Mobile radiotelephone apparatus and method

Claim 2

A mobile radiotelephone device comprising telephone control means for controlling operation of a mobile radiotelephone including supervisory logic means, channel finding means for initiating through said supervisory logic means operation of channel seeking action, said channel finding means including signal generating means for cyclically emitting a signal, signal communication means responsive to said signal generating means to cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means, said supervisory logic means having means for emitting a reduced voltage signal responsive to simultaneous receipt of said reduced voltage signal from said signal communication means and a signal indicating that an idle channel is available, channel available means for initiating an audible or visual signal responsive to a signal from said supervisory logic means indicating that an idle channel has been seized, whereby said channel finding means will cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means and thereby provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal to said channel available signal means and said channel finding will have been initiated and completed without the need to remove the telephone handpiece from its cradle.

Claim 3

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 1 including said signal generating means in an astable multivibrator.

Claim 4

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 2 including said signal communication means including a switching transistor operatively associated with said astable multivibrator and being connected to ground.

Claim 5

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 3 including said channel available signal means being an audio oscillator and operatively associated speaker for emitting an audible signal when said radiotelephone has seized an available channel.

Claim 6

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 4 including said audio oscillator emitting an audible signal responsive to a voltage being applied thereto.

Claim 7

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 4 including first conductor means for providing a first electrical path connecting a first portion of said channel finding means with said supervisory logic means, second conductor means for providing a second electrical path connecting a second portion of said channel finding means with said supervisory logic means, and power supply conductor means connecting said channel finding means with said telephone control means.

Claim 8

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 6 including connecting switch means for simultaneous opening or closing of the connection between said channel selector means and said first conductor means, said second conductor means and said power supply conductor means.

Claim 9

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 6 wherein said first conductor means includes hook switch means for providing electrical communication between said channel finding means and said supervisory logic means during channel selection and for being further operable responsive to the removal of the telephone handset from its cradle, whereby said cycle multivibrator signal will responsively turn on said switching transistor to place said first conductor means in a low voltage state which low voltage signal will be passed through said hook switch to said supervisory logic means and provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel, said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal on said second conductor means to said channel available signal means which will emit a responsive signal.

Claim 10

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 8 including diode means interposed between said second conductor means and said first conductor means to permit passage of the supervisory logic means low voltage signal to said first conducting means thereby maintaining said first conductor means in said low voltage state, whereby seizing of said available channel will maintain said first conductor means in said low voltage state regardless of said cyclic switching transistor being on or off, and if said radiotelephone has not seized an available channel, said supervisory logic means will not emit a low signal through said diode means, and said hook switch means will receive a high voltage signal when said switching transistor goes to an off state, thereby signaling the end of said effort to find a channel until the next said on state of said switching transistor.

Claim 11

A mobile radiotelephone device comprising telephone control means including supervisory logic means, channel finding means for initiating through said supervisory logic means operation of channel seeking action, and said channel finding means having voltage signal altering means for cyclically altering the voltage passing from said channel finding means to said supervisory logic means between a first level and a second level with one of said levels signaling to said supervisory logic means an effort to seek an idle channel on which to place a call, and the other said level indicating absence of such an effort, whereby said channel finding means will cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means and thereby provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal to said channel available signal means and said channel finding will have been initiated and completed without the need to remove the telephone handpiece from its cradle.

Claim 12

A mobile radiotelephone device comprising telephone control means including supervisory logic means, channel finding means for initiating through said supervisory logic means operation of channel seeking action, and said channel finding means having voltage signal altering means for cyclically altering the voltage passing from said channel finding means to said supervisory logic means between a first level and a second level with one of said levels signaling to said supervisory logic means an effort to seek an idle channel on which to place a call, and the other said level indicating absence of such an effort, whereby said channel finding means will cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means and thereby provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal to said channel available signal means and said channel finding will have been initiated and completed without the need to remove the telephone handpiece from its cradle.

Claim 13

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 10 including said signal altering means including means for cyclically diverting said first or second voltage signal to ground, thereby emitting a low voltage signal to said supervisory logic means to signal an effort to seek an idle channel.

