US6115616A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hand held telephone set with separable keyboard
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1998-05-28
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Granted: 2000-09-05
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Expires: 2018-05-28
Abstract
Abstract A detachable keyboard for a telephone set is provided in the form of a keyboard card clipped to the headset, which is completely detached from the body when unclipped. Wireless communication between the handset body and keyboard is used when the card is unclipped, while contacts are activated in the clipped position so that the wireless handset then functions as in the case of a non detachable keyboard.
Inventors
- 👤 Arnold Halperin
- 👤 Joseph D. Rutledge
- 👤 Alejandro Gabriel Schrott
- 👤 Charles P. Tresser
- 👤 Robert Jacob von Gutfeld
- 👤 Chai Wah Wu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 05:10
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M1/00; H04M1/02; H04M1/0202; H04M1/0254; H04M1/23; H04M1/72; H04M1/724; H04M1/72403; H04M1/72409; H04M1/72412
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
178 words
A hand held telephone set with a separable keyboard comprising: a handset body housing a microphone and a speaker, said handset body including a series of first contacts and a receiver and a switch which activates said first contacts and deactivates said receiver when the keyboard is attached to the handset body and activates said receiver and deactivates said first contacts when the keyboard is detached from the handset body; and a keyboard card having a numeric keypad attachable and detachable between the microphone and speaker on the handset body, said keyboard card including a series of second contacts mating with said series of first contacts, said first contacts being hidden when the keyboard card is attached to the handset, said keyboard card further including a transmitter to transmit keyboard information to the receiver in the handset, and a switch which activates the second contacts and deactivates said transmitter when the keyboard card is attached to the handset body and activates the transmitter and deactivates the second contacts when the keyboard card is detached from the handset body.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
178 words
A hand held telephone set with a separable keyboard comprising: a handset body housing a microphone and a speaker, said handset body including a series of first contacts and a receiver and a switch which activates said first contacts and deactivates said receiver when the keyboard is attached to the handset body and activates said receiver and deactivates said first contacts when the keyboard is detached from the handset body; and a keyboard card having a numeric keypad attachable and detachable between the microphone and speaker on the handset body, said keyboard card including a series of second contacts mating with said series of first contacts, said first contacts being hidden when the keyboard card is attached to the handset, said keyboard card further including a transmitter to transmit keyboard information to the receiver in the handset, and a switch which activates the second contacts and deactivates said transmitter when the keyboard card is attached to the handset body and activates the transmitter and deactivates the second contacts when the keyboard card is detached from the handset body.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the receiver in the handset and the transmitter in the keyboard card are wireless.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes a battery for powering the keyboard card when detached from the handset body.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 3 wherein the keyboard card includes circuitry which is normally in a dormant mode and activates only when a key is pressed on the key pad.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the transmitter in the keyboard card comprises passive tags which, when queried, modulate a reflected wave.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes a dual tone, multi-frequency (DTMF) generator responsive to the keypad to generate DTMF signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 6 wherein the keyboard card further includes a modulator for modulating a carrier signal with the DTMF signals, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 6 wherein the keyboard card further includes: a DTMF receiver for generating a multi-digit code; and a modulator responsive to the multi-digit code for modulating a carrier signal, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the keyboard card includes: a memory addressed by the keypad for generating a multi-digit code; and a modulator responsive to the multi-digit code for modulating a carrier signal, the modulated carrier signal being broadcast to the handset body.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the telephone set is a wireless telephone.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The hand held telephone set as recited in claim 1 wherein the telephone set is a cellular telephone.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-09-05 | 2004-03-06 | 2004-09-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-09-05 | 2008-03-06 | 2008-09-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-09-05 | 2012-03-06 | 2012-09-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |