WO2000013397A1

WO2000013397A1 - Telephone set

Info

Publication number: WO2000013397A1
Application number: PCT/DK1999/000450
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charlotte Bering
Original assignee: Charlotte Bering
Priority date: 1998-08-26
Filing date: 1999-08-25
Publication date: 2000-03-09
Also published as: AU5279199A

Abstract

In a portable telephone apparatus which is particularly suitable for one-hand operation and where rehandling during operation can be avoided, the ear abutment surfaces are turned in relation the front of the apparatus in such a way that they form an angle with the plane of the front of preferably more than 90°. The user thus avoids rehandling the apparatus and twisting the forearm in all operation phases. The telephone apparatus has preferably two sound exit openings arranged on the right and left side, respectively, of the apparatus. In one preferred embodiment, the apparatus abuts on the gripping surfaces of 2?nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th¿ fingers and not against the palm. It is thus obtained that the tip of the thumb is in a favourable position in relation to the keyboard and that the basic joint of the thumb is free. In a second preferred embodiment, the apparatus may be held with few fingers in a secure and stable way by means of two projections. The projection for the little finger has preferably a special design in order to permit this finger alone to carry the apparatus.

Description

TELEPHONE SET

The present invention relates to a telephone set or apparatus which functions without connection by wire to the telecommunications network, but by contact via an aerial, either to a unit in the vicinity (usually within a distance of not more than 800 m) which is connected to e.g. a subscriber's line in the public telephone system, or to a basis station in a mobile telephone system, and of the type stated in the preamble of claim 1. By the first of the above functions, the apparatus is generally called "a cordless telephone", and by the second function "a mobile telephone". In the following the term portable telephone is used as a generic term for these two concepts.

In the following, the definitions stated below are used:

By the designation:

- "the lower end of the telephone apparatus" is meant the end of the telephone apparatus pointing downwards when the apparatus is kept in the conversation position, i.e. placed against the user's one ear;

- "the upper end of the telephone apparatus" is meant the end of the telephone apparatus pointing upwards when the apparatus is kept in the conversation position, i.e placed against the user's one ear; - "the front side of the telephone apparatus" is meant the side of the apparatus at which the keyboard and/ or display is located;

- "the rear side of the telephone apparatus" is meant the side opposite the front side of the apparatus; - "the left side of the telephone apparatus" is meant the side of the apparatus which, when the telephone apparatus is held in a vertical position in front of the user' s face and with the front side of the apparatus towards the user, is facing left, seen from the user; - "the right side of the telephone apparatus" is meant the side of the apparatus which, when the telephone apparatus is held in a vertical position in front of the user's face and with the front side of the apparatus towards the user, is facing right, seen from the user;

- "the lower portion of the telephone apparatus" is meant the portion of the apparatus containing the lower end;

- "the upper portion of the telephone apparatus" is meant the portion of the apparatus containing the upper end;

- "the lower parts of the keyboard" is meant the parts of the keyboard situated nearest to the lower end of the telephone apparatus;

- "the upper parts of the keyboard" is meant the parts of the keyboard situated nearest to the upper end of the telephone apparatus; - "the ear abutment surfaces" of the telephone apparatus is meant the portions of the outer surface of the telephone apparatus which during a conversation are in abutment against the user's ear;

- "receiver" is meant the telephone receiver or speaker unit which produces sound for the user's ear;

- "microphone" is meant the microphone unit which picks up the sound from the user's mouth;

- "the gripping surfaces" of a finger is meant the surfaces of the finger which, when the hand grip around a cylindrical object such as e.g. a beer can, abut against this object, and which carry the pattern producing a "finger print" ;

- "the upper side" of a finger is meant the side of the finger opposite the gripping surface; - "the outer side" of 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th or 5^th finger means the side of that finger facing away from the 3^rd finger ; and

- "the inner side" of 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th and 5^th finger is meant the side of that finger facing the 3^rd finger. In order to facilitate the understanding of the definitions of other terms used in connection with the hand, these are shown in Fig. 1. Besides, the following definitions and explanations as to hand positions, phases and grips are used:

- "the functional initial position of the hand" is the half-closed hand position where the thumb is close to the other fingers and where all the joints are thus in their centre position;

- "the lifting phase" is the phase where the user lifts the telephone apparatus up from a supporting surface or removes it from a holder meant for this purpose; - "the keying phase" is the phase where the user operates the keyboard and may observe messages appearing on the display;

- "the conversation phase" is the phase in which the telephone apparatus is placed against the user's ear; - "the primary grip" is the grip which is mainly used in both the lifting phase and in the keying phase and the conversation phase and where the gripping surfaces of the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th finger abut on the rear side of the telephone apparatus; and - "the alternative grip" is another grip being made at the upper end of the telephone apparatus and consisting in the gripping surfaces and perhaps also the outer side of the distal phalanx of the index finger abutting on particularly designed surfaces on the rear side of the telephone apparatus and in the grip surface on the distal phalanx of the thumb abutting on the front side of the telephone apparatus, immediately opposite the abutment place of the index finger.

Telephone apparatus of the initially stated kind often have an outer shape which is essentially composed of almost plane surfaces meeting in almost straight edges . However, the said surfaces are frequently curved such that the mutual angle between two such surfaces cannot be determined unambiguously, and the edges are smoothly rounded such that the exact location of an edge is not well defined.

In the present description with claims, the angle between two surfaces or surface portions on the surface of the telephone apparatus (and only such angles) is to be understood in the following way:

For each of the surface portions, the mutual angle of which is to be determined, the normal to the surface portion in the centroid of the surface portion is defined, and the tangent plane of the surface portion in this point is inserted. If the geometrical centre of the surface portion is well-defined, the normal and the tangent plan in this point are used instead. Each normal is orientated in the direction from the inner of the telephone apparatus and outwards from it . At a point on the intersecting line of the tangent planes, a normal is raised to each tangent plane, and these normals are orientated in the same direction as the first mentioned normals .

The angle between the surface portions is now defined as the smallest angle between the positive half- lines of the two oriented normals.

