Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-07
2001-05-08
Nguyen, Lee (Department: 2683)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S041300, C455S066100, C455S550100, C455S566000, C455S569200, C379S430000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230029
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless headset system for hands free talking over a conventional phone unit and more particularly to a modular wireless headset system which is readily adaptable for use with mobile phones in different configurations.
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
Using a conventional phone entails holding the receiver unit to the user's ear and this can be either tiring during long phone conversations or awkward in the case of using a cellular phone while performing some tasks such as driving an automobile. Therefore, there is a need for providing a wireless headset to allow talking over a phone while leaving the user's hands free to perform some other task.
Most conventional headsets are connected to a base station by means of a wire. While this provides a secure communication link between the headset and the base station, the wire both limits the mobility of the user and is inconvenient for purposes of storage. A wireless headset, on the other hand, provides the convenience of mobility and eliminates the problem of storing the connecting wire.
With the wide acceptability of mobile telephones, such as cellular telephones and PCS telephones, there has developed the need for a wireless headset which is compatible with such mobile phones in order to enable the user to perform tasks with both hands while carrying on a conversation or even dialing over the mobile phone. There is therefore a need for a wireless headset system which can conveniently be adapted for use with conventional mobile phones. However, conventional wireless headsets have heretofore typically been designed only for use with a landline phone.
Further, there is a need for a wireless headset system which allows convenient removal of the various components so that they can be replaced with other modules to adapt the wireless headset system to different situations such as, for example, communication between the wireless headset and a stationary base station at some distance from the wireless headset or between the wireless headset and a cellular phone being worn by the user in relatively close proximity to the wireless headset.
Another problem of the typical conventional wireless headset has been its large size. The power requirements of conventional headsets require relatively large and heavy batteries to provide power for several hours of continuous use. This has necessitated that conventional headsets be relatively large and be worn over the user's head. There is a need for a headset which is small enough to be fitted against just one ear and which features an easily detachable battery pack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other deficiencies of prior art wireless headset systems are overcome by the present invention of a wireless headset system for communicating between a base station and a wireless headset worn by a user. In the present invention, the wireless headset includes an ear piece, an ear hook which is connected to one end of the ear piece and fits over the ear of a user, a speaker mounted on the ear piece and positioned to reproduce sounds into the ear of the user, a boom having one end mounted to another end of the ear piece, a microphone mounted on another end of the boom, a first transceiver mounted to another end of the ear hook and electrically connected to the speaker and to the microphone for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals representative of audio signals between the wireless headset and the base station, and a detachable battery pack for powering the first transceiver.
The wireless headset system of the present invention further comprises a base station which includes a power interface for coupling the base station to an external source of electrical power, a phone interface for electronically coupling the base station to a phone, preferably a mobile phone, to allow the base station to communicate with the phone, and a second transceiver for wirelessly communicating between the phone interface and the first transceiver. In the preferred embodiment, the power interface of the base station further includes an interface for accepting and recharging the battery pack when it is detached from the wireless headset. A charged battery pack, when connected to this interface, can also be used for powering the base station. When the base station is connected to an external source of power, the battery pack connected to the interface is recharged.
In a preferred embodiment, the wireless headset is modular in construction so that various elements, e.g. the ear piece, ear hook and the first transceiver, for example, can be detached from each other. This allows transceivers of different capabilities to be readily substituted. For example, if the distance between the wireless headset and the base station is short, the first transceiver and the second transceiver can wirelessly communicate by magnetic inductive coupling. If the distance is long, the wireless communication can be by radio frequency transmission.
In the preferred embodiment, the ear hook is deformable toward the speaker and the speaker is non-pivotally mounted on the ear piece, so that the ear hook can be deformed to clamp the pinna of a user's ear between the ear hook and the speaker. The ear hook may deform in other directions as well to help fit the wireless headset module to the user's ear. In another embodiment, the ear hook is non-deformable toward the speaker but the speaker is pivotally mounted on the ear piece so that the speaker can be pivoted toward the ear hook to clamp the pinna of a user's ear between the ear hook and the speaker. The speaker could be pivotable in other directions as well to help fit the wireless headset module to the user's ear. In a preferred embodiment, the speaker can be detached from the ear piece and rotated 180° and then reattached to the ear piece. This allows the wireless headset to be worn on either ear of the user and with the speaker being directed into the auditory canal of the user's left ear or right ear.
In the preferred embodiment, the boom includes an antenna for the first transceiver. Further, in the preferred embodiment a power on/off switch for the first transceiver is mounted on the headset, for example on the housing for the first transceiver.
In the preferred embodiment, the first transceiver and the second transceiver communicate over a selected one of a plurality of transmission channels, and the wireless headset further comprises a channel selector for selecting the one of the plurality of transmission channels. The channel selector can be mounted on the ear hook for convenient use.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the base station is intended for use within an automobile for communicating between the wireless headset and a mobile phone connected to the base station. In this embodiment the power interface includes a cigarette lighter adapter for plugging into a cigarette lighter socket of the user's automobile and a powercord for detachably connecting the cigarette lighter adapter to the base station. In another preferred embodiment, the base station acts as a carrier for a mobile phone and is worn by the user. In both of these embodiments the first transceiver and the second transceiver wirelessly communicate with each other via magnetic inductive coupling.
In operation, the user enters a car and attaches a mobile phone to a base station releasably mounted in the car. The user then positions the wireless headset module on his or her head. When an incoming call is received by the mobile phone, the user actuates an appropriate button on the mobile phone, e.g. the “talk” button, and the on/off button on the wireless headset module to receive the call. The user then communicates with the caller through the modular wireless headset without holding the mobile phone. This permits hands free communication. Furthermore, unlike current arrangements which rely on the use of speaker phones, the user and the caller may carry on a semi-private conversation that a passenger in an a
Baek Sung Kee
Hishinuma David S.
Jetter Robert
Yegiazaryan Genrik
{dot over (H)}ahn Stan S.
Advanced Mobile Solutions, Inc.
Crosby, Heafey Roach & May
Nguyen Lee
Nguyen Simon
Wittenberg Malcolm B.
LandOfFree
Modular wireless headset system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Modular wireless headset system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Modular wireless headset system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2494943