GB2342534A - Mobile phone adapted for children's use - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile telephone adapted to transmit and to receive from one telephone number only, (usually the child's home telephone number, that being established at the time of purchase and registration), provides care-free contact between members of a family. It would be easily identifiable as a restricted function phone by the lack of dialing buttons on its face, and by the distinctive sole two controls of 'send' and 'receive'. The resulting piece of equipment will save parents the fear of theft and of any concomitant violence associated with theft, because it will be useless to any third party, and, as related above, will be easily identified as being useless to would be thieves. These adaptations to an existing piece of equipment will prevent parents from worrying over the costs of extraneous phone calls made to friends, organisations, or chat-lines through the natural irresponsibility of young children, whilst providing 'peace of mind' through the ability to make instant and personal contact with their off-spring.

Description

MOBILE PHONE ADAPTED FOR CHILDREN'S USE.

The idea relates to a narrowing of the field of reception and transmission of a mobile phone for the safe use of younger children.

Mobile phones are becoming common household features, but the fear of their theft (and the possible violence connected with that theft) and the concern about the problems of controlling their extravagant and unnecessary use by younger children, prevents parents from providing these extremely useful items for their progeny's use, although ease of communication with their offspring is essential in today's more uncertain world.

Children requiring collection from parties, school and extra-curricular events, and parents wishing to discover the location of children,'who have been expected home for some time'would all benefit from being able to communicate immediately via mobile phones.

Recent history, however, shows that young children with phones are often targeted by thieves and/or run up huge and unnecessary bills.

Pagers, which, like mobile phones, are subjects of theft, require that the party wearing the Pager seek a public telephone for a full conversation, once a curt message has been received. With these pieces of equipment there is no guarantee that the message has been read by the recipient or indeed relayed by the apparatus. The Pager is a one-way message system without confirmation.

With this newly designed phone, a severely restricted service will be provided by an otherwise conventional mobile telephone, by way of a simplified set of controls. There will be no need for the conventional number dialing buttons. The only controls will be a'send' and a'receive'button. By a simple modification to the electronics of the phone, by confining the functions of the chip, or by allowing the mobile to recognise a single telephone number only, situated in the memory, only calls to and from that particular memorised number (the child's home number, for example) will be able to be transmitted or received.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS The fact that the mobile phone will be unable to transmit to any other number, nor receive from other land lines or mobiles, will mean that the phone itself will be useless to any other person. No part of the machine will be of use to any third party. Thus it would not be of any interest to thieves to steal, or otherwise be interested in, such a limited-use piece of equipment.

   The much simplified face, with its exclusive double buttons, would easily identify the equipment, as to make it clear to any voyeur, that, with lack of conventional controls, the phone's functions will be prohibitively restricted.

   The family parties involved will be able to keep in complete voice contact not made possible with alternatives such as Pagers.

   The mobile phone market will reach a greater clientele.

   Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows CLAIMS The fact that the mobile phone will be unable to transmit to any other number, nor receive from other land lines or mobiles, will mean that the phone itself will be useless to any other person. No part of the machine will be of use to any third party. Thus it would not be of any interest to thieves to steal, or otherwise be interested in, such a limited-use piece of equipment.

   The much simplified face, with its exclusive double buttons, would easily identify the equipment, as to make it clear to any voyeur, that, with lack of conventional controls, the phone's functions will be prohibitively restricted.

   The family parties involved will be able to keep in complete voice contact not made possible with alternatives such as Pagers.

   An additional use, for example, would be for contact between traveling salesmen and their office.

   The mobile phone market will reach a greater clientele.