By this definition, e.g. the angles between two adjacent surfaces on a bar with a cross section as a regular hexagon will be 60°; the angles between two adjacent surfaces on a bar with a square cross section will be 90°; and the angles between two adjacent surfaces on a regular tetrahedron will be about 109.47° The said centroid of the surface portion is defined as the physical centre of mass for a body of the form as the surface of the surface portion, with an infinitesimal thickness and with an even mass distribution. The centroid will usually not lie in the very surface, but in practical cases there will be only one surface normal passing through the centroid.

It is stated in the description and claims that the telephone apparatus according to the invention can rest on a supporting surface such as the top side of a table. This is to be understood such that the apparatus is meant to take a certain rest position in which it rests steadily against the supporting surface, and in which the front side of the apparatus is facing upwards. When wordings such as "facing the supporting surface .." are used in the description and claims, these wordings are to be understood as "facing the supporting surface ... when the apparatus occupies the said certain position on the supporting sur- face".

It is common knowledge among users of portable telephones that operation of the apparatus places the user in a dilemma. On one hand, it will in many situations be convenient and practical to operate the keyboard of the port- able telephone with one hand, in which the apparatus is also held (one-handed operation) , which in practice means that the keyboard is operated by the thumb of this one hand. On the other hand, this is connected with difficulties as will be described in the following. US patent 5,332,322 discloses a telephone apparatus of the initially stated type and designed for one-hand operation, which telephone apparatus has abutment faces on the rear side for 2^nd- 5^th finger. The telephone apparatus presents furthermore projections on the rear side, both in its lower and upper end, whereby the telephone apparatus can be lifted from a supporting surface for operation without rehandling.

Generally known portable telephones on the market have substantially the form of a box of a more or less el- ongated character and a smaller thickness in relation to its width, where keyboard, display, receiver and microphone are situated on the front side and/or rear side of the box. There are thus no form adaptations on the portable telephone such as recesses, projections or the like which per- mit to grip the apparatus securely during operation of the keyboard without involving the carpometacarpal (basic) joint of the thumb and the ball of the thumb ( t enar) .

Furthermore, such box- shaped portable telephone apparatus are known where the ear abutment surface is placed on the rear side of the telephone apparatus, i.e. opposite the keyboard and perhaps the display.

When a telephone apparatus of the box-shaped type rests in the hand in the keying position, the keyboard of the apparatus is very close to the thumb, as the apparatus is held in the hand by the other fingers pressing the apparatus against the thumb ball, and the apparatus thus lies essentially in the middle of the hand. The first phalanx and the distal phalanx of the thumb extend closely across the keyboard and essentially in the same plane as this. The anatomy of the joints has the effect that because of the above conditions, the movement which is to actuate the keys must be made by a sideways movement in the carpometacarpal joint which due to aforesaid reason is partially blocked and is furthermore twisted to an extremely abducted outer position when the parts of the keyboards nearest the thumb are to be operated.

Whereas movement of the finger tip over the key- board crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the telephone apparatus is essentially effected by movement in the carpometacarpal joint, the movement of the finger tip between the upper and lower parts of the keyboard is essentially effected by movement in the distal interphalangeal joint of the finger, as the metacarpophalangeal joint of the finger is essentially fixed in an outer position, i.e. as bent as possible.

These conditions put together have the effect that the thumb has to work in an extremely awkward and rather unpleasant way, which in addition makes it difficult to use the finger in a precise way, one of the reasons being that it is the inner side of the distal phalanx of the finger and not the finger tip which operates the key, easily resulting in an involuntary actuating of neighbouring keys, and furthermore an extremely critical use of the thumb from an ergonomic point of view as the carpometacarpal joint is a saddle joint that does not endure overloading in its extreme positions where the articular cartilage is thinnest . Finally, this problematic working position of the hand is further deteriorated as the palm of the hand is turned upwards during operation of the keyboard, and at the same time the arm is held in front of the body which means that the bones of the forearm are twisted and therefore the arm is tense in a way which is not suitable for precision work .

The said conditions also entails that by one-hand operation of conventional portable telephone, a tiredness or malaise may occur in the thumb. It must be assumed that these mentioned conditions cause many users of portable telephones to chose to operate the apparatus by two hands, such that the apparatus is held in one hand and the key- board is operated by one of the fingers of the other hand.

Another inconvenience of the portable telephones known on the market is that in the lifting phase when the apparatus is lifted from a supporting surface or from holder made for the purpose, the user has to rehandle the portable telephone up to several times to turn it to a position in the hand where the keyboard may be operated. Furthermore, the apparatus must be rehandled when changing from the keying phase to the conversation phase as the telephone apparatus has thus to be turned in the hand such that the right or left side of the apparatus is moved to the distal phalanx of the thumb which is involved in holding the apparatus in the conversation phase.

A third inconvenience of the portable telephones known on the market is that the grip used to hold the appa- ratus in the conversation position is problematic of several reasons, as described in the following. As the abutment surfaces of the apparatus for holding it in the conversation position are essentially constituted only by the right and left side of the apparatus, and as these abutment surfaces are of minor width, typically 1-2 cm, and as the grip is essentially effected by means of the distal portions of the fingers, i.e. preferably by use of the gripping faces of the middle and distal phalanx of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd finger and the apparatus is only to a minor degree resting against other parts of the hand, this grip is rather unstable. Therefore, a considerable force is required from the said fingers when holding the apparatus. Furthermore, as the grip is typically made in the lower end of the portable telephone, and as the upper end of the apparatus where the receiver is arranged, during conversation is pressed against the ear, the apparatus may easily turn unintentionally in the hand and tilt away from the ear which makes the user tighten the grip further. The thumb in this grip being turned away from the other fingers and the hand thus not being in its functional initial position, which position is best for strong hold and precision grip, implies that holding the apparatus is both tiresome and uncomfortable for the hand, not at least for the thumb, which the user will know especially by long conversations.

As a consequence, as a user of a portable telephone, one tries to vary the conversation grip in order to avoid strain of the hand, which because of the design is possible only to a minor extent, and as well in order to counteract said turn of the apparatus in the hand, one would often move the index finger to the rear side of the apparatus where the finger in a stretched position is pressed against this side in the upper end of the apparatus, which action makes the conversation grip even more uncomfortable and problematic from an ergonomic point of view.

