JP2002185582A - Telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To add new entertainment to a telephone system by timely mixing the reproduced sound of required sound data into a transmitting voice like an interlude on a phone call with a user's intension and to provide a telephone system which is capable of easily realizing the above function by manipulating the ten keys of the telephone. SOLUTION: A telephone device is equipped with operation means 2 and 3 which are composed of talking operational keys and receive an operational command from a user, a data storage means 4 which has stored a plurality of sound data corresponding to the above operational conditions, a mode switching control means 16 which optionally switches a DTMF signal transmitting mode to a sound data reproduction mode and vice versa by the control of the operation means 2 and 3, a sound data read-out control means 6 which reads out the sound data corresponding to the operational conditions, getting access to the data storage means 4 in accordance with the operational command, a transmitting voice mixing means 8 which mixes the read-out sound data together with a user's talking voice, and transmitting means 9 and 10 which transmit the voice mixed with sound to a receiving end.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a telephone device, and more particularly to a digitally-sounded audio data reproduction sound such as an animal squeal and a sound effect, a reproduction sound of various performance data, and a reproduction sound of a call during a call. The present invention relates to a telephone device which is suitable for mixing a reproduced sound (hereinafter referred to as "sound data reproduced sound") mixed with and transmitting it to a communication partner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as the need for advanced functions for telephones has increased, performance data such as MIDI sequence data of music has been played by a sound source built in a telephone device, and the sounds of animals and the sounds of waves have been developed. There has been proposed a telephone device having a function of reproducing digitally sampled audio data. These functions are used, for example, as a function of notifying an incoming call by sound data reproduction sound instead of a conventional incoming call sound when receiving an incoming call.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-299718 proposes an invention in which a telephone apparatus has a music reproduction function in addition to a telephone call function. The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the inconvenience of having to carry both a mobile phone device and a portable audio device when the user uses the mobile phone device. And data restoring means for reading out and expanding the music data and reproducing it as a music signal. In the invention, when a call is started while music is being reproduced by the audio player unit, the music is mixed with the voice of the user and sent to the other party,
Alternatively, music was mixed with the voice of the other party and output to the speaker.

[0004]

However, in the conventional telephone device, music that is reproduced in advance is mixed with the transmitted voice of the user and sent or mixed with the received voice of the other party. Although it was possible to do so, it was not possible to mix desired sound data reproduction sound with outgoing voice in real time upon a user's operation during a call and transmit it. That is, desired sound data reproduction sound from a plurality of performance sounds and audio data reproduction sounds cannot be mixed into the transmitted voice of a call during a call at a timing intended by the user. For example, it was not possible to perform an operation to instantly select a sound effect such as a match hand or a BGM suited to the atmosphere of a conversation in accordance with the conversation content of the other party and mix it with the transmitted voice. Therefore, it was not possible to realize an entertaining call using sound effects and BGM.

Further, in the conventional telephone apparatus, a large-capacity data storage means for storing music data is required to realize a function of transmitting music mixed with a user's transmission voice signal. However, since it is difficult to simultaneously reduce the size of the telephone device and realize a large-capacity data storage unit inside the telephone device, an external memory device such as a memory IC card must be provided.

On the other hand, various communication devices such as mobile phones are increasingly required to be further miniaturized, and there is a need to reduce or reduce the number of input operation keys. Therefore, simply adding an audio function separately as in the conventional invention cannot meet the demands of the market, and it is desired to use operation keys such as dial keys which are usually provided if possible.

[0007] However, in the conventional telephone device, when the dial key is operated after off-hook, Dual Tone Multi Frequency which is a signal transmitting means is used.
Since the y signal tone (hereinafter referred to as "DTMF signal tone") is set to be transmitted, the sound data reproduction sound cannot be transmitted by operating the dial key.

The present invention has been made to solve at least one of the above problems. For example, the timing intended by the user, such as a hand in a match according to the conversation content of the other party, is used. With this, it is possible to select a desired sound data reproduction sound from a plurality of audio data such as sound effects and sound data such as performance data and mix it into the transmitted voice of a call during a call, thereby providing a new entertainment property to the telephone device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a telephone device that can be added and can easily realize those functions by operating a telephone operation key such as a numeric keypad or a function key.

[0009]

The telephone device according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that an operation means for receiving an operation command from a user and a plurality of sound data are associated with operation conditions of the operation means. The stored data storage means, a sound data read control means for accessing the data storage means in accordance with an operation command from the operation means and reading sound data corresponding to a predetermined operation condition, and the sound data read control means It is characterized in that it has a transmission mixing means for mixing the sound data and the transmission voice of the user, and a transmission means for transmitting the sound mixed voice mixed by the transmission mixing means to the other party.

