GB2250891A

GB2250891A - Portable telephone apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2250891A
Application number: GB9123436A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kouichi Kunitomo
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
Priority date: 1990-11-09
Filing date: 1991-11-05
Publication date: 1992-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2011-11-05
Also published as: JPH04177953A; GB2250891B; GB9123436D0

Abstract

A portable telephone apparatus is comprised of a portable telephone (11) having a sounding device (16) for informing the user of a call reception by sound, and a vibration device (21) attachable to and detachable from the portable telephone (11). When the vibration device (21) is attached to the portable telephone (11), the sounding device (16) is kept inoperative and, when a call is received, the vibration device (21) informs the user of the call reception by mechanical vibration, so that the sounding device (16) is prevented from generating obtrusive noise. A power supply may be mounted on the portable telephone or in the vibration device. <IMAGE>

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a portable telephone apparatus for use in a cell-type vehicle telephone system used all over the world.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART A well-known type of portable telephone apparatus has a sounding device, such as a speaker or a buzzer. When a call reception signal is received and recognized by a control circuit, a circuit for driving the sounding device is actuated, so that a ring tone is generated by the sounding device to inform the user of the call reception.

Referring to Fig. 4, which is a circuit diagram of a conventional portable telephone apparatus, a portable telephone apparatus 41 is comprised of an antenna 42, a transmission/reception portion 43, a control circuit 44 formed by a microcomputer, a sounding device driving circuit 45, and a sounding device 46.

In the portable telephone apparatus 41, when the antenna 42 receives a call reception signal, the transmission/reception portion 43 and the control circuit 44 check the signal. If the signal is judged to be correct, a control signal for operating the sounding device driving circuit 45 is output by the control circuit 44. The sounding device 46 is therefore actuated in response to the operation of the sounding device driving circuit 45 to inform the user of the call reception by a sound.

However, since the conventional portable telephone apparatus described above is designed and structured to inform the user of a call reception by a sound, the user may be obliged to give up responding to the call if he is placed in a state where the sound is annoying, for example, in conference or meeting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable telephone apparatus capable of silently informing the user of call receptions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable telephone apparatus capable of easily switching between a sound mode and a vibration mode in response to attachment and detachment of a vibration device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable telephone apparatus capable of detaching and attaching a vibration device together with a battery pack.

In order to achieve the above objects, there is provided a portable telephone apparatus operative by radio wave, comprising: a portable telephone including a control circuit capable of recognizing a call reception signal when a call is received, and a sounding device driven by a start control signal from said control circuit to inform a user of the call reception; a vibration device attachable to and detachable from said portable telephone and including vibration means operative to mechanically vibrate in response to the call reception only when said vibration device is attached to said portable telephone; and a battery serving as a power supply for said portable telephone and said vibration device, the arrangement being such that said portable telephone does not drive said sounding device when said vibration device is connected to said portable telephone.

The portable telephone apparatus of the present invention having the above construction provides the following advantages: When the vibration device is connected to the portable telephone, the portable telephone automatically selects a vibration reception mode to turn on the vibration device in response to a call reception, so that mechanical vibration is applied to the whole portable telephone to silently inform the user of the reception of the call. Therefore, since the user can become aware of the call reception in any situation, he will not miss any business chance. Thus the utility range of the portable telephone apparatus is widened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a first embodiment of the portable telephone apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of the portable telephone apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a third embodiment of the portable telephone apparatus according to the present invention; and Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the prior art portable telephone apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, the portable telephone apparatus comprises a portable telephone 11 and a vibration device 21 attachable to and detachable from the portable telephone 11. The apparatus is arranged such that, when the vibration device 21 is attached to the portable telephone 11 and a call is received, the vibration device 21 mechanically vibrates and the portable telephone 11 makes no sound.

The portable telephone 11 is operative to give and receive a call on the radio and includes an antenna 12 for connecting the portable telephone 11 to a radio line, a radio portion 13 connected to the antenna 12 for supplying a transmission electric wave to the antenna 12 and receiving a receip electric wave from the antenna 12, a control circuit 14 connected to the radio portion 13 and formed by a microcomputer capable of executing various control operations and recognizing a call reception signal, a sounding device driving circuit 15 controlled by the control circuit 14, and a sounding device 16 driven by the sounding device driving circuit 15 and formed by, for example, a speaker.

