JP2002261943A - Mobile phone - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure that a message left in an automatic answering telephone is received by the right receiver. SOLUTION: A mobile phone 1 receives a base station code sent from a radio base station 10 constantly when it enters the area of a mobile phone system and then the phone 1 adds a phone code to that code to send them to a center 11. The center 11 detects that the mobile phone 1 enters the area by the sent data, and a data control device 12 determines whether a message left in an automatic answering telephone is stored in a service center 13 or not regarding the phone 1. If any message is stored, the device 12 sends the information that the message is stored to the phone 1 so as to notice that. Furthermore, the data control device 12 can search for the message in the service center 13 after the information is sent and then it can send the message to the phone 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable telephone system for acquiring information on an answering machine from a center in a portable telephone system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 7, a portable telephone system comprises a plurality of radio base stations (relay stations) B1, B2, B3, B
4, B5, ... (when these are collectively referred to, the radio base station B
) And a center CT for managing these, and each of the radio base stations B1, B2, B3, B4
It is possible to perform direct wireless telephone communication (call) between any one of B5,... And the mobile phone P. Such a system is installed in each region, and these centers CT are connected by a network. I have. These radio base stations B1, B2, B
, B4, B5,... Each have an area (cell) in which wireless communication with the mobile phone P is possible.
Are in the cell CE1 of the radio base station B1, and the cells CE2 and CE of the other radio base stations B2, B3, B4, B5,...
3, CE4, CE5,... (When these are collectively referred to as a cell CE), the mobile phone P can perform wireless communication only with the wireless base station B1.

[0003] In this way, one or a plurality of radio base stations form a communicable area (hereinafter referred to as a service area) of a portable telephone P composed of these cells. The telephone call by the telephone P becomes possible, but when the mobile telephone P is out of the communicable area (out of the service area), the telephone cannot be communicated with the mobile telephone. Therefore, in FIG.
However, as shown by the broken line, if the mobile phone is out of the service area, the mobile phone system cannot make a call using the mobile phone P, and calls from other phones such as a mobile phone and a stationary phone cannot be made. Even if there is a call, it is not possible to make a call with this. However, when the mobile phone P moves and moves into the cell CE1 as shown by a solid line, for example, a call becomes possible.

In such a radio telephone system, cells CE2, C of respective radio base stations B2, B3, B4, B5,.
Each of E3, CE4, CE5,... Has a unique code (hereinafter, referred to as a base station code), which is constantly transmitted at regular intervals. Mobile phone P in the area
Is in a state where transmission and reception are always possible when its power is on.

[0005] Therefore, the mobile telephone P is now in the cell CE1.
If the mobile phone P is located within the wireless base station B1
, And in response to this, a unique code such as a telephone number set in the mobile phone P (hereinafter, referred to as
Is transmitted to the wireless base station B1. Upon receiving the telephone code, the wireless base station B1 adds the base station code to the code and sends it to the center CT. In the center CT, the acquired information is registered,
It manages in which cell each mobile phone P exists. Accordingly, when another telephone requests a call to the mobile phone P, the center CT determines whether or not the mobile phone P is within the service area based on the registration information. A search is made for a wireless base station that can communicate with the mobile phone P, and a call can be made via the wireless base station.

[0006] When the portable telephone P moves from the service area to the outside of the service area, or even in the service area, when the power is turned off and communication becomes impossible, this is detected by the wireless base station B with which communication was possible up to now, and the center CT is detected. This mobile phone P in
Registration is deleted, and the mobile phone P
Although it is within the range, when the mobile phone moves to another cell CE, the registration content of the mobile phone P in the center CT is changed based on the information from the new radio base station B.

By the way, as described above, when the mobile phone P is out of the service area or when the power is turned off, the mobile phone P cannot talk. Even when such a call cannot be made, there may be a case where another telephone requests a call with the mobile phone P. In such a case, if the answering phone service is desired on the side of the telephone that requests the call, the call message can be stored as an answering machine message at the center CT, and later the receiving side can communicate with the receiving side. When there is a request from the mobile phone P, the answering machine message is sent to the mobile phone P. As a result, the mobile phone P can obtain the answering machine message sent to itself when desired.

By the way, in the conventional portable telephone system,
If there is an answering machine message on the mobile phone P from another telephone and this is registered in the answering machine service center, if there is no request operation for confirmation from the mobile phone P side, is there an answering machine message? Could not be confirmed. Therefore, unless the user of the mobile phone P makes such a confirmation request, it is impossible to know that there is an answering machine message, and it cannot be obtained.

