Telephonic communications – Substation or terminal circuitry – For loudspeaking terminal
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-19
2003-07-22
Chiang, Jack (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Substation or terminal circuitry
For loudspeaking terminal
Reexamination Certificate
active
06597786
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a headset/hand-free operating mode selecting and switching system for telephone, and more particularly to a headset/hand-free operating mode selecting and switching system for telephone that is controlled through only one single button switch. The system mainly includes a circuit for a main unit of the telephone into which a headset connection detecting system and a hand-free/headset button switch are added. By depressing the hand-free/headset button switch, the headset connection detecting system is enabled to automatically detect whether a headset is electrically disconnected from the telephone, or whether there is not any headset connected to the telephone set, so that the telephone can be automatically set to a hand-free or a headset operating mode depending on a detected result.
A multi-functional telephone set currently available in the market usually includes two additional operating modes, namely, a headset mode and a hand-free mode. In the headset mode, a user may talk over the phone without holding a handset thereof simply by putting on a headset plugged into a headset jack provided on the telephone set. And, in the hand-free mode, a user may talk over the phone without the need to hold the handset or put on the headset. For the user to select to use either the headset or the hand-free operating mode, such multi-functional telephone set is usually provided with at least two separate button switches with which the user select and switch between the headset and the hand-free operating modes. That is, when the user wishes to talk over the phone in the hand-free mode, one of the at least two button switches, that is, a hand-free button switch, must be depressed to enable the hand-free operating mode of the telephone. The same hand-free button switch must also be depressed when the talk ends, in order to resume the telephone set to a normal operating mode. And, when the user wishes to talk over the phone in the headset mode, a headset is first plugged into the headset jack on the telephone set and then another one of the at least two button switches, that is, a headset button switch, is depressed to enable the headset operating mode of the telephone. In brief, on a conventional multi-functional telephone set, there are at least two separate mode-selection keys in addition to other keys for basic functions of the telephone. And, these at least two separate mode-selection keys must be separately depressed to select a desired operating mode, namely, the headset mode or the hand-free mode. These additional mode-selection keys inevitably increase the manufacturing cost of the telephone set, and it is troublesome for the user to pay attention to select a correct mode-selection key between two such keys before the operating mode of the telephone set can be switched.
Generally, a user who needs to continuously talk over phone for a prolonged time, such as a telephone operator, or a user who needs to talk over phone while handling other work with hands, such as a stock operator, will usually select the headset mode. For these people, when they plugs a headset into the headset jack on the phone set, it means they are to use the headset mode of the phone, and it is really troublesome for them to further depress a button switch to enter into the headset mode. And, when they do not use the headset, they can simply put off the headset. It would be really unnecessary for them to further depress a button switch to disable the headset mode.
Therefore, it is tried by the inventor to develop a simplified headset/hand-free operating mode selecting and switching system for telephone, so that a user may conveniently select and switch between the headset and the hand-free modes simply by depressing one single button switch on the phone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved telephone operating mode selecting and switching system, in which a single button switch and a headset connection detecting system are included. By depressing the one single button switch, the headset connection detecting system is automatically enabled to detect whether headset switches provided on the telephone set are disconnected or not, or whether there is not any headset connected to the telephone set. And, the telephone set will be automatically switched to a headset-enabled status or a hand-free-enabled status, depending on a detected result from the headset connection detecting system. And, when the one single button switch is depressed again, the previously enabled status is automatically ended. The selecting and switching between the headset and the hand-free modes of a telephone set is therefore largely simplified.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5191602 (1993-03-01), Regen et al.
Chiang Jack
Dennison, Schultz & Dougherty
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