Hands-free speaker telephone
US6990197B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 8, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jan 24, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 20, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M1/6041
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An improved hands-free speaker telephone designed to provide high-quality sound in a relatively small instrument, while at the same time avoiding acoustic shock to a user pressing the device too closely to an ear. If a speakerphone is mistaken for an ordinary portable or cellular phone, or simply out of misguided habit, a user may intentionally or inadvertently press the speaker against an ear. This action may subject the ear to an overly-loud audio event if the speaker begins producing sound, as hands-free speakerphone speakers are typically set to a much higher volume than those of ordinary phones. The effect, which is sometimes referred to as ‘acoustic shock’, is worsened significantly where the user actually succeeds in sealing the phone around the ear, as commonly (and harmlessly) occurs with standard (personal) phones. To avoid this undesirable phenomenon, the hands-free speakerphone is provided with a seal-proof speaker configuration. The seal-proof design includes various anti-sealing features that may be used individually or in combination. The anti-sealing features of the present invention include a housing for the hands-free speakerphone comprising two main parts that fi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.