Abstract:
A grounding assembly is provided for a cellular telephone and is integrated into a battery modules for the cellular telephone. The assembly permits a user to manually access the manual test pin of the telephone body portion from the exterior without necessitating removal of the battery module from the cellular telephone body portion. The grounding assembly provides a means for contacting the manual test pin by grounding it to the battery by way of a plunger pin, which after contacting the manual test pin, switches the operation of the cellular telephone into a test mode for reading or programming the parameters in its number assignment module (&#34;NAM&#34;).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to portable, cellular telephones and more specifically relates to grounding assemblies for such telephones that are operable to place the telephones into test modes. 
     The popularity and low cost of portable cellular telephones has increased tremendously in the past few years. Technology advances have reduced the size and cost of such telephones. One popular model of a portable cellular telephone is manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill. and sold under the trade names &#34;Micro-Tac&#34; and &#34;Tele-Tac&#34;. The former is generically referred to by the public as a &#34;flip-phone&#34; because it has a speaker portion hinged to the telephone body that &#34;flips&#34; away from the body to expose the keypad to access. A rechargeable battery module interconnects to the rear of the telephone body and provides power for the telephone. The latter type of telephone has no hinged speaker component, but has the speaker built into the body portion of the telephone. However, it also uses a detachable battery module for powering the telephone. 
     These two cellular telephones, as well as all other cellular telephones in the marketplace contain a variety of programmable parameters that define the operation of cellular telephones. These parameters include, for example, the electronic serial number (&#34;ESN&#34;) of the telephone, the telephone number (referred to as a mobile identification number or &#34;MIN&#34;) assigned to the cellular telephone, the system identification number (&#34;SIN&#34;) of the cellular system to which the user subscribes, confidential user codes and other important information. This information is held within a memory area of the cellular telephone that is known as a number assignment module (&#34;NAM&#34;). 
     When a customer initially subscribes to a cellular service, this information is programmed into the NAM of the telephone at the point of purchase by the vendor. In order to program or read this information, the cellular telephone must be set to a test mode for access to the NAM. This information is stored in a memory of the telephone and any subsequent changes to this information is effected by accessing the NAM of the cellular telephone. 
     Unfortunately, the increase in popularity and reduction of cost in cellular telephones have also made such telephones attractive to thieves. Stolen telephones may be identified when recovered by law enforcement officials by placing the telephones into a test mode in the same manner as a telephone vendor does at the point of purchase to read the information contained in the NAM, such as the ESN, the MIN and other information. 
     The easiest manner to set a cellular telephone into a test mode is by grounding a manual test pin located on the telephone main body in opposition to its battery module. Presently, this task requires removing the battery module and placing the telephone body into a test receptacle or block having a regulated power supply and a momentary contact switch, or using a wire jumper to ground the manual test pin while applying power to the portable telephone. The telephone is then powered up by pressing its power key and a selected key of the keypad, such as the &#34;#&#34; key, is pressed to place the telephone into what is known as the manual test mode. Although effective, these test receptacles are expensive and cumbersome, while the wire jumper method is crude and requires the use of two hands which may preclude the tester from applying power to the telephone to enable its test mode. Neither of these two known manners of programming lend themselves to use by individual telephone owners or law enforcement officials. 
     Therefore, a need exists for a simple and inexpensive grounding mechanism that permits quick, one-handed access to the test mode of a cellular telephone for NAM programming and reading. The present invention is directed to a grounding assembly for portable cellular telephones that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and has a simple and low cost structure which can be utilized as a replacement battery module for cellular telephones. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an assembly for a cellular telephone that permits easy, one-handed manner of switching the mode of operation of the telephone from an operational mode to a test mode. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a grounding assembly for a cellular telephone that is integrated into a battery module adapted to engage a body portion of the cellular telephone in opposition to a manual test pin of the telephone body portion. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an assembly which replaces the battery module on a cellular telephone, the assembly having a replacement battery module with a grounding assembly incorporated therewith in opposition to a manual test pin of the cellular telephone, the grounding assembly permitting access by a user to the number assignment module NAM of the cellular telephone for reading and/or programming information of the cellular telephone NAM. 
