Abstract:
Disclosed herein is a cellular telephone that does not include an integrated microphone and an integrated speaker but that instead requires use of an externally connected microphone and speaker to facilitate voice communication. By omitting any integrated microphone and integrated speaker, the cellular telephone may have increased surface area usable for other purposes, such as a display or keypad. Further, the cost to manufacture the cellular telephone could be incrementally lower than the cost to manufacture a comparable cellular telephone having an integrated microphone and integrated speaker.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     In order to facilitate voice communication, a cellular telephone generally includes an integrated microphone and an integrated speaker, each optimally positioned at an exterior surface of the cellular telephone so that a user can hold the cellular telephone with the speaker near the user&#39;s ear and the microphone within range of the user&#39;s mouth. Audio processing circuitry in the cellular telephone delivers to the speaker outbound audio signals representative of audible communications, for presentation of the audible communications to the user. Likewise, the audio processing circuitry receives from the microphone and processes audio signals representative of audible communications received by the microphone. 
     For the user&#39;s convenience or safety, a typical cellular telephone also includes a mechanism to connect with an external microphone/speaker combination through a wireless or wired link. For instance, the cellular telephone may include a short-range wireless interface, such as a BLUETOOTH or WI-FI interface (or other frequency hopping spread spectrum connection mechanism) or an infrared interface, that is arranged to pair with a correspondingly equipped headset having both microphone and speaker components, or the cellular telephone may include a jack for receiving a plug that provides a corded connection with a headset having both microphone and speaker components. 
     When an external headset is paired or otherwise connected with the cellular telephone, the audio processing circuitry in the cellular telephone causes audible communications to be routed between the cellular telephone and the external headset rather than between the cellular telephone and the integrated microphone and speaker. A user of the cellular telephone may thus conveniently engage in a voice call without the need to hold the cellular telephone with the integrated speaker near the user&#39;s ear or the integrated microphone near the user&#39;s mouth. 
     OVERVIEW 
     Although integrated microphones and speakers in cellular telephones have become quite small and unobtrusive, positioning such components at the surface of the cellular telephone can unfortunately consume valuable surface area that could otherwise be used for a different purpose. 
     For instance, an increasing number of cellular telephones today are equipped with touch-screen displays, which should optimally be as large as possible. In some cellular telephones, however, the surface-positioned microphone and speaker are provided on the same front surface as the touch screen display, above and below the such as with the speaker positioned above the display and the microphone positioned below the display as shown in  FIG. 1  for instance. Providing the microphone and speaker in this manner might preclude a larger touch screen display. 
     Further, other cellular telephones provide a display and keypad, and maximizing the size of both the display and keypad would be preferable. In such cellular telephones, however, again, the surface-positioned microphone and speaker are typically provided on the same front surface as the display and keypad as shown in  FIG. 2 , similarly reducing the area available for the display and keypad. 
     Further, providing an integrated microphone and integrated speaker in a cellular telephone necessarily increases the cost of manufacturing the cellular telephone, even if by a small increment. 
     Given the convenience of using an external headset, it would be advantageous to provide a cellular telephone that does not include an integrated microphone and integrated speaker but that instead requires use of an externally connected microphone and speaker to facilitate voice communication. Such a cellular telephone could thereby have increased surface area for other purposes, such as a display or keypad, or could be made smaller overall given that it would be unnecessary to hold the cellular telephone near the ear and in range of the user&#39;s mouth. Further, the cost to manufacture such a cellular telephone could be incrementally lower than the cost to manufacture a comparable cellular telephone having an integrated microphone and integrated speaker. 
     These and other aspects will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further, it should be understood that the description provided herein, including in this overview section, is provided by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art cellular telephone, with integrated microphone and speaker positioned on a front surface together with a touch-screen display. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another prior art cellular telephone, with integrated microphone and speaker positioned on a front surface together with a display and a keypad. 
         FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram depicting components of a prior art cellular telephone. 
         FIG. 4  is a simplified block diagram depicting components of a cellular telephone in accordance with the present disclosure, lacking an integrated microphone and speaker. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a cellular telephone in accordance with the present disclosure, lacking an integrated microphone and speaker and including an increased-sized touch-screen display. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a cellular telephone in accordance with the present disclosure, lacking an integrated microphone and speaker and including an increased-sized display and/or increased sized keypad. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings, as noted above,  FIGS. 1-3  depict prior art cellular telephone arrangements.  FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of prior art cellular telephones, showing the typical arrangement in which integrated microphone and integrated speaker are positioned on the front surface of the cellular telephone, thereby consuming valuable surface area.  FIG. 3  is then a block diagram showing integrated or integral components of the prior art cellular telephone, i.e., components that cannot be removed or disconnected from the cellular telephone by a typical user. 