[0009] Further, the storage period of such answering machine messages at the center is limited, and as an example, even if the message is stored for 72 hours, it is forcibly deleted if there is no request from the mobile phone P side. become. Therefore, in this case, the user of the mobile phone P loses even an opportunity to obtain an answering machine message.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-219743, when there is a request for an answering machine service, the center stores the answering machine message and calls the other party's mobile phone. However, if there is no response because this mobile phone is out of service area, the other telephone registered in association with this mobile phone is called, and the stored answering machine is stored in the answering telephone. It sends a message.

[0011]

In the prior art described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-219743, there is no occurrence of a failure to obtain an answering machine message. However, as a user of this system, The telephone code of a telephone other than the mobile telephone used by the telephone must be registered in the center. Without such registration, the above services cannot be received.

In a telephone registered as described above, such as a company or home, when a call is made due to an answering machine message, the receiver of the answering machine message can be reliably answered to this phone. If this is not possible, there is also a problem that an inconvenient message that leaks to the recipient will leak to others.

Further, as described above, when another person receives an answering machine message on another telephone, the center assumes that the answering machine message has been sent to the recipient, and the center no longer calls the answering machine message. For this reason, even if the legitimate recipient's mobile phone enters the area and can talk, it cannot know that there was an answering machine message, and the legitimate recipient receives the answering machine message. Sometimes you can't.

[0014] It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone which solves such a problem and which enables a legitimate receiver of an answering machine message to reliably receive the message.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a portable telephone system in which communication is possible and information indicating that an answering machine message from an answering machine service center is registered. It is configured to include means for receiving and displaying the message or, following the information, further receiving and storing / displaying an answering machine message.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a mobile phone according to the present invention, wherein 1 is a mobile phone according to this embodiment, 2 is an MPU (micro processing unit), and 3 is a ROM (read unit). 4, a display device, 5 a microphone, 6 a speaker, 7 an input key, 8 a message storage device, 9
Is an antenna. Note that the answering machine message in this embodiment may be not only audio information but also image information such as a mail.

In FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 has an updatable ROM 3, and the ROM 3 has an input key 7
Various screen information such as a menu screen associated with the operation of, and information such as a telephone number of another telephone of the telephone code of this mobile telephone are registered. When the reference station code of the wireless reference station is received from the antenna 9, , This is also registered. When the mobile base station moves and the wireless base station that can transmit and receive changes, the base station code registered in the ROM 3 is also updated.

When the input key 7 is operated, the MPU 2 fetches a screen corresponding to the operation from the ROM 3 and displays it on the display device 4. The user can set a communication mode with another telephone, a mail mode for performing mail with another telephone, and the like by operating according to the screen displayed on the display device 4. The microphone 5 and the speaker 6 are used for a telephone call, and are also used for receiving a call, notifying an answering machine message described later, and the like.

The portable telephone 1 is provided with a message storage device 8, and an answering machine message received as described later is temporarily stored in the message storage device 8. This answering machine message is input by the user using the input key 7.
By performing a predetermined operation in, the message is read from the message storage device 8 and displayed on the microphone 5 or the display device 4.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a specific example of a portable telephone system using the present invention, wherein 10 is a radio base station, 11 is a center, 12 is a data management device, and 13 is an answering machine service. The center 14 is an originating telephone. The center 11 shows only necessary parts.

In this figure, it is assumed here that the mobile phone 1 has entered a cell of one radio base station 10 and is ready to transmit and receive with this radio base station 10.

Now, from the calling side telephone 14 to the portable telephone 1
When there is a call request (call origination), the center 11 determines from the registered telephone code whether or not the mobile telephone 1 of the message receiving destination can communicate, as described with reference to FIG. Mobile phone 1 is out of service area or power supply is off
If the answer is F and communication is not possible, the center 11 inquires the calling telephone 14 whether or not to use the answering machine service. When the originating telephone 14 responds to the request for this service, the center 11 requests a message from the originating telephone 14, and the center's data terminal 12 sends this message as an answering machine message as an answering machine. Register with the service center 13. Necessary information such as the telephone code of the caller telephone 14 as the caller and necessary information such as the telephone code of the portable telephone 1 as the receiver (destination) are also added to the answering machine message.

As described with reference to FIG. 7, the radio base station 10 constantly transmits its base station code. Thereafter, when the mobile telephone 1 that has moved enters the cell of the radio base station 10, the mobile telephone 1 1 receives the base station code and transmits its telephone code in response to the base station code. Upon receiving this, the wireless base station 10 adds its own base station code and the like and transmits it to the center 11.
The center 11 receives and registers this, and the mobile phone 1
To manage

The center 11 manages the mobile phone 1 in this way, and the data management device 1
2 searches the answering machine service center 13 for an answering machine message for the portable phone 1 based on the telephone code of the portable phone 1 received by the center 11, and sends the searched answering machine message to the transmitting means. The base station code of the wireless base station 10 and the telephone code of the mobile phone 1 that is the recipient are added, and the data is sent to the wireless base station 10 and transmitted from the wireless base station 10. The mobile telephone 1 can receive this answering machine message from the transmitted telephone code. Mobile phone 1
Then, the received answering machine message is stored and saved in the message storage device 8 (FIG. 1).