     A still further object of the present invention is to provide a grounding assembly in a cellular telephone battery module, the grounding assembly being disposed in opposition to a manual test pin of a cellular telephone, the grounding assembly including a grounding element protruding from the rear of the battery module biased out of contact with the manual test pin. the grounding element being further disposed on the rear of the telephone proximate to the telephone power switch, thereby enabling one-handed operation of the grounding element into contact with telephone manual test pin to place the telephone into a test mode of operation. 
     The present invention accomplishes the aforementioned objects by providing a grounding assembly disposed in a replacement battery module, the battery module being engageable with the rear of a cellular telephone body portion. The grounding assembly is held by the battery module in a location that is generally opposite the power and test contacts of the telephone body portion. The grounding assembly includes a manually actuatable grounding element that may be manipulated by a user into and out of contact with the telephone body portion manual test pin to switch the telephone from a conversational operating mode in which communication is enabled to a test/programming mode, wherein operational information may be accessed from and input into the telephone electronics. 
     In another principal aspect of the present invention, the grounding assembly includes a conductive bracket press fit in a recess of the housing of a battery module, a manually operable grounding element supported within the recess by a biasing spring moveable from a location exterior of the battery module housing into and out contact with the telephone body portion manual test pin. The conductive bracket is interconnected to a negative power terminal of the battery module and depression of the grounding element causes it to short the battery module negative terminal to the telephone body portion test pin, and when the telephone power switch is depressed, the telephone is placed into a test mode wherein information may be accessed from or input into the NAM of the cellular telephone. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the course of this detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a known style portable cellular telephone incorporating a battery module having a grounding assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear side of the portable cellular telephone of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view, partially in section, of the portable cellular telephone of FIG. 2 illustrating the components of the grounding assembly of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the portable cellular telephone of FIG. 1, taken generally along lines A--A thereof, illustrating the grounding assembly in place within the battery module in a normal condition; 
     FIG. 5 is the same view as FIG. 4, but illustrating the grounding assembly in an actuated condition for activating the portable cellular telephone into a test mode; and, 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the structure of the grounding assembly used in the cellular telephone of FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A portable cellular telephone is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1. The telephone 10 illustrated is a Motorola &#34;Micro-Tac&#34; and is commonly referred to as a &#34;flip-phone&#34;. Such a cellular telephone has a telephone body portion 12 which encloses the electronics (not shown) within an exterior plastic housing 14. A keypad 16 is located on the front face 18 of the telephone 10, along with an earpiece 19 and a mouthpiece 20. The mouthpiece 20 is disposed within a hinged cover 22 that rotates over and away from the keypad 16. The telephone 10 includes a battery module 24 which slidably engages the rear face 26 of the telephone body portion 12. The battery module 24 has a plastic exterior housing 41 that houses either a rechargeable battery or disposable battery 23 therein to supply power to the cellular telephone 10 for operation and may be detached therefrom for recharging purposes. 
     Although the following detailed description of the present invention will be made in the context of use with the cellular &#34;flip-phone&#34; telephone 10 illustrated, it will be understood that the present invention may be used on any variety of portable cellular telephones that utilize a detachable battery module 24 and the depiction in the Figures is for exemplary purposes. In the telephone 10 illustrated, as with other portable cellular telephones, the battery module 24 engages the cellular telephone body portion 12 by way of tracks or rails 28 that permit the battery module 24 to be slid onto the telephone body portion rear face 26. 
     The cellular telephone 10 has a plurality of conductive terminals 30, 31, &amp; 32 disposed in the telephone body portion 10 and opening on the rear face 26 thereof. These terminals 30-32 will typically include two power contacts 30, 32 that oppose and they make contact with corresponding positive and negative terminals 35, 36 formed in the battery module attachment face 27 when the battery module 24 is attached to the telephone body portion 10. The center terminal 31 of the telephone terminals is illustrated as a grounding terminal, which is also referred to in the art as a manual test pin. This test pin terminal 31, when shorted and when the telephone power key 40 is activated, places the cellular telephone 10 into a test mode whereby the number assignment module NAM may be accessed. 
