GB2243048A

GB2243048A - Auto-sterilizing telephone apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2243048A
Application number: GB9008240A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chih-Kang Lin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-04-11
Filing date: 1990-04-11
Publication date: 1991-10-16
Also published as: GB9008240D0

Abstract

An auto-sterilizing telephone apparatus, uses a UV lamp 6 to automatically sterilize the telephone apparatus when the telephone rings or the mouthpiece is used. A thermostatic switch may be connected to the UV lamp tube to automatically cut off the power supply when the temperature reaches a critical range, or a time switch may be used. <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION AUTO-STERILIZING TELEPHONE APPARATUS Background of the Invention The present invention is related to a telerhone apparatus and more particularly to the one which utilizes an W lamp tube to automatically sterilize the mouthpiece of the telephone apparatus.

The telephone is an instrument for conveying speech over distances by converting sound into electric impulses sent through a wire which generally comprises a receiver and a mouthpiece. During the operation, the mouthpiece of a telephone is easy to be contamin2ted by the saliva ejected by users. The contamination of the mouthpiece may affect the cperation of a telephone. Because the mouthpiece of a telephone utilizes carbon power complex as a medium for signal transmission. In case the carbon powder complex of a mouthpiece is moistened by the saliva, the sound wave will be more difficult to transmit, i.e. electric current can not be efficiently produced, and the signal received will be very weak.

Therefore, the mouthpiece of a telephone must be frequently cleaned or sterilized.

SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone apparatus which utilizes an W lamp tube to sterilize the mouthpiece of the telephone apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a telephone apparatus which can autsmatically sterilize the mouthpiece of the telephone apparatus without doing any harm to the user.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a telephone apparatus which utilizes a thermostatic switch to automatically control the duration of W lamp tube sterilizing operation according to temperature change so as to protect the structure and the component parts of the telephone apparatus against heat damage.

To accomplish the said objects, a telephone apparatus in accordance with the present invention shall include a handset having an UV lamp tube received in the mouthpiece thereof; a sound control circuit triggered to turn on the DV lamp tube through sound control operation; and a thermostatic switch connected to the W lamp tube to automatically cut off the power supply when the teererature reaches a critical range.

The present invention will be described by way of example, with reference to the annexed drawings in which:- Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is partly fragmentary view of a telephone handset constructed according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a power control block diagram according to the present invention; Fig. 3 illustrates an alternate form of the embodiment of autosterilizing telephone set in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the embodiment of Fig.

3.

Detailed Description of the Embodiment~ Referring to Fig. 1, therein illustrated is a telephone handset generally comprises of a shell 1, a cap 2, a mouthpiece 3, a flexible lead cord 4, a thermostatic switch 5 and an W lamp tube 6.

The shell 1 of the handset is made of rigid ABS material and lined in fashion design. Ihe mouthpiece 3 is similar to the conventional circular mouthpiece and comprises two notches 301 bilaterally on its lower sidewall portion to match with ccrresponding raised portions on the inner wall surface to the shell 1 for positioning. The cap 2 has a cuplike structure. When the cap 2 is tightly screwed up with the shell 1 with the mopiece 3 received therein, the perforated front face 201 of the cap 2 leaves apart from the perforated front face 302 of the mouthpiece 3 for the setting therebetween of the UV lamp tube 6.The W lamp tube 6 is an arch-shaped tube which consumes low power and emits low level of heat energy, of which the effective range is within an area of 5cm. The W lamp tube 6 is connected to the thermcstatic switch 5 through a conducting wire, which thermostatic switch 5 controls the supply of regular city voltage to the W lamp tube 6. In the present embodiment, the thermostatic switch 5 is designed to cut off the circuit when the tamperature reaches 60 -70 C. The two taminals 403 and 404 of the conducting wire which come from the flexible lead cord 4 are respectively connected to the two ends of the W lamp tube 6 and sealed by two jackets 405 to protect against electric leakage.The terminals 401 and 402 of the flexible lead cord 4 are of forked end's design for the convenient operation in line connection.

Referring to Fig. 2, the DV lamp tube 6 is turned on through a sound control circuit and turned off thrcu3h the thermostatic switch 5, i.e. when the corresponding telephone set rings up or a receiver of the corresponding telephone set is induced, the DV lamp tube 6 is simultaneausly turned on. The thermostatic switch 5 will autanatically turn off the DV lamp tube 6 when the detected temperature over critical range, so as to protect the resistor of the mouthpiece 3 and the shell 1 of the telephone handset against heat damage.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate an alternate form of the present invention.. As illustrated, the housing 7 of the telephone set comprises a trough 702 for the setting therein of an DV lamp tube 8. A wire gauze protective cover 11 which has a contact switch 9 connected thereto is mounted on the trough 702 with its contact switch 9 connected to the UV lamp tube 8. A power plug 12 is connected to the UV lamp tube 8 through a transformer (nat shown, which drops the voltage of regular AC power supply) and a timer (not shown, which will automatically turn off the power supply to the U7 lamp tube 8 a fixed period of time after the lamp tube 8 is turned on; in this embodiment, the fixed period of time is set for 15 seconds) for the connection of the regular AC power supply to turn on the W lamp tube 8.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An auto-serilizing telephone apparatus, including: a handset having a mouthpiece received therein and covered by a cap; an 1W lamp tube received in between said mouthpiece and said cap to provide W rays; a sound control circuit connected to said UV lamp tube, said sound control circuit being to turn on said UV lamp tube when the telephone set rings up or said mouthpiece is actuated; and a thermcstatic switch connected to said W lamp tube to automatically turn off said 1W lamp tube when the detected temperature over a critical range.

2. An auto-serilizing telephone apparatus, including: a handset having a receiver and a mouthpiece; a housing having a trough covered by a wire gauze protective cover; a 1W lamp tube received in said trough; a transformer to rectify regular AC power supply for said W lamp tube; a contact switch connected to said W lamp and triggered by said handset to turn on said UV lamp tube; and a timer circuit connected to said 1W lamp tube to control the period of time of the power supply to said UV lamp tube.

3. An auto-sterilizing telephone apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; or Figures 3 and 4 of the acscmpanying drawings.