Telephonic communications – Terminal – Housing or housing component
Patent
1988-01-25
1990-05-15
Ng, Jin F.
Telephonic communications
Terminal
Housing or housing component
H04M 103
Patent
active
049264745
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an ergonomic telephone and particularly to the handset of the telephone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional handsets were conceived at a time when design criteria focused essentially upon placing the speaker and microphone of the telephone on a single handset. Little or no emphasis was placed on the location of the grip portion of the handset, or the manner in which a handset would need to be gripped in normal usage of the handset.
This has resulted in handsets requiring hand, wrist and arm positions that are not relaxed and therefore placing undue stress on joints and muscles. The normal use of conventional handsets requires the positioning of the user's hand in the area between his/her ear and mouth. This raises the arm to a significant extent and therefore activates most of the arm and shoulder muscles during normal use of the handset, leading to the onset of tiredness over a period of use which in turn leads to a falling away of the handset from its optimum functioning position.
The position of the arm and hand above described must be maintained during the length of the telephone conversation so that the speaker and microphone of the handset can be firmly held against the ear and near the mouth respectively. Whenever the position of the arm and hand is relaxed or the pressure reduced from a firm holding of a handset against the head of the user, the mouthpiece thereof tends to drop below the chin of the user leading to muted conversation. A constant conscious effort must therefore be maintained to keep the required alignment of the mouth and earpieces of the telephone.
A telephone handset has been published in Australian patent application No. 39445/85, which is claimed to be of ergonomic design, however, the handset disclosed therein follows conventional theory in still requiring the gripping of the handset between the ear and mouth of the user or in the vicinity adjacent the mouth of the user. Thus the abovementioned problems still exist.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Towards overcoming the above problems therefore, and placing the arm and hand in a more relaxed position whilst using a telephone, there is provided a telephone handset comprising a speaker portion, microphone portion and handle connecting said portions, wherein said handle is provided with a grip portion which in use is displaced below and remote from the mouth of the user.
There is also provided a telephone handset comprising a speaker portion and a microphone portion adapted for connection to a telecommunications system to allow a telephone conversation wherein the handset comprises a handle portion which in use is positioned at a level below and spaced from the microphone and mouth of the user so that the arm and hand of the person holding the handle portion in use is located at a position of less stress.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the handle of the telephone handset is in longitudinal cross-section in the shape of a J or V, with the handle portion below the level of the microphone portion. The angle between the arms of the handle is preferably 40.degree. or more, and according to the specific embodiment to be described further hereunder between 48.degree. and 52.degree.. The angle is dependent somewhat on the length of the major arm of the handle and the minimum direct line distance between the speaker portion and microphone portion for comfortable alignment with the ear and mouth of a user. The major arm of the handle is that part of the handle extending from the speaker portion to the end of the grip portion.
Preferably, the major arm of the handle will be elongated so that the grip portion places the hand at or about chest level of the user, so that the lower arm and about chest level of the wrist can, if desired, rest on the chest whilst holding the telephone handset. It is considered that the lower attitude of the hand places the upper part of the arm in a more neutral position alongside the body and minimizes dropping or twisting of the wrist and consequentl
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Telephony, Jul. 16, 1979.
Byrd Danita R.
Ng Jin F.
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