Furthermore, it is a drawback by the portable tele- phones known on the market which have the receiver situated on the front side, i.e. the same side as the keyboard, that the keyboard in the conversation phase abuts in part against the cheekbone of the user, and that the keys can thus be actuated involuntarily. Besides the above substantial problems by the rectangular flat form, there is also the fact that since such an apparatus during use is placed lying down in the palm and being gripped essentially involves or blocks all five fingers, the fingers and thus the hand are only to a minor degree or not at all available for other functions or actions during breaks in conversations or calls.

Finally, it must be mentioned that the common design of portable telephones does not leave many possibil- ities for variations in the design, which for aesthetic reasons, both visually and kinaesthetically would be desirable in as much as portable telephones constitute a still more important feature in our every-day life. There is thus a considerable potential market for new design elements in the design of portable telephones.

It is the object of the invention to provide a telephone apparatus of the initially stated kind which is suitable for one-hand operation, where the said inconven- iences in connection with rehandling at the transition from the keying phase to the conversation phase are avoided, and where very many possibilities to modify the outer shape of the telephone apparatus are opened up as well.

This is obtained in that the telephone apparatus has ear abutment surfaces forming an angle with the keyboard of 60°-155°, preferably 80°-130° and in particular preferred 92°-110°.

By the fact that the telephone apparatus has ear abutment surfaces forming an angle with the front side of the apparatus, it is obtained that the user places the right or left side of the apparatus and not its front side or rear side against the ear, whereby the user avoids rehandling at the transition from the keying phase to the conversation phase just as turning of the forearm bones at the same transition is avoided. It is further obtained that the right or left side, respectively, of the apparatus is of such a design that the apparatus can in a stable manner be placed on a supporting surface, resting on its right or left side, whereby it is obtained that the alternative grip can be used.

Furthermore, it is obtained that the keys cannot be triggered involuntarily by the contact of the apparatus with the cheekbone, as the keyboard is not facing the user. Finally, rich opportunities for variation in designing the outer shape of the telephone apparatus are obtained, as the mutual angular displacement of the operation surfaces for the keyboard and the receiver, respectively, entails that the three-dimensional aspect to a high degree may be utilised in the designing process.

By the features of claim 2, the placement of the apparatus on a supporting surface is stabilised, to which the design of the telephone apparatus stated in claim 1 also contributes, as the side facing the supporting surface of the portion of the telephone apparatus containing the receiver by its width may function as a supporting surface. It is further obtained that the telephone apparatus when placed against the ear follows the form of the user's head in a pleasant way as the inclination stated in claim 2 of the ear abutment surface entails that the telephone apparatus to a considerable extent is adapted to the anatomy of the head. The features stated in claim 3 enable a fully satisfying sound transmission from the telephone apparatus to the user's ear, and a completely satisfactory operational ergonomics no matter by which hand the user holds the telephone apparatus. Furthermore, the telephone apparatus can optionally be placed against either the right or the left ear, in both cases without having to rehandle the apparatus .

By the features of claim 4, an advantageous embodiment of the telephone apparatus according to claim 3 is obtained.

The features mentioned in claim 5 permit to disconnect the receiver which has no abutment against the user's ear, whereby no unwanted sound signals are transmitted to the surroundings. The features of claim 6 permit a particularly advantageous control where the user can conveniently decide which of the receivers are to transmit sound.

An especially advantageous embodiment is described in claim 7. By designing the telephone apparatus with 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd abutment surfaces which are mutually arranged in such a way that together they form a bridge or an arch, the 2^nd and 3^rd abutment surfaces being constituted by projections in the form of knobs, hooks or walls, it is obtained that preferably 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th fingers are lead under the said curve when the apparatus is picked up in "the primary grip", so that the gripping surfaces of the fingers abut against the first abutment surfaces. Thus is obtained that the position of the apparatus in the hand during the lifting phase is identical to the position necessary for the keying, whereby both rehandling the apparatus and turning of the forearm bones are avoided by the transition from lifting phase to keying phase. Furthermore, the said disadvantages for the thumb in the keying function are avoided, and the user need not rehandle the apparatus when shifting from lifting phase to keying phase .

By providing the telephone apparatus in its lower end with second abutment surfaces situated on a curved projection in the form of a knob or preferably a hook, it is obtained that the telephone apparatus in both the keying phase and the conversation phase may be secured in the hand in a stable manner merely by means of 5^th finger, since this finger closes around the said projection. It is thus obtained that without any risk of being dropped, the apparatus can be held, resting merely against the fingers and not against the palm.

This entails that the palm of the hand, including the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb are not involved in supporting or securing the telephone apparatus in the hand, and consequently, this carpometacarpal joint and the remaining palm in the keying phase have their entire mobility at the disposal for the operation of the keyboard, just as it entails that the keyboard is in a relatively long distance from the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb and that during keying, the thumb essentially points towards the keyboard such that the angle between the plane of the keyboard and the longitudinal direction of the distal joint is large, i.e. larger than 30°.

These effects result in an ideal initial position for the pointing and keying functions of the thumb and in that this finger may have a comfortable and ergonomically well functioning moving pattern.

Besides, it will be possible to obtain a higher precision when keying because it is the finger tip and not the side of the distal phalanx of the thumb which operates the key, and thus erroneous triggering of neighbouring keys is more easily avoided.

Finally, it is obtained that the moving pattern of the thumb does not include any loading injurious to the carpometacarpal joint of this finger.

It being possible to secure the telephone apparatus in the hand only by means of 5^th finger, it is also obtained that when operating the keys, depending on which key to push, the hand is free to modify its position to more or less open positions, whereby the mutual distance and position between keys and thumb tip can be varied considerably in a diagonal direction. Thereby, the keying function of the thumb may be effected even more freely and without difficulties . In that the telephone apparatus at its lower end is provided with a knob or preferably a hook, it is further obtained that when the user holds the apparatus in his hand, with the arm hanging down slack along his side, the apparatus is secured in the hand in a way especially relax- ing and comfortable for the hand and the arm.

