GB2327830A - Cordless telephone system with an intercom function - Google Patents

Abstract

A cordless telephone system with an extended function comprises a base unit and a portable unit (400). The base unit is divided into a wire unit (100) for performing a wire speech function and a wireless unit (300) for performing a wireless speech function. The wireless unit is attachable to and detachable from the wire unit through a connector (200). When the wireless unit is separated from the wire unit, an extension call is available between the wireless unit and the portable unit.

Description

CORDLESS TELEPHONE BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cordless telephone, and in particular, to a cordless telephone with an extended function.

Generally, a combined wireless/wire telephone or an automatic answering cordless telephone both (hereinafter, referred to as a cordless telephone) includes a base unit for providing a wire speech function and a portable unit wirelessly connected to the base unit for providing a wireless speech function. The base unit includes a wire unit for performing the wire speech function and a wireless unit for connecting with the portable unit. The base unit is functionally divided into the wire unit and the wireless unit. In practice, however, base unit elements for the wire unit are mixed with elements for the wireless unit, in consideration of an effective arrangement of the elements.

In other words, the cordless telephone comprises one wire unit and two wireless units in view of the function. In practice, however, the wire unit and one of the two wireless units constitute the base unit, and another wireless unit constitutes the portable unit. Therefore, the cordless telephone has restricted functions. That is, the cordless telephone has the wire speech function and the wireless speech function, and the automatic answering cordless telephone has the wire speech function, the wireless speech function and an automatic answering function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides A cordless telephone comprising a portable unit and a base unit having a wired unit for establishing a telephony channel with a telephony network, a wireless unit and a connector for detachably connecting the wireless unit to the wired unit; wherein the wireless unit and the portable unit are operable to establish a wireless communication channel between the wireless unit and the portable unit when the wireless unit is detached from the wire unit.

Advantageously, a communication channel can be established between the portable unit and the wireless unit even though the wireless unit has been detached from the unwired unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGs. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating a cordless telephone with an extended function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a base unit of an automatic answering cordless telephone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the structure of a wire unit (100) of FIG.2; and FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram illustrating the structure of a wireless unit (300) of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT First of all, the present invention is based on the fact that the base unit of a common cordless telephone has a microphone and a speaker as well as a handset unit. In other words, the base unit of the cordless telephone can be functionally divided into the wire unit and the wireless unit, which have separate elements for performing the speech function.

FIGs. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating a cordless telephone with an extended function according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the cordless telephone according to the present invention, a base unit has a wire unit 100 for performing the wire speech function, a wireless unit 300 for performing the wireless speech function, and a connector 200 for connecting the wire unit 100 to the wireless unit 300.

Accordingly, when the wireless unit 300 is connected to the wire unit 100 through the connector 200, the base unit of the cordless telephone (or an automatic answering cordless telephone) performs the wire speech function (and an automatic answering function). The portable unit 400 when connected wirelessly to the wireless unit 300 can perform the wireless speech function.

Alternatively, when the wireless unit 300 in the base unit is disconnected from the wire unit 100, an extension call (strictly speaking, an interunit communication) is available between the wireless unit 300 in the base unit and the portable unit 400, as shown in FIG. 1B. In this case, although only the wire unit 100 constitutes the base unit, it can perform its own function of the wire speech function (and the automatic answering function). The reason that the extension call is available between the wireless unit 300 and the portable unit 400 even though the wireless unit 300 is disconnected from the wire unit 100 is because the wireless unit 300 has a speaker and a microphone. Here, the extension call is similar to a socalled intercom function. However, unlike the intercom function which is performed between the base unit and the portable unit, the extension call (speech) function of the invention is performed between the wireless unit 300 in the base unit and the portable unit 400. Since the intercom function can be performed only between the base unit and the portable unit, it is available only within a building where the cordless telephone is installed. On the contrary, however, the extension call function of the invention is available not only within the building but also out of the building.

FIG. 2 illustrates the base unit of the automatic answering cordless telephone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the same idea can be also applied to the cordless telephone.