Claim 14

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 11 including said first voltage level being higher than said second voltage level.

Claim 15

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 10 wherein said signal altering means includes a switching transistor.

Claim 16

The radiotelephone device of claim 13 including said signal altering means including signal generating means for cyclically emitting a signal.

Claim 17

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 14 including said signal generating means including an astable multivibrator.

Claim 18

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 15 including said signal communication means including a switching transistor adapted to be connected to ground in its on state to permit a reduction in the level of voltage passing therethrough as compared with the level of voltage when said switching transistor is in its off state.

Claim 19

The mobile radiotelephone device of claim 15 including said channel finding means including audible or visual indications emitted responsive to a predetermined voltage being applied thereto in order to indicate the presence of a seized available channel in said radiotelephone.

Claim 22

The method of obtaining an available radiotelephone channel of claim 18 including emitting an audible or visual indicator signal when a said available channel has been seized.

Claim 23

The method of obtaining an available radiotelephone channel of claim 19 including reducing said voltage by cyclically connecting a circuit portion to ground.

Claim 24

The method of obtaining an available radiotelephone channel of claim 19 including initiating said indicator signal by a low voltage signal from said supervisory logic means.

Claim 25

A mobile radiotelephone available channel finder for radiotelephones having supervisory logic portions for coordinating operation of the radiotelephone in conjunction with the hook switch operable by removing a telephone handset from a cradle comprising channel finder circuit means cooperable with said supervisory logic portion of said radiotelephone, said channel finder circuit means including first switch means for turning said channel finder on and off, first conductor means for establishing a first electrical path connecting a first portion of said channel finder to said radiotelephone through the telephone hook switch, second conductor means for establishing a second electrical path connecting a second portion of said channel finder to said supervisory logic portion, second switch means for connecting and disconnecting the electrical path established by said second conductor means between said channel finder and said supervisory logic portion, said channel finder circuit means having voltage signal altering means for cyclically reducing the voltage signal transferred to said telephone hook switch, whereby said supervisory logic portion will interpret said reduced voltage signal as an effort to locate an available channel in order to place an outgoing call, and said channel finder circuit means including channel seizure indicating means operably responsive to said telephone for signaling seizure of an available channel, whereby said channel finding means will cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means and thereby provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal to said channel available signal means and said channel finding will have been initiated and completed without the need to remove the telephone handpiece from its cradle.

Claim 26

A mobile radiotelephone available channel finder for radiotelephones having supervisory logic portions for coordinating operation of the radiotelephone in conjunction with the hook switch operable by removing a telephone handset from a cradle comprising channel finder circuit means cooperable with said supervisory logic portion of said radiotelephone, said channel finder circuit means including first switch means for turning said channel finder on and off, first conductor means for establishing a first electrical path connecting a first portion of said channel finder to said radiotelephone through the telephone hook switch, second conductor means for establishing a second electrical path connecting a second portion of said channel finder to said supervisory logic portion, second switch means for connecting and disconnecting the electrical path established by said second conductor means between said channel finder and said supervisory logic portion, said channel finder circuit means having voltage signal altering means for cyclically reducing the voltage signal transferred to said telephone hook switch, whereby said supervisory logic portion will interpret said reduced voltage signal as an effort to locate an available channel in order to place an outgoing call, and said channel finder circuit means including channel seizure indicating means operably responsive to said telephone for signaling seizure of an available channel, whereby said channel finding means will cyclically deliver a reduced voltage signal to said supervisory logic means and thereby provide an indication that an effort to initiate a call is to be made and if said telephone has locked in an available channel said supervisory logic means will emit a low voltage signal to said channel available signal means and said channel finding will have been initiated and completed without the need to remove the telephone handpiece from its cradle.

Claim 27

The mobile radiotelephone available channel finder of claim 22 including switch coordinating means for operating said first switch means and said second switch means simultaneously.

Claim 28

The mobile radiotelephone available channel finder of claim 22 including said voltage signal altering means including multivibrating means operatively associated with a switching transistor.

Claim 29

The mobile radiotelephone available channel finder of claim 24 including said channel seizure indicating means being an audio oscillator and operatively associated speaker.