AU772699B2

AU772699B2 - Communication assembly

Info

Publication number: AU772699B2
Application number: AU47347/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kingsley Gifford
Original assignee: KMR KONCEPTS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: KMR KONCEPTS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1999-06-01
Filing date: 2000-05-30
Publication date: 2004-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2020-05-30
Also published as: AU4734700A

Description

"COMMUNICATION ASSEMBLY" Technical Field This invention relates to a communication assembly.

The invention has particular but not exclusive application to a communication assembly which is suitable for use as a gift or greeting and which enables a phone call to be made to a selected telephone number.

Background of Invention It is known for greeting cards to include a phone number which, when phoned by the person receiving the greeting card, plays a message pre-recorded by the person sending the greeting card.

Summary of Invention The present invention aims to provide an altemrnative to known communication assemblies and methods of providing a phone-based services.

In one aspect this invention resides broadly in a method of providing a phone-based service including:programming a telephone assembly having means to receive and transmit a message to another telephone, to transmit a message only to one or a plurality of designated other telephones from which the phone-based services are available, and •providing a programmed telephone assembly to a prospective user of the i phone-based services, the telephone assembly being housed in housing means 25 having a shape or configuration for identifying a theme associated with the phonebased services.

Theme" in this context is to be considered in it's normal dictionary meaning as a subject or attribute that members of a group or category have in common.

S. 30 It is preferred that said housing means is star-shaped, said theme is astrology and said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect •with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing astrology oo*eo jog 2 services, or that said housing means has a sexual shape, said theme is a sexual theme and said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing sexually related services.

This invention in another aspect resides broadly in a communication assembly including:a telephone assembly having means to receive and transmit a message to another telephone; programming means for programming said telephone assembly to transmit a message only to one other or a plurality of designated other telephones, and housing means housing said telephone assembly, said housing means having a shape or configuration for identifying a theme associated with said other telephone(s).

It is preferred that the communication assembly provides a phone-based service, said a shape or configuration identifying a theme associated with said phone-based service.

In one preferred embodiment said programming means have been preprogrammed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing said phone-based services. Alternatively the programming means can be a key pad or the like programmable for transmission of a message to said one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing said phone-based services.

In one preferred embodiment the telephone assembly includes:connection actuating means for actuating telephone connection to the other 25 telephone(s), and disconnection means for disconnecting telephone connection with the other telephone(s).

It is preferred that the telephone assembly cannot receive incoming telephone calls.

30 In one preferred embodiment the housing means is heart-shaped and the theme is love, ie St Valentine's day. In this embodiment the programming means is preferably a key pad or the like programmable to transmit a message to only the telephone having the number first indexed on the key pad.

Altemrnatively the housing means may be star-shaped and the theme is astrology. In this embodiment the programming means have been preprogrammed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing astrology services.

In another embodiment the housing means has a sexual shape and the theme is a sexual theme. In this embodiment the programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing sexually related services.

It is preferred that the programming means is a key pad or the like programmable for transmission of a message to the one or plurality of designated telephones numbers providing the astrology or sexually related services.

Description of Drawings In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:- FIG 1 is a schematic block diagram of the communication assembly of the present invention; FIGS 2A and 2B are front and rear plan views of a first embodiment of the invention having a St Valentine's day theme, and FIGS 3A and 3B are front and rear plan views of a second embodiment of the invention having an astrology theme.

Description of Preferred Embodiment of Invention "As can be seen in FIG 1, communication assembly 10 includes a telephone assembly having means 11 to receive and transmit a message to 30 another telephone, and programming means 16,17 for programming the telephone assembly to transmit a message only to one other or a plurality of designated other telephones.

As seen in FIGS 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, communication assembly 10 includes housing means housing the telephone assembly. The housing has a shape or configuration for identifying a theme associated with the other telephone(s).

FIGS 2A and 2B illustrate a love heart tele-greeting phone assembly 21.

Housing 18 is heart-shaped and the theme is love, for example St Valentine's day.

