Hands-free telephone cradle

A cradle for a telephone is disclosed. The telephone cradle includes a latch bar and a spring mechanism and a latching mechanism. The latch bar pivots so as to capture a telephone when the telephone is inserted into the cradle, thereby securely holding the telephone in the cradle. A user then may release the telephone by pressing on the top surface of the latch bar. As the user presses on the latch bar a latching mechanism is released and the latch bar moves into the released position, thereby moving the telephone so that it is easily grasped by a user.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to the field of communication devices. More 
particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cradle for a 
telephone. 
BACKGROUND ART 
As cellular telephones developed over the years, their size has steadily 
decreased. This has been partly due to the integration of many of the 
telephones electronic functions into semiconductor devices such as digital 
signal processors specifically designed to process the electrical 
operations of a cellular telephone. In addition, smaller, more powerful 
batteries have been developed. This has allowed cellular telephone makers 
to adopt one piece designs. In these one piece designs, all of the 
functions of the handset and the housing are integrated into a one-piece 
handheld unit. 
Cellular telephones are used extensively within vehicles such as cars and 
trucks. Cradles for newer one-piece telephones typically attach to the 
vehicle and provide a secure receptacle to hold the telephone when it is 
not in use. Because all of the functions are integrated into the telephone 
itself, there are no electronic components disposed within the cradle and 
there is no connection between the cradle and the telephone as with older 
two piece designs. 
Prior art cradles typically include latching mechanisms in order to hold 
the telephone securely in the cradle. This assures that there is a good 
electrical contact between the telephone and the cradle so as to allow for 
charging the telephone. The latching mechanism holds the telephone tightly 
in place, thereby assuring that the telephone will not fall out of the 
cradle. 
Prior art latching mechanisms typically include one or more buttons which 
must be pressed in order to release the telephone. In one prior art cradle 
design, two buttons are located on either side of the cradle. In order to 
remove the telephone from the cradle, the user must press both buttons and 
lift the telephone out of the cradle. These buttons are relatively small 
and are located on opposite sides of the cradle. This requires two hands, 
one hand to press the two buttons and the other hand to remove the 
telephone from the cradle. In addition, the user must look down to see the 
location of the two buttons in order to press them. This makes removal of 
the telephone difficult if not impossible while the user is operating the 
vehicle. 
Prior art cradle designs typically place the telephone directly against a 
receiving surface of the cradle. Because the user cannot get his hands 
around the telephone, when the user attempts to remove the telephone from 
the cradle, the telephone is difficult to grasp. The user typically must 
concentrate and use two hands to pry the telephone out of the cradle. 
What is needed is a cradle for a cellular telephone which is easy to use. 
In addition, a cradle is needed which does not require the user to operate 
small buttons in order to remove the telephone from the cradle. A cradle 
which holds the telephone securely in place is also required. In addition, 
a need exists for a cradle which does not require the use of both hands 
during the removal of the telephone from the cradle. The present invention 
meets the above needs. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a cradle for a cellular telephone that is 
easy to use. A telephone may be easily be captured by the cradle and may 
be easily released such that one handed operation is possible. 
A cradle for a telephone which includes a housing and a latch bar is 
disclosed. The latch bar is pivotally coupled to the housing such that the 
latch bar is movable from a latched position to a released position. The 
cradle also includes a latching mechanism and a spring mechanism. The 
latching mechanism holds the latch bar in the latched position. The spring 
mechanism is in tension when the latch bar is in the latched position so 
as to bias the latch bar in the released position. 
In one embodiment, a user may easily release the latch by pressing on the 
top surface of the latch bar when the latch bar is in the latched 
position. This disengages the latching mechanism such that the spring 
mechanism acts on the latch bar so as to move the latch bar into the 
released position. 
The cradle of the present invention is adapted to readily receive a 
telephone. The user may easily secure the telephone within the cradle by 
placing the telephone in the cradle and pressing down on the top of the 
telephone. This pivots the latch bar to a latched position such that the 
telephone is captured within the cradle. The telephone moves downward with 
the movement of the latch bar until such time as the latch bar pivots into 
the latched position. As the telephone reaches the latched position, the 
latching mechanism is engaged so as to hold the latch bar in the latched 
position. When the latch bar is in the latched position, the telephone is 
securely held within the cradle. 
A user may easily remove the telephone from the telephone cradle by 
pressing down on the top surface of the latch bar so as to release the 
latching mechanism. The latch bar then automatically pivots into the 
released position, pushing the top of the telephone away from the surface 
of the cradle such that the telephone is released and is easily grasped by 
the user. 
The cradle of the present invention is easy to use and allows for one 
handed operation. When the latch bar is in the latched position, the 
telephone is held securely within the cradle. In addition, there are no 
small buttons which must be operated as is required by prior art designs. 
