JP2004048790A - Mobile telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel mobile telephone set in which an operation associated with an auto-redial function is made possible with a small number of buttons and further, an auto-redial operation is not unexpectedly started. <P>SOLUTION: When an auto-redial call button 22 is continuously pressed longer than predetermined, a redial operation is performed. When the auto-redial call button is pressed shorter than predetermined, preset redial operation contents are displayed. Besides, the auto-redial call button 22 is provided in the corner of the casing of a mobile telephone set. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile phone, and more particularly, to a new mobile phone equipped with a new auto redial function.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable telephones (all portable telephones such as cellular phones and PHSs are simply referred to as “mobile telephones” in this specification) have been rapidly increasing due to various factors such as lowering of communication equipment and communication connection costs. It is widespread.

Some of such mobile phones have an auto-dial function or an auto-dial function. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-164208 discloses a mobile phone that dials an emergency call destination telephone number registered in a ROM when an emergency call switch is operated. According to the technology disclosed in the publication, emergency notification (emergency notification) can be performed quickly and reliably.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-285294, a voice message of a user is stored in advance, and when a predetermined call key is pressed, a call is made to a telephone number of the other party registered in advance, and a call is made. A mobile phone capable of automatically transmitting a pre-stored voice message to a destination after connection is disclosed. According to the technology disclosed in the publication, even in a situation where calling is refrained from the manners of the user, it is possible to transmit a voice message without disturbing the surroundings. Can be improved.

In addition, a redial function is often provided even if it is not a mobile phone. Discloses an automatic dial telephone device capable of continuing a redial operation. According to the technology disclosed in the publication, it is possible to repeatedly attempt a call connection to a desired destination by a simple operation, and to reduce a user's trouble when making a ticket reservation by telephone, for example. Can be.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-107886 discloses a technique similar to that of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-285294 in relation to a normal telephone device. In the technology disclosed in the publication, particularly, when the destination responds to the automatic call, a transmission message is transmitted, and the fact that the destination responded is displayed on the display unit. The user can easily confirm completion or incompleteness.

JP-A-10-164208 JP-A-10-285294 JP-A-8-23370 JP-A-10-107886

However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has the following problems.

(1) In a mobile phone, it is desirable to use a button for activating the auto-redial function for various operations related to the auto-redial function from the viewpoint of miniaturization of the device and improvement of operability, and further carelessly. It is necessary to take care to prevent the automatic dial function from being activated and starting communication, but there is no such consideration.

(2) Special features such as the ability to use the auto-redial function without having to take out the mobile phone from a bag or pocket during congestion in a train or the like, and to be able to use the auto-redial function immediately in an emergency There is no consideration. For example, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-285294, pressing a call key performs automatic redial and message transmission, but the call key can be reliably pressed without being visually confirmed. No consideration has been given to making it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a novel mobile phone that enables an operation related to an auto-redial function with a small number of buttons and that does not inadvertently start an auto-redial operation. It is in.

A second object is to provide a new mobile phone that can use the auto-redial function without taking out the mobile phone from a bag or a pocket during congestion, and can use the auto-redial function immediately even in an emergency. To provide a telephone.

(1) In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a mobile phone capable of performing a redial operation in accordance with a preset redial operation content by pressing an auto redial button. When the button is pressed continuously, the redial operation is performed. On the other hand, when the button is pressed for less than a predetermined time, the preset redial operation content is displayed.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a mobile phone capable of performing a communication operation in accordance with a preset operation content by pressing a predetermined button, wherein the communication operation is performed when the button is continuously pressed for a predetermined time or more. On the other hand, when the button is pressed for less than a predetermined time, information related to the communication operation is displayed. As the information related to the communication operation, the preset operation content may be adopted.

According to the present invention, two different operations can be selectively performed by one button (auto redial button or the like), so that the operability of the mobile phone can be improved. In addition, by reducing the number of buttons, the size of the mobile phone can be reduced. Further, since a button must be kept depressed for a predetermined time or more to perform a communication operation (such as an auto-redial operation), it is possible to avoid a situation in which the communication operation is started carelessly. In addition, when a user who is unfamiliar with the operation presses a button for the time being, information related to the communication operation is displayed on a display or the like. It will be possible to know information such as whether or not it has been assigned.

