WIRELESS RECEIVER

RECEPTEUR SANS FIL

English Abstract

A wireless receiver having a first and second
housings one of which contains a wireless signal
transmission and receiving means. The other housing
preferably contains a power supply and possibly a battery
back-up for use in the event of a cut in the power supply.
The two housings are hinged together. They are relatively
movable between one position in which the two housings
depend one from another so as to be mounted upon a vertical
wall and another position in which the two housings are
disposed one behind the other for supporting upon a
horizontal surface. Preferably, in the position for
mounting upon a wall, the two housings provide rear planar
surfaces which are coplanar and in the other position for
mounting upon a horizontal surface the two housings provide
planar support surfaces for supporting them upon the
horizontal surface. It is also preferable that these two
support surfaces, when the housings are in a position for
hanging vertically, lie closely adjacent, are parallel and
confront each other so as to give the impression that the
receiver is a single housing construction. Similarly with
the housings in the other relative positions other surfaces
confront and lie parallel to each other also to give the
single housing impression.

French Abstract

L'invention est un récepteur de communication sans fil comportant deux boîtiers dont l'un contient un dispositif d'émission et de réception de signaux de communication sans fil. Dans la concrétisation privilégiée de l'invention, l'autre boîtier contient un bloc d'alimentation et, au besoin, une pile d'alimentation de secours. Ces deux boîtiers, qui sont reliés par des charnières, peuvent être déplacés l'un par rapport à l'autre et être installés dans une position où ils dépendent l'un de l'autre pour être montés sur une paroi verticale, ainsi que dans une autre position où ils se trouvent l'un derrière l'autre pour être montés sur une surface horizontale. Dans la concrétisation privilégiée de l'invention, les deux boîtiers présentent des faces arrière coplanaires dans la position de montage vertical et fournissent des surfaces d'appui planes sur lesquelles ils peuvent reposer en position de montage horizontal. Il est préférable que ces deux surfaces d'appui, quand les boîtiers sont montés verticalement, se trouvent rapprochés en opposition parallèlement l'une à l'autre de façon à donner l'impression que le récepteur se trouve dans un seul boîtier. De même, quand les boîtier sont montés dans l'autre position, d'autres surfaces sont en opposition parallèlement l'une à l'autre et donnent également l'impression que le récepteur est monté dans un seul boîtier.

Claims

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WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A wireless receiver comprising a first housing
having a front surface and a rear surface and containing
wireless signal transmission and receiving means, and a
second housing pivotally mounted to the first housing and
movable between a first position in which one of the
housings depends from the other housing, which has means to
hang the receiver upon a vertical surface, and a second
position in which the second housing is located behind the
first housing, the two housings together then providing
lower support surface means for supporting the receiver
upon a horizontal surface.

2. A receiver according to claim 1 wherein the
rear surface is planar and the second housing has a planar
surface which with the second housing in the first
position, provides a rear surface which is coplanar with
the rear surface of the first housing.

3. A receiver according to claim 2 wherein with
the second housing in the second position, its surface
confronts and lies substantially parallel to the rear
surface of the first housing.

4. A receiver according to claim 1 wherein, in
respect of each housing, the support surface means
comprises a planar surface and with the second housing in
the second position, the planar surfaces of the first and
second housings are coplanar.

5. A receiver according to claim 4 wherein the
planar surfaces of the housings lie in planes other than
normal to the rear surface of the first housing which is
also planar whereby, with the second housing in the second
position and with the receiver supported upon a horizontal


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surface, the front surface of the first housing is inclined
rearwardly from a lower to a top end of the housing.

6. A receiver according to claim 5 wherein the
rear surface is planar and the second housing has another
planar surface which, with the second housing in the first
position, provides a rear surface which is coplanar with a
rear surface of the first housing and which, with a second
housing in the second position, confronts and lies
substantially parallel to the rear surface of the first
housing.

7. A receiver according to claim 6 wherein, in
the first position of the second housing, its other planar
surface confronts, is adjacent to, and lies substantially
parallel to the planar surface of the first housing.

Description

21 85864
.




WIRELESS RECErVER
This invention relates to wireless receivers.
A wireless receiver is an item of
tele~ ;cations equipment which receives radio messages
from an outside source and is connected by cable to
tel~ ications terminal e~l; t such as a t~l~ph~n~
t~rmin~l or a facsimile copying machine ~commonly referred
to as "fax" machine). A wireless receiver is not to be
confused with another item of telecommunications equipment
o commonly referred to as a "telephone base station" or a
"wireless base station". A telephone or wireless base
station is one which is connected by cable to conventional
telephone equipment and acts as a radio transmitter and
receiver to a wireless t~l~ph~n~. Thus, a wireless
receiver enables the use of conventional tel~ ir~tions
t~rmin~ nt~ i.e. equipment served by
tel~- ;cations cable, thereby avoiding the necessity of
using cellular or radio telecommunications terminal
equipment.
Wireless receivers are for use particularly in
regions of the world in which in~ te telecommunications
cables already exist between transmitting and receiving
locations in that they are capable of receiving and
transmitting messages by radio thereby avoiding the problem
of lack of cable. The only cable which is necessary is the
short length of cable connecting the wireless receiver with
the telecommunications terminal ~li t within an office.
Such cable is normally only of a few feet in length
sufficient to convey signals between the receiver and the
3c terminal either within a room or within the confines of a
building.
The present invention seeks to provide a wireless
receiver which is adaptable in use either for wall mounting
or for supporting a horizontal surface such as a desk.
~ r~; ngly, the present invention provides a
wireless receiver comprising a first housing having a front
surface and a rear surface and containing wireless signal