In that the telephone apparatus at its upper end is provided with third abutment surfaces being placed on a projection in the form of a hook, or preferably a wall, it is obtained that the index finger with abutment of the outer sides of its middle and distal phalanxes against said wall, can move the telephone apparatus forward and backward over the gripping surfaces of 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th finger by changing its position to be more or less stretched. The mutual position between the thumb tip and the keys may thus be varied in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus, and the keying function of the thumb may be effected more freely and easily. Furthermore, in the "alternative grip" by means of the abutment of the outer side of 2^nd finger against the third abutment surfaces, the apparatus is prevented from sliding down and out of the hand, and therefore this grip may be made in a relaxed way.

By knobs, hooks or wall projecting from the form of the telephone apparatus, it is obtained that the apparatus easily may be removed from a pocket or sheath, preferably by the index finger and in some cases also the thumb grasping one of said projections.

The features of claim 8 enable a particularly secure grip of the telephone apparatus with the user's little finger.

The features in claim 9 provide the user with a very considerable freedom when handling the apparatus, as by means of the shackle or hoop the apparatus so to speak holds itself in place in the hand in that the form of the apparatus surrounds 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th fingers. Furthermore, it is possible to incorporate the aerial of the apparatus into the apparatus in a particular way, as it can be placed inside the hoop, with the advantages this may entail for both the functioning of the aerial and for a possibility for shielding against the radiation hazard for the user. In addition, the telephone apparatus is both in horizontal and vertical plane wedge-shaped in its lower end, and the apparatus is thus suitable for arrangement in a conical sheath, the apparatus being wedged and secured therein merely by its form.

By the features in claim 10, it is obtained that the microphone of the telephone apparatus is close to the mouth when the apparatus is held in the conversation posi- tion and the surface intended for this purpose thus is placed against the ear, as the combination of the said arrangement of the microphone and the inclination of the ear abutment surfaces mentioned in claims 1-2 means that the position of the microphone at the same time is directed forwards along the jaw and turned inwards towards the vertical median plane of the face.

By the features of claim 11, it is obtained that the sound is lead to the microphone in an efficient way no matter which of the ear abutment surfaces abuts against the user' s ear.

By the features in claim 12, "the alternative grip" may be used, and may function without any risk of the thumb involuntarily actuating the keys of the telephone apparatus. This grip being available for the user, the apparatus may conveniently be lifted from a supporting surface when the apparatus is resting at this surface on its right or left side, and when the user's hand approaches the appar- atus sideways or with the palm facing downwards. Furthermore, the hand position used by conversation may be considerably varied by means of the alternative grip which is also an advantage by conversations of a longer duration.

By the subject matter of claim 13, it is obtained that parts of the first abutment surfaces, preferably also of the third abutment surfaces, partially surround the distal phalanx of the 2^nd finger and in part also the middle phalanx, whereby the telephone apparatus may thus in a stable manner be controlled by said finger, and the tele- phone apparatus can thus be handled with the greatest possible precision, variation and flexibility. Furthermore, the telephone apparatus is narrow where the first and third abutment surfaces meet, measured at right angles to the plane of the front side and rear side, whereby the thumb when involved in holding the telephone apparatus by means of the alternative grip occupies its functional initial position close to the index finger which position is suitable for the thumb to hold an instrument or the like. By means of this grip, the handling of the apparatus is com- fortable for the user and does not strain the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb.

Yet another advantageous embodiment is described in claim 14. By this embodiment, the above mentioned inconveniences are avoided in connection with holding of the appar- atus, especially in the conversation position.

By the facts that the lower end of the telephone apparatus is of minor width along the plane of the front side and rear sides; that the lower half of the apparatus is in the same plane gradually tapered; and that at its lower end, the front side of the apparatus is curved downwardly in the direction toward the rear side; it is obtained that the hand in the primary grip can occupy its functional initial position which is the most convenient position for the hand and ideal from an ergonomic point of view for both a strong hold and a precision grip. The use of this grip further prevents the apparatus from turning in the hand when the user presses the apparatus against the ear, since both the palm and the fingers encircle and support the telephone apparatus to a large extent. Furthermore, it is possible without breaks in the use of the apparatus to use the hand for other functions and purposes without having to displace the apparatus due to it being narrow which permits the hand to hold the apparatus while the distal phalanxes of the fingers are free from touching the apparatus, and the finger tips are thus partially free and movable .

The features in claim 15 permit the telephone ap- paratus to be placed on a supporting surface in a stable manner .

The features in claim 16 permits the telephone apparatus to be placed in a support intended for this purpose and such that it can e.g. be hung on a wall or be used with a so-called "hand-free installation set for a portable telephone" in a means of transportation. By the device for engaging in the support preferably being arranged on the rear side of the telephone apparatus, it is attained that the telephone apparatus may be lifted from the support by using the primary grip, with the resulting advantages.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by means of three embodiment examples with reference to the drawings, where:

Fig. 1 shows the definitions of the parts of the hand as used in this application;

Fig. 2 shows a telephone apparatus according to the invention in a first embodiment, seen obliquely from the side ; Fig. 3 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 seen obliquely from above;

Fig. 4 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 seen from the side; Fig. 5 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 seen from the front side;

Fig. 6 shows a telephone apparatus according to the invention in a second embodiment, seen obliquely from the side ; Fig. 7 shows the telephone apparatus in fig. 6 seen obliquely from below;

Fig. 8 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 6 seen from the side and lying "reversely", with its front side against the supporting surface; Fig. 9 shows a telephone apparatus according to the invention in a third embodiment, seen obliquely from the side ;

Fig. 10 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 9 seen from the side; Fig. 11 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 held in a user's hand in the primary grip in the lifting phase ;

Fig. 12 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 held in a user's hand in the primary grip in the keying phase;

Fig. 13 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 6 held in a user's hand in the primary grip in the conversation phase;

Fig. 14 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 6 held in a user's hand in the alternative grip;

Fig. 15 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 6 held in a user's hand in the primary grip in the conversation phase; and

Fig. 16 shows the telephone apparatus in Fig. 2 held in a user's hand, pushed forward in the hand, in the primary grip in the keying phase .