The vibration device 21 includes a vibration control circuit 22 formed by a microcomputer operative in response to a control signal from the control circuit 14, a vibration unit driving circuit 23 driven and controlled by the vibration control circuit 22, and a vibration unit 24 driven by the vibration unit driving circuit 23. The vibration control circuit 22, the vibration unit driving circuit 23 and the vibration unit 24 constitute a vibration portion.

A battery pack 31 attachable to and detachable from the portable telephone 11 is provided with one or more batteries and connector means 32a and 32b for supplying electric power to the portable telephone 11 and the vibration device 21.

The operation of the above described embodiment will be described below.

When the vibration device 21 is attached to the portable telephone 11, the control circuit 14 recognizes the attachment and selects a vibration reception mode.

When a call is received, the control circuit 14 outputs a reception call command to the vibration control circuit 22. The vibration control circuit 22 then turns on the vibration unit driving circuit 23 so as to drive the vibration unit 24. In this case, the control circuit 14 may alternatively so structured as to directly turn on the vibration unit driving circuit 23.

According to the above-described embodiment, mechanical vibration can be obtained instead of a sound when the vibration device 21 is connected to the portable telephone 11 and a call is received. The attachment or detachment of the vibration device 21 to the portable telephone 11 is detected by the control circuit 14 operative to detect whether the connection of a bus for connecting the control circuit 14 to the vibration control circuit 22 is closed or opened.

Referring to Fig. 2 showing a second embodiment of the present invention, this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a dry cell 25 serving as a power supply for the vibration device 21 is mounted inside the vibration device 21. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same numerals, and the description of these components is omitted.

This embodiment has an advantage that the life of the battery pack 31 is extended.

Referring to Fig. 3 showing a third embodiment of the present invention, this embodiment is characterized in that the vibration device 21 is housed in the battery pack 33. The other construction is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same numerals and the description of these components is omitted. In this embodiment, it is necessary only to attach the battery pack 33 to the portable telephone 11, thus saving the user the trouble of connecting a separate or independent vibration device.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A portable telephone apparatus operative by radio wave, comprising: a portable telephone including a control circuit capable of recognizing a call reception signal when a call is received, and a sounding device driven by a start control signal from said control circuit to inform a user of the call reception; a vibration device attachable to and detachable from said portable telephone and including vibration means operative to mechanically vibrate in response to the call reception only when said vibration device is attached to said portable telephone; and a battery serving as a power supply for said portable telephone and said vibration device, the arrangement being such that said portable telephone does not drive said sounding device when said vibration device is connected to said portable telephone.

2. A portable telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said power supply is a battery pack adapted to be mounted on said portable telephone.

3. A portable telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said power supply is disposed inside said vibration device.

4. A portable telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said power supply is a battery pack formed with said vibration device as an unit and adapted to be mounted on said portable telephone.

5. A portable telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said vibration device comprises a vibration unit, a driving circuit for driving said vibration unit, and a vibration control circuit connectable to said control circuit of said portable telephone to control said vibration unit driving circuit.

6. A portable telephone apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said control circuit is adapted to directly drive said vibration unit driving circuit, by passing said vibration control circuit.

7. A call reception information method in a portable telephone apparatus having a portable telephone operative to make a call on radio and a vibration device having vibration means operative to mechanically vibrate and attachable to and detachable from said portable telephone, wherein, when a control portion in said portable telephone recognizes a call reception and when said control portion recognizes that said vibration device is not connected to said portable telephone, a reception mode is set on said portable telephone and a sounding device in said portable telephone is driven so as to inform the user of the call reception, and, when said control portion recognizes that said vibration device is connected to said portable telephone, a reception mode is set on said vibration device, said sounding device is kept inoperative and said vibration means of said vibration device is driven so as to inform the user of the call reception.

8. A portable telephone apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shoTJn in any one of Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A call reception information method substantially as hereinbefore described.