GB2353662A

GB2353662A - Pocket clip for portable electronic device includes integral alerting means

Info

Publication number: GB2353662A
Application number: GB9919700A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jouko Pirilla
Original assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd
Current assignee: Nokia Oyj
Priority date: 1999-08-19
Filing date: 1999-08-19
Publication date: 2001-02-28
Also published as: GB9919700D0

Abstract

The pocket clip for a portable electronic device eg mobile phone, pager, computer, comprises a first and second housing 10,13 to enclose an electrical alerting element 15 eg a buzzer or a light. The first housing includes one or a plurality of ports 11 to emit sound or light. Second housing comprises an aperture 14 for locating alerting element and an opening for electrical connection 16 to the device. Preferably the pocket clip also includes a resonator element 17 for boosting the level of the buzzer signal.

Description

2353662 ASSEMBLY FOR A POCKET CLIP

The present invention relates to a clip or other devices for attaching to person or clothing having a particular, but not exclusive, application to the field of mobile telephones.

Clips are known from many applications. Clips are used in pens to attach of the pen in a pocket use. Also many electrical devices use a clip. This has become more and more popular recently as the size of the electrical devices is decreasing and there is an increasing need to have portable devices which can be carried on the user; preferably in the users pocket.

It is known to have a cellular telephone with a traditional pocket clip associated. The backside of the cellular telephone may include a pocket clip making possible a more reliable attachment to a users pocket. Anyhow all these solutions are based on the need of having a clip which prevents a device e.g. cellular device from dropping from the user's pocket. Having a portable, electrical device in a pocket causes other problems, which are addressed by the invention presented herein.

In a mobile device it is typical that a pocket clip is located on the backside of the device as the front side typically includes the keypad and the display of the device. It is also common in the known solutions that the buzzer and the speaker to be located within the device. This, however, causes a decreased sound volume when a device is in a user's pocket because the device is in a contact with the user's body or the cloth material of the pocket, which attenuates the sound emitted from the speaker or buzzer.

2 It would be desirable to provide an improved clip for a mobile phone.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a clip for attachment to a receiver, comprising an input for receiving a electrical signal from the receiver; an output for providing an indication to a user as a response to the input signal; a conversion means for converting the input signal to the indication. 10 The present invention provides a pocket clip assembly where the sound quality and the volume of alert signal perceived by the user is improved compared to known radiotelephones with pocket clip assemblies. Furthermore the preferred embodiment of the invention makes it possible to locate the transducer element, like a buzzer, inside the pocket clip instead of the radio telephone which enables a more compact radio telephone structure.

In one embodiment of the present invention the pocket clip includes a resonator element for amplifying the output signal. This provides an advantage of further amplifying the output signal level provided to a user as an indication.

In one embodiment of the present invention the transducer associated in a pocket clip is an electro-optical transducer. In this embodiment the user indication is provided as an emitted light. This makes possible to have a silent alarm in a situation where a sound alarm is not desired and providing an improved detection of the alarm signal.

3 For better understanding of the present invention exemplary embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described with the reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a telephone having a pocket clip of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a block diagram of a radiotelephone utilising the invention.

The figure 1 illustrates one mechanical construction of a pocket clip according to the present invention. The clip structure comprises of two parts. First, the clip structure comprises a first housing 10 having one or plurality of ports/apertures 11 extending through a rear surface of the first housing.

Secondly, the clip comprises a second housing 13 including an aperture 14, which is arranged to position a transducer, e.g. a buzzer 15. When the first housing 10 and the second housing 13 are attached, an enclosure is formed to house the buzzer 15. Preferably, the aperture 14 in the second housing has a gradient, which is arranged to self-locate and anchors the buzzer 15 when the first housing 10 and second housing 13 are attached. Alternatively, the first and/or second housings 10, 13 can have guides, which are arranged to position the buzzer 15 into the enclosure during assembly. The housing 13 also include an opening 18 for the contact springs 16 of the buzzer 15 to extend through the second housing 13. The housings 10 and 13 of the present embodiment of the invention have an elongated and arched shape including a ridge 19 which improves the attachment of the pocket clip.