Referring to FIG. 2, the base unit of the automatic answering cordless telephone is comprised of the wire unit 100, the wireless unit 300 and the connector 200. The connector 200 includes voice ports P11 and P21 for transferring a voice signal between the wire unit 100 and the wireless unit 300, data ports P12 and P22 for transferring data between the wire unit 100 and the wireless unit 300, and power ports P13 and P23 for transferring a power voltage between the wire unit 100 and the wireless unit 300, to thereby electronically connect the wire unit 100 to the wireless unit 300.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the wire unit 100 comprises a handset unit 110, a call processor 120 which is connected to a telephone line and which forms a speech path between the telephone line and the handset unit 110 during receiving/sending a call to enable the wire speech function, a telephone answering device (TAD) 130 which stores an outgoing message (OGM) and sends the outgoing message to the telephone line upon receiving an incoming call in an automatic answering mode, a power supply 150 for providing an operational power voltage, and a charger 140 for receiving the operational power voltage to output a charge voltage.

Referring to FIG. 3, a transmitter 111 and a receiver 112 constitute the handset unit 110. The call processor 120 comprises a switch 121, a speech path unit 122, a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) generator 123, a DTMF receiver 124, a ring detector 125, a key input unit 126, a display 127, a memory 128, a ring generator 129 and a controller 131. The TAD 130 comprises the controller 131, a CODEC (Coder-Decoder) 132, a voice memory 133 and a voice controller 134. Since the above elements are well known in the art, the detailed descriptions thereof will be avoided.

An auxiliary speaker 160 is provided for outputting a ring tone according to a ring signal generated by the ring generator 129, when an incoming call is received.

Referring to FIG. 4, the wireless unit 300 comprises a microphone MIC, a speaker SPK, an antenna ANT, a voice signal processor 310 for processing a voice signal input via the MIC and outputting the voice signal to the speaker SPK, and a RF (Radio Frequency) signal processor 330. The RF signal processor 330 converts the voice signal from the voice signal processor 310 into an RF signal for subsequent output via the antenna ANT, or converts an RF signal received from the antenna ANT into the voice signal for processing by the voice signal processor 310.

In addition, the wireless unit 300 further comprises a controller 320 and a backup battery 340. The controller 320 controls the wire unit 100 so as to enables the wireless speech function and the automatic answering function to be controlled even by the portable unit 400 of the cordless telephone, when the wireless unit 300 is connected to the wire unit 100 through the connector 200.

Alternatively, when the wireless unit 300 is disconnected from the wire unit 100, the controller 320 controls the cordless telephone in order that the extension call function can be performed between the wireless unit 300 and the portable unit 400. The backup battery 340 is charged with the charge voltage received from the charger 140 via the power pins P13 and P23 of the connector 200, in case the wireless unit 300 is connected to the wire unit 100 through the connector 200. On the other hand, when the wireless unit 300 is disconnected from the wire unit 100, the backup battery 340 provides the wireless unit 300 with the power voltage.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the wireless unit 300 includes a call switch 350 used in requesting the extension call. The controller 320 enables the extension call function between the wireless unit 300 and the portable unit 400 in response to depression of the call switch 350. The wireless unit 300 operates in an extension call mode when the call switch 350 is depressed. The wireless unit 300 can also operate in the extension call mode, in response to a request for an extension call from the portable unit 400.

Now, referring to FIGs. 2 to 4, operation of the cordless telephone in the case where wireless unit 300 is connected to (united with) the wire unit 100 via the connector 200, will be described. In this case, the wire unit 100 in the base unit can perform the wire speech function and the automatic answering function. The wireless unit 300 in the base unit can perform the wireless speech function and the automatic answering function. The voice ports Pll and P21 of the connector 200 are connected to the voice controller 134 and the voice signal processor 310, respectively. Therefore, the voice signal of an incoming call is transferred to the receiver 112 and the speaker SPK, and the voice signal of an originated (outgoing) call is received from the transmitter 111 and the microphone MIC. The data ports P12 and P22 are connected to the controller 131 and the controller 320, respectively, to transfer control data between the wire unit 100 and the wireless unit 300. The automatic answering function of the wire unit 100 can be controlled by the wireless unit 300 by virtue of the control data. The power ports P13 and P23 are connected to the charger 140 and the backup battery 340, respectively, so that the backup battery 340 is charged with the charge voltage output from the charger 140.