The same referential designations are used for the same elements in all figures. Definitions and explanations concerning hand positions, phases and grips:

- "the functional initial position of the hand" is the half closed hand position where the thumb is close to the other fingers and where all joints are thus in their centre position;

- "the lifting phase" is the phase where the user lifts the telephone apparatus up from a supporting surface or removes it from a support meant for this purpose (see Fig. 11) ;

- "the keying phase" is the phase where the user operates the keyboards and may observe messages appearing on the display (see Fig. 12 and Fig. 16) ;

- "the conversation phase" is the phase where the telephone apparatus is placed against the user's ear (see

Fig. 13 and Fig. 15); and

- "the primary grip" (see Fig. 12) is the grip which is primarily used in the lifting phase, in the keying phase and the conversation phase, and which consists in that the gripping surfaces of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th fingers

(see Fig. 1) abut against the first abutment surfaces 5

(Figs. 4, 8, 10), whereas the outer side of the first and middle phalanx of 5^th finger (see Fig. 1) may abut against the second abutment surfaces 10 (Figs. 4, 8, 10), and the outer side of the middle and distal phalanx of 2^nd finger (see Fig. 1) may abut against the third abutment surfaces 11 (Figs. 4, 8, 10) .

In the lifting phase (see Fig. 11) 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th finger are by the primary grip introduced under the telephone apparatus which is then lifted by these fingers abutting against the first abutment surfaces and the user picking up the apparatus.

In the keying phase (see Fig. 12), the primary grip may be varied by changing the user's hand position to be more or less closed, and by moving the telephone apparatus more or less forward in the hand in a direction away from the user by means of 2^nd finger (see Fig. 16) . The apparatus can be moved in a such way in that the index finger moves to a more or less stretched position because the outer side and the gripping surface of the distal phalanx of the finger and in part also the middle phalanx or maybe the tip of the finger abut against the cavity 14 (Figs. 4, 8, 10) or the indentation 15 (Fig. 2) mentioned in claim 4 and arranged where the first and third abutment surfaces meet. These variation possibilities will as stated especially be appropriate for use in the keying phase where the mutual position between the thumb tip and the different areas of the keyboard may thus be varied, depending on which part of the keyboard is to be operated at the actual moment .

In the conversation phase (see Figs. 13 and 15), the primary grip will typically be carried out with the addition that the thumb with its tip or with the gripping surface of its distal phalanx (see Fig. 13) abuts against the fourth abutment surfaces 29 (Figs. 3, 6, 10) of the front side of the apparatus or against the right or left side 6 of the apparatus (Figs. 5, 7, 9) and thus supports the apparatus . A second embodiment of the primary grip which can advantageously be used during the telephone conversation consists in that the telephone apparatus is held in the hand merely by means of the little finger (however, with a slight support e.g. from the thumb) , in that the little finger seizes around the first projection 7 of the telephone apparatus (see Figs. 2, 6, 10), as the finger with the gripping surfaces and outer side of its first and middle phalanx abut on the second abutment surfaces 10

(Figs. 4, 8, 10) . This method of holding the apparatus in the hand can also be used in the keying phase, and besides, at any time when the apparatus is held in the hand, e.g. when the arm hangs down along the body.

"The alternative grip" (see Fig. 14) is another grip to be used in the lifting phase and in the conversation phase. The grip is made at the upper end of the appar- atus and consists in the gripping surface and perhaps also the outer side of the distal phalanx of the index finger abutting against the rear side of the telephone apparatus in the cavity 14 (Figs. 4, 8, 10) which is arranged where the first and third abutment surfaces meet, and that at the same time, the gripping surface on the distal phalanx of the thumb abutting against the fourth abutment surfaces 29 on the front side of the apparatus, immediately outside the abutment position of the index finger.

In the lifting phase, the alternative grip will typically be used when the telephone apparatus is lifted from a supporting surface 23 (Figs. 4 and 10) where it is resting on the side and where the hand approaches the ap- paratus with the palm facing downwards.

In the conversation phase the alternative grip will be usable as a variety for the primary grip, and thus provide the user with the possibility for varying the hand position in the conversation phase considerably which will be an advantage especially during conversations of longer duration.

E X A M P L E 1 The telephone apparatus according to the invention is here described in a first embodiment la (see Fig. 2) . The telephone apparatus la is narrow and elongate and has a length of about 15.6 cm (the aerial not included) . In its lower end 2 (see Fig. 5) , in the plane of the front side and rear side, the apparatus is strongly tapered, and in its upper end 3 (Fig. 5) slightly tapered. The left and right side 6 of the apparatus (fig. 5) as a consequence hereof being curved, the width of the apparatus varies between 14-43 mm. The apparatus is most wide at about one third of its length measured from the upper end of the apparatus, and most narrow in its lower end. Besides, the front side 4 of the telephone apparatus

(see Fig. 4) is in the lower end of the apparatus strongly curved downwards in the direction towards the rear side, and in the upper end of the apparatus slightly curved downwards in the same direction. This way of tapering and curving downwards of the lower end of the apparatus permits the hand to close around the apparatus in a pleasant manner (see Fig. 12) and fur- thermore makes it possible to hold the apparatus merely be means of the little finger.

The lower end 2 of the apparatus is provided with a downwardly curved first projection 7 (see Fig. 4) and the upper end 3 with a downwardly curved second projection 8 (Fig. 4) . Both projections are designed as a hook turning inwardly below the apparatus, and the projections carry each their end of a shackle or hoop 9 (Fig. 2) extending under the telephone apparatus in the longitudinal direction L (Fig. 2) at a distance of about 18-25 mm from the rear side of the apparatus. The distance may vary due to the curved form of the rear side (see Fig. 4) .

The side 28 of the hoop (Fig. 4) facing the supporting surface 23, acts as the supporting face 27 of the apparatus. The hoop is smallest in the lower end 7 of the apparatus and has a width of about 13-18 mm. The hoop is thinnest in the lower end of the apparatus and has a thickness of about 7-10 mm.

The hoop provides the user with a very large free- dom in the handling of the apparatus, as it is almost impossible to drop it no matter how it is handled, because the telephone apparatus and the hoop together surround 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th finger. The user may e.g. enter on the keyboard, while lying on his back and holding the apparatus in front of him with the front side facing downward, or the user may, when the apparatus is carried around, have it hanging loose in the hand in a bent finger.

Furthermore, the hoop entails that the apparatus has a wedge-shaped contour in its lower end 7 which makes the apparatus suitable for arrangement in a sheath where it will be retained because of its wedge shape.

