FR2797544A1 - TELEPHONE HANDSET WITH AUTOMATIC MICROPHONE SWITCHING AND CORRESPONDING SWITCHING METHOD - Google Patents

Abstract

It is a telephone handset (6, 6 ', 6' ') comprising a box (8, 8', 8 '') provided with a listening face suitable for being in contact with the ear of 'a user, a microphone and means (10, 23) for automatically switching off the microphone. The cut-off means include sensor means (13, 28, 50) arranged to automatically cut the microphone as soon as the user draws aside the listening face from his ear.

Description

TELEPHONE HANDSET WITH AUTOMATIC SWITCHING OFF

  MICROPHONE AND CORRESPONDING SWITCHING METHOD

  The present invention relates to a telephone handset comprising a box provided with a listening face suitable for being in contact with the ear of a user, a microphone and switching means.

automatic microphone.

  It also relates to a cutting process

  automatic handset microphone.

  It finds a particularly important, although not exclusive, application in the field of fixed or portable telephones of the switched telephone network. It concerns, more generally, all telephone or radio handsets suitable for being in contact with

the ear of their user.

  During a telephone call, the user sometimes wishes that his interlocutor does not hear part of his conversation with a

  third party, which he wants to keep secret, for example.

  To do this, the user generally puts his hand on the microphone, which is often ineffective. There are also known (FR-A-2,496,366) telephone handsets provided with an automatic microphone cut-off switch by push button, actuated when the roof of the handset is placed on

a surface.

  Such a mechanical action is not easy to implement, in the absence of a flat surface nearby for example, and does not always guarantee the security of confidentiality, for example if the push button has been improperly engaged. The present invention aims to provide a handset and a method which respond better than those previously known to the requirements of practice, in particular in that it makes it possible to integrate into the handset an automatic microphone mute system perfectly

  reliable, simple and inexpensive to implement.

  With the invention, it is not a question of performing a positive act (pressing a button) so that the microphone is made inactive, but on the contrary of performing a positive act (pressing or holding the handset on one's ear) so that the microphone

continues to operate.

  To this end, the present invention proposes in particular a telephone handset comprising a box provided with a listening face suitable for being in contact with the ear of a user, with a microphone and with means for automatically cutting off the microphone, characterized in that said cutting means include sensor means arranged to automatically cut the microphone as soon as

  the user pushes the listening face away from his ear.

  By spreading the listening face, we mean moving the listening face away so that it is no longer in contact with the pinna of the user's ear, the listening face thus being at

  a certain distance from the head of the latter.

  Contact may cause slight pressure. By light pressure is meant a pressure less than about 50 g / cm2, advantageously less than

around 20g / cm2.

  In advantageous embodiments, recourse is had to one and / or the other of the following arrangements: the sensor means comprise at least one mechanical microswitch actuatable by pressure. Advantageously, the actuation pressure is less than 20 g / cm2, for example less than

  10g / cm2, or even less than 5g / cm2.

  The microswitch cuts the microphone when it is at rest (in non-actuated mode); the cutting means comprise a movable or deformable membrane integral with the listening face, suitable for actuating the microswitch or microswitches when the pressing force on the membrane is

  greater than a determined value.

  This determined value is of the order of those

  mentioned above for the sensors.

  - The handset includes means for supporting the listening face on a rigid surface, for example flat, arranged to prevent the actuation of the cutting means in the event of pressing said listening face on such a flat surface ; - the sensor means comprise at least one

infrared sensor.

  In this case the distance of the listening face from the contact with the ear modifies the caloric environment of the sensor, which triggers the microphone to be cut off. - The handset further comprises means of automatic disconnection of the telephone communication, after a determined duration of mute of the microphone by said means of mute; - The handset includes means for adjusting by the user of said determined duration before automatic disconnection of telephone communication; - the handset includes signaling means

  microphone cut-out.

  The invention also provides a method for automatically cutting off the microphone of a telephone handset provided with a housing with listening face suitable for being in contact with the ear of the user, characterized in that, in order to cut the microphone , the user moves aside the listening side of the

ear contact.

  Advantageously, the microphone being cut off, the telephone call is then automatically cut off after a determined period,

  for example adjustable by the user.

  The invention will be better understood on reading the

  description which follows of embodiments given to

  title of nonlimiting examples. The description is

  refers to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of a communication system implementing handsets according to the invention. - Figure 2 gives a general electrical diagram of the switching means used in the embodiment of the handset according to the invention more

particularly described here.

  - Figure 3 is a detailed electrical diagram of an embodiment of the cutting means of the

figure 2.

