JP3316361B2 - Telephone equipment - Google Patents

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 telephone device which allows a user to search for a registered telephone number from outside.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a telephone device having an auto-dial function in which a plurality of telephone numbers are stored in a telephone device main body and a predetermined button is operated to dial a target party with one touch. . In this prior art, it is possible to dial by a simple operation without checking the telephone number of the other party to call. However, if the telephone number of the person who wants to make a call while away from home is not known, the stored telephone number cannot be confirmed with this conventional technique.

For this reason, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 3-123259 (H04M1 / 64), there has been proposed a telephone which allows a telephone number registered in a telephone to be confirmed from outside. According to this conventional technique, information such as a telephone number is stored in association with a key number, and the owner makes a telephone call from outside and confirms with a predetermined password, and then inputs the key number. The telephone number corresponding to the key number can be confirmed by a voice signal. Therefore, according to this conventional technique, it is possible to obtain necessary information by calling home from outside without having to carry a telephone directory or a notebook.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the name and the telephone number data are stored in the memory of the telephone, and the user knows the telephone number using the numeric keypad of a public telephone on the go. The first letter of the person's name is entered. For example, when examining the telephone number of a person named "Ueda Toshio", the first character of the name, that is, a number indicating "U" is input. That is, when the character "U" is represented in the Japanese syllabary table, it is in the first row and third column, so "1, 3" is input.

As described above, according to this conventional technique, the user has to think of the corresponding number by thinking of the Japanese syllabary table at the time of inputting characters. There was a problem that it was easy.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an improvement of the above-mentioned prior art, and realizes a telephone device which can easily confirm a telephone number from outside while performing simple operations. Therefore, the telephone device according to the present invention includes a telephone number memory storing a telephone number and a name corresponding to the telephone number, and a means for detecting a first DTMF signal indicating an instruction to advance a row of the Japanese syllabary table. Means for detecting a second DTMF signal indicating an instruction for processing to advance a row of the Japanese syllabary table; means for detecting a third DTMF signal indicating determination; and a means for detecting a third DTMF signal based on the first and second DTMF signals. A voice synthesizing circuit for sequentially converting the characters of the Japanese syllabary into a voice signal and transmitting the voice signal to the line, and a telephone number having the first letter of the character immediately preceding to be pronounced based on the detection of the third DTMF signal. The telephone number and name are retrieved from a number memory, converted into voice by the voice synthesis circuit, and transmitted to a line.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it has means for determining whether or not a password transmitted through a line is correct.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a telephone device according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a handset having a receiving speaker and a transmitting microphone, 2 is a line control circuit for controlling disconnection from a public line, and 3 is detecting a call signal transmitted to the own station through the public line. A call detection circuit, 4 is a DTMF detection circuit for detecting a DTMF signal sent through a public line during a call, 5 is an answering machine circuit for implementing an answering machine function for sending an answering message and recording a message from a caller, 6 is a telephone number memory for storing registered telephone numbers, 7 is a control circuit for controlling the entire apparatus according to the dictated flowchart, and 8 is a telephone number stored in the telephone number memory 6 under the control of the control circuit. A voice synthesizing circuit 9 for synthesizing and sending out to the public line. Numeral 9 is a numeric keypad 9 from "0" to "9".
a, an operation button having a "*" key 9b and a "#" key 9c.

As shown in FIG. 2, the telephone number memory 6 stores a telephone number, a name, and one initial of the name.
Also, when the answering machine mode is set by operating an operation button (not shown), the answering machine circuit 5 is activated by the detection of the incoming call by the call detection circuit 3, and the message "I'm currently answering. Please send me a message. "

Next, the operation of the telephone device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. As described above, it is assumed that a plurality of telephone numbers and names are registered in the telephone number memory 6 by the user, and that the telephone number memory 6 is set to the answering machine mode.

First, when the call detecting circuit 3 detects an incoming call, a message of "An answering machine message is currently being answered. Please leave your name and message" is sent by the answering machine circuit 5 in STEP1. When the user hears this message, the user operates the operation button of the telephone to go out and inputs a predetermined password. When this input is detected by the DTMF detection circuit 4 in STEP 2, it is determined in STEP 3 whether the password input by the control circuit 7 is a predetermined password. If the input of the DTMF signal is not detected in STEP2, or if it is determined in STEP3 that the input password is incorrect, the answering machine circuit 5 implements a normal answering machine function in STEP4.

