Abstract:
An apparatus for holding and making contact with a radio telephone. Provision is made here to develop an apparatus which only allows contact to be made between the interface of the radio telephone ( 201 ) and the contact-making unit arranged in the holder ( 200 ) when these are in optimum alignment with one another.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding and making contact with radio telephone. 
     Such apparatuses are used in vehicles in order for a radio telephone to be retained securely and to be connected electrically to components installed in the vehicle, for example hands-free talking facility, antenna and power supply. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     The prior art discloses an apparatus in which the holder has a slide which is spring-prestressed in the direction of the contact-making unit. For insertion purposes, the radio telephone is positioned obliquely against the slide by way of the region which is directed away from the interface of the radio telephone. The slide is then pushed back counter to the spring force of the slide and the radio telephone is pivoted into the accommodating region of the holder. As soon as the user lets go of the radio telephone, the latter is pushed by the slide in the direction of the contact-making unit and coupling takes place between the radio-telephone interface and contact-making unit. 
     In a further apparatus known from the prior art, a slide is held back by a spring, with the result that the radio telephone can first of all be inserted into the shell of the holder. Contact is made between the interface and the contact-making unit by the radio telephone being pushed onto the contact-making unit with the aid of the slide, which latches in the operating position. 
     As far as careful contact being made between the sensitive interface of the radio telephone and the likewise sensitive contact-making unit provided on the holder, the known holders are in need of improvement. This is because, in the case of the known holders, it 
     is not ensured that contact is only made when the radio telephone is aligned with the holder and/or the contact-making unit such that contact is made without tilting and thus damage. Centering of the radio telephone in relation to the contact-making unit of the holder is not possible, in modern radio telephones, with the aid of a grip-over slide since the entire top side of the radio telephone is covered by buttons and display devices, with the result that a grip-over slide would cover these over. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to develop an apparatus which is intended for holding and making contact with a radio telephone and only allows contact to be made between the interface of the radio telephone and the contact-making unit arranged in the holder when these are in optimum alignment with one another. 
     The apparatus according to the invention for holding and making contact with a radio telephone makes provision for a contact-making unit and/or a retaining means to be kept in an open position by at least one restraining means. In this case, a switching means which is actuated by the rear part of the radio telephone upon contact with the shell of the holder releases the contact-making unit and/or the retaining means. This ensures that contact is only made when the radio telephone is located in its entirety in the shell of the holder. In this position, the interface and the contact-making unit are in alignment with one another. 
     In another aspect of the subject matter of the invention, the retaining means is guided linearly on the holder and is displayed by spring force from the open position, towards the contact-making unit or the tubular element, into an operating position. In this case, the radio telephone, configured as a mobile, is displaced towards contact-making unit. This advantageous since, in this embodiment, the contact-making unit is arranged in the holder as a fixed, non-moveable unit, and the connection wires leading to it are thus not subjected to constant movement. 
     An exemplary embodiment of the subject matter of the invention makes provision for the retaining means to be forced in at least one displacement direction by a spring. This allows careful contact to be made. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, of contact-making unit mounted on the holder in linearly displaceable manner and can be displaced from the open position, towards the retaining means and/or the radio telephone, into an operation position, This linear movement of the contacts towards one another ensures that said contacts are guided one inside the other without lateral loading. 
     If the contact-making unit is forced in at least one displacement direction by a spring, careful, automatic contact can be made. 
     If the restraining means is designed as a resilient push rod which projects from the shell of the holder and is arranged in the displacement region of the contact-making unit and/or of the retaining means, then it is possible, with low structural, for the contact-making unit/or retaining means to be kept in an open position, in which the radio telephone can be inserted. 
     If the push rod can be pushed down by the rear part of the radio telephone, the push rod can be operated by the radio telephone without the latter being adapted specifically to it. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment, the push rod can be drawn back by a lever which the radio telephone, configured as a mobile phone, actuates by way of the rear part when it is in the inserted state. This design makes it possible for the critical contact point between the radio telephone and the shell of the holder to be arranged at any desired location, or at a number of locations, of the shell and thus to take account of individual conditions, for example particular radio-telephone shapes. 