Moreover, the top surface of the latch bar is large and is easy to see and 
feel. Therefore, the user does not have to concentrate and look down for 
an extended amount of time in order to find and operate the release 
mechanism. Further, the latch bar of the present invention is large enough 
such that the user can easily locate and operate the latch bar by touch 
only. That is, the present invention is able to be operated by a user 
without requiring the user to look at the cradle. Also, in the released 
position, one end of the telephone is raised so as to allow a user to 
easily grasp the telephone. This facilitates one handed operation since 
the user may easily grasp the telephone without having to concentrate and 
look down for an extended amount of time as is required in prior art 
designs. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no 
doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having 
read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which 
are illustrated in the various drawing figures.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the 
invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred 
embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the 
invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended 
to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be 
included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the 
appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the 
present invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to 
provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it 
will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present 
invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other 
instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have 
not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of 
the present invention. 
FIG. 1 shows cradle 100 to include housing 1 and latch bar 2. Housing 1 is 
shown to include cavity 5 which is adapted to receive a telephone. More 
specifically, housing 1 includes telephone receiving surfaces 10-13 which 
are adapted to receive a telephone. The dimensions of cavity 5 are 
tailored to conform with different telephone designs such that a 
particular telephone fits within cavity 5. Alternatively, cradle 100 may 
be designed to receive multiple different telephone designs. Cradle 100 is 
formed of plastic and is adapted to be mounted within a vehicle. However, 
alternatively, cradle 100 may be formed of any of a number of other 
materials such as metals, composites, or other durable materials. 
Continuing with FIG. 1, latch bar 2 is shown to be in the released 
position. In the present embodiment, latch bar 2 is shaped so as to 
include extending member 3 which extends from the bottom of latch bar 2 
and a projecting member 4 which extends from the top of latch bar 2. In 
one embodiment, latch bar 2 is a single molded plastic part and extending 
member 3 and projecting member 4 are integrally formed within latch bar 2. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, indention 7 within housing 1 is adapted 
to receive extending member 3. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, in the released position, extending member 3 is at 
an angle relative to telephone receiving surface 10 such that the top 
surface of extending member 3, shown as telephone receiving surface 15, is 
at an angle relative to telephone receiving surface 10. In the present 
embodiment, the bottom surface of projecting member 4, shown as telephone 
receiving surface 16, is roughly parallel to telephone receiving surface 
15. Latch bar 2 also includes telephone receiving surface 14 which, in 
conjunction with telephone receiving surfaces 15-16 forms roughly a 
u-shaped cavity adapted to receive a telephone. 
With reference again to FIG. 2, pivot opening 21 extends through latch bar 
2. Pivot pin 20 fits within pivot opening 21 and engages openings (not 
shown) in housing 1 so as to secure latch bar 2 to housing 1 such that 
latch bar 2 can pivot relative to housing 1. Cradle 100 includes a 
latching mechanism for holding latch bar 2 in the latched position. In one 
embodiment this latch mechanism includes detent 22 which extends from one 
side of latch bar 2 and a corresponding notch in housing 1. Detent 22 is 
adapted to engage the notch in housing 1 when latch bar 2 is in the 
latched position. 
Although a specific latching mechanism is recited in the present 
embodiment, the present invention is well suited to using various other 
methods to secure latch bar 2 in a latched or closed position. For 
example, the present invention is well suited to an embodiment in which 
latch bar 2 is configured with a biasing mechanism such that it is stable 
only in the latched or in the released position. In such an embodiment, 
latch bar 2 will move to an open position when no telephone is inserted, 
but will remain in a closed position when a telephone is inserted and is 
pressed downward. 
Referring next to FIG. 3, in the latched position, extended member 3 fits 
within indentation 7 of FIG. 1 such that telephone receiving surface 15 is 
roughly aligned with telephone receiving surface 10. This gives a 
relatively uniform surface for receiving a telephone. 
In the cut-away view of FIG. 4 it can be seen that latch bar 2 includes 
pivot opening 21 which extends through latch bar 2. Cradle 100 also 
includes a spring mechanism having a spring 44 for biasing latch bar 2 in 
the released position. Spring 44 is disposed around pivot pin 20. Both 
pivot pin 20 and spring 44 are disposed within pivot opening 21. In one 
embodiment, spring 44 is a torsion spring which is wrapped around pivot 
pin 20. One end of spring 44, shown as end 45, fits within a recession 46 
in the side of latch bar 2 so as to act on latch bar 2. 
With reference now to FIG. 5, housing 1 includes an opening 50 and an 
opening 51 adapted to receive pivot pin 20. Opening 50 also includes a 
recession adapted to receive a portion of spring 44. Spring 44 also 
includes end 55 which fits within the recession in opening 50 of housing 1 
so as to act on latch bar 2. 
