Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-30
2001-08-07
Legree, Tracy (Department: 2681)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S557000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272359
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a radio telephone in accordance with the preamble of the accompanying claim
1
.
A radio telephone relates in this context to a wireless telephone whereby a radio communication can be arranged with a telecommunication network or another radio telephone. Hand-portable phone relates to a portable radio telephone, such as a mobile phone having a size and design suited for hand. The above definitions are based on publication No. TSK 19, “Matkaviestinsanasto—Vocabulary of Mobile Communications”, published by Tekniikan sanastokeskus ry, Helsinki 1993.
The user interface of the radio telephone comprises at least a micro-phone, earpiece and keys for making a call and answering an incoming call. Additionally, particularly mobile phones comprise a display, whereby the user of the telephone can be given information e.g. of an incoming call.
To use a hand-portable phone often involves the problem that the telephone starts ringing in situations where the phone is beyond the reach of hands, for example in a pocket of a jacket lying on the car seat, in a bag, inside the breast pocket or in a place otherwise unhandy. Also, the telephone may start ringing in a situation when the answering is difficult in other respect, such as in bus, at a meeting or in church.
Attempts have been made to overcome the drawback by placing the entire radio telephone on a wrist strap, wherein the wrist telephone would be easy to carry along and, when the phone starts ringing, it would be close to the user and therefore easy to answer. For instance European patent application EP-602828 introduces a solution where the radio telephone is placed to a wrist-watch type case. Most parts, including the microphone, of the radio telephone are positioned in the body of the case, mainly an earpiece being placed in the cover part. When a call is initiated, the cover part is opened, wherein the distance between the microphone and the earpiece can be increased, which facilitates the use of the wrist telephone. The above mentioned publication mainly attempts to describe the mechanical implementation of a wrist telephone. Also U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,915 introduces a solution for mechanical realization of a wrist telephone. In practice, the prior art provides no means for packing the radio telephone to be compact in a manner that it would be sensible to place it on wrist, inasmuch as reasonable operation times are desired for the phone. Batteries for known radio telephones are still considerably larger and heavier than the entire wrist strap, wherein adapting the radio telephone on the wrist strap would require that a very small battery was used, which, however, would mean that the operation time of the wrist telephone would be very short at a single charge.
A further problem of the wrist telephone is how to implement the antenna. To place the antenna too close to the user's body, e.g. wound around the wrist strap, will deteriorate the properties of the antenna. This sets limitations on the operation distance of the wrist telephone from the base station or another radio telephone.
Yet another drawback of known wrist telephones is the fact that the efficiencies of the transmitters are so low that thermal problems are caused when the entire radio telephone is compactly packed on a wrist strap. The thermal load directed to the wrist telephone is further increased by the wrist of the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improvement to the use of radio telephone, in particularly in view of answering the radio telephone. The invention is based on the idea that at least a part of the user interface of the radio telephone is constituted in a manner that it is easy to carry along by the user, and to be kept within the reach of hands. To achieve this object, the radio telephone is divided at least into a first part and a second part, wherein the first part comprises at least a power supply, a radio part (transceiver) to communicate within the radio telephone system, e.g. with a base station or another radio phone, an antenna and data transfer means for communicating with the second part. The second part comprises at least keys and data transfer means for communicating with the first part. When applying the invention to a digital phone, such as a GSM mobile phone, the digital signal processing functions are advantageously placed to the first part. The present invention is characterized by what is described in the characterizing portion of the accompanying claim
1
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The present invention provides considerable advantages over solutions of prior art. When the second part of the radio telephone of the invention is close to the user, e.g. on wrist, the telephone can easily be answered by keys or the like of the second part. Further, the whole call can be carried out by utilizing the second part only. Thus, the first part can under normal use circumstances be kept on a belt, in a pocket, bag or even in glove locker of a car during the whole call.
A link communication in accordance with the invention can be implemented in a manner that the frequencies used in the connection depend on the frequencies used by the radio part, wherein several radio telephones of the invention can be adjacent to each other and used simultaneously, without disturbing each other.
In the solution of the invention, the parts that cause problems in wrist telephones, such parts as the transmitter of the radio part and the battery, are positioned to the first part, wherein the wrist part can be formed to have a low power consumption. Thus, the wrist part can also be non-chargeable battery operated.
In the radio telephone of the invention the antenna of the radio part is, in the first part, further from the user's body, wherein the positioning problems of antennas of known wrist phones can be eliminated.
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patent: 5877675 (1999-03-01), Rebstock et al.
patent: 5899855 (1999-05-01), Brown
patent: 5913163 (1999-06-01), Johansson
patent: 5960366 (1999-09-01), Duwaer
patent: 5960367 (1999-09-01), Kita
patent: 0602828 A1 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 0781018 A1 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 901948 (1991-10-01), None
patent: WO 97/28736 (1997-08-01), None
patent: WO 97/28737 (1997-08-01), None
No. TSK 19, “Matkaviestinsanasto Mobilteleordlista—Vocabulary of Mobile Communications”, pp. 83 & 87, Helsinki 1993, published by Tekniikan sanastokeskus.
Heinonen Pekka
Kivela Seppo Kalervo
Murphy Ciaron Daniel
Okkonen Harri
Rautila Heikki
Legree Tracy
Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
Perman & Green LLP
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