     The two power contacts 30, 32 are seated in channels 13 formed in the telephone body portion 12 and are formed from a flexible and conductive material, such as copper, silver, gold or other similar metal. The power terminals 30, 32 preferably extend slightly outwardly from the channels 13 and above the telephone body portion rear face 26 and the manual test pin terminal 31 so they make reliable contact with the battery power terminals 35, 36 when the battery module 24 is applied to the telephone body portion 12. 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, a grounding assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated generally at 50. The grounding assembly 50 includes three basic components: a contact bracket 52, a spring 54 and a manually operable actuating member 56, illustrated in the Figures as a plunger pin 58. The grounding assembly 50 is positioned within the housing 25 of the battery module 24 such that it is aligned with the telephone terminals 30-32 when the battery module 24 is placed on the rear face 26 of the telephone body portion 12. 
     FIGS. 4 &amp; 5 depict the grounding assembly 50 in place within a recess 29 of the housing 25 of the battery module 24 and best illustrate the manner of operation of the grounding assembly 50. The contact bracket 52 of the grounding assembly 50 is preferably has a right-angle configuration having a distinct base portion 60 and an adjoining vertical portion 61 that abuts and electrically contacts the negative terminal 36 of the battery module 24. The contact bracket 52 may be press-fit into the battery module housing recess 29 and retained therein by a suitable means, such as detents formed in the walls of the recess 29. 
     The base portion 60 of the contact bracket 52 has an opening 62 disposed therein which receives the actuating member 56. The actuating member plunger pin 58 includes a shaft 64 having a diameter approximately equal to that of the opening 62 and a projecting body portion 66 having a diameter larger than that of the shaft 64. This difference in diameter preferably defines an annular shoulder 67 on the body portion 66. The body portion 66 of the actuating member 56 has a length long enough to permit its head portion 69 to protrude through a bore 70 in the battery module 24 to a point exterior of the battery module housing 24. 
     The spring 54 shown in the embodiment illustrated takes the form of a compression spring and is seated between the plunger pin body shoulder 67 and the base portion 60 of the contact bracket 52. As a compression spring 54, it applies an upward force against the annular shoulder 67 to bias the plunger pin 58 out of contact with the grounding/manual test pin terminal 31 of the telephone body portion 12 as illustrated effectively in FIG. 4. This force is overcome by a user pressing the plunger pin head 69 with a finger or thumb as illustrated in FIG. 5. When depressed by a user, the plunger pin shaft 64 passes through the opening 62 and into contact with the opposing telephone body grounding/manual test pin terminal 31 to establish a ground path P to short the battery module negative power terminal 36 to the contact bracket vertical portion 61 which abuts the negative terminal 36, through the bracket base portion 60, the spring 54 and the plunger pin shaft 64 to the grounding/manual test pin terminal 31 of the telephone. 
     When so shorted or grounded, the cellular telephone 10 may be placed into a test mode wherein the NAM may be accessed and information contained therein read, programmed or reprogrammed by the user while not using a special test receptacle or a jumper method. Access to the NAM is effected from exterior of the telephone. As mentioned above in the Background and Summary section, the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive grounding mechanism (utilizing only three separate components) that permits quick, one-handed entry to the test mode of a cellular telephone for access to the NAM of the telephone for programming and display of its information. In this regard, it will be noted that in the preferred embodiment, the grounding assembly will be advantageously located on the rear of the telephone battery module 24 in an area that is aligned with the telephone power key 40, thereby enabling a user to enter the telephone&#39;s test mode with one hand. 
     In such an instance, the user holds the telephone 10 near its bottom and depresses the actuating member 56 with his index or middle finger. The power key 40 may then be depressed with the user&#39;s thumb as well as any particular test mode trigger key, such as the &#34;#&#34; key 42 because the grounding assembly 50, and the plunger pin 58 thereof are generally aligned with the power key 40 of the telephone 10 along an imaginary line L. Once the test mode has been entered, the user may access the NAM and display information contained therein, or program or reprogram the telephone by entering new NAM information by using the telephone keypad 16. The grounding assembly may be incorporated into any battery module for any existing cellular telephone so that replacement battery modules with an integrated grounding assembly may be offered to cellular telephone consumers. Additionally, law enforcement officials may carry replacement battery modules with grounding assemblies constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and attach them to stolen cellular telephones that are confiscated from criminal elements to access their NAM&#39;s and obtain the necessary number information that will permit them to identify the rightful owner of the cellular telephone. 
     It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention which has been described herein is merely illustrative of some of applications of the principles of the present invention. Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, such as different battery module configurations, the use of a tension spring rather than a compression spring as a biasing means and other modifications without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.