(2) Further, the present invention relates to a mobile phone capable of performing a redial operation in accordance with a preset redial operation content by pressing an auto redial button, wherein the auto redial button is provided at a corner of a housing of the mobile telephone. It is characterized by being provided in.

According to the present invention, since the auto redial button is provided at the corner of the housing of the mobile phone, the user can gropingly press the auto dial button without visually checking the auto redial button. Therefore, the auto-redial button can be easily pressed even in an emergency, in a crowded state, or in the dark.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration FIG. 1 shows an appearance of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an outline of an internal circuit thereof. In FIG. 1A, a speaker 10, a display unit 12, various buttons, and a microphone 14 are provided in order from the top on the front surface of the housing. Although not shown in the drawing, the mobile phone according to the present embodiment has a built-in vibrator (reference numeral 11 in FIG. 2) so that various notifications can be made by vibration. The buttons provided on the front of the housing include buttons to which various numbers and symbols are assigned, an off-hook button 16 that is operated when a line is connected, and an on-hook button that is operated when the power is turned on or the line is disconnected. There are a button 18, a clear button 20 that can be used for backward operation, an automatic redial transmission button 22 that can be used for automatic redial transmission, and the like. The auto redial transmission button 22 is a button for activating an auto redial function which is a characteristic function of the mobile phone, and will be described later in detail.

Furthermore, an antenna 24 is provided on the top of the housing, and a function selection key 26 is provided on the side of the housing. The function selection key 26 is pressed up as shown in FIG. 1B, vertically pressed as shown in FIG. 1C, and depressed as shown in FIG. There are four states, that is, a state in which the operation is performed and a state in which no operation is performed. The push-up operation and the push-down operation are performed at the time of a selection operation described later, and the vertical push operation is performed at the time of calling a menu display and at the time of a determination operation.

In FIG. 2, a circuit for performing modulation / demodulation of a voice, modulation / demodulation of a wireless signal, and various kinds of additional functional processes is illustrated as a processing circuit 28. The processing circuit 28 includes an ASIC or the like. The memory 30 is used for storing software for operating the processing circuit 28 and as a work storage area for operating the processing circuit 28, and includes an EEPROM, a RAM, and the like. In the figure, reference numeral 32 denotes an operation unit including the various buttons and the function selection keys 26 shown in FIG. For example, when a user calls an arbitrary party, the antenna 24 is extended upward in FIG. 1A, the power is turned on by operating the on-hook button 18, and the telephone number is operated by operating the number buttons. An input is made (an input error is deleted by operating the clear button 20), and the off-hook button 16 is operated. The processing circuit 28 executes a calling operation using the antenna 24 in response thereto. The processing circuit 28, when receiving a call to the other party, causes the screen of the display unit 12 such as an LCD to display "talking" or the like. At the end of the call, the user operates the on-hook button 18. The processing circuit 28 executes a disconnection process in response to this.

(2) Auto-Redial Function A feature of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment lies in its auto-redial function. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone is provided with an automatic redial transmission button 22 at a corner of a housing. Thus, by providing the auto-redial transmission button 22 at the corner of the housing, the user can gropingly press the auto-redial transmission button 22 without removing the mobile phone from the bag or pocket. . Therefore, even in a crowded situation such as in a train, the auto-redial transmission button 22 can be pressed by groping. In addition, even in an emergency, the automatic redial transmission button 22 can be reliably pressed.

According to the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, it is possible to automatically make a call to a telephone number registered in advance simply by pressing the auto redial transmission button 22. In other words, only by pressing the automatic redial transmission button 22, a call can be reliably made to a desired destination with a single button operation.

