Hello Direct, Inc.

Eric K Maxon

Michael T Wise

Susan J Britto

John Harry Magnasco

Automatic answering machine pick-up device

A cordless telephone headset and remotely controlled telephone handset pick-up device for use in conjunction with an existing corded telephone set. A mechanical lift arm of the pick-up device, driven by an electric motor with a slip clutch, lifts the handset away from the corded telephone cradle, placing the telephone handset in an off-hook position. The handset is lowered back onto the cradle by the mechanical lift arm, returning the telephone set to an on-hook position. The mechanical lift arm is activated and deactivated in response to a radio signal indicative of the lowering and raising of the microphone boom of the cordless headset. The slip clutch provides sufficient force to gently and reliably raise and lower the telephone handset without causing misalignment between the handset and the cradle and without causing damage. As the handset is gently lowered over the hook switch, the motor drives the lift arm downward beyond a point at which the handset is expected to be lowered into the cradle, ensuring that the telephone is reliably placed on-hook, while the slip clutch limits the amount of force that can be applied to the telephone set. The telephone set rests upon a platform coupled to the lift-arm, providing a unitary structure for the telephone set and handset pick-up device which aids in maintaining proper alignment of the handset to the cradle by preventing the lift arm from forcing the pick-up device out alignment.

Automatic answering pick-up device

An optical switch for controlling an operative condition of a headset. The headset includes a microphone boom that is rotatable with respect to a housing for the headset. A rotator element is coupled to the microphone boom such that the rotator element rotates with respect the housing along with the microphone boom. Selected portions of a surface of the rotator element are conditioned to be more reflective than the remaining portions. Alternately, portions of the rotator element are opaque. A pair of optical transceivers are in fixed positions relative to the housing. When the microphone boom is positioned approximately straight upward with respect to a user's head, reflective portions of the rotator element are within a field of view of each optical transceiver of the pair. In this position, the headset is in an 'off' or 'standby' mode. When the microphone boom is positioned approximately level with the ground, a reflective portion of the rotator element is not within the field of view of the first optical transceiver, while a reflective portion is within the field of view of the second optical transceiver. In this, position, the headset is in an 'mute' mode. When the microphone boom is pointing downward, a reflective portion in not in the field of view of either of the two optical transceivers. In this position, the headset is in a 'talk' mode. The optical transceivers are less susceptible to wear, contamination and misalignment, and occupy less space than prior mechanical switch devices.

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Ben Lomond, CA, United States of America

Eric K Maxon