With such a configuration, the operating means receives a user's operation command, and the sound data reading control means accesses the data storage means according to the operating conditions of the operating means. The sound data corresponding to the operation condition is read out, the transmission mixing means mixes the sound data with the user's transmission voice, and the transmission means transmits the sound mixed voice to the other party. Therefore, it is possible to select a desired sound data reproduction sound from a plurality of sound data at a timing intended by the user and mix it into the transmitted voice of the call during the call.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the operation means comprises a plurality of operation sections, and the plurality of sound data stored in the data storage means is each of the plurality of sound data. It is stored in association with the operation conditions of the operation unit.

[0012] By adopting such a configuration, a plurality of sound data can be assigned to a plurality of operation sections respectively, so that the sound data can be reproduced more instantaneously at a timing intended by the user. Can be sent.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, a plurality of sound data are associated with at least one of the operation units constituting the operation means, and the data storage is performed. The point is stored in the means.

Since a plurality of sound data are associated with one operation unit by adopting such a configuration, more sound data can be easily read out and mixed with the transmitted voice. Can expand the range of sound data selection.

A feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that, in any one of claims 1 to 3, the operation means is constituted by a communication key such as a numeric keypad or a function key. .

[0016] By adopting such a configuration, the existing numeric keys and function keys can be used as operation means for sound data reproduction sound, so that there is no need to provide separate operation means for sound data reproduction sound. It is possible to provide a function of mixing sound data reproduction sound with transmission voice and transmitting the same while suppressing an increase in the size of the device.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that in the fourth aspect, there is provided a mode conversion control means for arbitrarily switching between a DTMF signal transmission mode and a sound data reproduction mode by operating the operation means.

By adopting such a configuration, when the user operates the operation means, the mode conversion control means switches from the DTMF signal transmission mode to the sound data reproduction mode. The DTMF signal can be prevented from being transmitted to the other party by operating the numeric keypad at the time, and the numeric keypad can be used as an operation means without any inconvenience.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, an operation condition for reproducing desired sound data from a plurality of sound data is arbitrarily set. The point is that it can be selected and set in the data storage means.

By employing such a configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily select and set operation conditions for reproducing desired sound data from a plurality of sound data, and therefore, it is intended to reproduce sound data. It is possible to appropriately set operation conditions that are easy to perform with timing, which is more convenient.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the sound data read by the sound data read control means is mixed with the received voice from the other party. And the sound data read control means controls whether to transmit the sound data to the transmission mixing means, to the reception mixing means, or to both. It is in the point.

By adopting such a configuration, when the sound data read control unit controls the sound data to be transmitted only to the reception mixing unit, the reception mixing unit outputs the sound data and the reception voice. Before the sound data reproduction sound is mixed with the transmission sound and transmitted, the user confirms in advance what kind of sound data reproduction sound the user selected sound data is. Thus, it is possible to prevent an unexpected sound data reproduction sound from being transmitted to the other party. If the sound data read control means controls the sound data to be transmitted to both the reception mixing means and the transmission mixing means, the caller can simultaneously hear the same sound data reproduction sound as the other party. You can enjoy each other together,

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the sound server further comprises client software for accessing a sound server via a communication network. And a data communication control unit that acquires desired sound data from the data storage unit and stores the data in the data storage unit.

By employing such a configuration, the client software accesses the sound server via the communication network, obtains desired sound data from the sound server, and stores the desired sound data in the data storage means. Therefore, the user can store favorite sound data in the data storage means in association with the operation unit, and can mix the sound data with the transmitted voice.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, a condition for repeatedly reproducing predetermined sound data is set as the operation condition of the operation means. The point is that it can be set in the data storage means.

[0026] By adopting such a configuration, the sound data read from the data storage means can be continuously reproduced by executing the operation of repeatedly reproducing the operation means. For example, even sound data having a small data size and a few measures in length can be reproduced as if it were a long piece of music. As a result, the data size occupied by the data storage means can be greatly reduced despite the length of the audible song being long.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a telephone device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the telephone device 1 of the present embodiment includes at least an operation key 2 including a numeric keypad and function keys as operation means for receiving an operation command from a user, a display 3, and sound data. A data storage unit 4 serving as data storage means stored in association with the operation key 2;
User interface control unit 5 having a function as mode conversion control means for arbitrarily switching between a DTMF signal transmission mode and a sound data reproduction mode by the operation of
A sound data read control unit 6 serving as a sound data read control unit for accessing the data storage unit 4 in accordance with an operation command from the operation key 2 and reading sound data corresponding to a predetermined operation key 2; A transmission mixer unit 8 as transmission mixing means for mixing the sound data read by the control unit 6 and the user's transmission voice input from the microphone 7, and the transmission mixer unit 8
A telephone communication control unit 9 and a telephone line interface 10 as transmission means for transmitting a sound mixed voice mixed by the above to a communication partner.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the telephone device 1 according to the present embodiment has the sound data read control unit 6 which reads out the sound data so that the caller can confirm the sound data to be transmitted in advance. Receiver mixer unit 1 serving as a receiver mixing means for mixing the voice and the voice received from the other party
1, wherein the sound data reading control unit 6 comprises:
Whether the sound data is transmitted to the transmission mixer unit 8, the reception mixer unit 11, or both is controlled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the telephone apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a web as a sound server in which various sound data files are stored via a communication network 12 such as the Internet or a telephone line network. In order to access the server 13, a web browser as client software (not shown) is installed, and a data communication control unit 14 that obtains desired sound data from the web server 13 and stores it in the data storage unit 4 Provided.