オ ー ト More specifically, two processes are assigned to the automatic redial transmission button 22. That is, when the auto-redial transmission button 22 is kept pressed for a predetermined time (here, 2 seconds) or longer, a call is automatically made to the telephone number registered in advance as described above. At this time, the call is automatically redialed, and an automatic call is repeatedly made a predetermined time interval and a predetermined number of times until the other party answers. On the other hand, if the pressing of the auto redial transmission button 22 is stopped within a predetermined time (that is, less than 2 seconds), details of the currently set auto redial function are displayed on the display unit 12. In this way, by assigning two processes related to the auto-redial function to the auto-redial transmission button 22, the operability of the mobile phone can be further improved. Further, by allocating two processes to one button, the number of buttons of the mobile phone can be reduced, and the size of the mobile phone can be reduced.

Here, a procedure for setting a connection operation with respect to the auto redial function of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment will be described.

す る When setting the connection operation of the auto redial function in the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, the function selection key 26 in FIG. 1 is vertically pressed as shown in FIG. After that, the number assigned to the menu group for connection operation setting such as “403” is pressed by the ten keys of the operation unit 32. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. The display unit 12 can display characters in four rows, and the current settings are displayed in the third and fourth rows. FIG. 7 shows that the current setting is made so that the automatic redial transmission is not used. Here, when the function selection key 26 is vertically pressed again, a password input screen appears as shown in FIG. In response to this, a password set in advance is input using the numeric keypad of the operation unit 32. By requesting the input of the personal identification number in this manner, the automatic redial function can be used more safely. After the input of the personal identification number is completed, the function selection key 26 is moved up and down to select the number of redials. In other words, operation information is given from the operation unit 32 to the processing circuit 28 by operating the function selection key 26, and the processing circuit 28 responds accordingly, "transmits up to three times until responding" and "transmits up to six times until responding." ,..., "Up to 15 calls until response", and "not use" are sequentially displayed on the display unit 12 as shown in FIG. When the user selects the desired redial content, the user presses the function selection key 26 vertically. Thus, the number of redials is set.

(4) The destination of the call using the auto redial transmission button 22 is registered in a predetermined storage area of the memory 30 (for example, registration number "000" in the telephone directory). In this case, if the telephone number is not registered in the predetermined storage area, pressing the auto redial transmission button 22 immediately causes the registration screen of the other party to appear. Accordingly, even when the automatic redial transmission button 22 is pressed even when the destination is not set, it is possible to promptly notify the user that there is no destination to be registered, thereby further improving operability. it can.

Next, a procedure for setting an operation after a call is connected to the other party using the auto redial transmission button 22 will be described.

In this case, first, the function selection key 26 is vertically pressed. Thereafter, a number, such as “404”, assigned to a menu group for setting an operation during a call, for example, is pressed by the ten keys of the operation unit 32. As a result, a screen as shown in FIG. In this case, similarly, the current settings are displayed in the third and fourth rows. Subsequently, by raising or lowering the function selection key 26, the operation contents during the call are sequentially displayed on the third and fourth rows of the display unit 12. Specifically, “loudspeaker mode ON”, “message * times”, “loudspeaker mode ON → message * times”, “message * times → end call”, “message * times → message memo record → end call”, “ Menus such as "normal call" are sequentially displayed on the third and fourth rows of the display unit 12. Here, * is inserted in order of numbers such as 1, 3, 5 and the like. When the user raises and lowers the function selection key 26 to set and select a desired operation during a call, the user presses the function selection key 26 vertically. Thereby, the operation content after the call connection by the auto redial transmission button 22 is determined based on the content currently displayed on the display unit 12.

Here, “loudness mode ON” is a setting for increasing the volume from the earpiece and the microphone sensitivity. According to this setting, the user can hear the voice from the other party without picking up the telephone after the automatic redial, and can respond to it without picking up the mobile phone. In addition, “message * times” means that a message voice can be recorded in advance in the mobile phone according to the present embodiment as will be described later, which is indicated at “* times”. This is a setting for transmitting to the called party the number of times. By using the setting including “message * times”, a simple voice message can be sent to the other party even in a situation where a call with a mobile phone should be refrained, such as in a bus or a train.