     The cellular telephone of  FIG. 1  is an example touch-screen telephone having a telephone housing  12 . As shown, a front surface  14  of the example telephone extends from a first edge  16  to a second edge  18  and includes a relatively large touch-screen display  20 . The touch-screen display  20  of can be any type of touch-screen display now known or later developed and is generally arranged to display information, such a text and graphics, to a user and to receive input, such as text entry and graphical link and button actuation, from a user. Further the front surface  14  includes a power button  22  that can be actuated by a user to turn on the touch-screen display  20  so as to facilitate user interaction with the display. 
     In this prior art touch-screen telephone, an integrated speaker  24  is positioned at the front surface between the touch-screen display  20  and the first edge  16  of the telephone, and an integrated microphone  26  is positioned at the front surface between the touch-screen display  20  and the second edge  18  of the telephone. In particular, the integrated speaker  24  may be positioned internal to the telephone housing  12  in a fixed position just beneath one or more small holes in the front surface, such that when that portion of the cellular telephone is held to a user&#39;s ear, sound emitted by the speaker  24  could be heard by the user. Further, the integrated microphone  26  may be positioned internal to the telephone housing  12  in a fixed position just beneath one or more small holes in the front surface, such that when that portion of the cellular telephone is held near enough to the user&#39;s mouth, the microphone can pick up the user&#39;s voice. 
     With this arrangement, as discussed above, the existence of the integrated speaker and microphone on the front surface consumes some valuable surface area that could otherwise be used to provide a larger touch-screen display. Further, the cost to produce this cellular telephone includes an incremental cost to include the integrated speaker and microphone. 
       FIG. 1  further depicts on a side surface of the prior art cellular telephone (substantially normal to the top surface) a headset jack  28  arranged to receive a plug providing a connection with an optional external headset. When an external headset is connected to the cellular telephone via jack  28  and worn by a user, the user may engage in audible communication with the cellular telephone via the headset without the need to hold the cellular telephone with the integrated speaker and microphone near the user&#39;s ear and mouth. Alternatively or additionally, the cellular telephone may include a short-range wireless communication interface (not shown), such as a BLUETOOTH or WI-FI interface (or other frequency hopping spread spectrum connection mechanism) or an infrared interface, that provides connectivity with an optional wireless headset, similarly enabling a user to engage in audible communication with the cellular telephone without the need to hold the cellular telephone up to the user&#39;s ear and mouth. 
     The cellular telephone of  FIG. 2  is next an example cellular §telephone equipped with a display  30  and keypad  32  and similarly having a telephone housing  34 . As shown, a front surface  36  of this example telephone extends from a top edge  38  to a bottom edge  40 , and the display  30  is positioned in a top portion  42  of the front surface and the keypad  32  is positioned in a bottom portion  44  of the front surface. 
     In this prior art telephone, an integrated speaker  46  is positioned at the front surface between the display  30  and the top edge  38  of the telephone, and an integrated microphone  48  is positioned at the front surface between the keypad  32  and the bottom edge of the telephone. As in the cellular telephone of  FIG. 1 , the integrated speaker  46  may be positioned internal to the telephone housing  34  in a fixed position just beneath one or more small holes in the front surface, such that when that portion of the cellular telephone is held to a user&#39;s ear, sound emitted by the speaker  46  could be heard by the user. Further, the integrated microphone  48  may be positioned internal to the telephone housing  34  in a fixed position just beneath one or more small holes in the front surface, such that when that portion of the cellular telephone is held near enough to the user&#39;s mouth, the microphone can pick up the user&#39;s voice. 
     With this arrangement again, as discussed above, the existence of the integrated speaker and microphone on the front surface consumes some valuable surface area that could otherwise be used to provide a larger display and/or a larger keypad. Further, the cost to produce this cellular telephone includes an incremental cost to include the integrated speaker and microphone. 