Still referring, to FIGs. 2 to 4, operation of the cordless telephone in the case wherein the wireless unit 300 is disconnected from the wire unit 100, will be described. If the user picks up the wireless unit 300, disconnecting (separating) it from the wire unit 100, and goes out of doors with the wireless unit 300 in the hand, the wire unit 100 can perform the wire speech function and the automatic answering function. In this situation, the wireless unit 300 can perform the extension call function with the portable unit 400, but cannot perform the automatic answering function. In the meantime, if the user pushes the call switch 350, the wireless unit 300 is set to the extension call mode and sends a call signal according thereto to the portable unit 400. If the user of the portable unit 400 answers to the call signal sent from the wireless unit 300, the extension call is established between the wireless unit 300 and the portable unit 400.

Here, the voice of the user of the wireless unit 300 is input to the voice signal processor 310 through the microphone MIC. The voice signal processor 310 adjusts the level of the voice signal and provides the adjusted voice signal to RF signal processor 330. The voice signal output from the voice signal processor 310 is converted to an RF signal by the RF signal processor 330, and sent to the portable unit 400 through the antenna ANT. Furthermore, the voice signal transmitted from the portable unit 400 is processed by the RF signal processor 330, adjusted by the voice signal processor 310, and then output to the speaker SPK. The RF signal is transmitted between the wireless unit 300 and the portable unit 400 in accordance with a full duplexing method.

An extension call can be completed, if the call switch 350 on the wireless unit 300 or an extension call button (not shown) on the portable unit 400 is pressed.

As mentioned above, the wireless unit is detachable from the wire unit. When the wireless unit is united with the wire unit, the cordless telephone has the same function as an existing cordless telephone. However, in the case where the wireless unit is separated from an wire unit, the extension call is available between the portable unit and the wireless unit.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail heretofore, it should be clearly understood that many variations and/or modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught which may appear to those skilled in the art will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is restricted to an apparatus for extending a function of a wire and radio automatic answering telephone, but it can be applied to a cordless telephone.

Claims (7)

1. A cordless telephone comprising a portable unit and a base unit having a wired unit for establishing a telephony channel with a telephony network, a wireless unit and a connector for detachably connecting the wireless unit to the wired unit; wherein the wireless unit and the portable unit are operable to establish a wireless communication channel between the wireless unit and the portable unit when the wireless unit is detached from the wire unit.

2. A cordless telephone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wired unit further comprises a handset unit, a call processor for connection to a telephone line of the telephony network and for forming a speech path between the telephone line and the handset in response to an incoming or outgoing call, a power supply for providing operational power, and a charger for producing a charge voltage.

3. A cordless telephone as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a backup battery which is charged with the charge voltage from the charger when the wireless unit is connected to the wired unit via the connector and which provides the wireless unit with an operating power when the wireless unit is separated from the wired unit.

4. A cordless telephone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the wireless unit comprises a microphone, a speaker, an antenna, a voice processor for processing a voice signal received for the microphone and for outputting the voice signal to the speaker, an RF signal processor for converting the voice signal output from the voice processor into an RF signal to be output via the antenna and for converting an RF signal received by the antenna into a voice signal for the voice processor, a controller for controlling the cordless telephone such that the wired unit can perform the wire speech function and the portable unit can perform the wireless speech function, if the wireless unit is connected to the wired unit via the connector.

5. A cordless telephone as claimed in claim 4, wherein the voice processor comprises means for adjusting the level of the voice signal received from the microphone.

6. A cordless telephone as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the wireless unit comprises a wireless communication channel request button for establishing the wireless communication channel.

7. A cordless telephone substantially as described herein with reference to and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.