On the other hand, if it is determined in STEP 3 that the entered password is correct, a message "Please enter the name of the person who wants to search for a telephone number" is transmitted in STEP 5, and as described later. The telephone number registered in the telephone number memory 6 is searched in STEP 6, and the telephone number searched in STEP 7 is pronounced by the voice synthesis circuit 8 and transmitted to the line.

Next, the telephone number search processing will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the telephone device according to the present invention, a telephone number is searched using three keys "1", "2", and "#" of operation buttons of the telephone. That is, the "1" key is used to change the "line" of the Japanese syllabary of "A, ka, sa, ta, na, ha, ma, ya, la, wa," ,
The column "U, E, O" is changed, and the "#" key is used for confirmation.

Now, a case will be described in which a telephone number "Masao Suzuki" is retrieved from the telephone number memory 6 in which telephone numbers are registered as shown in FIG. When the registration search process is started, in Step 10, 0 and 1 are respectively set in variables n and m indicating a row and a column, and then, in Step 11, STEP 11.
12, in step 13, the input DTMF signal is
Any of “1”, “2”, and “#” is detected. In step 11, the input DTMF signal is "1".
If it is determined that the number is n, 1 is added to the variable n representing the row (STEP 14).
The column, that is, the sound of "a" in one row and one column, is
And send it to the line.

Since the initial "su" of the telephone number to be searched is a line, the user operates the "1" key to instruct a change of the line. After 1 is added to ST
In EP15, a "ka" sound in two rows and one column is transmitted. Similarly, the line is advanced each time the user operates the “1” key,
The letter is pronounced.

Since the initial "su" of the telephone number to be searched is a line, the user operates the "2" key when the sound "sa" is pronounced. When the DTMF signal of the “2” key is detected in STEP 12, 1 is added to the variable m indicating a column in STEP 16, and then in STEP 15, 3 rows 2
A row of sounds, namely "shi", is pronounced. Similarly, when the "2" key is further operated, the desired "su" is sounded.

When the desired initial is pronounced, the user operates the "#" key for instructing confirmation. STEP13
When a DTMF signal indicating this "#" is detected, ST
In EP17, a telephone number whose initial is "su" is searched from the telephone numbers registered in the telephone number memory, and the search is terminated.

As described above, the retrieved telephone number is converted into a voice by the voice synthesizing circuit 8 at STEP 7 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 and transmitted to the public line. When a plurality of telephone numbers having the same initial character are registered, the voice numbers are sequentially synthesized and transmitted to the line. In steps 11, 12, and 13, "1", "2",
If a key other than "#" has been operated, a message "input is incorrect" is sent in STEP 18, and the search process is terminated.

In this way, a telephone number registered in the telephone number memory 6 can be searched from a place where the user is away from home by a simple operation.

[0020]

As described above, the telephone apparatus according to the present invention can search for a target telephone number by operating only three buttons such as "1", "2", and "#". It is possible to easily and reliably perform a search without having to enter the name of the Japanese syllabary table as in the related art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a telephone device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a telephone number memory of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Handset 2 Line control circuit 3 Call detection circuit 4 DTMF detection circuit 6 Phone number memory 7 Control circuit 8 Voice synthesis circuit 9 Operation button

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04M 1/26-1/57 H04M 1/64-1/65 H04M 3/42-3/58

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A telephone number memory in which a telephone number and a name corresponding to the telephone number are stored, and means for detecting a first DTMF signal indicating an instruction to advance a row of the Japanese syllabary table;
Second DTMF indicating an instruction for processing to advance the column of the Japanese syllabary table
Means for detecting a signal, means for detecting a third DTMF signal indicating confirmation, and sound to be used to sequentially convert the characters of the Japanese syllabary into an audio signal based on the first and second DTMF signals, and to transmit the signal to a line. A synthesizing circuit and a telephone number having an initial character immediately preceding to be pronounced based on the detection of the third DTMF signal is retrieved from the telephone number memory, and the telephone number and name are converted into voice by the voice synthesizing circuit. A telephone device for transmitting to a telephone line. 2. The telephone device according to claim 1, further comprising means for judging whether or not the password transmitted through the line is correct.