     As with the cellular telephone of  FIG. 1 , the cellular telephone of  FIG. 2  is also shown including on a side surface a headset jack  50  arranged to receive a plug providing a connection with an optional external headset. When an external headset is connected to the cellular telephone via jack  50  and worn by a user, the user may thus engage in audible communication with the cellular telephone via the headset without the need to hold the cellular telephone with the integrated speaker and microphone near the user&#39;s ear and mouth. Alternatively or additionally, the cellular telephone may likewise include a short-range wireless communication interface (not shown) that provides connectivity with an optional wireless headset, similarly enabling a user to engage in audible communication with the cellular telephone without the need to hold the cellular telephone up to the user&#39;s ear and mouth. 
       FIG. 3  is next a simplified block diagram showing integral components of an example prior art cellular telephone. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cellular telephone includes a wireless communication interface  60 , a processor  62 , data storage  64 , audio processing circuitry  66 , integrated speaker  68 , integrated microphone  70 , an external microphone/speaker interface  72 , and other user interface components  74 , which may be communicatively linked together by a system bus and/or one or more other connection mechanisms  76 . 
     Wireless communication interface  60  functions to facilitate air interface communication with a serving cellular radio access network according to one or more protocols now known or later developed, such as CDMA (e.g., IS-95, IS-2000, 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, etc.), WiMAX, iDEN, TDMA, AMPS, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, EDGE, LTE, for instance. As such, the wireless communication interface  60  preferably includes a transceiver compliant with the applicable protocol as well as one or more internal or external antennas. 
     Processor  62  comprises one or more general purpose processors (such as INTEL processors or the like) and/or one or more special purpose processors (such as digital signal processors or application specific integrated circuits), and may be combined with the wireless communication interface  60 . If processor  62  includes more than one processor, the processors could work separately or in combination (e.g., in parallel). Data storage  64 , in turn, comprises one or more volatile or non-volatile storage components, such as optical, magnetic, or organic storage, and may be integrated in whole or in part with processor  62 . Data storage  64  preferably holds program instructions executable by processor  62  to carry out various cellular telephone functions, such as interfacing with and controlling the wireless communication interface  60 , the audio processing circuitry  66 , and the other user interface components  68 . 
     Audio processing circuitry  66  may include analog-digital conversion circuitry and other components arranged to receive digital audio signals (from processor  62  and/or wireless communication interface  60  for instance), to convert the digital audio signals into analog audio signals for playout by a speaker to a user and to receive analog audio input via a microphone from a user and to convert the analog audio input into a digital audio signals for receipt by other components (again such as processor  62  and/or wireless communication interface  60 ). (Alternatively, the speaker and/or microphone may be arranged to process digital signals directly, thus possibly eliminating the need for a separate analog-digital conversion circuit.) In theory, audio processing circuitry can instead be provided through software rather than as hard circuitry. Therefore, the audio processing circuitry may more generally be considered an audio processor. 
     Integrated speaker  68  comprises a small speaker preferably positioned internal to the cellular telephone at a surface of the cellular telephone so that the speaker can be placed near a user&#39;s ear by holding that portion of the cellular telephone near the user&#39;s ear. Likewise, integrated microphone  70  comprises a small microphone preferably positioned internal to the cellular telephone at a surface of the cellular telephone so that the microphone can be placed within range of a user&#39;s mouth by holding that portion of the cellular telephone near enough to the user&#39;s mouth. In theory, the integrated speaker and integrated microphone could be combined into a single component of the cellular telephone. 
     External microphone/speaker interface  72  may comprise any mechanism for non-audible communication with an external microphone and external speaker, such as with an external headset that provides both microphone and speaker functionality. The non-audible communication between the cellular telephone and the external microphone and speaker may be wireless (e.g., BLUETOOTH, WI-FI, or infrared) or wireline (e.g., through an optical or copper wire cable connection) and thus carries audio communications in the form of non-audible audio signals representing the audio communications. For wireless headset communication, the external microphone/speaker interface  72  may comprise a short-range wireless transceiver, which may be configured through user interaction with the cellular telephone to pair with a wireless headset. For optical or other wired cable connection to a headset, the external microphone/speaker interface  72  may comprise an externally accessible jack into which a plug connected with the headset cable can be inserted. Numerous other arrangements for providing external microphone and external speaker connectivity may be possible as well. 
     As shown, the audio processing circuitry  66  includes a controllable switch  80  for connecting selectively with either (i) the integrated speaker  68  and integrated microphone  70  or (ii) the external microphone/speaker interface  72 . A user may set the state of the audio switch  80  through interaction with a configuration menu of the cellular telephone (e.g., through keypad entry or touch-screen interaction), or through use of a physical switch (e.g., a slider switch or button) on the exterior surface of the cellular telephone. 