As the embodiment of figure 1 shows, the second housing 13 also comprises a resonator element 17 in connection with the aperture 14. The resonator element 17 is arranged to amplify the output signal level provided by the 4 buzzer 15. A volume of certain size and dimensions, dependent on the frequencies of the buzzer signal which is amplified, forms the resonator element 17. The operation of resonator element is based on the acoustical properties of the resonator element 17 and the acoustical connection between the resonator element 17 and the aperture 14 enclosing the buzzer 15. The shape of the resonator element 17 can be also different to that what is presented in figure 1.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a radiotelephone 20 including a clip 21 of the present invention. The pocket clip attachment locates in the backside of the telephone. The attachment of the clip 21 to the radiotelephone 20 can be done e.g. by a screw located in the second housing 13. The screw is then arranged to fasten the second housing 13 of the clip to the telephone 20. The second and first housings 10, 13 can be fixed together for example by ultrasonic welding. The construction shown include a body section of a telephone 20, a pocket clip 21, a PCB board 22, buzzer 15 and the spring contacts 16. When attaching the pocket clip 21 to the telephone 20 a contact is made between the spring contacts 16 of the buzzer 15 and pads 25 of the PCB 22 located within the body section of the telephone 20. When in the operation, the electrical signal is received from the radiotelephone and is converted by a transducer, like buzzer 15 to indication, which is provided to a user. The indication is preferably an audio signal, but the user indication can be also e.g. an emitted light signal. In this case the transducer is a electro optical transducer, e.g. a light emitting diode (LED).

The structure of the mobile telephone and the pocket clip described in this figure is only one example. The pocket clip can locate e.g. in a battery pack as well. Also it is possible that the pocket clip locates on the side of a telephone. The connection of the buzzer to the PCB can be also made in other ways than described above. It is also possible that the pocket clip of the present invention also includes other connectors than that needed for the buzzer. For example, a connector for the external antenna of the radiotelephone can locate in the pocket clip. The above described construction for the pocket clip included two housings, i.e. the first and second housings 10, 13. It also possible, according to this invention, that the clip comprises only one element which encloses the buzzer; or the clip construction can comprises more than two elements or housings.

Figure 3 is a block figure of a radiotelephone 20. The radiotelephone comprises a microphone 61, keypad 62, display 63, speaker 27 and a transducer element 15, like a buzzer or LED. Further included is a control unit 65, implemented for example in an ASIC circuit, for controlling the operation of the radiotelephone and a signal generator unit 66. Figure 3 also shows the typical transmission and reception blocks 67, 68 needed. When having the radiotelephone in operation the control unit 65 is arranged to control the signal generator unit 66 for activating an alert as a response to incoming call or as a response to users key pressings on keypad 62. The signal generator 66 comprises for example a DTMF generator, which is then feeding the buzzer 69. Alternatively, the signal generator comprises the circuitry needed to control the LED to provide an optical alert indication to a user.

In the above a mobile telephone has been presented as an example device utilising the pocket clip of the present invention. However, any portable electrical device, e.g. a pager, portable computer or PDA type of device having an alerting function can use this clip structure described above. The present invention can also be used in a context where the pocket clip functions as a remote control unit for a main unit (e.g. portable telephone). In this solution the remote unit may have, addition to the alerting function described above, e.g. Ul interface for the user control. The remote control 6 may then have a wireless connection to the main unit. This wireless connection may be based on e.g. infrared or low power RF technology.

Claims

7 CLAIMS

1. A clip for an attachment to a receiver, comprising: an input for receiving a electrical signal from the receiver; an output for providing an indication to a user as a response to the input signal; a conversion means for converting the input signal to the indication.

2. A clip as in claim 1, wherein the conversion means comprises a transducer 10 for transducing an electrical signal.

3. A clip as in claim 1, wherein the conversion means comprises a transducer for transduction to audio signal.

4. A clip as in claim 1, wherein the conversion means comprises a transducer for transduction to optical signal.

5. A clip as in claim 1, wherein the output comprises at least one aperture.

6. A clip as in claim 1, wherein the clip comprises a housing, including an aperture, for housing the conversion means.

7. A clip as in claim 6 wherein the clip has a two-part structure enclosing the conversion means. 25 8. A clip as in any preceeding claim when dependent on claim 3, wherein the clip includes a resonator element for amplifying the output signal, the resonator element being in acoustical connection to the aperture.

8

9. A portable receiver having a clip as claimed in any preceeding claim attached thereto.

10. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.