Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/17—Hygienic or sanitary devices on telephone equipment
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
  • H04M1/0287—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets being disposable or recyclable
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/66—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling
  • H04M1/677—Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M17/00—Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems
  • H04M17/005—Disposable prepaid communication devices
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C51/00—Shaping by thermoforming, i.e. shaping sheets or sheet like preforms after heating, e.g. shaping sheets in matched moulds or by deep-drawing; Apparatus therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
  • B29L2031/34—Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof
  • B29L2031/3431—Telephones, Earphones
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
  • H04M1/0206—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings
  • H04M1/0208—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
  • H04M1/0214—Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/02—Constructional features of telephone sets
  • H04M1/0202—Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
  • H04M1/0206—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings
  • H04M1/0247—Portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts, e.g. hinged housings comprising more than two body parts
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
  • H04M1/66—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling
  • H04M1/677—Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers
  • H04M1/6775—Preventing the dialling or sending of predetermined telephone numbers or selected types of telephone numbers, e.g. long distance numbers by providing access to preprogrammed keys
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
  • H04W88/02—Terminal devices

Definitions

• the present invention relates to cordless telephones and in particular to a portable cordless telephone used in a radiotelephone communication system.
• the object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive cordless portable telephone which can be discarded after a predetermined number of telephone calls.
• the object of the invention is therefore a portable cordless telephone comprising a memory in which is stored an account originally corresponding to a predetermined number of telephone call units, a means of decreasing the account as and measure that the owner of the telephone makes telephone calls and a means of inhibiting telephone calls when the account reaches the value zero, so that the portable telephone can no longer be used.
• FIG. 1 schematically represents a portable cordless telephone according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing the arrangement of the various elements found in a portable cordless telephone illustrated in FIG. 1.
• the portable cordless telephone is mainly composed of a flat box 10 comprising a keyboard 12 identical to that of any telephone handset as well as an "on” button ( M) and a “stop” button (A).
• a microphone 14 and a loudspeaker 16 are articulated so as to be able to fold over the flat housing 10 when the telephone is not in use. In this position, the microphone 14 and the loudspeaker 16 with a length equal to half that of the flat housing 10, come to be juxtaposed, and remain in this position thanks to a male element 20 which is fixed in a female element 22 .
• the assembly thus formed is in the form of a parallelepiped with a length between 8 and 15 cm and a width of about 5 to 8 cm, which can therefore easily be placed in a jacket pocket.
• the microphone 14 and the loudspeaker are in the open position as illustrated in FIG. 1, at an angle of approximately 135 * with the flat case 10 so that the loudspeaker 16 can be placed on the ear and microphone 14 in front of the mouth.
• a mechanical lock (not shown) now The apparatus in this convenient position for making telephone communication.
• the telephone naturally includes an antenna 18 for transmitting and receiving radio waves modulated by the speech signals.
• the antenna 18 is retractable and is deployed only when the telephone is placed in the operating position.
• the telephone shown in FIG. 1 is made as simply as possible by a thermoforming process in which the plastic shell comprising the flat housing 10, the microphone 14 and the speaker 16 is molded in a single step around the electronic circuits. located in the housing 10, the microphone and the speaker. Consequently, once the telephone has been manufactured by this process, the circuits or the elements which it contains are no longer accessible.
• the telephone according to the invention is manufactured at the lowest cost by this method but is not repairable and must be discarded when its capacity for telephone calls is exhausted as will be seen in relation to FIG. 2.
• the electronic part of the telephone according to the invention comprises a microprocessor 30 essentially responsible for processing the signals received and to be transmitted over the antenna 18.
• the microprocessor is connected to the reception part 32 which has the task of demodulating the digital signals to the microprocessor 30, and to the reception part 34 which has the task of modulating the signals transmitted by the portable telephone.
• the signals received by the portable telephone are, after their conversion into analog signals by a converter 36, transmitted to the loudspeaker 16, via the AND gate 38.
• the signals which must be transmitted from the portable telephone come either from the keyboard 12 , or from the microphone 14. In the case where the signals come from the microphone 14, they are transmitted to a converter 40, via the AND gate 42, to be first converted into digital signals before processing by the microprocessor 30.
• the portable telephone obviously has a memory 44, connected to the microprocessor 30 by a bus 46, in which a predetermined number of telephone call units has been pre-recorded. With each call coming from the portable telephone by means of the keyboard 12, the microprocessor decrements the value found in memory according to the number of units which have been used.
• the microprocessor provides a bit 1 on lines 48 and 50, which makes AND gates 38 and 42 passable and therefore allows signals from the microphone to be transmitted on the antenna. 18, and to the signals received by the antenna from reaching the loudspeaker 16.
• the microprocessor 30 detects that the number stored in memory reaches the value 0, it transmits a bit 0 on lines 48 and 50, which deactivates AND gates 38 and 42. Consequently, no signal received by the microphone 14 is not processed and no signal received by the antenna 18 can reach the loudspeaker 16.
• the portable telephone having exhausted its credit for telephone call units, it can then be discarded. Provision may be made for the user to be notified by a beep when the number stored in memory has reached a predetermined value, for example 5 units.
• the number of call units stored in the memory 44 of the portable telephone according to the invention may be greater or less.
• the buyer can pay for his device more or less expensive depending on the size of the account stored in memory.
• This portable telephone is intended to be used as portable radiotelephone in a network of the GSM type.
• the subscriber of such a network has an identification card or subscriber identity module (SIM) which, in addition to identifying the subscriber, allows the network to know what the service is. to which the subscriber is entitled, for example normal service (access to all services provided by the network) or limited service.
• SIM subscriber identity module
• the SIM identification card is not necessary since nothing will be billed to the subscriber insofar as he has previously paid the right to use a certain number of telephone call units when he purchased the device.
• the device is recognized by the network, and therefore that the memory 44 contains in addition to the number of call units, an identification of the device as well as an identification of the authorized services.
• the information is transmitted over the network (to the base station) with each call from the portable telephone.
• a portable telephone according to the invention is preferably used only to call another subscriber of the network, provision can be made for it to be able to receive calls from other subscribers. In this case, it is obviously necessary to provide the necessary circuits so that the device can be called regardless of where it is located, which makes it more complex.
• the disposable portable telephone according to the invention obviously contains a battery (not shown) which supplies the energy necessary for its operation.
• a battery (not shown) which supplies the energy necessary for its operation.
• the telephone can only be used for calls (that is to say the preferred embodiment)
• the battery must have a higher capacity, therefore be larger if the device is also used to receive calls from outside.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
• Telephone Set Structure (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9469271

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (8)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (6)

• 1994
  • 1994-11-22 FR FR9414306A patent/FR2727270A1/fr active Granted
• 1995
  • 1995-11-22 WO PCT/FR1995/001542 patent/WO1996016504A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 1995-11-22 AU AU42638/96A patent/AU4263896A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (6)

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