     Finally, a further refinement of the subject matter of the invention makes provision for a proximity switch to be arranged in the holder, it being possible for said switch to be actuated by the inserted radio telephone, the proximity switch activating an electromagnet which draws back the push rod. This measure makes it possible to achieve a pleasing surface configuration which conceals the function from view. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the figures: 
     FIG. 1 shows a side view of a holder in which the slide is located in a position in which it releases a radio telephone, 
     FIG. 2 shows a side view of the second holder, in which the slide is located in a position in which it retains a second radio telephone, 
     FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a third holder with radio telephone inserted, 
     FIG. 4 shows a fourth radio telephone and a fourth holder, in which the slide is located in a position in which it releases the radio telephone. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a holder  1  and a radio telephone  2 . The radio telephone  2  has a rear side  3 , a top side  4  with a display  5  and keypad  6 , as well as a head region  7  and a foot region  8 . An interface  9  is arranged in the foot region  8  of the radio telephone  2 . The interface  9  has contact surfaces and/or contact pins (not illustrated). The holder comprises a basic body  10  which has a recess  12  on a top side  11 . The holder  1  also has, on an underside  13 , an earpiece region  15  in an end region  14  and a mouthpiece region  17  in an end region  16 . A slide  18 , which is designed as a clasp  19 , is arranged in the end region  14 . The clasp  19  is mounted in the holder  1  such that it can be displaced in double-arrow direction x. A spring device (not illustrated) forces the clasp  19  in arrow direction x′ from an open position A into an operating position B. A movement of the clasp  19  in arrow direction x′ is prevented by a push rod  20  which is arranged in the holder and against which a leg  21  of the clasp  19  butts in the open position A. The push rod  20  can be moved in double-arrow direction y′ and can be pushed down counter to a spring  22 , in arrow direction y′, from a blocking position A′ into a release position B′. In the end region  16 , the recess  12  terminates in a wall  23  which bears a contact-making unit  24  (illustrated by dashed lines). The contact-making unit  24  comprises resilient contact pins and/or sleeve-like or fork-like master contacts (not illustrated). The radio telephone  2  is inserted into the holder  1 , then, by the following steps. The radio telephone  2  is positioned obliquely in the recess  12  with the foot region  8  in the end region  16  of the holder  1 , the rear side  3  of the radio telephone  2  being oriented in the direction of the recess  12  (this position is illustrated in FIG.  1 ). Thereafter, the radio telephone  2  is rotated in arrow direction a, the head region  7  of the radio telephone  2  being rotated in the direction of the end region  14  of the holder  1 . As the radio telephone  2  is rotated into the mount  12 , it comes into contact with the push rod  20  by way of the rear side  3  and pushes said push-rod counter to the spring  22 , in arrow direction y″, into the release position B′. In the release position B′, the push rod  20  releases the clasp  19  and, on account of the spring prestressing in arrow direction x′, said clasp moves into the operating position B. In this case, the clasp  19  pushes the radio telephone  2  in arrow direction x′ by way of a second leg  25 . This causes the interface  9  to slide onto the contact-making unit  24 . The clasp  19  moves approximately parallel to the alignment of the contact pins (not illustrated) of the interface  9  and/or the contact-making unit  24 . As soon as the radio telephone  2  has been inserted, it is then possible to make a telephone call via a hands-free talking facility (not illustrated) which is connected to the holder  1  via a data line  26 . Furthermore, it is also possible to use the holder  1  as a handset  27  and to communicate with third parties via the earpiece region  15  and the mouthpiece region  17 . The radio telephone  2  is removed from the holder  1  by the radio telephone  2  being drawn back in arrow direction x″. In this case, the clasp  19  is carried along by the head region  7  of the radio telephone  2 , in arrow direction x″, into the open position A. In this position, as the radio telephone  2  is raised, the push rod  20  springs out of the release position B′ into the blocking position A′ since it is not held back either by the rear side  3  of the radio telephone  2  or by the leg  21  of the clasp  19 . The illustration does not show that the push rod  20  is beveled in the direction of the leg  21 , with the result that the clasp  19  is also released when the push rod  20  is not pushed out of the movement region of the clasp  19  to the full extent by the rear side of the radio telephone  2 . In order to facilitate the removal of the radio telephone  2 , provision is made for it to be possible for the clasp  19 , as the radio telephone  2  is removed, to be pushed temporarily, by the head region  7  of said telephone, into a release position C, which is located behind the open position A. 