  - Figures 4 and 5 respectively show a side view and a partial front view of a

  combined according to one embodiment of the invention.

  - Figures 6, 7 and 8 are respectively front, top and side views of another embodiment of a handset according to the invention. FIG. 1 shows a system 1 for transmitting telephone communications between users of the

switched telephone network.

  Communications can pass through satellite

3 or via the cable network 4, 5.

  The system includes portable 6 and 6 '' handsets and 6 'handsets connected to the network by

a cable 7.

  Each handset has a housing 8, 8 ', 8' ', a listening face 9, 9', 9 '' suitable for being in contact with the user's ear (not shown) and (Cf. figure 2 ) means 10 for automatic cut-off

microphone 11 according to the invention.

  The telephone handset comprises, in a known manner, a loudspeaker and electrical and connection circuits with the network such as keyboard, contactors, amplifiers, etc. (not shown), as well as a battery or supply means 12

in direct current of 3 Volts.

  According to the embodiment of the invention more particularly described here, the breaking means 10 comprise sensor means 13 connected, on one side to the 3-volt supply, and on the other side 14 one to an inverter circuit 15, the output of which attacks an OR gate 16. The other input el of gate 16 corresponds to an already existing function on telephone handsets allowing the microphone to be cut off manually by pressing

on a phone key.

  The output of the door 16 is connected to the microphone 11 and makes it possible to cut or not the latter in

depending on the state of the sensor 13.

  Two types of sensor are essentially usable, namely mechanical sensors and

infrared sensors.

  By way of nonlimiting example, the mechanical sensor (s) may be subminiature micro-sensors of the DB series with contacts, of reversing type, for example manufactured by the company

  MOTOROLA, for example under the reference 161-5293.

  The infrared sensor (s) are, for example, photodiodes manufactured by the company MOTOROLA, and for example sold under the references TLS250 or

TLS260.

  In the embodiment more particularly described here, the handset further comprises means for automatic disconnection of the telephone line 17 after a determined duration of mute of the microphone 11. To do this, the output 14 of the sensor 13 is also connected to a input 18 to reset a

  counter 19, connected to a clock circuit 20.

  The counter 19 attacks a buffer circuit 21 (buffer in English terminology) connected to a

logic gate OR 22.

  The other input of OR gate 22 allows manual triggering by pressing a key on the

  telephone line 17 cutoff, in a known manner.

  FIG. 3 gives a more detailed electrical diagram of an embodiment of the cut-off means 10 of FIG. 2, implementing by way of example a set 23 of integrated circuits in

CMOS technology.

  The clock is here produced by a component 24 of the HEF 4047 CMOS type, operating in astable multivibrator mode, which implies a mode of

  connection according to the diagram in figure 3.

  Supplied at 3 volts, the clock provides a niche voltage of period T, with a value between 0V and 3V, the value of T depending on the resistor R and the capacitor C. The resistor R belongs to a potentiometer 25. L user can adjust the frequency of

  the clock for example between 2 minutes and 10 minutes.

  In this embodiment, the sensor is made from component 26 of the type

HC 4040 CMOS.

  The component is a 12-bit counter powered by 3 Volts. The clock 24 attacks the input CLK l10 of the component 26. The output 27 of the sensor 28 is in turn connected to one of the terminals l of the circuit

is controlling the reset key.

  The output of the sensor 28 is also connected at 29 to the microphone output, as we have also seen

with reference to Figure 2.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, only the eight least significant bits are used. The line is cut (output 30) after a time t, when the eight bits are at 1 (circuit buffer 31). Figures 4 and 5 show an embodiment of a telephone handset 32 according to the invention comprising a housing 33 comprising a handle for manual gripping by a user, the handle being provided at its ends, on one side of a portion comprising the microphone, and on the other side of an earpiece portion 36 provided with a loudspeaker (not shown) and comprising a listening face 37 formed

  by an openwork wall of the earpiece.

  The sheet face 37 comprises a flexible membrane 38 fixed on the periphery 39 of the perforated wall for example by gluing, and is for example formed by a ring of elastic material, for example of width

from 1 to 3 cm.

  The membrane here comprises on its lower part, directed towards the side of the portion 35 of the handset, an internal face for contact with a mechanical switch 41, for cutting off the microphone when no pressure is exerted on said membrane at this point.

place.

  The mechanical switch is set for a low pressure value, for example between 15 g

  and 100 g (1 newton), for example 25 grams.

  It is therefore enough to press the earpiece lightly against his ear, for the microphone to work. But as soon as the pressure stops, there is a cut

microphone.