In this way, when the answering machine message is stored in the answering machine service center 13 when the mobile phone 1 is out of the service area, when the mobile phone 1 enters the service area, the center 11 detects it. Since it is notified that the answering machine message is stored, the mobile phone 1 can know that there is an answering machine. In this case, since this notification is performed only to the mobile phone 1 which is a legitimate recipient, the answering machine message is not transmitted to another telephone, and the notification is performed by the mobile phone 1. There is no loss.

Here, when the mobile phone 1 enters the service area, the notification that there is an answering machine message and the reception of the answering machine message are automatically performed, but such an answering machine service is provided. A mode in which the notification is not received, a mode in which only the above-described notification is automatically received, and a mode in which the notification and the answering machine message are automatically received may be selectively set.

Next, a specific example of the operation of the portable telephone system shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 3, the power of the mobile phone 1 is turned on.
Then, the service execution information flg is initialized to 0 (step 100). Here, the service execution information flg is for setting a desired mode of the answering machine service. Flg = 0: Not receiving the answering machine service. Flg = 1: Notification of "the answering machine message is present" ( Receiving only the service of message notification) flg = 2: There is a mode of receiving the service of message notification and answering machine message, and any of these can be selected and set by the mobile phone 1.

When the initial setting is performed, it is determined whether or not the message storage device 8 (FIG. 1) has a free area equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step 101). If there is a free area, the service execution information flg is changed. Enabled (step 10
3). This change can be made by appropriately operating the input key 7 (FIG. 1) based on the menu screen displayed on the display device 4 (FIG. 1). If the change operation is not performed, the service execution information flg Are kept as initially set (step 100). Further, if the service execution information flg is changed in step 103, the changed service execution information flg is set as an initial value in step 100 when the power of the mobile phone 1 is turned on next time. . Therefore, the service execution information flg set in step 103 is maintained as long as it is not changed again.

If the message storage device 8 has no free space equal to or larger than a predetermined value (step 101), if the memory area of the message storage device 8 can be erased (step 10).
2) A desired empty area can be formed. In this case, the process proceeds to step 103. However, it is assumed that the answering machine message stored in the message storage device 8 has not been reproduced yet (that is, when the user has not yet confirmed the content), and the answering machine message cannot be deleted. If the user does not delete the message, the answering machine message which is not reproduced in this way is stored in the message storage device 8, and when there is not enough free space,
Since such an answering machine message cannot be deleted, no free space can be obtained (step 104). In such a case, the service execution information flg = 0 is set (step 104), and the process proceeds to step 105.

When the above operation is completed, the portable telephone 1 receives transmission information such as a base station code from the radio base station 10 (FIG. 2) (step 105). This mobile phone 1
If is outside the service area, such information cannot be received, so the process returns to step 101 to repeat the above operation.

When the mobile phone 1 is within the service area or enters the service area, information from the radio base station 10 is received (step 105), and this information is registered in the ROM 3 (FIG. 1). The information such as the telephone code of the mobile telephone 1 and the set service execution information flg is added, and transmitted to the center 11 via the wireless reference station 10 (step 106). In the following, in order to make the description easy to understand, information from the wireless base station 10 is referred to as a base station code, and information from the mobile phone 1 is referred to as a telephone code and service execution information flg.

The center 11 manages the information by receiving the information from the mobile phone 1. When the information is received (step 107), the data management device 12 causes the answering machine service center 13 to send the information. The registered base station code, telephone code, and service execution information flg of the mobile phone 1 are updated to those received (step 109). Also, the mobile phone 1 has been out of the service area or the power supply has been turned off. If it is turned off and not registered, the received one is newly registered. If the mobile phone 1 is out of the service area or the power is off, and if such information cannot be received (step 107), it is determined that the mobile phone 1 is out of the service area or the power is off, and the answering machine service center 13 is determined.
Then, the base station code, the telephone code and the service execution information flg of the mobile phone 1 already registered are deleted (step 108), and the process returns to step 107. Then, the center 11 is in a standby state until the center 11 next receives information from the mobile phone 1.

When the operation of step 109 is completed, the data management device 12 determines the service execution information flg registered in the answering machine service center 13 (step 1).
10), it is determined whether or not there is an answering machine message for the mobile phone 1 (step 111). here,
The data management device 12 also holds information indicating the presence or absence of an answering machine message for each mobile phone in the service area. When the service execution information flg = 0 or when the service execution information f
If lg ≠ 0, but there is no answering machine message, the answering machine service is not available, so step 10
7, the center 11 waits for the mobile phone 1 until the next information is received from the mobile phone 1.