~ 21 85864

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transmission and receiving means, and a second housing
pivotally mounted to the first housing and movable between
a first position in which one the housings depends from the
other housing which has means to hang the receiver upon a
vertical surface, and a second position in which the second
housing is located behind the first housing, the two
housings together then providing lower support surface
means for supporting the receiver upon a horizontal
surface.
o Hence, with the wireless receiver according to the
invention, the first and second housings cooperate to
provide the support surface means to support the receiver
upon a horizontal surface or alternatively, the housings
are carried one by the other with the receiver hanging from
a vertical surface. This is a particularly practical
arrangement depending upon the type of position in which
the receiver is re~uired to be located.
In a practical arrangement, it is advantageous for
the second housing to contain a power supply and also
possibly have a region for mounting a battery back-up unit
for telephone usage. The battery back-up unit is
particularly useful in the event that the power supply is
cut-off as may occur sometimes in certain locations.
To enable the first and second housings to appear
to be , ~ in~ as a single unit, it is preferable for the
second housing to have a surface which, with the second
housing in the first position, provides a rear surface
which is coplanar with the rear surface of the first
housing. ~ith this arrangement, the two rear surfaces then
will hang directly down a vertical surface such as on a
wall. Further, with the second housing in the second
position, it is preferable for this particular surface to
confront and lie substantially parallel to the rear surface
of the first housing.
3s In addition, the support means in respect of each
housing may comprise a planar surface and with the second
housing ir. its second position the two planar surfaces of

2 1 85864



the housings are coplanar. This provides a particularly
flat support for the wireless receiver to be disposed upon
a horizontal surface. Also, with this arrangement, it is
preferable for the two planar surfaces of the support
s surface means to lie closely adjacent in confronting
parallel relationship with the second housing in the first
position. j f
One enfbodiment of the invention will now be
described, by way of example, with reference to the
0 if~ -nying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a front isometric view of a wireless
receiver according to the enfbodiment;
Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the
wireless receiver mounted upon a vertical surface; and
- -Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the
wireless receiver when carried upon a horizontal surface.
As shown by the Figures, a wireless receiver 10
comprises two housings 12 and 14 which are connected
together by a hinge 16. The hinge is located along a lower
2c edge of a planar rear surface 18 of the housing 12 (as
shown in Figure 2). The housing 12 contains wireless
signal transmission and receiving means which may be
conventional construction for receiving and transmitting
wireless or radio signals to and from an outside source.
The other housing 14 contains a battery supply (not shown)
and a battery back-up unit which is maintained charged by
the power supply to continue uninterrupted operation of the
wireless receiver in the event of power supply being
curtailed. As shown by Figures 2 and 3, the housing 14 is
pivotally connected to the housing 12 for v t of the
housing 14 between a first position (Figure 2) in which it
depends directly from the housing 12, and a second position
(Figure 3) in which the housing 14 lies to the rear of the
housing 12.
The housing 14 has a surface 20 to which the hinge
16 is also connected. The surface 20 is planar and, with
the housing 14 in the position shown in Figure 2 depending

21 85864



from housing 12 then the planar surface 20 is coplanar with
surface 18. Hence, the wireless receiver 10 may be mounted
upon a vertical wall surface 22 as shown by Figure 2 withy;
both of the surfaces 18 and 20 either resting against the
surface 22 or in close proximity thereto as allowed for by
any rearward projection of the hinge 16. In this position,
an aerial 24 of the receiver and carried by the housing 12
possibly from a pivotal mounting 26/ extends upwardly from
the receiver.
lo The two housings between them provide support
surface means for supporting the receiver upon a horizontal
surface with the housing 14 disposed rearwardly of the
housing 12 as shown by Figure 3. This support surface
means is provided by a planar surface 25 of the housing 14
and a planar surface 27 of the housing 12. These two
planar surfaces in the position shown in Figure 3 are
coplanar so as to cooperate to support the receiver upon a
horizontal surface 28. :~
It is worthy of note that with the embodiment, in
the position of the housing 14 in Figure 1 its surface 25
~ lies closely adjacent to, confronts, and is substantially
parallel to the surface 27 of the housing 12. Thus, with
the housing 14 in the first position of Figure 2, the
receiver gives the appearance of being a single housing
construction as is readily seen from Figures 1 and 2 of the
drawings. In addition, the surfaces 25 and 27 lie in
substantially parallel planes which are other than normal
to the plane of the rear surface 18 of the housing 12
whereby, with the housing 14 in the second position of
Figure 3 and with the receiver mounted upon the horizontal
surface 28, the front surface 30 of the housing 12 is
;n~l ;n~ rearwardly from a lower to a top end. Thus, the
front surface of the receiver faces upwardly towards a user
of telephone e~uipment when mounted upon a desk. It is
also noteworthy that with the housing 14 in its position
rearwardly of the housing 12 in Figure 3 then the surface
20 lies closely adjacent to, confronts, and is

2 1 85864

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substantially parallel to the rear surface 18 of the
housing 12. Thus, this may again give the impression that
the housings 12 and 14 are a single housing structure
instead of two separate items of the receiver which are
hinged together. In view of the fact that the housings 12
and 14 are hingedly connected together in the manner
described and in view of the relative positions of the
surfaces 18, 20, 24, and 26, then ~or either of the
positions of the housing 14, the receiver is of compact
o structure with minimal gap between the housings 12 and 14
while enabling the receiver to be mounted either in a
vertical or in a horizontal position.

Representative Drawing