Next, the above-described telephone device 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
Each of the components constituting the above will be described more specifically.

In the present embodiment, the operation keys 2 are constituted by so-called ten-keys or function keys, which are operation keys for communication, and in addition to a dial function for communication and the like,
An operation function for selecting and transmitting sound data reproduction sound is also provided. These operation keys 2 include an operation key for selecting a menu displayed on the display 3 and a touch panel.

The data storage unit 4 stores the flash RO
As shown in FIG. 2, at least a sound data storage area 15 storing a plurality of sound data, an operation key 2, the sound data, and a reproduction volume are stored in association with each other. An operation key / sound correspondence table area 16 is formed.

Of these, the sound data file may be randomly stored in the sound data storage area 15 without any particular regularity. However, considering the improvement of the reading speed and the convenience of changing the settings, FIG. As described above, it is preferable to store the sounds in different sound fields, such as animal sounds, natural environment sounds, human voices, onomatopoeia, and BGM. In this case, it is preferable that the user can arbitrarily change the setting of the field.

The operation key / sound correspondence table area 16 stores the operation keys 2, a file name of sound data, a reproduction volume, and an operation condition mode for reproducing the sound in a correspondence table. A plurality of sound data can be assigned to each operation key 2.

Here, the sound reproduction operation condition mode is an operation condition of the operation key 2 for reproducing sound data. In other words, under what condition a plurality of sound data assigned to each operation key 2 are reproduced can be individually set for each operation key 2. In the present embodiment, as the sound data reproduction operation conditions, 1.1 press / two press switch mode, and 2. 2. cyclic switching mode; 3. random switching mode; 4. Monitor / transmission switching mode; Five playback modes, that is, a repeat playback / stop switching mode, can be set.

Here, the once-pressed / double-pressed switching mode is a mode in which sound data to be reproduced is changed according to the manner of pressing. Is played, but if the button is pressed twice consecutively, the sound data to be played is switched and "dog howling" is played.

The cyclic switching mode is a mode in which sound data is reproduced in a cycle, and the sound data reproduced is switched each time the button is pressed. For example, if five pieces of music are associated with one numeric keypad, the sound data is switched each time the key is pressed once, the sound data makes one round by the fifth press, and again from the sixth time. It returns to playing the first song.

Further, the random switching mode is a mode in which sound data is reproduced randomly each time the operation key 2 is pressed.

Further, the monitor / transmission switching mode means that the reproduced sound data is transmitted to the other party after monitoring by the other party or directly transmitted to the other party without any monitoring. This mode is used to select whether or not to perform. For example, when the operation key 2 is pressed once, the reproduction sound can be monitored by the caller, and when the operation key 2 is continuously pressed twice, the reproduction sound can be transmitted to the caller and the other party. In the case of the monitor / transmission mode in this embodiment, only one sound data is assigned to the operation key 2.

In the repetitive reproduction / stop switching mode, reproduction of sound data starts when the operation key 2 is pressed once, and the sound data is repeatedly reproduced until the operation key 2 is pressed again. Mode. The operation key 2 set in this mode may be configured to repeatedly execute reproduction and stop by the same operation key 2 as described above. The key 2 may be assigned. Further, in the case of the repetitive playback / stop switching mode in the present embodiment, only one sound data is assigned to the operation key 2.

Each mode of the above-described sound reproduction operation conditions can be arbitrarily set and changed for each operation key 2 by a user.

Although the reproduction volume set in the operation key / sound correspondence table area 16 indicates a relative volume from 0 to the maximum volume, it is not limited to this.
You may make it set with a volume unit, such as a decibel.