     When switch  80  is set to connect with the integrated microphone and integrated speaker, the switch  80  routes outbound audio communications from processor  62  or the like via path  82  to the integrated speaker  68  and receives and forwards inbound audio communications via path  84  from the integrated microphone  70 . When switch is set to connect with the external microphone/speaker interface  72 , on the other hand, the switch  80  routes outbound audio communications via path  86  to the external microphone/speaker interface  72  for transmission to an external headset or other externally connected speaker, and the switch  80  receives and forwards inbound audio communications via path  86  (perhaps a separate cable than that used for outbound audio communications) from an external headset or other externally connected microphone. 
     The other user interface components  74  may include other input and output components (not specifically shown). For instance, the user interface components  74  may include a display for presenting information visually to a user, a vibration mechanism for presenting tactile signals to a user, a touch-sensitive screen for receiving touch-entry by a user, a keypad with buttons for receiving non-screen keypad entry by a user, a video camera for receiving video entry, a power switch, a data port, and other components now known or later developed. 
       FIG. 4  is next a block diagram depicting components of an example of the cellular telephone presently contemplated. Importantly, the cellular telephone of  FIG. 4  does not include an integrated microphone and does not include an integrated speaker, in any form or combination. Rather, the cellular telephone includes an external microphone/speaker interface for coupling with an external microphone and speaker, such as an external headset. To engage in bi-directional voice communication or other audible communication with this cellular telephone, a user must therefore use an externally connected microphone and speaker. By excluding an integrated microphone and integrated speaker from the cellular telephone, additional surface area may be available for other purposes, such as to accommodate a larger display and/or a larger keypad. Further, the cost to manufacture the cellular telephone may be incrementally lower, as the cost to include an integrated microphone and integrated speaker would be eliminated. 
     The arrangement of  FIG. 4  parallels that of  FIG. 3 , except that it lacks the integrated speaker and integrated microphone and thus also lacks the audio switch for switching between use of integrated microphone/speaker and external microphone/speaker connections. 
     In particular, the cellular telephone of  FIG. 4  includes a wireless communication interface  160 , a processor  162 , data storage  164 , audio processing circuitry  166 , an external microphone/speaker interface  172 , and other user interface components  174 , which may be communicatively linked together by a system bus and/or one or more other connection mechanisms  176 . 
     Wireless communication interface  160  functions to facilitate air interface communication with a serving cellular radio access network according to one or more protocols now known or later developed, such as one of the protocols noted above for instance, and thus preferably includes a transceiver and one or more internal or external antennas. Processor  162  comprises one or more processors such as those noted above. And data storage  164  comprises one or more volatile or non-volatile storage components such as those noted above and may be integrated in whole or in part with processor  162 . Data storage  164  preferably holds program instructions executable by processor  162  to carry out various cellular telephone functions, such as interfacing with and controlling the wireless communication interface  160 , the audio processing circuitry  166 , and the other user interface components  168 . 
     Audio processing circuitry  166  may include analog-digital conversion circuitry and other components arranged to receive digital audio signals (from processor  162  and/or wireless communication interface  160  for instance), to convert the digital audio signals into analog audio signals for delivery to external microphone/speaker interface  172 , and to receive analog audio input from external microphone/speaker interface  172  and to convert the analog audio input into a digital audio signals for receipt by other components (again such as processor  162  and/or wireless communication interface  160 ). (Alternatively, an externally connected speaker and/or microphone may be arranged to process digital signals directly, thus possibly eliminating the need for a separate analog-digital conversion circuit in the cellular telephone.) 
     External microphone/speaker interface  172  may comprise any mechanism for non-audible communication with an external microphone and external speaker, such as with an external headset that provides both microphone and speaker functionality, as discussed above. As noted above, the non-audible communication between the cellular telephone and the external microphone and speaker may be wireless (e.g., BLUETOOTH, WI-FI, or infrared) or wireline (e.g., through an optical or copper wire cable connection) and thus carries audio communications in the form of non-audible audio signals representing the audio communications. For wireless headset communication, the external microphone/speaker interface  172  may comprise a short-range wireless transceiver, which may be configured through user interaction with the cellular telephone to pair with a wireless headset. For optical or other wired cable connection to a headset, the external microphone/speaker interface  172  may comprise an externally accessible jack into which a plug connected with the headset cable can be inserted. Numerous other arrangements for providing external microphone and external speaker connectivity may be possible as well. 
