Automatic handset-speakephone switching arrangement for portable communication device

Claim 2

A wireless personal communicator, comprising: a portable unit including an input-to-electrical transducer and an electrical-to-audio output transducer; range detection apparatus for measuring a distance of the portable unit from a user; conversion apparatus connected to respond to the range detection apparatus and responsive to a measured threshold distance for controlling a mode of operation of the communicator and a transition from a handset modal operation below a threshold distance and thence through a transition modal-free region to a speakerphone operation at a distance greater than the threshold distance.

Claim 3

A wireless personal communicator as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising: the range detection apparatus comprising; a source of radiant energy; a detector of radiant energy; circuitry for evaluating an intensity of radiation received by the detector of radiant energy from the source of radiant energy.

Claim 4

A wireless personal communicator as claimed in claim 2, and further comprising: a second source of radiant energy connected to illuminate the detector of radiant energy for calibration thereof.

Claim 5

A wireless personal communicator as claimed in claim 2, and further comprising: modulation circuitry for modulating an output of the source of radiant energy, and filtering circuitry for limiting illumination of the detector of radiant energy within a bandpass frequency range.

Claim 6

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device, comprising: a portable subscriber handheld structure including in a single package, an audio input-to-electrical transducer and an electrical-to-audio output transducer, the electrical-to-audio output transducer selectively alternatively operative in one mode of operation of an ear coupled handset mode, a continuous transition mode and an open air loudspeaker mode; a control for controlling selection of the mode of operation for the electrical-to-audio output transducer, including: range detection apparatus for determining a distance between the electrical-to-audio output transducer of the handheld structure and an ear of a user of the handheld structure; and signal control means for controlling an electrical information signal sent to the electrical-to-audio output transducer to optimize its operation in the selected one of the ear coupled handset mode, the transition mode and the open air loudspeaker mode.

Claim 7

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device, comprising: a portable subscriber handheld structure including in a single package, an audio input-to-electrical transducer and an electrical-to-audio output transducer, the electrical-to-audio output transducer selectively alternatively operative in one mode of operation of an ear coupled handset mode, a continuous transition mode and an open air loudspeaker mode; a control for controlling selection of the mode of operation for the electrical-to-audio output transducer, including: range detection apparatus for determining a distance between the electrical-to-audio output transducer of the handheld structure and an ear of a user of the handheld structure; and signal control means for controlling an electrical information signal sent to the electrical-to-audio output transducer to optimize its operation in the selected one of the ear coupled handset mode, the transition mode and the open air loudspeaker mode.

Claim 8

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising: the range detection apparatus including; a source of infrared light, pulsed at an rf frequency, and included in the handheld structure; an infrared light detector; a filter tuned to the rf frequency and coupled to receive for a defined time duration from the infrared light detector; and circuitry for converting an output of the filter to a distance measure.

Claim 9

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising: a secondary sensor for detecting close proximity of the portable subscriber handheld structure with an ear of the user; and circuitry responsive to the secondary sensor for restricting the control for controlling selection to an ear coupled handset mode.

Claim 10

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device as claimed in claim 7, and further comprising: the secondary sensor including apparatus for tactile contact of the portable subscriber handheld structure with an ear of the user.

Claim 11

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device as claimed in claim 6, and further comprising: the circuitry for converting including a gated integrator for for measuring an output of the filter and an analog-to-digital converter for providing a digitized value for the distance; and the signal control means being responsive to the digitized value for the distance.

Claim 12

A wireless portable personal radiotelephone communication device as claimed in claim 5, and further comprising: the signal control means including dynamic circuitry connected to control information signals applied by the telephone communication signal processing circuitry to the electrical-to-audio output transducer in order to shape acoustical output waveforms and set an acoustical amplitude from the electrical-to-audio output transducer in order to optimize acoustic signals to the user for the mode of operation selected.

Claim 15

A method of operating a portable wireless communication device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the steps of: modulating the radiant energy beam and recovering the reflected beam and restricting response for measurement to beams at the modulating frequency.

Claim 16

A method of operating a portable wireless communication device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the steps of: directly illuminating apparatus used for detecting a recovered reflected beam with a second source of illuminating in order to evaluate reliability of the measurement of distance operation.

Claim 19

A method of operating a portable wireless communication device as claimed in claim 14 and comprising the further steps of: illuminating the user with a radiant energy beam and recovering reflections from the user in order to measure a distance.

Claim 20

A method of operating a portable wireless communication device as claimed in claim 14 and comprising the further steps of: modulating the radiant energy beam, and recovering the reflected beam and restricting response for measurement to beams at the modulating frequency.

Claim 21

A method of operating a portable wireless communication device as claimed in claim 14 and comprising the further steps of: directly illuminating apparatus used for detecting a recovered reflected beam with a second source of illumination in order to evaluate reliability of the measurement of distance operation.