When the apparatus is lifted and when it is generally held in the hand in "the primary grip", the gripping surfaces of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th finger abut against the rear side 5 of the apparatus (Fig. 4) . The inner side 10 (see Fig. 4) of the first projection 7 is during handling suitable to form abutment for the gripping surface and the outer side of the little finger, whereas the inner side 11 (Fig. 4) of the second projection 8 form abutment for the outer side of the index finger.

This way of arranging the apparatus in the hand when lifted, used for keying and during conversation, pre- vents quite a few rehandlings and provides the thumb with the best possibilities for a well-functioning, pleasant and harmless moving pattern for operating the apparatus, due to the relatively large distance and mutual position between the thumb tip and keys, and because the thumb is not involved in the grip and may thus move entirely freely (see Fig. 12) .

A display 12 and a keyboard 13 are arranged on the front side of the telephone apparatus (Fig. 5) . The keyboard is situated close to the lower end of the appar- atus . As the front side in the upper part of the apparatus is thus kept free from keys, this area (optionally including the display) called the fourth abutment surfaces 29 (Fig. 3) can be used as abutment surface for the thumb.

It is thus possible to use "the alternative grip" (see Fig. 14) where the apparatus is held merely by means of the thumb and the index finger, whereby the index finger abuts against the rear side of the apparatus opposite said abutment place for the thumb. This grip is in particular used when the apparatus is lifted from a supporting surface where it has been placed on the side, and during conversation as a change for the "primary grip" .

The rear side 5 of the telephone apparatus (Fig. 4) is rounded towards the left and right side 6 of the apparatus (Fig. 5), just as these two sides are inclined slightly inwards towards the rear side, both in order to follow the curve of the fingers when they hold the apparatus. Besides, the thickness of the apparatus is increased slightly in the direction towards the upper end 3 of the apparatus (see Fig. 4), such that the rear side will be larger in this direction. These features together provide a pleasant and stable contact between the hand and the telephone apparatus. In close proximity to the second projection 8, the rear side has a cavity 14 (Fig. 4) extend- ing crosswise to the longitudinal direction L (Fig. 2), acting as an abutment for the distal and middle phalanxes of the index finger. Because of this cavity, the index finger can by bending and stretching, respectively, move and control the apparatus in the hand and thus facilitate the keying and the handle, in general, of the apparatus in a stable, flexible and vivid way.

The said cavity further comprises an indentation of a more circular character 15 (see Fig. 2) which further- more extends downwards by the inner side 11 of the second projection 8. Because of this indentation, the apparatus may be controlled as described above also by means of the tip of the index finger which furthermore increases the extent and possible variation of the movement. In the first projection 7 (Fig. 4) a double-sided microphone (or two separate microphones) is arranged, and the said projection has two sound entrance openings 16

(see Fig. 2) for transmission of sound from the user's mouth to the microphone (microphones) . These sound entrance openings are placed on the right and left side, respectively, of the said projection. Relative to a supporting surface 23 (Fig. 4) these sides are inclined in such a way that the right and left side, respectively, form an angle A (Figs. 3; 7) with the plane of the supporting surface of about 85°. The first projection 7 (Fig. 2) is thus vaguely wedge-shaped with the narrow side downwards in the direction towards the supporting surface 23 (Fig. 4) .

In the second projection 8 (Fig. 4), a double- sided receiver (or two separate receivers) is arranged with two alternative ear abutment surfaces 17 (see Fig. 4), i.e. an ear abutment surface on the left side of the telephone apparatus for abutment of the user's right ear, and an ear abutment surface on the right side of the telephone apparatus for abutment of the user's left ear. This second projection is also wedge-shaped, as it is narrowed downwards against the supporting surface 23 (Fig. 4) in such a way that the ear abutment surfaces 17 are rotated relative to the supporting surface. An angle B (Fig. 3; 7) between the ear abutment surfaces for the right and left ear, respectively, and the supporting surface constitutes thus about 79°. In a symmetrical way, each ear abutment surface, being vaguely convex, is at the middle provided with a sound exit opening 18 (see Fig. 3) for transmission of sound from the receiver (one of the receivers) to the user's ear.

A second angle H (see Figs. 3 and 6-7, respectively) between the front side 4 of the telephone apparatus with the keyboard 13 and the ear abutment surfaces 17 is in the embodiment shown about 101°. In the embodiment shown, the angle H is the complementary angle to angle B. The angle H is defined and measured in the way described in the beginning, but is shown in a simplified manner in Fig. 3.

In practice, the angle H is the most important of the two angles as it is this angle between the keyboard and the ear abutment surface which provides the described ergo- nomic advantages for the user. Since the telephone apparatus as described above is double-sided, the user might wish to install a device on the apparatus which in the conversation phase disengages the receiver and microphone of one side, such that the apparatus during the conversation is functionally one-sided. This is to ensure that the receiver and microphone function during conversation is directed only towards the user and does not disturb or involve irrelevant persons.

According to the invention, this device can act as a toggle switch such that one side function can only be disengaged by engaging the other side function, in that two operation points 19 (see Fig. 5) may be placed in each their side of the front side of the apparatus exactly where the user's thumb typically abuts against the apparatus in the conversation phase, and since a contact with the switch of the actually used side should not switch off the functioning of this side.

Alternatively, the apparatus can be provided with two sensors, one on the ear abutment surface 17 for the left ear (Fig. 2) and one on the ear abutment surface for the right ear, which by activation engage the receiver and microphone of the chosen side and leave them engaged until only the sensor on the second side is touched. The aerial 22 (Fig. 4) of the telephone apparatus can e.g. protrude from the upper end of the apparatus and extend in parallel with the supporting surface 23, as shown on the drawing. However, the aerial can advantageously be built into the hoop, which i.a. provides certain ad- vantages as to the design.

The aerial can furthermore be directed in another direction or protrude from another point on the apparatus than shown on the drawing.