The user interface control unit 5
Mainly controls a user interface function such as a numeric keypad and a display 3 according to a predetermined program, and manages setting information such as correspondence information of sound data assigned to the operation keys 2 and operation conditions for sound data reproduction. It has become. Then, control is performed to switch the operation mode between a DTMF signal transmission mode and a sound data reproduction mode in accordance with the operation of the operation key 2 by the user. In this embodiment,
The operation mode is converted by an operation of pressing the “*” key for a predetermined time.

Therefore, when the user interface control unit 5 receives an input event of the numeric keypad at the time of on-hook, it notifies the telephone communication control unit 9 and executes a dial for a telephone call. On the other hand, at the time of off-hook, the user interface control unit 5
Is D if the operation mode is the DTMF signal transmission mode.
The DTMF signal tone is controlled to be transmitted to the TMF signal transmission unit 17. If the operation mode is the sound data reproduction mode, the operation key / sound correspondence table area 16 of the data storage unit 4 is accessed to operate the operation key 2. And obtains a file name and playback volume of sound data that matches the operation condition, notifies the sound data readout control unit 6 of the file name and playback volume, and reads out the sound data that matches the file name. The playback is controlled so as to be performed at a predetermined playback volume.

Here, the DTMF signal transmitting section 17
A DTMF signal corresponding to each numeric keypad is generated in accordance with an instruction from the user interface control unit 5, and the generated DTMF signal tone is transmitted to the telephone line interface 10 via the electric communication control unit.

The sound data read control unit 6 accesses the data storage unit 4 in accordance with an instruction from the user interface control unit 5, reads out the sound data of the file name notified from the sound data storage area 15 and decompresses the data. The reproduction volume corresponding to the operation key / sound correspondence table area 16 is converted into an analog audio signal. Further, the sound data readout control unit 6 sends out the sound data reproduction sound converted into the analog audio signal according to the instruction of the user interface control unit 5 to either the transmission mixer unit 8 or the reception mixer unit 11, or to both of them. It is designed to be sent.

Further, when the sound data reproduction sound transmitted from the sound data read control unit 6 and the transmission sound of the user input from the microphone 7 are generated simultaneously, the transmission mixer unit 8 Either mix and send both, or play and send one of them with priority, or if the playback length of sound data is short, send the sound data with priority and otherwise mix both Then, the data is transmitted from the telephone line interface 10 such as a wireless antenna via the telephone communication control unit 9 to the other party. These controls are controlled by the sound data read control unit 6 under the instruction of the user interface control unit 5.

The sound data reproduction sound and the transmission voice mixed by the transmission mixer unit 8 are simultaneously heard in a completely mixed state at the other end of the communication, or the reproduction priority is given to the reproduction. When attached, only the preferentially reproduced sound data reproduction sound or transmission sound is heard first, and during that time period the other sound is interrupted. . The volume at which the sound data is reproduced depends on the operation key / sound correspondence table area 1.
6 can be arbitrarily set by changing the volume setting.

The reception mixer section 11 mixes the reception sound received from the telephone line interface 10 via the telephone communication control section 9 with the sound data reproduction sound transmitted from the sound data read control section 6. To the speaker 18. At this time, when the reception voice and the sound data reproduction sound are generated simultaneously, the reception mixer section 11 transmits both of them in a mixed state, or reproduces and transmits one of them with priority. If the playback length of the sound data is short, sound data is sent preferentially. Otherwise, sound data is sent in a mixed manner. The sound data reproduction sound and the reception sound thus mixed are sent to the speaker 18. Thus, the caller can monitor the sound data reproduction sound reproduced by operating the operation key 2 during the call from the speaker 18 in advance. These controls are controlled by the sound data read control unit 6 under the instruction of the user interface control unit 5. The sound volume for reproducing the sound data can be arbitrarily set by changing the sound volume setting in the operation key / sound correspondence table area 16.

The telephone communication control section 9 encodes the transmitted voice and combines the signals received from the telephone line interface 10.

The data communication control unit 14 controls the operation of a web browser for connection to the Internet, downloads desired sound data stored in the web server 13 and stores the data in the data storage unit 4. The sound data is stored in the sound data storage area 15.

Next, the operation of the telephone device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step 1, a transition is made to a call state with the other party in a normal telephone calling procedure or a telephone receiving procedure. At this time, the operation mode is the DTMF signal transmission mode.
7 and transmitted to the other party.

Therefore, in step 2, the user interface control unit 5 as a mode switching control means is operated by a preset operation mode switching operation, in this embodiment, a switching operation of pressing the "*" key for a predetermined time.
Switches the operation mode from the DTMF signal transmission mode to the sound data reproduction mode.

Then, in step 3, when the user presses any operation key 2, the process proceeds to step 4, and a key event including the key operation information is notified to the user interface control unit 5.

