JP4477079B2 - Mobile phone equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes an image recognition device such as a camera in a telephone or a mobile communication terminal, transmits / receives an image together with a voice call, displays an image on the other side, and transmits a camera image taken by a user with a camera. It is related to the video telephone type image telephone system.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional camera-equipped mobile phone (image telephone device). This mobile phone includes a camera 16 and has a radio unit 19 connected to an antenna 20 to transmit and receive radio communications with a base station. The transmitted and received signals are interpreted and processed by the CPU 10 (central processing unit). In addition to the camera 16, the telephone is configured to include a key 14, an LCD 15, a speaker 17, and a position detection device 18, and the CPU 10 is connected to these via an I / O port 13 (input / output port) to transmit signals and Send and receive data.

If the telephone is in a call, the audio data is output to the speaker 17 and is heard by the user as audio. The received image data is also processed in the CPU 10 and displayed on the LCD 15.
The input of the key 14 by the users is detected by the key detection device and sent to the CPU 10. The CPU 10 performs processing such as menu operation and outgoing / incoming response in response to key input.
The CPU 10 is connected to the ROM 12 and the RAM 11, and a program describing the processing of the CPU 10 is stored in the ROM 12, and processing data is temporarily stored in the RAM 11 and processed. The ROM 12 and RAM 11 can also store image information data and the like.

When it is desired to make a videophone call on such a telephone, the other party's telephone number is input, and the videophone is designated and transmitted.
The side receiving the incoming call notifies the user that there is an incoming videophone call. When the user responds to the incoming call, a videophone call is started, voice is exchanged, and the user's camera image taken from the camera is transmitted to the other party.
An image received from the other party is displayed on the user's mobile phone terminal. You can also check the camera image you are sending on the screen.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an operation image during a videophone call between the own TV phone terminal A (user himself) and the partner TV phone terminal B. The video (camera image) taken by the own camera provided in the own TV phone terminal A is transmitted to the base station BS1 together with the sound, and is transmitted to the partner terminal B via the base station BS2. The partner terminal B reproduces the received image and sound, and simultaneously sends back a video (camera image) and sound of the other party.

However, the conventional method or apparatus shown above has various problems as described below.
In other words, since the camera image to be transmitted is a video image of the users who are using the telephone response, the user's own image is always sent to the other party when a videophone call is received. At this time, if you do not want to send your image to the other party, you cannot receive an incoming videophone call, or even if you receive a videophone call, you can send it as a normal phone without sending an image. I had to answer or do.
Here, for example, if a user who uses a TV mobile phone for work spends private time and receives a videophone call from a business partner, the camera of the private user himself Since the image is transmitted, it is difficult for the user to relay this call. In addition, when the user is on the job but is on the customer service, it is difficult to use the videophone even if the user wants to answer the call.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the conventional apparatus. In a transmission / reception system using a videophone type telephone or a portable terminal, a camera image showing the user from his / her telephone when making a videophone call is as follows. An object of the present invention is to provide an image telephone system that does not require transmission. Note that this specification mainly describes the case of using a videophone terminal with a camera, but other electronic devices with a videophone function (for example, fixed wired telephones, mobile terminals, personal computers, mobile phones) The present invention can be applied to a wireless device or the like.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the cellular phone device according to the present invention uses the following means.
(1) videophone means for transmitting and receiving voice and images;
Built-in camera photography means;
Image storage means for storing at least one or more pieces of image information;
Selecting means for selecting, by a menu operation by key input, whether to send an image to the other party, either the camera image by the camera photographing means and the image information stored in the image storage means,
When an incoming videophone call is received, the selection means selects whether to transmit the camera image or the image information by a menu operation. At this time, if the camera image is selected, the camera responds to the incoming call. The mobile phone device is configured such that a videophone call is executed while sending an image, and if the image information is selected, the videophone call is executed while sending the image in response to the incoming call.

(2) In the mobile phone device of (1),
Image information is downloaded from the network, and the image information is stored in the image storage means.
(3) In the mobile phone device of (2),
The image information is downloaded from the network via a base station.
(4) In any one of the cellular phone devices (1) to (3),
Further comprising a counterpart telephone number, the transmission image setting means for associating at least one or more of the previous SL image information that sends.
(5) In any one of the mobile phone devices (1) to (4),
When making a videophone call,
It is possible to select whether to transmit a camera image from the camera photographing means or image information stored in the image storage means to the other party.
(6) In any one of the cellular phone devices (1) to (5),
Whether the camera image or the image information is transmitted to the other party can be switched during a call.

