Abstract:
An improved detachable conference telephone and particularly a structure allowing microphone seats to detach and separate from the conference telephone main body. The structure mainly includes a conference telephone main body to couple with a plurality of microphone seats linking by wire reels. When using in conferences, users may detach the microphone seats from the main body and move the microphone seats closely to input audio voice so that poor audio transmission resulting from distant conference telephone may be prevented from happening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates to a detachable conference telephone and particularly a conference telephone adaptable for use in different sizes of conferences with adjustable distances between microphones of the conference telephone and participants to prevent poor audio transmission resulting from distant microphones.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    The rapid developments of business franchises, chain stores, and enterprise groups in recent years have greatly stretched the distances among the branch offices and subsidiaries. Communications among the business units scattered at different locations has become a huge challenge. For instance, to gather people from various remote branches and offices to the headquarter for meetings is time consuming and costly. The effect is dubious. To overcome the problems of conducting meetings for remote locations, conference telephone  9  (as shown in FIG. 1) has been developed and introduced. Using this facility to connect telephone lines, people at remote locations or offices can participate meetings or conferences without physically going to the head office. This type of conference generally has a conference telephone  9  located at the center of a conference table. The conference telephone  9  has a plurality of microphones  91 ,  92  and  93  to receive the speaking voices of the participants. While such a facility may resolve some of the problems set forth above, it often happens that the conference telephone  9  cannot receive the speaking voice properly because of the microphones are located at a distance from the speakers. Participants often have to repeat the speaking or raise the voices, or try to get closer to the microphones  91 ,  92 ,  93  to get their voices heard and received. As a result, the proceeding and effectiveness of the meeting is severely compromised or impaired.  
           [0005]    As the distance between the participants and microphones is the main factor that cause undesirable telephone receiving, to use detachable microphones so that participants may speak to the microphone closely will resolve the problems incurred to the conventional conference telephones.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The primary object of the present invention is to provide a detachable conference telephone that mainly employs extension lines to allow microphones detached from the conference telephone main body so that meeting participants can speak to the microphones closely to achieve a better conversation and communication effect.  
           [0007]    The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional conference telephone.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a wire winding means of the invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a left side view of a wire winding means of the invention, at a releasing state.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a right side view of a wire winding means of the invention, at a releasing state.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a left side view of a wire winding means of the invention, at a withdrawing state.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a right side view of a wire winding means of the invention, at a withdrawing state.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the invention, with a coil wire.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of a microphone seat coupling with the housing chamber.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is another fragmentary sectional view of a microphone seat coupling with the housing chamber. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    Referring to FIG. 2, the invention mainly includes a conference telephone main body  1  to couple with at least one microphone seat  2 . The main body  1  has an interior space for housing required circuits and at least one housing chamber  13  formed on the peripheral rim to hold and anchor the matching microphone seat  2 . Each microphone seat  2  is linked to the main body  1  through a wire reel  3  such that the microphone seat  2  may be detached and removed from the main body  1  to allow people at a distance from the main body speaking closely to the microphone seat  2  to get a better audio transmission quality.  
         [0019]    The conference telephone main body  1  includes an upper casing  11  and a lower casing  12 , and houses required circuits therein. As mentioned before, the main body  1  further has at least one housing chamber  13  formed on the peripheral rim to hold and anchor the matching microphone seat  2 . Each microphone seat  2  is linked to the main body  1  by a wire reel  3 .  
         [0020]    In order to facilitate the releasing and withdrawing operations of the wire reel  3 , a wire winding means is provided in the microphone seat  2  and housed in an outer casing  21  of the microphone seat (the outer casing  21  consists of a shell  211 , a matching bottom cap  212  and a side cap  213 ). The wire winding means consists of a left casing  24 , a right casing  23 , a teethed disk  25 , a push rod  26 , a latch bar  27  and a spiral spring  28 . Details will be elaborated as follows.  
         [0021]    The left and right casing  24  and  23  may be coupled to form a completed casing for housing other components. At the upper rims of the left and right casing  24  and  23 , there are rod troughs  231  and  241  which may be coupled to house the push rod  26 . There is a transverse latch groove  232  located at the bottom ends of the rod troughs  231  and  241  for holding the latch bar  27 .  
         [0022]    The teethed disk  25  has a selected diameter, a plurality of teeth  253  formed on the peripheral rim thereof, and a torsional ring  251  located on one side for holding the spiral spring  28 . The torsional ring  251  has a notch  2511  for anchoring one end  281  of the spiral spring  28 .  
         [0023]    The push rod  26  has a push button  261  located at the top end. The push button  261  has a button rim  2611  at a lower side which is slightly larger than the rod trough. The bottom end of the push rod may be pressed downwards against a sloped section of the latch bar  27  for moving the latch bar  27  rearwards.  
         [0024]    The latch bar  27  has a sloped section  271  formed on an upper side of a block element to match the bottom end of the push rod  26 , and an extended section  272  located at one end which is slightly smaller than the block element and an end rim  2321  of the latch groove  232 . The extended section  272  couples with a spring  273  to allow the latch bar  27  engaging with the teethed disk  25  under normal conditions.  
         [0025]    The spiral spring  28  is mounted on one side of the teethed disk  25 , and has one end  281  anchoring to the notch  2511  of the torsional ring  251  and another end anchoring to a strut  234  located on the side wall of either the left or right casing.  
         [0026]    By means of the construction set forth above, when in use in a meeting or conference (referring to FIGS. 4 and 5), press directly the push rod  26  to urge the sloped section  271  of the latch bar  27 , the latch bar  27  will be retreated rearwards, and the teethed disk  25  will be disengaged and freed from constraint. As a result, the microphone seat  2  may be moved out for use. In the mean time, the spiral spring  28  will be wound and contracted. After the microphone seat  2  being moved to a location desired, users may release the push rod  26  so that the latch bar  27  will engage to the teethed disk  25  again. Thus the detachment between the microphone seat  2  and the conference telephone main body  1  is completed (as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7). On the other hand, when users want the microphone seat  2  withdrawn, press the push rod  26  downwards and maintain the downward condition to allow the latch bar  27  retreated, the spiral spring  28  which already has torsional force will withdraw the wire reel  3  and the microphone seat  2 . Thus the invention can overcome the problems of the conventional conference telephones. While the microphone seat  2  of the invention provides a wire winding means to enhance the releasing and withdrawing effect for the wire reel  3 , it does not means that the detachment function and operations between the microphones and conference telephone solely depend on the wire winding means. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the wire reel  3  is formed in a coil  30  to shorten the linear distance of the phone line and to extend the length when in use. Nevertheless, the wire reel  3  has a smaller size after winding and may be housed in housing chamber  13  along with the microphone seat  2 , and also may facilitate wire releasing and withdrawing operations.  
         [0027]    Furthermore, in order to enhance the latching and positioning of the microphone seat  2  in the housing chamber  13  of the conference telephone main body  1 , a pair of opposing bulged ribs  131  may be formed on two side walls of the housing chamber to match and wedge in two transverse slots  215  formed on two lateral sides of the microphone seat  2  where an opening  214  is formed for the wire reel  3  to move in or out (as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10). Such a structure allows the microphone seat  2  nestling in the housing chamber  13  securely.  
         [0028]    In summary, the invention provides a simple structure and allows the microphone seats be detached and moved closely to users when necessary so that conference telephone conversation can be proceeded with better quality.  
         [0029]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiment thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.