Further, in the case of "loudspeaker mode ON → message * times", after a call is connected by an auto-redial, the speaker mode is turned on, and a pre-recorded message is automatically transmitted the number of times indicated by "* times". It is a setting for. “Message * times → end call” is a setting for automatically disconnecting the line connection after automatically transmitting a previously recorded message the number of times specified by *. By setting the automatic disconnection in this way, the call time can be reduced. "Message * times → Record message memo → End call" means that a previously recorded message is automatically transmitted the number of times designated by "* times", and then the voice from the other party is recorded in the memory 30 via the processing circuit 28. This is a setting to automatically disconnect the call connection after recording. In this way, a reply to the transmitted message can be recorded. The “normal call” is a setting for maintaining a call connection with normal speaker volume and microphone sensitivity without using the loudspeaker mode or the like.

Next, a procedure for recording a message in advance for message voice transmission will be described.

In this case, the function selection key 26 is vertically pressed, and the number assigned to the menu group for message recording, such as “405”, is pressed by the ten keys of the operation unit 32. Then, a screen as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B appears on the display unit 12. FIG. 7A is a display example when a message has not been recorded yet. FIG. 3B is a screen displayed when there is a message that has already been recorded, and the recording date and time of the message that has already been recorded is displayed at the last stage. If the function selection key 26 is further vertically pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 7A or FIG. 7B, the screen shown in FIG. This screen is a screen for urging the user to start recording a message. In response to this, by pressing a “memo” button (not shown) included in the operation unit 32 for 1 second or more, as shown in FIG. A screen appears on the display unit 12, and message recording is started. The message recording is performed by picking up a voice by the microphone 14, encoding the voice by the processing circuit 28, and storing it in the memory 30.

(4) When a predetermined recording time has elapsed, the recording is automatically stopped, and a message shown in FIG. Then, the recorded message is reproduced and output from the speaker 10. If the "memo" button is pressed again during message recording, the recording is terminated at that point. To delete the message, the user may press a “clear” button or the like during recording. Thereafter, the screen shown in FIG. 6F appears on the display unit 12, and after the display continues for a predetermined time, returns to the normal menu screen.

(5) Next, the operation when performing the automatic redial transmission will be described.

To perform an automatic redial transmission, the user presses the automatic redial transmission button 22 for 2 seconds or more. If the automatic redial transmission button 22 is pressed for less than 2 seconds as described above, the automatic redial transmission is not performed, and instead, information relating to the automatic redial transmission, specifically, the specific setting contents of the automatic redial transmission are displayed on the display unit. 12 is displayed. When the auto redial transmission button 22 is pressed for two seconds or more, a screen including a message to start the automatic redial transmission is displayed on the display unit 12 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the processing circuit 28 supplies power to the vibrator 11 to vibrate the mobile phone for about one second. This allows the user to confirm that the automatic redial transmission has been started.

Then, the processing circuit 28 displays a telephone number on the display unit 12 as shown in FIG. 2B, and makes a call to the number. The destination telephone number in this case is a telephone number registered in a predetermined storage area provided in the memory 30 as described above. When the call connection is not successful, such as when the call is busy or when the other party does not answer even after a one-minute call, the call waits for a predetermined time. During standby, the number of remaining transmissions is displayed as shown in FIG. The redial is performed up to the number of times set by the connection procedure setting menu at the maximum.

A feature of this mobile phone is that, when the auto redial transmission button is pressed during the standby, a recall to the telephone number registered in the predetermined storage area is immediately performed. In this way, the user can freely make a re-call without being restricted by specifications (legal).

(4) Next, the redial is repeated in this way, and when the call connection to the other party is successful, the vibrator 11 vibrates for about 2 seconds. As described above, if the vibrator 11 is vibrated when the call connection is successful, the user can quickly confirm the completion of the connection without checking the display unit 12.

After the call is connected, the operation will be performed according to the preset contents. For example, when “loudspeaker mode ON → three messages” is set in advance, the screen shown in FIG. In this case, a message previously recorded in the memory 30 is sent to the other party three times at predetermined intervals via the processing circuit 28 and the antenna 24, and a message indicating that the message is being sent is displayed on the display unit 12. You. Further, since the loudspeaker mode ON is set, the picture of the speaker is displayed on the third row of the display unit 12 as shown in FIG. 3D, and the volume of the speaker 10 and the sensitivity of the microphone 14 are increased. When the operation during the call, such as sending a message, is completed, a message indicating that the call is being made is displayed on the display unit 12 as shown in FIG. As a result, communication as usual becomes possible. When the loudspeaker mode is ON, it is possible to talk with the other party without holding the mobile phone.