In this embodiment the programming means is a key pad 17 recessed beneath a hinged cover 18. Key pad 17 is programmable to transmit a message to only the telephone having the number first indexed on the key pad. When programming is complete, operation of key 19 (or a combination of the hash/star keys on a standard telephone digital dial pad) will store the number in non-erasable nonwriteable memory.

Altemrnatively, FIGS 3A and 3B illustrate an astrology tele-greeting phone assembly 22. Housing 19 star-shaped and the theme is astrology. In this embodiment the programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing astrology services.

In this embodiment the programming means is a key pad 17 recessed beneath a hinged cover 18. Key pad 17 is programmable to transmit a message to one or to a number of designated telephones numbers providing the astrology services.

When programming is complete operation of key 19 (or a combination of the hash/star keys on a standard telephone digital dial pad) will store the numbers in non-erasable non-writeable memory.

Other themes are possible in accordance with the invention. Thus in an embodiment not illustrated, the housing means has a sexual shape and the theme is a sexual theme. In this embodiment the programming means have been pre- 25 programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing sexually related services.

As seen in the drawings, telephone assembly 10 includes connection actuating means 12 for actuating telephone connection to the other telephone(s), and disconnection means 13 for disconnecting telephone connection with the 30 other telephone(s). Telephone assembly 10 also includes a microphone 14, earpiece 15 and phone cord and jack l..

el l l loll ••Oleo The telephone assembly can be designed so as not to be capable of receiving incoming telephone calls.

In use, the love heart tele-greeting phone assembly 21 is purchased as a gift. The purchaser programs his/her own telephone number into the novelty phone by means of key pad 17, operates button 19 to store the phone number (and only that number) non-eraseably in memory, and gives the novelty greeting phone to another person. The gift thus constitutes a personal greeting enabling the receiver to make phone calls directly to the giver simply by operating connect button 13.

Alternatively in use, the astrology tele-greeting phone assembly 22 (or a sex tele-greeting phone assembly not shown) is purchased as a gift. The gift can be purchased from a store or manufacturer who also provides or is associated with organisations or individuals who provide phone based astrology (or sexrelated) services. The phone numbers of such phone-based services are noneraseably preprogrammed into programming means 16. The purchaser can give the novelty greeting phone to a another person. The gift thus constitutes a personal greeting enabling the receiver to make phone calls directly to preselected phone-based services simply by selecting the chosen service phone number and operating connect button 13.

It will of course be realised that whilst the above has been given by way of an illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations hereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art, are deemed •to fall within the.broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

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Claims

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:- said housing means is star-shaped, said theme is astrology and said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing astrology services, or said housing means has a sexual shape, said theme is a sexual theme and said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing sexually related services.
3. A communication assembly including:- a telephone assembly having means to receive and transmit a message to •another telephone; programming means for programming said telephone assembly to transmit a message only to one other or a plurality of designated other telephones, and housing means housing said telephone assembly, said housing means having a shape or configuration for identifying a theme associated with said other telephone(s). 30 4. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said communication assembly provides a phone-based service, said shape or configuration identifying a theme associated with said phone-based service. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing said phone-based services.
6. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said programming means is a key pad or the like programmable for transmission of a message to said one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing said phone-based services.
7. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said telephone assembly includes:- connection actuating means for actuating telephone connection to said other telephone(s), and disconnection means for disconnecting telephone connection with said other telephone(s).
8. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said telephone assembly cannot receive incoming telephone calls.
9. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing means is heart-shaped and said theme is love. i'
10. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein said programming means is a key pad or the like programmable to transmit a message to only the telephone having the number first indexed on said key pad.
11. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said housing means is star-shaped and said theme is astrology. 3
12. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing astrology services.
13. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said housing means has a sexual shape and said theme is a sexual theme.
14. A communication assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein said programming means have been pre-programmed to connect with one or a plurality of designated telephones numbers providing sexually related services. A communication assembly substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
16. A method of providing a phone based service substantially as described with reference to the drawings. o.i .e* *e ee *e oe e*e* e*ee ee