The battery of the telephone apparatus is according to the invention meant to be placed underneath the display 12 (Fig. 5) such that it lies in a drawer 20 (see Fig. 3) which can be drawn out in the upper end of the telephone apparatus. Alternatively, the access to the battery could be made by forming the apparatus such that its front side can be opened with a flap so that the display is opened (as shown on Fig. 4) and that the battery lies in a compartment thereunder. According to the invention, the apparatus may be recharged e.g. by a plug inserted in a receptacle 21

(Fig. 3) in the upper end of the apparatus. The telephone apparatus may be provided with a device for holding the apparatus in a support intended therefor. This support can be mounted on a piece of furniture or a construction part, or on another typically inclined or vertical surface, e.g. in a car or in another means of transportation. The device 30 (Fig. 4) is placed on the rear side of the apparatus and preferably in the upper end of the apparatus, such that the apparatus can be removed from the support by means of the primary lifting grip (see Fig. 11) . The device can be designed as two grooves of 1-2 cm, one on the right side and on the left side of the apparatus, extending from the side 28 of the apparatus facing the supporting surface, (Fig. 4) and obliquely upwards/forwards in the direction towards the point of the apparatus where the aerial 22 departs therefrom on the drawing (Fig. 4) . The support has two pins pointing towards each other and fitting the grooves of the apparatus, and the device functions when the user by a downward movement "engages" the apparatus downwardly over the pins which then pull the apparatus in place in the holder.

E X A M P L E 2 The telephone apparatus according to the invention is here described in a second embodiment lb (see Fig. 6) . The telephone apparatus lb is identical to the telephone apparatus la, except for the features described in the following.

The telephone apparatus in the embodiment lb (Fig. 6) differs substantially from the telephone apparatus la in that it is not provided with a hoop and in that the first and the second projection, respectively, are not formed as a hook.

The first projection 7 is formed as a downwardly curved knob which is pointed in the direction of the lower end 2 of the telephone apparatus (see Fig. 8) . The side of this knob, facing the supporting surface, is vaguely rounded in the longitudinal direction L of the telephone apparatus, and acts as one supporting face 27 of the ap- paratus (Fig. 7) . This supporting face is about 14 mm large and about 5 mm long (in relation to the longitudinal direction of the telephone apparatus) . The inner side of the first projection which constitutes the second abutment surfaces forms an angle C (Fig. 6) with the supporting surface of about 53° .

The second projection 8 (see Fig. 8) is, seen from the right or left side of the telephone apparatus, of a circular character, as the side of the projection facing the supporting surface, is rounded to a circular form. The projection acts as a second supporting face 28 (Fig. 7) in the place where this circular form is touched by the supporting surface. The second projection is in this place of the same width as the supporting face on the first projection of the apparatus, i.e. about 14 mm.

The inner side 11 (Fig. 6) of the second projection 8 is formed as a wall which extends obliquely in the direction downward toward the supporting surface such that it forms an angle D (Fig. 6) with the supporting surface of about 68°. This wall is plane (however, as stated, rounded at the supporting surface) , and the embodiment lb of the telephone apparatus is thus not (see Fig. 8) provided with the circular cavity 15 mentioned in connection with the embodiment la (Fig. 2) .

The aerial can be directed in another direction, or protrude from another point on the apparatus than shown on the drawing. In Figs. 6-7 is in more detail illustrated the method defined in the introductory part of this description for measuring the angle between two surface portions of the telephone apparatus.

The surface portion containing the keyboard of the telephone apparatus 13 is arranged within a closed encircling curve K extending in the surface of the front side 4. The centroid of the surface portion K is assumed to be the point N which is situated at a distance 33 beneath the surface of the front side 4 of the telephone appar- atus.

The normal to the surface portion K, passing through the centroid N is designated by P in Fig. 6. The normal P defines a tangent plane to the surface portion K, which tangent plane in Fig. 6 is indicated by two orthogonal lines 31-32.

In a corresponding way, a surface portion is defined by M having a centroid Q, a normal R and a tangent plane 34-35.

The two tangent planes 31-32 and 34-35 are assumed to intersect each other in an intersection line 36. The two normals P, R are now displaced translatorily to a point S on the intersection line 36 where they are designated PI, Rl , and the wanted angle H between the front side 4 of the telephone apparatus with the keyboard 13 and the ear abutment surface 17 now appears as the angle H between the positive directions of the two displaced normals PI, Rl (see Fig. 6) . The formation of the angle H is furthermore showed slightly simplified in Fig. 7.

E X A M P L E 3 The telephone apparatus according to the invention is here described in a third embodiment lc (see Fig. 9) . The telephone apparatus according to the invention is in the embodiment lc identical with the telephone apparatus la, except for the features described in the following .

The telephone apparatus lc (Fig. 9) differs es- sentially from the telephone apparatus la in that it is not provided with a hoop and in that the portion containing the receiver is so to speak "drawn away" from the other portions of the telephone apparatus.

The length of the telephone apparatus constitutes in this embodiment about 17.5 cm (not including the aerial) and its width constitutes about 18-42 mm, as the apparatus is widest approximately at the middle (in the longitudinal direction L) .

In the upper end, the apparatus is not curved down- wardly towards the rear side (see Fig. 10) . The first and second projections of the apparatus have both just like on the telephone apparatus la the form of a hook turning in under the apparatus .

The first projection 7 (Fig. 10) is on its side facing the supporting surface 23 (Fig. 10) provided with a plane supporting face 27 (Fig. 10) This supporting face is about 19 mm wide and 21 mm long (measured in the longitudinal direction L of the telephone apparatus) . The projection is besides about 17-19 mm wide as it tapers upwards in a wedge-shaped manner such that its sides form an angle E (Fig. 9) with the supporting surface of about 92°. The projection is about 9 mm thick. The hook 8 of the second projection (see Fig. 10) is essentially smaller than the hook 7 of the first projection, and it does not touch the supporting surface when the apparatus is placed on such a surface. The second pro- jection is about 11-14 mm wide, most narrow towards the point of the hook, and about 4-14 mm thick, thinnest toward the point of the hook. The inner side 11 of the projection is not provided with a circular cavity 15 as mentioned in connection with the telephone apparatus la (Fig. 2) .