     In practice, the audio processing circuitry  166  may communicate with the external microphone/speaker interface  172  via a path  184 , which may comprise two circuit paths, one for outbound audio signals and one for inbound audio signals. Alternatively, the audio processing circuitry  166  may be integrally combined in some manner with the external microphone/speaker interface  172 , thus avoiding the need to provide a circuit path between the two. 
     As above, the other user interface components  174  may include other input and output components (not specifically shown). For instance, the user interface components  174  may include a display for presenting information visually to a user, a vibration mechanism for presenting tactile signals to a user, a touch-sensitive screen for receiving touch-entry by a user, a keypad with buttons for receiving non-screen keypad entry by a user, a video camera for receiving video entry, a power switch, a data port, and other components now known or later developed. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  next depict exterior views of cellular telephones made in line with this disclosure, as variations from the cellular phone arrangements of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Advantageously, the cellular telephones of  FIGS. 5 and 6  lack any integrated microphone and integrated speaker, thus leaving more surface area for other device components, and thus likely reducing manufacturing cost. 
       FIG. 5  depicts a variation of the prior art touch-screen cellular telephone shown in  FIG. 1 , having the telephone housing  12 . In the arrangement of  FIG. 5 , a touch-screen display  220  covers a larger surface area than the touch-screen display  20  shown in  FIG. 1 , albeit in a comparably sized telephone housing  12  with a comparably sized front surface  14 . This larger touch-screen display is made possible by the exclusion of an integrated microphone and integrated speaker from the cellular telephone. Advantageously, the larger touch-screen display may make it easier for a user to interact with the display. 
     The cellular telephone of  FIG. 5  may still include on a side surface the headset jack  28  arranged to receive a plug providing a connection with an external headset. Alternatively or additionally, the cellular telephone may include an integrated short-range wireless communication interface (not shown), such as a BLUETOOTH or WI-FI interface (or other frequency hopping spread spectrum connection mechanism) or an infrared interface for instance, that provides wireless connectivity with an external headset. In either case, a user of the cellular telephone would engage in audible communication with the cell phone through interaction with some form of an externally connected speaker and an externally connected microphone, because the cellular telephone lacks an integrated speaker and an integrated microphone. 
       FIG. 6  depicts a variation of the prior art cellular telephone shown in  FIG. 2 , having the telephone housing  34 . In the arrangement of  FIG. 6 , a display  230  and/or keypad  232  cover a larger surface area than the display  30  and keypad  32  shown in  FIG. 2 , albeit in a comparably sized telephone housing  34  with a comparably sized front surface  36 . This larger display and/or larger keypad is made possible by the exclusion of an integrated microphone and integrated speaker from the cellular telephone. Advantageously, the larger display and/or larger keypad may make it easier for a user to interact with the display and/or keypad. 
     The cellular telephone of  FIG. 6  may still include on a side surface the headset jack  50  arranged to receive a plug providing a connection with an external headset. Alternatively or additionally, the cellular telephone may include an integrated short-range wireless communication interface (not shown), such as a BLUETOOTH or WI-FI interface (or other frequency hopping spread spectrum connection mechanism) or an infrared interface for instance, that provides wireless connectivity with an external headset. In either case, a user of the cellular telephone would engage in audible communication with the cell phone through interaction with some form of an externally connected speaker and an externally connected microphone, because the cellular telephone lacks an integrated speaker and an integrated microphone. 
     When selling a cellular phone that lacks an integrated speaker and integrated microphone, a vendor may sell the cellular telephone in a kit together with headset, such as a wireless headset optimally pre-paired with the cellular telephone, or a wired headset. Alternatively, a user may acquire a headset or other externally connectable speaker/microphone mechanism separately and couple it with the cellular telephone. 
     The voice communications (e.g., voice calls) in which a user engages via the cell phone may proceed via the cellular wireless communication interface of the cellular telephone and via the serving radio access network and a circuit-switched transport network (such as the public switched telephone network) and may not involve voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications with the cellular telephone (e.g., the cellular telephone engaging in VoIP communication). Alternatively, the voice communications may involve the cellular telephone engaging in VoIP communication. 
     An exemplary embodiment has been described above. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made to this embodiment without departing from the true scope and spirit of the claims.