Thus, the image telephone system and the mobile phone device according to the present invention exhibit the following excellent effects.
(1) In the present invention, the image information (accumulated image information) held by the device A or another device (40, BS1, BS2, etc.) at the time of transmission / reception between the device A and the device B is stored in the device Since it is configured to be able to transmit an image to B, it is possible to transmit not only the user's camera image as in the past but also the image held in the user's own telephone terminal or other device. It became possible.
(2) In the present invention, in addition to the image information held by the own device A or other devices (40, BS1, BS2, etc.), the camera image information obtained by photographing the users who are using the own device A is also obtained. Since the image can be transmitted to the counterpart apparatus B, it is possible to select from a variety of images including the user's own camera image information and transmit it to the counterpart apparatus.
(3) In the present invention, since the other device is configured as the server 40 on the network, not only the image owned by the user itself but also a wide variety of images held by the other device can be used. It was.
(4) In the present invention, the own apparatus A has a plurality of pieces of image information, and is configured to select and transmit these pieces of image information to the counterpart apparatus B. Since an image can be selected and used properly from among them, it is easy to use, convenient and excellent in cost.
(5) In the present invention, the server 40 on the network holds a plurality of pieces of image information (server image information), and the own device A sends a signal, selects these image information, and transmits them to the partner device B. Thus, the user can select various images and use them easily and widely.

Embodiments of an image telephone system and a mobile phone device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an image telephone apparatus (A, B) used in the image telephone system according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an operation image diagram showing an example of the image telephone system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an image telephone system according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an image telephone device (own device A, counterpart device B) used in the image telephone system according to the present invention, which is basically the same as the configuration diagram of the conventional camera-equipped mobile phone in FIG. However, the difference is that the own device A (image telephone device, communication terminal, etc.) holds the image information 30 (accumulated image information) and can use them.
The image information 30 (accumulated image information) is stored and stored as image data in the form of a transmission image in the apparatus. However, as shown in FIG. It is good.

FIG. 2 shows an operation image diagram of the image telephone system according to the present invention. First, when receiving an incoming videophone call from the partner device B (the video phone terminal with the partner camera) to the self device A (the video phone terminal with the camera), the partner device B passes through the base station BS2 and the base station BS1. The camera image and sound are transmitted to the device A.
On the other hand, the own device A does not transmit an image (camera image) taken by the user to the partner device B at the time of the incoming call, but the image information that the own device A holds and stores in the device in advance. Image information selected and specified from 30 (accumulated image information) is transmitted to the partner apparatus B, and this videophone call is started. At this time, on the monitor (LCD 15), the user can check the image that the user is currently sending, as well as the image sent by the other party.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation image diagram of the image telephone system shown in FIG. According to this, when there is “videophone call incoming” (step S51), the user is notified of “videophone call incoming” (step S52). Therefore, the user selects either “1) Use camera image” or “2) Use stored image” to give an instruction (step S53).
At this time, if the user selects “1) Use camera image”, “normal videophone call” is executed (step S54). On the other hand, if “2) Use stored image” is selected, “call while sending preset image” is executed (step S55).

  FIG. 4 is an operation image diagram showing another example of the image telephone system according to the present invention. When receiving a videophone call, the user selects and transmits image information instead of the camera image from the own device A to the partner device B. There may be a plurality or a large number of image information data as selection candidates at that time. As the image data, as shown in FIG. 1, the image data stored and held in its own device A may be transmitted, or image information held by another external device (40, etc.) May be acquired and transmitted by the device A side. Note that base stations (BS1 and BS2) can be selected as other external devices, and at this time, these base stations themselves may be configured to store and store image information.

The image storage server 40 in FIG. 4 is configured as a server on the network. In this case, the videophone terminal A with its own camera sends a signal to the effect that image information is acquired from the server 40 to the network via the base station BS1. This time, the server image is transmitted together with the voice to the video camera terminal B with the other camera via the base station BS1 to the base station BS2.
At this time, it is possible to send a commercial (CM) image as is done on a normal television, and by using this as an advertisement, it is possible to provide a service that reduces the call charge.