In step S5, the user interface control unit 5 having received the key event accesses the data storage unit 4 and stores the operation key 2 and the operation condition mode for reproducing the sound from the operation key / sound correspondence table area 16. Then, the file name and playback volume of the corresponding sound data are extracted from.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 6, where the user interface control unit 5 notifies the sound data readout control unit 6 of the extracted sound data file name and playback volume.

Then, proceeding to step 7, the sound data read control unit 6 accesses the data storage unit 4, reads out predetermined sound data from the sound data storage area 15, and converts it into an analog audio signal at a predetermined reproduction volume. Convert.

Next, proceeding to step 8, it is determined whether or not the sound reproduction operation condition mode received from the user interface control section 5 is a mode in which the monitor / transmission switching mode is set and only the caller monitors. Is determined.

If YES in step 8, that is, if the sound reproduction operation condition mode is set to a mode in which only the caller monitors, the process proceeds to step 9, where the sound data read control unit 6 sets the sound data reproduction control The sound is transmitted only to the reception mixer unit 11. Then, in step 10, the reception mixer section 11 mixes the sound received from the other party with the sound data reproduction sound and sends it to the speaker 18, and in step 11, the caller monitors the sound data reproduction sound.

On the other hand, if NO in step 8,
That is, if the sound reproduction operation condition mode is set to a mode in which the sound data is also transmitted to the caller and the other party, the process proceeds to step 12, where the sound data read control unit 6 transmits the sound data reproduction sound to the reception mixer unit 11 and the transmission mixer unit 11. It is sent to both of the talk mixer units 8.

Then, in step 13, the receiving mixer section 11 mixes the received voice from the other party with the sound data reproduction sound and sends out the mixed sound to the speaker 18.

In step 14, the transmission mixer section 8 mixes the transmission sound input from the microphone 7 with the sound reproduction sound and sends it to the telephone communication control section 9. In step 15, the telephone communication control section At 9 the data is encoded and transmitted from the telephone line interface 10 to the other party.

Next, the operation of assigning desired sound data to each operation key 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this assignment operation, the user changes the setting of sound data to be assigned to a predetermined operation key 2 by displaying the display 3 and operating the operation key 2. As shown in FIG. 4, when the operation key / sound assignment menu is selected from the menu selection screen on the display 3, an initial screen is displayed. On this initial screen, the operation key 2 whose setting is to be changed is pressed. For example, "1"
When the numeric keypad is pressed, the current setting information of the numeric keypad is displayed on the display 3 as shown in FIG.

When the "change" button is selected on this screen, a sound data selection menu is displayed as shown in FIG. The sound data selection menu displays a list of sound data stored in the sound data storage area 15 of the data storage unit 4. On this list screen, a desired sound data file can be selected and assigned. When the “Done” button is selected after the sound data allocation is completed, a sound reproduction operation condition mode selection menu shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. Then, in this playback operation condition mode selection menu,
An operation is performed to reproduce sound data arbitrarily from among one-press operation / two-press switching mode, cyclic switching mode, random switching mode, monitor / transmission switching mode, and repeated playback / stop switching mode. Select easy operating conditions.

In the telephone device 1 of the present embodiment, when it is desired to obtain new sound data or the like from the web server 13, the data communication control unit 14 activates a web browser and transmits the web The server 13 accesses the server 13, controls download of desired sound data, and stores the acquired sound data in the sound data storage area 15 of the data storage unit 4. Then, the user reads desired sound data from the sound data storage area 15 and assigns it to the operation keys 2.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, by simply operating the existing operation keys 2 such as numeric keys and function keys, a desired sound data reproduction sound can be reproduced from a plurality of sound data at a timing intended by the caller. It can be selected and mixed into the transmitted voice or the received voice of a call during a call.

Further, if a plurality of sound data are assigned to an arbitrary operation key 2, a plurality of sound data can be mixed with a transmission voice and a reception voice by operating one operation key 2.

Furthermore, since an operation condition mode for reproducing desired sound data can be arbitrarily selected for each operation key 2, it is possible to appropriately set operation conditions that facilitate reproduction of sound data at intended timing.

Furthermore, if the caller sets the sound reproduction operation condition mode to the monitor / transmission switching mode, it is possible to confirm what kind of sound data reproduction sound before transmitting the sound data reproduction sound to the other party. Can prevent the transmission of an incorrect sound.

If the caller sets the sound data reproduction operation condition mode to the repetition reproduction / stop switching mode, the reproduction of the sound data starts when a certain operation key 2 is pressed once, and the operation key 2 The sound data can be repeatedly played back until is pressed again. This makes it possible to reproduce even short sound data having a small data size, for example, a few measures, as if it were one long song. The data size occupied by the storage unit 4 can be greatly reduced.