With reference again to FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the latching 
mechanism is shown to include detent 22 that extends from latch bar 2 and 
indentation 56 within housing 1. When latch bar 2 is in the latched 
position, detent 22 engages indentation 56 so as to hold latch bar 2 in 
the latched position. Although such a specific implementation of a spring 
mechanism is described above, the present invention is well suited to the 
use of various other biasing mechanisms. That is, the present invention is 
well suited to using other mechanisms which bias latch bar 2 to an 
unlatched/released position. 
In operation, a telephone such as telephone 60 of FIG. 6 is placed into 
telephone cradle 100. The bottom end of telephone 60 is received by 
telephone receiving surface 13 and telephone receiving surface 10 while 
the upper end of telephone 60 rests against telephone receiving surface 
15. Pressing down on telephone 60, as shown by arrow 62, applies force to 
telephone receiving surface 15 so as to pivot latch bar 2. As latch bar 2 
pivots, spring 44 of FIG. 4 is placed in tension. As latch bar 2 continues 
to pivot, the top of telephone 60 moves downward with the movement of 
latch bar 2 until such time as latch bar 2 reaches the latched position. 
In the latched position, the latching mechanism holds latch bar 2 in the 
latched position. As shown in FIG. 7, in the latched position, telephone 
60 fits within cavity 5 of housing 1 such that it is securely held in 
place. More specifically, in the present embodiment, detent 22 engages 
indentation 56 of FIG. 5 so as to hold latch bar 2 in the latched 
position. In the latched position, telephone 60 is captured by surfaces 
10-16. That is, the top surface of telephone 60 has surfaces 12 and 16 
pressed against it. Surface 13 prevents telephone 60 from sliding 
backwards, and surfaces 11 and 14 prevent telephone 60 from sliding 
forward in cradle 100. 
Telephone 60 is released by pressing on top surface 9 of latch bar 2 as 
shown by arrow 70 of FIG. 7. Top surface 9 of latch bar 2 is a large, 
relatively flat surface. Thus, it is easy for a user to locate or feel top 
surface 9, and it is easy for a user to press on top surface 9 using a 
single hand. This allows for easy one-handed operation of cradle 100. 
With reference again to FIG. 7, when a user presses on top surface 9, force 
is applied to pivot bar 2 so as to release the latching mechanism. More 
particularly, detent 22 of FIG. 5 is disengaged from indentation 56. Once 
the latching mechanism is released pivot bar 2 is free to pivot around 
pivot pin 20. Latch bar 2 then automatically pivots as a result of the 
force applied by spring 44 of FIG. 4, moving the top of telephone 60 
upward and away from telephone receiving surface 10 until such time as 
latch bar 2 returns to the released position. Moreover, in the present 
invention, once a user locates cradle 100, the user simply slides his hand 
forward along the top surface of telephone 60 and cradle 100. Once the 
user's hand reaches latch bar 2, the user then pushes on latch bar 2 so as 
to rotate latch bar 2, as indicated by arrow 70. In so doing, latch bar 60 
is biased to its released position. Extending member 3 of latch bar 2 then 
lifts telephone 60 into the hand of the user. Thus, with a forward thrust 
of a single hand, the user has telephone 60 pushed into his hand. Hence, 
the present invention allows a user to retrieve telephone 60 without 
requiring the user to look at the cradle, concentrate on complicated 
de-latching devices, or use two hands to operate the cradle. 
With reference again to FIG. 6, when the latch bar 2 is in the released 
position, telephone 60 is at an angle relative to telephone receiving 
surface 10 and is separated from telephone receiving surface 10 such that 
a user may easily grasp telephone 60. More specifically, the space between 
the bottom of telephone 60 and telephone receiving surface 10 allows a 
user to reach under telephone 60 such that telephone 60 is readily and 
easily grasped. 
FIG. 8 shows a top view of an alternate embodiment in which telephone 
cradle 101 is adapted to receive a telephone 80 which includes an extended 
antenna 81. In this embodiment, telephone cradle 101 includes inset 82 
which is adapted to receive antenna 81. Because inset 82 is located on one 
side of housing 1, it does not interfere with the operation of telephone 
cradle 101. 
In addition to use with cellular telephones, the telephone cradle of the 
present invention is well suited for use with handheld units used in 
satellite communication networks and other types of communication 
networks. For example, the telephone cradle of the present invention is 
adapted to hold a satellite telephone. In addition, the telephone cradle 
of the present invention is well adapted for receiving non-cellular 
radio-telephones. 
The cradle of the present invention is also well suited for use with 
alternate types of spring mechanisms and latching mechanisms. For example, 
the present invention is well adapted for use with a latching mechanism 
which is a push-push latch. In addition, any of a number of different 
spring mechanisms which provide torque to latch bar 2 may be used to move 
latch bar 2 from the latched position into the released position. 
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention 
have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are 
not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise 
forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are 
possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and 
described in order best to explain the principles of the invention and its 
practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art best to 
utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications 
as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the 
scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their 
equivalents.