  In addition, it is possible to set which image data to be transmitted when an incoming call is received, depending on the other party's telephone number, time zone, position information, and the like. For example, when a user receives an incoming videophone call at a time other than work or a place other than the company, he / she responds to a call to a customer using a commercial (CM) image of the company to which the user belongs, In addition, it is possible to use different images such as responding to a call from a friend's close person using the user's own camera image.

Furthermore, as a normal use of the videophone, it is possible to send the images to the other party of the telephone by storing the user's own business card or the company's advertisement as images.
In addition, when the user does not want to know his / her whereabouts, the user can check the other party's image on the user side because the user can make a call using a mechanism similar to that of a normal videophone.

  As another example, when a user receives a call from the other party and starts a videophone call, the user selects a safe landscape image from the stored image information and uses the image to correspond to the other party. After that, when there is a margin, it is possible to selectively use images such as switching to a camera image that reflects the user from the middle.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation image diagram of the image telephone system provided with other external devices such as the image storage server 40 according to FIG. According to this, when there is “videophone call incoming” (step S61), the user is notified of “videophone call incoming” (step S62). Therefore, the user selects either “1) Use camera image” or “2) Use stored image” and issues a command (step S63).

At this time, if the user selects “1) Use camera image”, “normal videophone call” is executed (step S64). On the other hand, if “2) Use stored image” is selected, “Transition to a mode in which the user can select an image to be sent” is entered (step S65), and “selection operation” (step S66) is executed here. , The process proceeds to “call while sending selected image” (step S6 7 ).

Up to this point, the image telephone system and the mobile phone apparatus according to the present invention have been described. The points are summarized as follows.
-When making a videophone call with the other party, instead of sending the user's camera image as is conventionally done, it is configured to send the image held in the user's own phone terminal.
-It is configured to be able to transmit not only the user's own phone terminal but also images held by servers on the network that exist outside.
・ There are multiple or many image data to increase image options. For example, when starting a videophone call when making a call, select the incoming and outgoing videophone start images and send them to the other party. In this way, an image screen that can be used properly can be created.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the image telephone apparatus (A, B) used for the image telephone system by this invention. It is an operation | movement image figure which shows an example of the image telephone system by this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart figure which shows an example of the image telephone system by this invention. It is an operation | movement image figure which shows the other example of the image telephone system by this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart figure which shows the other example of the image telephone system by this invention. It is a block diagram of a conventional videophone-type camera-equipped mobile phone (image telephone device). It is a figure which shows the operation | movement image during the videophone call of the own videophone terminal A and the other party's videophone terminal B.

Explanation of symbols

A own device B partner device BS1, BS2 base station 40 server 10 CPU (central processing unit)
11 RAM
12 ROM
13 I / O ports (input / output ports)
14 keys 15 LCD
16 Camera 17 Speaker 18 Position Detection Device 19 Radio Unit 20 Antenna

Claims (6)

Videophone means for sending and receiving voice and images;
Built-in camera photography means;
Image storage means for storing at least one or more pieces of image information;
Selecting means for selecting, by a menu operation by key input, whether to send an image to the other party, either the camera image by the camera photographing means and the image information stored in the image storage means,
When an incoming videophone call is received, the selection means selects whether to transmit the camera image or the image information by a menu operation. At this time, if the camera image is selected, the camera responds to the incoming call. A mobile phone device, wherein a videophone call is executed while sending an image, and if the image information is selected, the videophone call is executed while sending the image in response to the incoming call.   2. The cellular phone device according to claim 1, wherein image information is downloaded from a network and the image information is stored in the image storage means.   The mobile phone apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image information is downloaded from the network via a base station.   The mobile phone device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising transmission image setting means for associating the other party telephone number with at least one of the image information to be transmitted. When making a videophone call,
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein either one of a camera image obtained by the camera photographing unit and image information stored in the image storage unit can be selected as an image transmission destination. 5. The mobile phone device described.   6. The mobile phone device according to claim 1, wherein either one of the camera image and the image information can be switched during the call to transmit the image to the other party.

Images