Further, since the user can arbitrarily download desired sound data from a predetermined web server 13 via the Internet, the user can add or change desired sound data as appropriate.

The components of the present embodiment of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, various control units in the present embodiment may be configured as one control unit to control the entire system, or may be controlled by dividing the control unit into smaller control units.

In the above-described embodiment, the sound data reproduction operation condition is depressed once for each operation key 2/2.
The playback mode is selected from five playback modes: a single-press switching mode, a cyclic switching mode, a random switching mode, a monitor / transmission switching mode, and a repetitive playback / stop switching mode, but the present invention is not limited to these modes. For example, in the cyclic switching mode, sound data is switched only in one direction, but if the return direction is also switched, setting more sound data will not be inconvenient. Instead of setting the switching mode for each operation key 2, a certain operation key 2 is provided with a function of totally switching the type of sound data, and each time the switching operation key is pressed, the operation key 2 is switched. The types of sound data may be switched respectively. In this way, various sound data can be distributed to the ten keys from 0 to 9 for each sound field. That is, the first sound of each numeric keypad from 0 to 9 is the sound of an animal, the second sound is the sound of nature, the third sound is the sound of an orchestra, the fourth sound is rock music, and the fifth sound is rock music. The setting can be made like enka, and the field of the sound is changed each time the switching operation key is pressed, and various sound data in the field can be reproduced by pressing each numeric key.

Further, the monitor / speech switching mode in the above-described embodiment can be monitored only when one sound data is set for each operation key 2 in advance. However, there is no need to be limited to this. For example, an exclusive function may be provided to an arbitrary operation key 2 such as a numeric keypad 5 to issue a command to mix with the transmission voice. If such a dedicated key is provided, the monitor mode is normally set so that only the caller can check the sound data, and only when the numeric keypad 5 which is the transmission mixing operation key is pressed, monitoring is performed immediately before. The sound data can be mixed with the transmitted voice and transmitted to the other party.

Similarly, in the case of the repetitive reproduction / stop switching mode, it is not necessary to limit the mode to be selectable only when one sound data is set to the operation key 2. For example, even if a plurality of sound data are assigned to a certain operation key 2,
If a selection switch key for switching between these sound data is assigned to another operation key, a plurality of sound data assigned to one operation key 2 can be arbitrarily and repeatedly reproduced.

Furthermore, the sound data readout control unit 6 in the present embodiment converts sound data into an analog sound signal and then mixes the sound data with the transmitted voice or the received voice. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, the sound data is kept as a digital signal and is mixed with the transmission voice digitized in the telephone communication control unit 9 or before the reception voice is converted into an analog voice signal in the telephone communication control unit 9 The received voice of the digital signal and the sound data may be mixed.

In reproducing the sound data, the data may be read out in the forward direction and reproduced, or the data may be read out in the reverse direction and the sound data may be reproduced in reverse. Alternatively, in the repetitive reproduction mode of the sound data reproduction sound, reproduction may be performed in which data is read from the forward direction and from the reverse direction alternately and repeatedly.

Further, when reproducing sound data, 1
The reproduction may be performed by arbitrarily changing the read start position and the read end position in one sound data.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a plurality of sound data are assigned to a plurality of operation keys such as a numeric keypad. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of sound data are stored in association with each other, and the sound data is cyclically reproduced each time a key for exclusive use of sound reproduction is pressed.

Further, although the web server 13 is mentioned as an example of the sound server, it is not limited to a server connected via the Internet, but may be various communication networks 12.
Any server can be connected as long as the server can store sound data. Although a web browser is taken as an example of the client software, the client software is not limited to browsing software on the Internet, but may be any software that can connect to a sound server in various communication networks 12.

