Patent ID: 6614786
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
A dual mode telephone including a ringer circuit, an earpiece, a mouthpiece and an alphanumeric character selector for use with a telephone network in a first mode of operation or with a global information network in a second mode of operation, said dual mode telephone comprising:a configuration memory storing first data for said first mode of operation and second data for said second mode of operation; a control processor coupled to said configuration memory and to said alphanumeric character selector and responsive to user-initiated inputs to said alphanumeric character selector for reading either said first data or said second data from said configuration memory in accordance with said user initiated inputs; an analog signal circuit coupled to the earpiece and mouthpiece for use in the first mode of operation; a digital signal circuit coupled to the earpiece and mouthpiece for use in the second mode of operation; and a mode control switch coupled to said control processor and responsive to a manual user selection for connecting the analog signal circuit to the telephone network for use in the first mode of operation or for connecting the digital signal circuit to the global information network in the second mode of operation, wherein said mode control switch is further coupled to said control processor for automatically connecting said analog signal circuit to the telephone network or said digital signal circuit to the global information network in accordance with said first or second data read from said configuration memory by said control processor.