Telephone handset for mixed-mode voice-and-TDD data communication

The present invention relates to long-distance communication devices for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

[0002] [Conventional technology] A hearing-impaired person communicates by telephone line by using a long-distance communication device (TDDs: Telecommunication devices for the deaf) for the deaf and hard of hearing, and is a teletype writer. (TTYs) are also known. TTDs are similar to portable laptop computers, except for the common ones, which can only display one or two lines of text that combines some alphabets and numbers. TTDs can communicate over telephone lines in standard communication speed communication protocols (asynchronous, no carrier, half-duplex, frequency shift keying, 45.45 baud).

[0003] Approximately 10 years ago, most TDDs were equipped with acoustic couplers that resembled suction cups and were installed in standard telephone handset. TDDs now communicate through the microphone and speaker of the handset. Nowadays, most TDDs plugs go directly into the wall phone jack, and, interestingly, expensive models come with an acoustic coupler that allows you to connect the phone's handset.

[0004] Some TDDs users want to use voice-TDD mixed communication. That is, the user wants to use TDD for communication, while he wants to use TDD for voice. For example, a deaf person who can speak clearly wants to receive by TDD and respond by voice. Conversely, a person who can hear well but has difficulty speaking wants to receive it by voice from the other party and respond by TDD. People want to communicate with such a mixed model, and similarly, on the other hand, people have to use acoustic couplers in TDDs at the end of this call, and the telephone handset is continuous. It must be fitted into the acoustic coupler and removed from the TDD acoustic coupler for continuous switching between TDD and voice communication. It's very cumbersome and fragmented.

[Means for Solving the Invention] The present invention is intended to solve such problems and disadvantages of the prior art. According to one aspect of the invention, the handset and handset of the telephone handset are detachably attached to each other, and when removed, either the handset or the handset is human. Can be used by different users to listen and talk on the phone. At the same time, the receiver and the other end of the transmitter can be used to receive or transmit data by the acoustic coupler, respectively. According to another aspect of the invention, the telephone handset consists of a handset, a handset and a handle, the handset is detachably attached to one end of the handle and the handset is attached to and detached from the other end. Possible to be attached, the handset and handset, respectively, can be removed separately to allow a human user to hear and speak, respectively, by telephone, and at the same time, by using an acoustic coupler, the handset and handset. The speaker allows data to be received or transmitted.

[0006] The telephone handset allows, in the present invention, the handset to be conveniently used in both mixed TDD-voice and standard method operations. The present invention thus enables the voice terminal of any user whose handset is used and equipped like a mixing method terminal. If a detachable and independent handset is attached to the head mount, both hands will be free for typing in TDD operation, and both hands will be free when using the handset when operating the receive-voice / transmit-TDD method. It will be even easier. If the handset is equipped with a device that automatically mutes the sidetone path when transmitted by TDD, the user will not hear his or her TDD communication tone signal when typing.

[0007] These or other features and the advantages of the present invention will be further clarified by giving a concrete example using the figure shown below.

[Embodiment of the Invention] FIG. 1 is a specific embodiment of the handset 100 of the telephone of the present invention. The handset 100 conventionally has a handset 102 having a speaker 103, a handset 104 having a microphone 105 and a handset code 107, and a handle 106 between the handset 102 and the handset 104. As in the past, the components 102-106 are single hollow fuselage. In the present invention, the components 102 to 106 are discontinuous elements and are detachably attached to each other at the 108 and 110 joints. Alternatively, if the handle 106 and the transmitter 104 are fixed to each other, the junction 110 is absent. Joints 108 and 110 are snap joints and twisted joints as examples of prior art. The handset 100 in which the components 102 to 106 are connected to each other can be used as a conventional device. However, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, when separated at the junction 108 or 110, the components 102-106 can be easily used in the mixing method TDD-voice communication in the following cases: It allows the other component 102 or 104 to be used with the TDD200 acoustic coupler 202 while one component 102 or 104 is used in the same way as a handset. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the handset 102 and the handset 104 can be separated from each other at an appropriate distance, and the speaker 103 is connected to the handset cord 107 by a long cord 109. When the components 102 to 106 are connected as shown in FIG. 4, the cord extends to the handle 106, is stored in the handle 106, or is connected by the wireless link 113. The transmitter 115 is connected to the transmitter 104 and the receiver 116 is connected to the receiver 102.

[0009] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, if the user wants to transmit by TDD200, and by the acoustic coupler 202 of TDD200, he wants to receive audio on the handset 104, and by his or her ears, he wants to receive on the handset 102. If, as shown in FIG. 2, the handle 106 is connected to the handset 102, and the user manually touches the handset 102 to his or her ear. However, this is awkward if he or she needs to type and send on the TDD200. Therefore, one preferred method, as shown in FIG. 3, is that the user effectively uses the head mount 400 with the handset 102, like headphones, and holds the handset 102 in his or her ear for a hands-free condition. Configure. In this configuration, the handle 106 is unnecessary, it is not desired to be attached to the handset 102, and therefore the junction 100 is also removed.

[0010] When the user wants to transmit by speaking, install the handset 102 on the acoustic coupler 202 of the TDD200 and receive by the TDD200, and hold the handset 104 at his or her mouth position using the handle 106. Figure 4 shows.

It goes without saying that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the specific examples described above. For example, if the handset includes a device that automatically mutes the sidetone path when the TDD is transmitting through the handset when the speaker is input, the user is typing in the TDDs. Can't hear. Such changes or modifications are not considered out of the spirit, are within the scope of the invention, and do not result in diminished benefits. Therefore, such changes and modifications are covered by the enumerated claims, except as limited by the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a handset of a telephone including a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a first embodiment of the handset of FIG. 1 in a mixed transmit-TDD / receive-voice environment.

FIG. 3 is a second embodiment of the handset of FIG. 1 in a mixed transmit-TDD / receive-voice environment.

FIG. 4 is an example of the handset of FIG. 1 in a mixed transmission-voice / reception-TDD environment.

[Code Description] 100 Handset 102 Handset 103 Speaker 104 Handset 105 Microphone 106 Handle 107 Code 108 Junction 109 Cord 110 Junction 113 Wireless Link 115 Transmitter 116 Receiver 200 TDD202 Acoustic Coupler 400 Head Mount