If the service execution information flg ≠ 0 and the answering machine message are present for the mobile phone 1 (steps 110 and 111), the center 11 sends a message to the mobile phone 1 via the radio base station 10. A notification is transmitted (step 113). Upon receiving this, the mobile phone 1 displays it on the display device 4 (FIG. 1). In this case, the notification may be made by the speaker 6 (FIG. 1) or by voice.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of a screen (message notification screen) 20 displayed on the display device 4 by such a message notification. 21 and received this answering machine message (answering machine service center 1
3) is displayed. When there is a predetermined free area in the message storage device 8, the service execution information flg = 1 is set (step 103).
In some cases, information 23 indicating that an answering machine message can be received is also displayed at a predetermined position on the message notification screen 20.

On the other hand, when the center 11 sends a message notification to the mobile phone 1 (step 112), it determines whether or not the service execution information flg = 2 in FIG. 4 (step 114). When the service execution information flg = 1, in this case, there is no need to send a message, so the process returns to step 107 (FIG. 3). When the service execution information flg = 2, the data management apparatus 12 sends the answering machine service center 13 To search for an answering machine message (step 115). When the above information has been sent from the mobile phone 1 (step 116), the searched answering machine message is replaced with the telephone code of the mobile phone number 1 and the like. In addition, the data is transmitted to the mobile phone 1 via the corresponding base station code (step 11).
7).

In the meantime, the portable telephone 1 is in a state where a message screen 20 as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed (step 1).
18 and 119), when an operation for another operation is performed with the input key 7 (FIG. 1) (step 119), the display of the message screen 20 ends (step 120), and the process returns to step 105. This operation is performed when the service execution information flg = 1. That is, when the service execution information flg = 1 is set, the input key 7
Message screen 20 continues to be displayed until is operated,
Of course, this display disappears when the power of the mobile phone 1 is turned off. However, even if the mobile phone 1 goes out of the service area, the display is finished and the process proceeds to step 105.

When the answering machine message transmitted from the center 11 is received at step 117 (step 118), the display of the message screen 20 is terminated (step 121), and the message storage device 8 of the received answering machine message (step 121). 1) is started (step 122). When all of the answering machine messages are stored (step 123), information indicating this is added to the telephone code and the like, and the center 11
(Step 124). In the center 11, when such information is received, the data management device 12 deletes the answering machine message transmitted from the answering machine service center 13, and returns to step 107 (FIG. 3).

In the portable telephone 1, when the received answering machine message is discarded (step 123) during the operation of storing the received answering machine message in the message storage unit 8 (step 123), the message storage unit 8 stores the received answering machine message. Return to the state before the telephone message was stored, and return to step 105 (FIG. 3). In this case, the answering machine message at the answering machine service center 13 of the center 11 is elaborated as it is.

With the above operation, it is possible to receive a service until the message screen 20 is displayed. Further, it is possible to receive a service in which an answering machine message is automatically provided. it can.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the portable telephone set 1 when the answering machine message stored in the message storage device 8 is used.

In the figure, whether or not an answering machine message is stored in the message storage device 8 can be known from a screen displayed on the display device 4 by a predetermined operation of the input key 7.

When the input key 7 is operated and the message storage device 8 is set to the reproduction mode in a state where the answering machine message is stored in the message storage device 8, the message storage device 8 stores the message. The answering machine message is played (step 200) and displayed on the display device 4 and the speaker 6 as described above.
When the reproduction ends (step 201), the answering machine message is deleted from the message storage device 8, and the reproduction mode ends. Note that even after playback ends,
The answering machine message may be reproduced many times without being erased, and the erasing may be performed by operating the input key 7. Of course, when the answering machine message is stored in the message storage device 8, the answering machine message to be reproduced can be designated by operating the input key 7.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the mobile phone enters the area, the message notification from the center is always received, so that the answering machine message can be reliably received only at the authorized recipient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a main part of an embodiment of a mobile phone according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a specific example of a mobile phone system using the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and a specific example shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and the specific example shown in FIG. 2 subsequent to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a message notification screen displayed on the mobile phone by the operations shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a playback operation of an answering machine message stored in the message storage device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a service area and an outside service area in the mobile phone system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 mobile phone 2 MPU 3 ROM 4 display device 5 microphone 6 speaker 7 input key 8 message storage device 10 wireless base station 11 center 12 data management device 13 answering machine service center 14 originating telephone 20 message notification screen

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mobile phone registered in an answering machine service center of a mobile phone system and capable of acquiring an answering machine message, wherein a call can be made by the mobile system and the answering machine from the answering machine service center is provided. A mobile phone comprising: means for receiving and displaying information indicating that a message is registered; or receiving and storing and displaying an answering machine message following the information.