To end the call, just press the on-hook button as usual. If "end call" is set in advance, the call connection is automatically disconnected. As a result, unnecessary call time can be eliminated.

(3) Usage Example A usage example of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment will be described. For example, if "one message voice → end call" is set as the operation during a call, and the home telephone number is set as the other party's telephone number, the surrounding area can be used at a rush hour home or the like on the way home from work. You can send a message to your home with one hand while keeping your mobile phone in your pocket without bothering others. At this time, with this mobile phone, it is possible to confirm from the vibration of the vibrator that the calling operation has been started or that someone picked up the phone at home.

Furthermore, the mobile phone according to the present embodiment is suitable for use for ticket reservation and the like. In this case, the telephone number of the ticket reservation center is set in advance as the call destination, and “normal call” is set as the operation during the call. In this case, simply pressing and holding the auto redial transmission button 22 automatically establishes a call connection with the ticket reservation center. Then, if the connection to the ticket reservation center is successful, the user can know from the vibrator 11 or the speaker 10 that the call has been connected. For this reason, the user can be immersed in other work until then.

Furthermore, in the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, the call to the other party can be immediately made by simply pressing the auto redial transmission button 22 again while waiting for the transmission in the auto redial. Without being restricted by (legal) restrictions, you can freely call the other party with one action any number of times. Therefore, it is also suitable for use in ticket reservation and the like.

According to the mobile phone according to the present embodiment described above, while conventional auto-redial transmission is used only for a limited use such as in an emergency, various operations can be performed by arbitrarily setting the operation during a call. It can be used for applications. In addition, a mobile phone is often carried in a pocket or bag, but the mobile phone according to the present embodiment can be operated by a user even in a pocket or bag, so that the user can check the operation of the mobile phone in a congested or emergency situation. Etc. can also be suitably used. Further, since the auto redial transmission button 22 is arranged at the corner of the housing of the mobile phone, even when the mobile phone is placed in a pocket or a bag, or in darkness, the auto redial transmission can be easily performed by groping. Will be able to do.

The mobile phone according to the present embodiment described above can be variously modified.

For example, as to the operation during a call, only six modes are shown in the above description, but other modes may be added to the menu. Although the telephone number of the automatic redial destination is stored in advance in the memory 30 inside the mobile phone, other known functions (redial button) for searching for the telephone number that has already been called or the telephone directory of the other party are used. By searching for a telephone number and subsequently pressing the automatic redial transmission button 22, the operation may be shifted to the automatic redial transmission operation immediately. This makes it possible to easily perform an automatic redial call to a family member who has already made a call, a ticket reservation center, a close relative, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the setting procedure of the number of redials. It is a figure explaining the procedure which sets up operation | movement during a call. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for recording a message to be transmitted to the other party after the call connection. It is a figure explaining the procedure at the time of performing auto redial transmission.

Explanation of reference numerals

{10} speaker, 11} vibrator, 12} display, 14} microphone, 16} off-hook button, 18} on-hook button, 20} clear button, 22} auto redial transmission button, 24} antenna, 26} function selection key, 28} processing circuit, 30} memory, 32} operation unit.

Claims (4)

By pressing the auto redial button, in a mobile phone capable of performing a redial operation according to a preset redial operation content,
A mobile phone for performing the redial operation when the auto redial button is kept pressed for a predetermined time or more, and displaying the preset redial operation content when the auto redial button is pressed for less than a predetermined time; . By pressing the auto redial button, in a mobile phone capable of performing a redial operation according to a preset redial operation content,
The mobile phone, wherein the auto redial button is provided at a corner of a housing of the mobile phone. By pressing a predetermined button, in a mobile phone capable of performing a communication operation according to a preset operation content,
A mobile phone, wherein the communication operation is performed when the button is continuously pressed for a predetermined time or more, and when the button is pressed for less than a predetermined time, information related to the communication operation is displayed. The mobile phone according to claim 3,
The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the communication operation is the preset operation content.

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