Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2002-04-09
Hunter, Daniel (Department: 2684)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S090300, C455S348000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06370401
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of headphones or headsets for listening to audio programming. The present invention also relates to the field of wireless or cordless telephony. More specifically, the present invention relates to a storage and carrier apparatus for a wireless headset with a microphone suspended between earpieces of the headset that can be used for both listening to audio programming and interfacing with a wireless or cordless telephone unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Headphones or headsets have long been used as a means of privately listening to audio programming, particularly music. Such headphones are commonly capable of producing extremely high quality audio. Headphones can be used with a radio tuner, a compact disc or tape player, a personal stereo, a television, a larger shelf or home stereo, a computer or any other device outputting an audio signal.
Headphones are conventionally connected to an audio signal source with a wire that provides a separate stereo signal to each of two speakers located respectively over, or in, the user's two ears. The speakers may be held in place by a band that rests over the top of the user's head. Alternatively, the speakers may be individually secured in, or on, the user's ears.
An emerging technology allows headphones to wirelessly receive an audio signal from an audio signal source without a wire-line connection to the audio signal source. This allows the user to move around freely within range of the audio signal source and still enjoy the audio programming being provided through the headphones.
In another field, cordless and wireless telephony similarly allows users to make and receive telephone calls from anywhere within a range of the cordless phone base unit or within a wireless service area. Some cordless phones also make use of a headset, e.g., a pair of headphones or an ear-piece secured to, or on, one of the user's ears, wired to the cordless telephone handset to allow the wearer to hear the incoming audio signal of a phone call. A microphone mounted on the headset allows the user to speak and, thereby, conduct a telephone call.
The use of headsets for listening to audio programming and for conducting wireless or cordless telephone calls has now converged. In a related patent application, U.S. Ser. No. 08/950,833, filed Oct. 15, 1997 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), it was suggested that a single pair of headphones could be used for both enjoying audio programming from an audio signal source and conducting a cordless telephone call. However, problems remain integrating into a single pair of headphones the functions of providing high quality audio programming and conducting a telephone call.
For example, when conducting a telephone call, the user must be provided with a microphone into which he or she can speak. However, the presence of such a microphone is unnecessary and, perhaps, annoying when the user merely wishes to listen to audio programming. Consequently, there is need in the art for an improved headset that incorporates a microphone in an unobtrusive manner so that the microphone is available when necessary to conduct a telephone conversation, but not in the user's way otherwise.
To address this need, a wireless headset for use with both an audio signal source and a wireless or cordless telephone unit was previously disclosed by the inventors of this patent application.
FIG. 1
illustrates this headset (
100
) in accordance with the inventors' previous disclosure referenced above.
The headset (
100
) includes a pair of headphones (
101
). Each headphone (
101
) includes a speaker, and any speaker housing, that is supported in, on or over the left or right ear of the user. Each of the headphones (
101
) may receive, respectively, the left or right channel signal of a stereo audio programming signal so as to provide a reproduction of high-fidelity audio programming, e.g., music, for the user.
While many configurations for the headset (
100
) are possible, a preferred embodiment is a headset in which the headphones (
101
) are hung on or lodged in the user's ears without being connected by a headband that rests atop a user's head. As shown in
FIG. 1
, each headphone (
101
) could be an “earbud” headphone (
101
) that is gently lodged by the user in the ear over the opening of the ear canal. In such an arrangement, the structure of the ear naturally holds the headphone (
101
) in place so that the audio programming signals being received by the headset (
100
) are reproduced as audible sound directly into the ears of the user. In other alternatives, the headphones (
101
) could each include a hook or band that is hung over the top of the ear, or a clip for clipping the headphones (
101
) to the user's ear, for example, to the ear lobe, so as to locate the headphone (
101
) over the opening of that ear.
Additionally, the headset (
100
) is also intended to allow the user to conduct telephonic communication by interfacing with a phone unit. In order for the headset (
100
) to be used in conducting a telephone call, it must incorporate a microphone for transducing the speech of the user. Consequently, a microphone or circuitry cabinet (
103
) is suspended by wired connections (
102
) between the two headphones (
101
). With the headphones (
101
) supported in, on or over the user's ears, the circuitry cabinet (
103
) is, in turn, supported preferably in a location just under the user's chin near the user's mouth.
FIG. 2
illustrates the circuitry cabinet (
103
) in detail. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the circuitry cabinet (
103
) provides a microphone (
201
) that can be used to conduct a telephone call with the headset (
100
). Although, the circuitry cabinet (
103
) need not include a microphone if the headset (
100
) is to be used exclusively for reception of an audio signal and not for telephonic communication. The audio signal produced by the microphone (
201
) is sent, via processor (
212
), to a transceiver (
203
).
The transceiver (
203
) allows the headset (
100
) to communicate with an audio signal source (
210
) and a telephone unit (
211
). The telephone unit (
211
) may be, for example, a cordless telephone base unit connected by wire through a wall outlet to a public switch telephone network (PSTN) or a wireless telephone unit communicating wirelessly with the radio telephony infrastructure of a service provider.
The headset (
100
) communicates with both the audio signal source (
210
) and the telephone unit (
211
) by wireless links (
214
,
215
). In this way, the user can move freely within some limited range of the audio signal source (
210
) and telephone unit (
211
). The wireless links may be implemented with several different signaling formats, for example, optical or radio frequency signaling.
FIG. 2
illustrates the preferred embodiment that uses radio frequency signaling. As shown in
FIG. 2
, a radio transceiver (
203
) with an antenna (
204
) is provided. Using the antenna (
204
), the circuitry cabinet (
103
) can receive wireless signals from either the audio signal source (
210
) or the telephone unit (
211
). In communicating with the telephone unit (
211
), the transceiver can also transmit signals generated by the microphone (
201
) to provide the two-way communication necessary to conduct a telephone call.
A battery (
202
) is also provided within the circuitry cabinet (
103
) to provide power for the components of the cabinet (
103
). The battery (
202
) may be recharged when the headset (
100
) is not in use.
The circuitry cabinet (
103
) preferably also includes a user input device (
213
) that allows the user to control whether the headset (
100
) is receiving and reproducing an audio programming signal from the audio signal source (
210
) or communicating with the telephone unit (
211
) to conduct a telephone call.
This user input device (
213
) may be used to answer an incoming phone call. Additionally, if the user is listening to audio programming from the aud
Baranowski Robert
Berg Roger William
Chou C.
Hunter Daniel
Kananen, Esq. Ronald P.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Sony Corporation
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