FR2593985A1 - LIGHT TELEPHONE - Google Patents

Abstract

Luminous telephone apparatus, characterized in that it is constituted by the combination of a telephone apparatus with a discharge tube ensuring its illumination, this discharge tube being integrated in a transparent box containing the electronic circuit of the telephone apparatus, thus an electronic voltage multiplier, known in itself, the dimensions of which also allow integration into the same housing without modifying the latter. (CF DRAWING IN BOPI)

Description

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  The present invention relates to lighting systems for telephone sets and the like, namely fixed stations

  or mobile, wireless wire or radiotelephone, etc.

  This type of equipment, despite the numerous technical improvements that they have given rise, leaves a series of problems related to their use, as it generally has no

  lighting or associated light unit.

  Thus, a first problem arises when a telephone is placed in a dark area of a room, or when it is desired to dial a telephone number without making light in

  a room not to disturb its occupants.

  A second problem arises when the recipient of a call is hard of hearing or the device is placed in a particularly noisy place, such as a workshop, disco, restaurant or the like, and instead, or in addition to the ringing call, we want to visualize the call by a light signal. A third problem also arises when the receiving apparatus is located in a place where silence is required, such as hospital, recording studio, and the like, and it is also desired to view the call, possibly cutting

  the sound signal at certain times of the day.

  Moreover, a trend has become clear for some time, to make telephone devices more original and attractive on the artistic level, in particular by realizing

  housings made of transparent plastic.

  A solution to the first problem has recently been combined with this trend of the public, and it has been proposed to add to the telephone device itself a lighting system consisting of a discharge tube housed in a housing made of plastic transparent, and containing by

  elsewhere all the electronics of the system.

  However, this solution does not solve the other two problems. Moreover, it leaves the disadvantages

  techniques that have so far never been overcome.

  In fact, the power supply of a discharge tube requires a voltage multiplier transformer, and it is well known that a transformer is a generator of electromagnetic waves.

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  interference that makes the telephone device virtually unusable. Even if the shielding of the transformer is relatively efficient, these transformers have the considerable disadvantage of being hot, heavy, bulky and expensive as well as unattractive. It is true that there are already electronic ballasts that do not have these disadvantages, because they do not create interference and especially are a much smaller footprint and weight. Such a ballast is described in French Patent 69 26353. However, the applications of this ballast are oriented towards a completely different technical field of

that of the present invention.

  The present invention therefore aims at a new industrial product constituted by the combination of a telephone device with a discharge tube ensuring its illumination, this discharge tube being integrated in a transparent housing containing the electronic circuit of the telephone apparatus, as well as an electronic voltage multiplier, known in itself, whose dimensions also allow integration into the same

  housing without modification of the latter.

  Such a combination had never been previously described. It brings many advantages and among other things, to ensure the lighting of the telephone, to create no interference in the operation of this device, and besides to represent a significant aesthetic element in the measure o an electronic circuit is

  much more aesthetic than a conventional transformer.

  Moreover, the same combination can be completed by means that are also electronic, making it possible to visualize a

  A30 call, instead of or in addition to the usual bell.

  In this case, the device is equipped with two positions of

  ignition control of the discharge tube by the buzzer.

  - Position 1: In the case where the device is used in telephone only, the light of the discharge tube lights up by flashing

  at the moment the ring is triggered.

  - Position 2: In the case where the telephone set is used as a decorative element, the discharge tube light remains

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  lights continuously, but flashes when the buzzer is sounding. The practical applications of these possibilities are therefore a) This telephone device allows the hearing-impaired to view an incoming call and by extension, allows anyone too far away to hear the ring to view any incoming call. In the same way it can be used in all noisy places - factories, shops, offices, discotheques,

restaurants, bars, etc ...

  B) The unit also has a switch to turn off the acoustic buzzer, so in all places where silence is required it is possible to view an incoming call -hospitals, recording studios and

  television, hotels, apartments, etc ...-.

  In such a combination, a neon argon type discharge tube is preferably used for the following technical reasons:

  a) Its luminosity is strong and decorative at the same time.

  b) The discharge tube is an exceptional light source that does not produce heat, this avoids any danger of overheating the mechanism of the electronic components

  of the telephone set and its plastic case.

  c) The discharge tube consumes extremely little power, only 5 WATT and has an exceptional life expectancy

a minimum of 10000 hours.

  d) The colors of the light emitted by this tube can be very widely varied: white, pink, yellow, blue, orange, green, red, which allows combinations of a very beautiful

aesthetic.

  The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus

  telephone equipped according to the invention.

  and FIG. 2 shows the electronic ballast circuit for feeding the discharge tube into the apparatus of the

figure 1.

  Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is shown a housing 1, made of transparent plastic, having

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  the usual form of a telephone set housing, and also including, as usual, a telephone circuit, schematized by 2, controlled by a keyboard 3, and

connected to a handset 4.

  According to the invention, in this housing 1 is disposed a discharge tube 5, of appropriate color for the chosen decoration, and powered by an electronic circuit 6, comprising a ballast circuit, such as

as shown in Figure 2.

  In such a circuit 6, the DC component of the telephone signal from 7 is filtered by the capacitor C1 so that only the alternating voltage of the ring is

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  rectified by the bridge constituted by the diodes D1, D2, D3, D4, then filtered by the capacitor D7. In this state of the circuit, the relay 8 is excited as shown and switches to the tube 5

mains voltage, coming from 9.

  As is known, the supply of the discharge tube 5 is, at first, by a high ignition voltage (about 1200 V), then in a second time, by a maintenance voltage significantly less high (about 300 V), but

of higher intensity.

  To reach the starting voltage, two voltage doublers of the SCHENKEL type, composed of the D5 diodes, are associated.

6 7 8 3 4 5 6

  D6 D7 and D and capacitors C3 C4 C and C6 and limit the intensity level by means of the resistor R1. However, in order to avoid having such a resistance of a value that is too high, which would lead to a significant heating up, a value of C4 is chosen such that only the right energy is supplied.

necessary to prime the tube.

  The purpose of the switch S1 is to reverse the response of the system to the buzzer: - In the AC position, it allows the relay, through the contact

  "work", T, to feed the supply circuit of the tube 5.

  - In CB position, on the contrary it is the opposite that occurs. The present invention therefore relates to a telephone device with a neon argon type discharge tube ensuring its illumination, this tube being integrated in a transparent plastic case, containing the electronic circuit of the telephone apparatus, as well as a new ballast system electronic controlled by the telephone line, allowing to visualize all

incoming call by flashing.

  Such a combination of incorporating a lighting system into a telephone has never been previously described.

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Claims (2)

  1. luminous telephone apparatus, characterized in that it is constituted by the combination of a telephone device with a discharge tube ensuring its illumination, this discharge tube being integrated in a transparent housing containing the electronic circuit of the telephone apparatus , as well as an electronic voltage multiplier, known in itself, whose dimensions also allow integration into the same   housing without modification of the latter.   2. luminous telephone apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is associated with electronic means for flashing the tube to view a call to the   place and / or in addition to the usual bell.