  The handset further comprises means of adjustment by thumb wheel 42 of the line cut-off circuit.

  after a certain time.

  An LED 43 of the light-emitting diode type of color, for example red, is advantageously provided

  to signal that the microphone is muted.

  Figures 6, 7 and 8 show another mode of

  production of a handset 44 according to the invention.

  The sheet face 45 here comprises a membrane

  rigid 46, permeable to sound, covering the upper

  speaker 47 of the handset, for example circular. In this embodiment, the membrane has a lower part 48 having a tongue-shaped protrusion 49, the internal face of which is in contact or substantially in contact with the

  microphone cut-off microswitch 50.

  The membrane is also applied to the periphery of the sheet face to which it is fixed in the upper part over a portion of its periphery 51 in a flexible manner, to allow slight movement of the membrane actuating the switch.

when pressed.

  We will now describe a mode of operation of the handset according to the invention and of the method which it implements, with particular reference to

Figure 2.

  The user who calls, or who is called on the network, picks up his phone and connects it via a button after dialing the

contact number.

  At this stage, the handset not being applied by the user on his ear, the microphone 11 is not

  not active, the sensor 13 not being actuated.

  11 No current therefore flows through the resistor 13 ′ and the input of the microphone contact therefore remains at

  low state, that is, the microphone is muted.

  The reset input 18 of the counter 19 is also released, which causes the counter 19 to start counting, playing a role of timer whose duration was initially set by the user, via a potentiometer, as has been seen with reference to the

figure 3.

  If the sensor 13 is not actuated, the timer runs out, and at the end of the time interval of duration determined for example fixed by the user, the input of the contact 17 switches to a high state. The

  telephone line is then cut.

  On the other hand, if the user applies the listening face of the handset to his ear, the sensor 13 (in the embodiment more particularly described here a mechanical switch) is then actuated by the pressure exerted on the face

  listening, for example via a membrane.

  The input to microphone 11 is in the state

  high, the microphone is therefore connected.

  The reset counter input is also high, the counter (timer) does not work

not and the line remains connected.

  As soon as the ear contact on the support surface is stopped, the microphone is muted and the telephone line cut-off timer restarts. As is obvious and as it follows from the above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments more particularly described. It also relates, for example, to the case where the telephone uses TTL technology, or even the case where several sensors are used in parallel or in series, and / or the case where the cut-off means are disconnectable, the handset then functioning,

  with or without timer, like a normal handset.

  Likewise, when using an infrared sensor, leaving the contact between the ear and the listening surface changes the environment

  caloric of the sensor, which then cuts off the microphone.

  The invention is directly applicable to all modern telephones, in particular cordless telephones. The simplicity of the assembly as well as the reduced size of the components makes it possible to house the entire

  system directly into the handset.

  The ease of use and the practicality of the invention make it a permanent improvement,

ergonomic and reassuring.

Claims (10)

  1. Telephone handset (6, 6 ', 6' ') comprising a shoemaker (8, 8', 8 '') provided with a listening surface capable of being in contact with the ear of a user, d '' a microphone and means (10, 23) for automatic microphone cut-off, characterized in that said cut-off means comprise sensor means (13, 28, 50) arranged to automatically cut the microphone as soon as the user dismisses the face listening to his ear.   2. Telephone handset according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (13, 28) sensors   include at least one mechanical microswitch.   3. Combination according to claim 2, characterized in that the cutting means comprise a movable (46) or deformable membrane (38) integral with   the listening face, suitable for actuating the micro-   switches (13, 28, 50) when the pressing force on the membrane is greater than a determined value. 4. Combined according to any one of   claims 2 and 3, characterized in that it   includes means for supporting the sheet face on a flat surface, arranged to prevent actuation of the cut-off means in the event of support   of said sheet face on such a flat surface.   5. Handset according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor means comprise at least one infrared sensor.   6. Combination according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   further comprises means (19, 20, 21, 22) for automatic disconnection of the telephone communication after a determined duration of interruption of the   microphone by said cutting means (10, 23).   7. Handset according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises means (25) for adjusting by the user of said determined duration before automatic disconnection of telephone communication. 8. Combination according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that   comprises means (43) for visual signaling of mute the microphone.   9. Method for automatically cutting off the microphone of a telephone handset provided with a housing with a listening surface suitable for being in contact with the user's ear, characterized in that, in order to cut the microphone, the user spreads the listening face of the ear contact.   10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the microphone being cut off, the telephone communication is then automatically cut off after   a fixed duration adjustable by the user.