[0082]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a desired sound data reproduction sound is selected from a plurality of sound data at a timing intended by the user, and a desired sound data reproduction sound is generated during a call during a call. In addition to having a simple conversation, while instantly selecting a BGM that matches the mood of the conversation or a sound effect like a match hand according to the content of the conversation of the other party, Thus, new entertainment can be added to the telephone device.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, a plurality of sound data can be assigned to a plurality of operation units, respectively, so that the sound data can be instantaneously assigned. Sound data can be reproduced and transmitted at the timing intended by the user.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of sound data are associated with one operation section, more sound data can be obtained. The data can be easily read and mixed with the transmitted voice, and the range of sound data selection can be expanded.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, an existing numeric keypad or function key is used for operating sound data reproduction sound. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide an operation means for sound data reproduction sound, and a function of mixing the sound data reproduction sound with the transmission voice and transmitting the same while suppressing the size of the telephone device can be provided.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect, the mode conversion control means switches from the DTMF signal transmission mode to the sound data reproduction mode by operating the operation means. The DT is operated by the operation of the numeric keypad during off-hook.
The MF signal can be prevented from being transmitted to the other party, and the ten keys can be used without any inconvenience as operating means.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of any one of claims 1 to 5, desired sound data is reproduced from a plurality of sound data. Since the operating conditions in such a case can be arbitrarily selected and set, the operating conditions can be appropriately set to be easily performed at the intended timing for reproducing the sound data, which is more convenient.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, the sound data read control means allows sound data to be transmitted only to the reception mixing means. When controlled to be transmitted, the reception mixing means mixes the sound data and the reception voice, so that the sound data reproduction sound is mixed with the transmission voice before transmission. It is possible to confirm in advance what kind of sound data reproduction sound the sound data selected by the user is, and it is possible to prevent accidental transmission of unexpected sound data reproduction sound to the other party. If the sound data read control means controls the sound data to be transmitted to both the reception mixing means and the transmission mixing means, the caller can simultaneously hear the same sound data reproduction sound as the other party. You can enjoy each other together,

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, the user can send his / her favorite sound data to a sound server via a communication network. The sound data can be mixed with the transmitted voice by storing the data in the data storage means in association with the operation unit.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first aspect of the present invention, a condition for repeatedly reproducing sound data can be set as an operation condition. Therefore, even if the data size is a short sound data with a small measure length,
It is possible to play as if it were a long piece of music, and the data size occupied by the data storage means can be greatly reduced despite the long perceived length of the song. This is advantageous in that it is convenient to reproduce sound data in a telephone device such as a mobile phone or a PHS, which has a high need.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a telephone device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a storage area of a data storage unit according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the telephone device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an initial screen of an operation key / sound assignment menu in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen displaying the current sound data status after the ten key is pressed in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a file selection menu screen after selecting a “change” button in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a sound reproduction operation condition mode selection menu screen after selecting a “Done” button in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 telephone device 2 operation key 3 display 4 data storage unit 5 user interface control unit 6 sound data read control unit 7 microphone 8 transmission mixer unit 9 telephone communication control unit 10 telephone line interface 11 reception mixer unit 12 communication network 13 web server 14 Data communication control unit 15 Sound data storage area 16 Operation key / sound correspondence table area 17 DTMF signal transmission unit 18 Speaker

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] September 7, 2001 (2001.9.7)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0009]

The telephone device according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a telephone operation such as a numeric keypad or a function key is performed.
Operation means for receiving an operation command from configured user by work key, and data storage means for storing in association with a plurality of sound data on the operating conditions of the operation means, the operation
DTMF signal transmission mode and sound data
Mode conversion control means for arbitrarily switching between data playback mode
Stage, sound data read control means for accessing the data storage means in accordance with an operation command from the operation means and reading sound data corresponding to a predetermined operation condition;
A transmission mixing means for mixing the sound data read by the sound data reading control means with a transmission voice of a user; and a transmission means for transmitting the sound mixed voice mixed by the transmission mixing means to a communication partner. It has a point.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0010] By adopting such a configuration, the operation means receives a user's operation command and changes the mode.
The conversion control means changes the sound data from the DTMF signal transmission mode.
Data reproduction mode, the sound data read control unit accesses the data storage unit in accordance with the operation conditions of the operation unit, reads out the sound data corresponding to the operation conditions, and the transmission mixing unit uses the sound data. The transmission means mixes the sound with the transmission voice of the other party, and the transmission means transmits the mixed sound to the other party. Therefore, when the user operates the numeric keypad or the like during off-hook,
DTMF signals can be prevented from being sent to the other party,
Keys can be used as operating means without inconvenience.
Alternatively, it is possible to select a desired sound data reproduction sound from a plurality of sound data at a timing intended by the user and mix it into the transmitted voice of a call during a call.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the feature of the telephone device according to claim 2 is that
Operating means for receiving an operation command from a user, data storage means for storing a plurality of sound data in association with operation conditions of the operation means, and accessing the data storage means in accordance with an operation command from the operation means Sound data reading control means for reading sound data corresponding to a predetermined operation condition; transmission mixing means for mixing the sound data read by the sound data reading control means with a user's transmission voice; Transmitting means for transmitting the sound mixed sound mixed by the means to the other party, and a desired sound among a plurality of sound data.
Arbitrarily select operating conditions for playing sound data
To be set in the data storage means.
You.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0012] By adopting such a configuration, a user can select a desired one of a plurality of sound data.
Arbitrarily select operating conditions for playing sound data
Then, the sound data reading control means accesses the data storage means according to the operation condition, reads out the sound data corresponding to the operation condition, and the transmission mixing means sets the sound data and the transmission voice of the user. And the transmitting means transmits the mixed sound to the other party. Therefore, playback of sound data
Set appropriate operating conditions for easy operation at the intended timing
Sound data playback sound at the intended timing
This is convenient because it can be mixed in the transmission voice of a medium call.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the sound data reading device according to the first or second aspect is provided.
The sound data read by the control means and the
Having a reception mixing means for mixing the reception voice and
A monitor / transmission switch mode is set as an operation condition of the operation means.
When the sound data read control means is set,
The sound data according to the set operating conditions.
Sending a raw sound to the reception mixing means or the transmission mixing means
Or to control selectively .