The portion containing the receiver is as mentioned "drawn away" from the remaining portions of the telephone apparatus, as the portion is "joined" with the other parts by means of a narrow "neck" 24 (Fig. 9) . The neck is sloping downwards in the direction towards the supporting surface (see Fig. 10) under an angle G (Fig. 10) with this surface of about 46°. The width of the neck decreases downwards and constitutes about 14-20 mm. Its thickness constitutes about 14 mm. The fourth abutment surfaces 29 of the telephone apparatus (Fig. 10) comprise in the embodiment lc also the front side 25 (Fig. 10) of the said neck, which entails that the alternative grip can be performed in an extremely pleasant way where the gripping surface on the distal phalanx of the thumb (Fig. 1) abuts against the front side of the neck, whereas the gripping surface on the middle and distal phalanx of the index finger abuts on the third abutment surfaces, which are constituted of the inner side 11 (Fig. 10) of the second projection, which side in this embodiment also constitutes the rear side 26 of the neck (Fig. 10) .

The portion containing the receiver tapers as in the embodiments la and lb downwards in a wedge-shaped manner, however, such that an angle F (Fig. 9) between the ear abutment surface of the right and left ear, respectively, and the supporting surface constitute about 84°.

A second angle J (see Fig. 9) between the front side 4 of the telephone apparatus with the keyboard 13 and the ear abutment surfaces 17 with the sound exit openings 18 is in the shown embodiment about 96°. In the shown embodiment, the angle J is the complementary angle to the angle F. The angle J is defined and measured in the initially described way, but is shown in Fig. 9 in a simplified manner.

In practice, the angle J is the most important of the two angles as it is this angle between the keyboard and the ear abutment surface which provides the mentioned ergo- nomic advantages for the user.

The portion with the receiver is rounded to an almost circular form, seen from the right or left side of the apparatus. The projection acts as a second supporting surface 28 (Fig. 10) on the place where this form is touched by the supporting surface 23 (Fig. 23) . The portion has a width of 13-23 mm as it is thus most narrow at the supporting surface.

The aerial can be directed in another direction, or protrude from another point on the apparatus than shown on the drawing.

Even though the surface portion carrying the keyboard in the foregoing has been shown and described as being parallel to the supporting surface seen in a section crosswise to the longitudinal direction L of the telephone apparatus (Figs. 2, 6, 9), the invention is not to be considered as limited to these embodiments. There is thus nothing to prevent the telephone apparatus according to the invention from being designed with the keyboard arranged obliquely, seen in the said section.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A telephone apparatus to be used without a wire connection to the telecommunications network, with a front side with a keyboard and/or a display, with a rear side, with a receiver and with a microphone, and of the kind:

- where the telephone apparatus is adapted to be transported, to be held in the user's one hand during use and to be able to rest on a supporting surface, such as a desk top; - where the outer shape of the telephone apparatus comprises abutment surfaces forming abutment for the gripping surfaces of the hand when the apparatus is held in the user' s hand during handling or operation;

- where the outer shape of the telephone apparatus comprises ear abutment surfaces forming abutment for the user's ear during conversation; and

- where a user operates the keyboard by means of the thumb on the hand in which the apparatus is held or by means of the fingers of the opposite hand, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the ear abutment surfaces form an angle with the keyboard of 60┬░ -155┬░, preferably 80┬░-110┬░, and especially preferred 92┬░-110┬░.

2. A telephone apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the said angle is larger than 90┬░, and in that the side facing the supporting surface, of the portion of the telephone apparatus containing the receiver, has a width crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the apparatus of 5-25 mm, preferably 8-20 mm and particularly preferred 10-16 mm.

3. A telephone apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the telephone apparatus has two alternative ear abutment surfaces, i.e. a first ear abutment surface for the user's right ear and a second ear abutment surface for the user's left ear.

4. A telephone apparatus according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the telephone apparatus has two receivers of which a first receiver is arranged in the first ear abutment surface and the second receiver is arranged in the second ear abutment surface .

5. A telephone apparatus according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the telephone apparatus has switching means for transmission of signals to only the first or the second of the receivers.

6. A telephone apparatus according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the switching means are controlled automatically by sensors and/or control means, depending on whether the first or the second ear abutment surface is in abutment against an object such as the user's ear or head.

7. A telephone apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the abutment surfaces mentioned in claim 1 comprise:

- first abutment surfaces for the gripping surfaces of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th fingers;

- second abutment surfaces for the outer side of the first and middle phalanx of 5^th finger; and - third abutment surfaces for the outer side of the middle and distal phalanx of 2^nd finger;

- the first abutment surfaces constituting a part of the rear side of the telephone apparatus;

- a first projection, such as a knob or preferably a hook, protruding from the lower end of the apparatus and essentially directed towards the supporting surface, which projection has a side facing the upper end of the telephone apparatus, forming the second abutment surfaces; and

- a second projection, such as a hook or preferably a wall, protruding from the upper end of the rear side of the apparatus, which projection has a side facing the lower end of the telephone apparatus, forming the third abutment surfaces .

8. A telephone apparatus according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the first projection has the form of a ring or preferably a hook with its open end directed towards the upper end of the telephone apparatus, which ring or hook has an inner diameter dimensioned to surround the distal or the middle phalanx of a user' s little finger.

9. A telephone apparatus according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the first projection carries a first end of a shackle or hoop extending below the telephone apparatus in its longitudinal direction, at a distance of 10-40 mm, preferably 15-30 mm, and particularly preferred 18-25 mm from the rear side of the apparatus, and in that the second projection carries the second end of the hoop.

10. A telephone apparatus according to any of the claims 7-9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the microphone is arranged in the first projection.

11. A telephone apparatus according to claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the first projection has two sound entrance openings for transmission of sound from the user's mouth to the microphone, the two sound entrance openings being preferably arranged on the right and left side, respectively, of the projection.

12. A telephone apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the telephone apparatus has fourth abutment surfaces for the gripping surface of the distal phalanx of the thumb, which abutment surfaces are constituted of parts of the front side of the telephone apparatus and are essentially kept free from keys .

13. A telephone apparatus according to any of the claims 7-12, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a cavity extending across the longitudinal direction of the tele- phone apparatus is cut on the rear side of telephone apparatus and immediately adjacent to the hook, preferably wall, formed by the third abutment surfaces, which cavity is suitable for abutment of the gripping surface and the outer side of the distal and middle phalanx of 2^nd finger, and in that this cavity preferably further comprises a rounded indentation which also continues down the third abutment surfaces as well, said indentation being suitable for abutment of portions of the distal phalanx of 2^nd finger.