     FIG. 2 shows a further holder  100 , into which a radio telephone  101  has been inserted. Instead of an, earpiece region and a mouthpiece region, said holder  100  has a shoe  102  by means of which the holder  100  can be pushed into a mount (not illustrated). In FIG. 2, a clasp  103  is located in an operating position B, in which the radio telephone  101  has been pushed onto a contact-making unit  105  of the holder  100  by way of an interface  104 . Analogously to the holder  1 , which is illustrated in FIG. 1, the holder  100  also has a blocking mechanism (not illustrated) which keeps the clasp  103  in an open position A and is released by a rear side  106  of the radio telephone  101  as the latter is inserted. According to a variant which is not illustrated, provision is made for the shoe  102  to be designed as a pole shoe, the latter being accommodated by a mount with contacts. In this case, the contacts which serve for connecting a hands-free talking facility, antenna, power supply and data supply are routed via the pole shoe. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of a holder  200 . A radio telephone  201  is accommodated in the holder  200 . The radio telephone  201  is located in a recess  202  of the holder  200 . The radio telephone  201  has a top side  203  over which a clasp  204 , which is guided on the holder  200  in the direction of the movement arrow x, grips. The clasp  204  is located in an operating position B, in which the radio telephone  201  is in contact, via an interface (not illustrated), with a contact-making unit (not illustrated) of the holder  200 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional side view of a holder  300 . A slide  302  with a contact-making unit  303  is mounted in a linearly moveable manner on a top side  301  of the holder  300 . The contact-making unit  303  is connected electrically to a cable supply  304 . The holder  300  has a hollow  305  on its top side  301 . Said hollow  305  has shoulders  306 ,  307 . The hollow  305  also has a tab  308  located opposite the slide  302 . According to a variant which is not illustrated, the tab  308  is designed as a grip-over means. On the top side  301 , a bore  309  is arranged in the holder  300  and has a push rod  310  engaging through it, said push rod being designed as a point  311  of a fork  312 . The fork  312  has a shank  313  which is guided in a guide  314  against a spring  315 . The spring  315  is supported at the other end in a mount  316 . Furthermore, a second push rod  312  comes into contact with the shoulder  317  through a bore  318 , said push rod being designed as a second point  319  of the fork  312 . If the push rod  317  is pushed down, this causes the push rod  310  to be drawn back and thus the slide  302  to be released in a displacement direction x′. A radio telephone  320  is also illustrated in side view. The radio telephone  320  has a rear side  321 . In the region of an earpiece  322 , the radio telephone  320  forms a head region  323 . In the region of a mouthpiece  324 , the radio telephone  320  forms a foot region  325 . An interface  326  is formed in the foot region  325 . The radio telephone  320  also has a cavity  327  in the head region  323 . Before the radio telephone  320  is inserted into the shell  305  of the holder  300 , the fork  312  is located in a blocking position A′. As the radio telephone  320  is inserted into the shell  305  of the holder  300 , the following sequence then takes place. The radio telephone  320  is moved towards the tab  308  with the head region  323  in a slightly oblique position. In this case, the cavity  327  accommodates the tab  308  with play. The radio telephone  320  is then rotated in the direction of an arrow a until the radio telephone  320  rests in the hollow  305 , on the shoulders  306 ,  307 , by way of its rear side  321 . In this case, the push rod  317  is pushed into the holder  300  by the rear side  321  of the radio telephone  320 . This causes the fork  312  to be pushed back counter to the spring  315  in an arrow direction Z. By virtue of this yielding movement of the fork  312 , the push rod  310  is drawn back into the holder  300  and releases the slide  302  for a movement in arrow direction x′. The slide  302  is pushed in direction x′ by a spring means (not illustrated). During this movement in arrow direction x′, contact is made between the contact-making unit  303  provided on the slide  302  and the interface  326  arranged on the radio telephone  320 . In the operating position B, full contact has been made between the interface  326  of the radio telephone  320  and the contact-making unit  303  of the slide  302 . As long as the radio telephone  320  is located in the shell  305  of the holder  300  and/or the slide  302  is located in the operating position P (not illustrated), the fork  312  remains in a pushed-down, release position B′. The fork  312  only returns into the blocking position A′ when the slide  302  is drawn back and the radio telephone  320  is removed from the shell  305  of the holder  300 . 
     The invention is not restricted to exemplary embodiments illustrated or described. Rather, it also comprises developments of the invention within the scope of the appended claims and the their equivalents. In particular, the invention also provides a latching means for the clasp or the slide in the operating position B. According to a variant which is not illustrated, this is designed such that the clasp or the slide has hollows in which a ball which is mounted resiliently on the holder engages with snap action. This latching can be released by virtue of the pushing force being released