US 4,536,622 A · Remote telephone on-hook, off-hook control and indication circuit

Abstract

A telephone handset arranged to operate completely independently of a base comprises switches for effecting a connection with a telephone line and a manually operable pushbutton for operating the switches. The pushbutton is biased to hold the switches in a first position to place the telephone handset OFF-HOOK. Successive manual operations of the pushbutton places the switches in a second position wherein the telephone handset is ON-HOOK. The pushbutton also includes a lip for latching the switches in the second condition to hold the telephone handset ON-HOOK. A neon bulb is located in the handset to signal when ringing appears on the telephone line.

A telephone handset comprising:

a handset housing containing a transmitter and a receiver and having a dial mounted on its front side on a front enclosure wall for said housing, said wall having formed therein an aperture communicating with the interior of said housing and having an aperture axis passing through said aperture transverse to said wall, a chassis disposed in said housing in fixed relation therewith so as to be beneath and spaced from said aperture, said chassis having formed therein a pair of slots, a frame disposed in said housing between said aperture and chassis and having formed therein a guideway extending in the direction of the aperture-chassis spacing, a pair of clips joined to said frame and extending from said frame through said slots, said clips terminating away from said frame in respective tabs facing toward the side of said chassis away from said frame and each adapted to make engagement with such side, and said clips being dimensioned and unlocked in said slots to allow said frame to be angularly rockable relative to said chassis and housing in the direction towards and away from said transmitter, a push button received in said aperture so that the front and back ends of said button are, respectively, outside and inside said housing, said button having a button axis extending between said ends and a body portion disposed intermediate said ends and received with a sliding fit in said guideway, and said button having formed in its front end and on a side thereof in the direction towards or away from said transmitter a recessed knee of "L" shape in cross-section in such direction so as to be bounded by first and second button surfaces substantially normal to each other, and of which said first surface extends inward from said side to form a lip on said button, and said second surface extends from the inner edge of said first surface in the axial direction of said button to the top of said button at its front end, a compression spring interposed between said chassis and a rearward part of said push button so as to urge said button outwardly, a stop formed on said button and adapted by engagement with said frame to communicate thereto such urging of said spring, said button and frame being adapted by manipulation of said button to be movable together between a reference angular position at which said button and aperture axes are parallel and said button is slidably movable in said frame between innerpost and outermost operating positions and, on the other hand, a displaced angular position at which said button and aperture axis are at an acute angle and said lip is beneath a portion of said wall adjacent said aperture, said spring being adapted when said button and frame are at such displaced angular position to displace such button translationally outward so as to bring said lip into friction contact with such wall portion and, thereafter and by such friction contact, to yieldably maintain said button and frame in said displaced angular position against the bias of a resilient force produced by said spring, said spring button and frame being further adapted, when said button and frame are at said reference angular position, to operate so that said frame and chips are driven outward by said urging to bring said tabs into said engagement with said chassis side to thereby stabilize said frame to yieldably maintain said button and frame at said reference angular position while permitting angular displacement of said button and frame away from such position against the bias of said resilient force produced by said spring;
said handset further comprising, switch means disposed in said housing adjacent the back end of said button and adapted when, respectively, said button is in either of said innermost operating and displaced angular positions and, alternatively, said button is in said outermost operating position, to be actuated by said back end of said button to assume, respectively, a first open condition corresponding to an ON-HOOK condition for said handset, and a second close condition corresponding to an OFF-HOOK condition for said handset.

Description3,501 words

Summary834 words

#This invention relates to telephone station circuits and more particularly to a circuit for effecting ON-HOOK, OFF-HOOK control and ringing indication in a telephone handset.

#Many modern telephone sets have the dial located in the handset with the transmitter and receiver, instead of located in the permanently positioned base, thereby giving the telephone user greater mobility while using the telephone set. One such telephone set is the Trimline.RTM. Telephone Set manufactured by the Western Electric Co., Inc. of New York, N.Y.

#Since the dial is located in the handset, only the length of the handset cord limits the dialing convenience of a telephone user. Also included in the telephone handset is a push-button switch which when depressed opens the tip and ring lead connection between the telephone handset and the user's telephone line, thereby terminating the present connection. Release of the button switch reconnects the tip and ring leads of the telephone handset with the user's telephone line, thereby establishing a second connection to receive dial tone. Thus the pushbutton switch located in the handset and electrically connected in series with the base mounted switch hook affords the user greater mobility since not only can the user dial by using the handset dial, but a first connection can be terminated and a second dial tone connection established by depressing and releasing the pushbutton switch located on the handset.

Brief description of the drawings3 figures

#Other features and advantages of the invention, its organization, construction, and operation will be best understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a telephone handset;

#FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a pushbutton switch as it is assembled within the telephone handset; and

Detailed description2,586 words

#Referring now to FIG. 1 there is seen a dial-in-handset telephone set 10 having a dial 11, a receiver 12 and a transmitter 13 all interconnected with a telephone line comprising TIP and RING leads located in cable 14.

#Also positioned in telephone set 10 is pushbutton switch 20, which when fully depressed, operates to open the TIP and RING leads extending from telephone 10 to disconnect telephone set 10 from the telephone line.

#FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the operation of pushbutton switch 20 within telephone set 10. The upper surface 21 of switch 20 protrude through an opening 22 located in the front enclosure wall 15 of the telephone set housing 23. Switch 20, having a rectangular-shaped body 24, has two spike-shaped legs 25, 26 extending in a downward direction from the lower edge 27 of body 24. A lip, or latch, 28 extends perpendicularly from lower portion 29 of body 24 in a direction toward the transmitter 13 end of handset 10 and is arranged to catch onto a lower surface of edge 30 of opening 22 when pushbutton switch 20 is moved toward transmitter 13 and lip 28 is positioned directly beneath edge 30 so as to prevent pushbutton 20 from fully protruding through opening 22.

Facts

Application

06/426,359Filed 29 Sep 1982

Granted

20 Aug 1985

Term ended

29 Sep 2002

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification4 codes

H04M 1/0202
Constructional features of telephone sets: portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets
H01H 13/62
Having a single operating member: the contact returning to its original state upon manual release of a latch
H04M
Telephonic communication
H01H
Electric switches

Remote telephone on-hook, off-hook control and indication circuit

Life of this patent

Remote telephone on-hook, off-hook control and indication circuit

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims1

Description3,501 words

Drawings

Classification4 codes

Life of this patent

Description3,501 words