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0014

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

By adopting such a configuration, a monitor / transmission switch mode is set as an operation condition of the operation means.
When the mode is set and the operation to monitor is performed
The sound data reading control means
Send the playback sound to the receiving and mixing means without sending it to the telephone line
Have the caller monitor the sound data playback sound in advance
If the operation to send a call is performed,
The sound data reading control means outputs the sound data reproduction sound.
Transmit to the transmission mixing means and transmit to the other party together with the transmission voice
Put out. For this reason, the caller can select the sound data
Check in advance what kind of sound data playback sound is
Before sending it to the other party.
Data playback sounds from being sent to the other party.
Can be.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0016

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0018

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0019

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 13]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0020

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 14]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0021

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 15]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0022

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 16]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0023

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 17]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0024

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 18]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0025

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 19]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0026

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 20]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name]

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0082]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a desired sound data reproduction sound is selected from a plurality of sound data at a timing intended by the user, and a desired sound data reproduction sound is generated during a call during a call. It can be mixed into, and Te
To prevent the transmission of DTMF signals due to the operation of
So that you can meet each other according to the content of the conversation
Sound effects to add new entertainment to your phone
Can be

[Procedure amendment 21]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0083

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0083] According to the invention of claim 2, Sau
Playback operation that is easy to operate
It can be set as appropriate to the operating conditions, and
The sound data playback sound is transmitted during a call
It is convenient because it can be mixed in the spoken voice.

[Procedure amendment 22]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name]

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the present invention ,
What kind of sound data is the selected sound data
Check the playback sound beforehand and send it to the other party.
Accidentally play unintended sound data playback sound to the other party
Transmission can be prevented. And phone
Is appropriate for the atmosphere and situation at that time.
To monitor and transmit the sound data playback sound
Makes it easier to excite the conversation.

[Procedure amendment 23]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0085

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 24]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 008

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 25]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0087

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 26]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0088

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 27]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0089

[Correction method] Deleted

[Procedure amendment 28]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0090

[Correction method] Deleted

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Jun Futagawa 12-324 Minami 2-Jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido F-Term (Crypton Future Media) 5D108 CA04 CA07 CA29 5K027 DD11 DD14 HH26 HH29 5K101 KK18 MM07 NN15 NN23

Claims (9)

[Claims] An operation means for receiving an operation command from a user; a data storage means for storing a plurality of sound data in association with operation conditions of the operation means; Sound data readout control means for accessing the means and reading out sound data corresponding to a predetermined operation condition; and transmission mixing means for mixing the sound data read by the sound data readout control means and the user's transmission voice. Transmitting means for transmitting the mixed sound mixed by the transmitting / mixing means to the other party. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit includes a plurality of operation units, and the plurality of sound data stored in the data storage unit are stored in association with operation conditions of the operation units. The telephone device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The data storage unit according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of sound data are stored in the data storage unit in association with at least one of the operation units constituting the operation unit. The telephone device as described. 4. The telephone device according to claim 1, wherein said operation means is constituted by a telephone operation key such as a numeric keypad or a function key. 5. The telephone device according to claim 4, further comprising mode conversion control means for arbitrarily switching between a DTMF signal transmission mode and a sound data reproduction mode by operating the operation means. 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation condition for reproducing desired sound data from a plurality of sound data can be arbitrarily selected and set in said data storage means. The telephone device according to any one of the above items 5. 7. A reception mixing means for mixing the sound data read by the sound data reading control means and a reception voice from a communication partner, and the sound data reading control means converts the sound data into the transmission mixing sound. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls whether the signal is transmitted to said receiving means, said receiving mixing means, or both.
The telephone device according to the paragraph. And a data communication control unit for obtaining desired sound data from the sound server and storing the sound data in the data storage means. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The telephone device according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. The data storage device according to claim 1, wherein a condition for repeatedly reproducing predetermined sound data can be set in the data storage device as an operation condition of the operation device. The telephone device according to claim 1.