Zenith Electronics Corporation

Cobra Electronics Corporation

Other

Robert E Mudra

James R Johnson

Wilfred Charles Boudreau

Anthony Alfred Mirabelli

Ramon Sandoval

William Chamberlain

Christopher Steven deWaal

Mark A Scholten

Jeffery Patrick Heuel

John Phillip Pohl

Nick Shaw

A wireless communication device for use in a noisy or harsh environment in connection with a cellular telephone is disclosed. The wireless communication device provides enhanced audio broadcasting capabilities for an operator of the device by providing a larger, more powerful speaker than that typically found in a cellular telephone. The apparatus of the present invention improves cellular telephone usage in the typically noisy and harsh environment found while operating a boat. The present apparatus further provides a half-duplex mode of communication to further reduce ambient noise experienced while using a cellular telephone in a noisy environment In another embodiment, the apparatus is connectable to a variety of external devices and is capable of operating the external devices and providing internet access for a variety of external devices through a cellular telephone connection In at least one embodiment, the present invention is connectable to any transceiver.

Marine communication device with wireless cellular telephone connectivity

A wireless communication device for use in connection with a cellular telephone is disclosed and a transceiver radio such as a citizens band radio. The wireless communication device of the present invention provides enhanced audio broadcasting capabilities for an operator of the device by providing a larger, more powerful speaker than that typically found in a cellular telephone. Thus, the apparatus of the present invention improves cellular telephone usage in a noisy environment such as the cab of a tractor trailer or other vehicle. In another embodiment, the wireless communication device of the present invention is connectable to multiple external devices and is capable of operating the external devices and providing access to a cellular telephone network for such external devices.

Citizens band radio with wireless cellular telephone connectivity

Microphone

A television receiver includes a removable panel that physically supports an integrated circuit board that provides for external control of certain of the receiver functions. A telephone jack and an antenna jack are secured to the removable panel for enabling external access. The television receiver has a separate communications microprocessor that communicates with the master microprocessor controller and a power supply that provides low voltage power for external use.

Television receiver with external access

A VCR tuning system wherein broadcast channels 3/4, used for VCR tuning, has a different frequency assignment in a different tuning band. A special VCR indicia is added to the active tuning list and is accessed when VCR tuning is selected. The indicia is mapped to the corresponding frequencies of broadcast channels 3/4 as determined by the VCR flag. Non VCR indicia channel selections access look up tables corresponding to the various tuning bands in the system in the usual manner.

VCR channel set up for non standard tuning environments

A full function remote control pillow speaker arrangement is coupled by three wires to a television receiver. The arrangement includes a standard IR control signal encoder, the output of which is filtered to remove the 40 kilohertz ultrasonic frequency, thus yielding an envelope corresponding to the data pulses. Operating power is supplied to the encoder from a DATA line and a common (COM) line with a shunt regulator being interposed to protect the encoder from over voltage conditions during standby operations. A speaker is supplied audio signals from the COM line and an AUDIO line. The receiver is capable of functioning with other types of pillow speaker control units, i.e. those having a single key closure for channel and on/off control and those with extra key closures for channel directional control. A circuit is included that discriminates between data pulses and key closures for transmitting data pulses to the television receiver IR data processing circuitry and transmitting key closures to receiver key scan processing circuitry.

Three wire television remote control operable with key closures or data

A full function remote control pillow speaker arrangement is coupled by three wires to a television receiver. The arrangement includes a standard IR control signal encoder, the output of which is filtered to remove the 40 kilohertz ultrasonic frequency, thus yielding an envelope corresponding to the data pulses. Operating power is supplied to the encoder from a DATA line and a common (COM) line with a shunt regulator being interposed to protect the encoder from over voltage conditions during standby operations. A speaker is supplied audio signals from the (COM) line and an audio line. The receiver is capable of functioning with other types of pillow speaker control units, i.e. those having a single key closure for channel and on/off control and those with extra key closures for channel directional control. A circuit is included that discriminates between data pulses and key closures for transmitting data pulses to the television receiver IR data processing circuitry and transmitting key closures to receiver key scan processing circuitry.

Three wire pillow speaker with full television remote control functions

An audio power amplifier includes a stacked pair of complementary transistors having the emitters commonly coupled to a load. A driver stage couples the bases of the stacked pair to a source of audio frequency signal. A bootstrap capacitor is coupled between the commonly coupled output node and the supply voltage. An isolation diode is interposed between the bootstrap capacitor and the operating supply to prevent discharge of the bootstrap capacitor into the operating supply during positive signal swings.

Push-pull amplifier having bootstrap capacitor isolation

A video signal peak compressor circuit includes an emitter follower stage together with a feedback amplifier having a conduction threshold determined by a pair of voltage divider resistors. The feedback amplifier responds to increased conduction of the emitter follower stage to apply a compensating current to the emitter follower base and thereby impose a nonlinear compressing characteristic upon the emitter follower transfer function. In the embodiment shown, the emitter follower stage includes a PNP transistor having an input signal applied to its base and an output signal taken at its emitter which is coupled to operating supply by a pair of resistors. The feedback amplifier includes a PNP transistor having its emitter coupled to the junction point of a voltage divider, its base coupled to the junction of the emitter follower resistors and its collector coupled to the base of the PNP emitter follower stage.

Video signal peak compressor

A printed circuit board is provided with a pair of parallel foil conductive strips on one side thereof coupled by means of a conductive foil jumper adjacent and generally parallel to an edge of the circuit board. In this configuration, the two conductive strips are coupled in circuit by means of the foil jumper. An inner portion of the circuit board is provided with an aperture positioned interiorly on the circuit board relative to the foil jumper and adjacent thereto. The portion of the circuit located between the parallel foil conductive strips and between the aperture and the edge of the circuit board and upon which the foil jumper is positioned is detached from the circuit board electrically decoupling the parallel foil conductive strips. With the foil jumper thus removed, a connector may then be positioned on the edge of the circuit board in contact with the foil conductors for coupling an associated electronic device in circuit therebetween for processing of the signal carried by the foil conductors. The aperture includes a first pair of spaced stress concentrators directed toward the edge of the circuit board. A second pair of spaced stress concentrators aligned with the first pair in the form of slots are provided on a second side of the foil jumper on the edge of the circuit board to facilitate the breaking away and removal of that portion of the circuit board between the foil conductive strips and upon which the foil jumper is positioned.

Growing community of inventors

Glenview, IL, United States of America

Robert E Mudra