which is typically inserted in a power supply unit compartment provided on the back surface of the mobile telephone. The card reader unit is typically provided within the mobile telephone underneath the battery pack. Nowadays, typical mobile telephone, e.g. used in a GSM-network, also comprises a system connector for connecting the mobile telephone to other external devices, e.g. a laptop computer.
Typically, when a new mobile telephone providing new or enhanced functionalities has been developed, the mobile telephone is provided with a new (e.g. more modernized) design or outer appearance, in order to distinguish the new mobile telephone from the previous type of mobile telephone, in particular to distinguish the mobile telephone from mobile telephones produced by other manufacturers.
Once the shape and the design of the mobile telephone has been determined by the designer in close collaboration with the engineers which may impose certain restrictions on the outer appearance, e.g. the location of the antenna unit and/or the loudspeaker unit and/or the microphone unit and/or the display unit and/or the requested shape of internal shielding and/or the positioning and arrangement of the keypad (i.e. the switches of the keypad) on the electronic circuit board, the electrical units of the mobile telephone are arranged in order to suit the determined design.
Typically, some electrical units, e.g. the light emitting diodes and/or the loudspeaker unit and/or the microphone unit and/or the display unit, are mechanically connected to a front housing of the mobile telephone, and the charging device coupling socket is mechanically mounted to the back housing of mobile telephone. The printed circuit board is prepared, and then the electrical components respectively arranged in the front and back housing are connected to the printed circuit board through electrical connectors or wirings. Subsequently, the front and back housings are attached at each other by means of fixing screws or by latch means. In this manner, a new mobile telephone is manufactured by requiring many operation steps, and an electrically and mechanically secured connection between the electrical unit(s) in the respective housings and the printed circuit board must be ensured.
Furthermore, since the arrangement of electrical parts like the shielding, the switches, the display, LEDs etc. provided in the front/back housings and on the circuit board as well as the electrical/mechanical connection therebetween can change quite drastically between an old model and a new model, a separate approval of each type of mobile telephone is required. Thus, the development of a new product requires many time-consuming steps and as a result of this the introduction of a new product in the market may be delayed.
In order to provide the mobile telephone with different outer appearances, some manufacturers provide different front housings including the respective electrical units, such as the loudspeaker unit and/or the LEDs, which housings can be clipped to the same printed circuit board. The customer purchases from the dealer the new front housing, and the dealer or the manufacturer will assemble the new front housing with the printed circuit board, in order to connect the electrical units of the front housing to the electrical units on the printed circuit board and/or to the other electrical units provided elsewhere in the back housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,370 discloses a portable telephone with a housing allowing a user to provide the telephone with a plurality of outer appearances. An overlying cover is removably attachable to a portion of the telephone housing which includes operating buttons and an indicia panel. By exchanging this cover the outer appearance of the telephone can be changed. Within the housing of the telephone the electrical/mechanical units of the telephone are arranged. Since the electrical/mechanical units are specifically adapted to the shape of housing it is not possible to change the overall appearance of the housing expect for the minor portion covered by the replaceable cover.
WO 97/32423 describes an electronic device, in particular a mobile telephone, having a housing in which all electrical/mechanical units of the telephone are housed. The housing has a housing wall with openings for control elements and/or display elements. To the housing of this telephone an external wall element which at least partially covers the housing wall can be connected. This external wall element has openings which are aligned to the openings in the housing such that the control switches and control elements projecting through the housing can be accessed even when said additional external wall element is attached to the housing. Here the additional external wall element is adapted at least in parts to the shape of the housing such that a completely free change of the outer appearance of the telephone is not possible. Furthermore, only the front appearance of the telephone can be changed, since the external wall element can only be attached to the housing at the front and the shape of the housing comprising the function of shielding at the back side can not be changed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,615 describes a mobile telephone comprising a housing including a front cover and a plurality of interchangeable control panels for selective alternative attachment to the front cover. A circuit board is provided on which a keyboard with a plurality of switches is arranged, said switches comprising an arrangement of two meander-like conductors which are interdigitally arranged. A rubber keypad is arranged between said circuit board and said front cover. By using different front covers respectively having a different numbers of holes for the rubber keypad switches and by using different rubber keypads the outer appearance of the mobile telephone is changed in the portion where the keypad is arranged. However, the position of the rubber keypad switches can not be altered since there is a fixed positional allocation of the rubber keypad switches to the switches formed by the meander-type cond
Feilner Werner
Fuchs Markus
Klauss Ricarda
Macher Ernst
Möller Bernd
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Nguyen Lee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
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