JP4628243B2 - Status information presentation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a state information presentation device that outputs presence information indicating the state of a user in the vicinity of a device main body to a call partner in a device having a call function such as a mobile phone, a video phone, or a television receiver. .

  In recent years, not only voice-based telephones but also videophones with video have appeared. In the case of a conventional communication device, since the other party's state is not known at all, if you make a call and answer it, you are at home because you are at home.If the other party does not answer, it is determined that you are away. We took measures such as recording on the phone.

  However, if the partner's condition can be grasped before calling, the response can be changed. For example, if you are away, you can take measures such as contacting by e-mail, or if you are unable to respond or do not want to respond, make a call after a while.

  Information indicating the status of the device or user is called presence information. Presence is a concept that means "state" or "presence". Specifically, presence information includes the person's profile, location information, schedule, and what kind of equipment (PC, mobile phone, PDA, etc.) Whether it has it, and even the “status” of the schedule and the “current status” of the device are included.

Patent Document 1 discloses a mobile phone that detects a phone operation, an open / closed state in the case of a folding type, an antenna pull-out, and the like and notifies the user of the other party's state.
JP 2004-23374 A

In the invention of Patent Document 1, presence information is created based on the detection result, and the presence information is displayed to the user by a character or the like and notified to the user. However, this only notifies the status information of the device itself, whereby the user guesses the status of the other party. Since the other party's status information such as whether the other party can answer the call or whether he / she is at home is not presented, there is a problem in usability.
In addition, a presentation means that allows the user to easily recognize various device status information and user status information is also required.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention can present a user's state based on the state information of each unit, and can present various apparatus state information and user state information for the user to easily recognize. It is an object of the present invention to provide a state information presentation device that can be used.

An information presentation device according to the present invention includes a status information receiving unit that receives status information from an electronic device connected to a communication network, a status information output unit that outputs the status information received by the status information receiving unit, A communication means with an electronic device; and a communication partner specifying means for specifying the electronic device to be a communication partner with the communication means,
The status information output means is assigned to output the status information of the specific electronic device, and the call partner designation means is assigned to designate the specific electronic device as a call partner , Provided on a remote controller of the status information presentation device, the status information output means is associated with the call partner designation means, and the status information is in a state in which a user of the electronic device can talk. It is characterized by being information indicating whether or not there is.

According to this, since the status information output means is associated with the call partner designation means, it is possible to make a call by checking the status information and designating a call partner that can talk. In addition, since the call partner designation means is provided on the remote control, it can be operated separately from the main body, and can be operated even from a position away from the main body.

  In the status information presentation device, an identification code for identifying the electronic device is written on the status information output unit, and a status information output unit associated with the call partner designation unit is displayed on the call partner designation unit. It is characterized in that a written identification code is written.

  According to this, for example, identification codes such as A, B, and C are written and associated with the electronic device on the other party designation means, so that the user can easily understand the correspondence.

In the status information presenting device, when the electronic device to be a call partner is designated by the call partner designation means, the call means sends a voice from the communication partner to the electronic device designated by the call partner designation means. And establishing a call that does not receive video.

  According to this, it is possible to establish a call for one-way communication after confirming the status information of the other party such as being in the room.

In the status information presentation device, when further comprising determining the call determining means for determining whether or not the electronic device to perform the call, specifying the electronic apparatus as a communication partner by the call partner specifying means, the call determination means, based on the status information said status information received by the receiving means, determines whether to perform a call to the specified the electronic device by the calling party designating means, said call means, said call determination means and said electronic device If it is determined that a call is to be made, the call is made.

  According to this, since it is determined that a call is possible based on the state information, for example, when it is determined that there is a user near the electronic device of the other party, it is possible to make a call after confirming that the other party exists.

In the status information presentation device, further comprising a message transmission means to the electronic device, said call determination means, when it is determined not to perform voice communication with the designated said electronic device, said message transmitting means is designated and performing a message transmission to prior Symbol electronic apparatus.

  According to this, when it is determined that a call with the user of the electronic device is impossible, message transmission (electronic mail) to the electronic device is performed, so that appropriate processing can be performed even when the other party is absent.

In the status information presentation device, to the electronic device, further comprising a determination means interrogation determines whether to establish a call which does not receive the audio and video from the communication partner, and the other party by the calling party designating means wherein by specifying an electronic apparatus comprising the call determining means, based on the status information said status information received by the receiving means, determines whether to establish a call which does not receive the audio and video from the communication partner, wherein The call means establishes a call that does not receive voice and video from the communication partner when the call determination means determines to establish a call that does not receive voice and video from the communication partner.

  According to this, since a call that does not receive voice and video from the communication partner is established based on the state information, for example, when it is assumed that a user is present near the electronic device of the other party, the voice and video from the communication partner are received. Even if not, it can be determined that the other party is viewing the transmitted audio or video.

The electronic state information presentation apparatus according to the present invention, which is connected to the video information input means for inputting image information from the outside, and the video information output means for outputting the display information based on the video information input to the communication network and status information receiving means for receiving status information from the device, and a status information output means for outputting said status information received by the status information receiving means, the state information output means independently of the image information output means is provided The status information output means outputs the status information using visual information, and the status information is information indicating whether or not a user of the electronic device is in a callable state. And

  According to this, while the video information is displayed on the video information output means, the status information output means outputs the status information using visual information, so that the state of the other party can be viewed visually without interfering with the video information. Can be grasped intuitively.

In the status information presentation device, said state information outputting means may assigned to output the state information of a particular of the electronic device.

  According to this, since the status information output means exclusively outputs the status information of the specific electronic device, the status information of the specific partner can be immediately grasped.

  In the status information presentation apparatus, the video information input means inputs broadcast video.

  According to this, it is possible to output the status information of the calling party while inputting a television broadcast or the like and displaying the video.

In the status information presentation device, the video information output means displays the display information on a screen provided integrally with each means.

  According to this, since each means is integrally formed, it is easy to handle from a video display to confirmation of status information with one apparatus.

  In the status information presentation device, the video information output means outputs display information as a video signal to the outside.

  According to this, since the video information output means can output the display information to an external device, the status information confirmation device and the video display device can be separated.

  In the state information presenting apparatus, the state information output means includes at least one light emitting element.

Further, in the state information presentation device, said state information output means, and outputs said state information by blinking the light emitting element.

In the state information presentation device, the state information output means outputs different state information based on the number of times the light emitting element blinks per unit time.

Further, in the state information presentation device, said state information output means, based on the interval of blinking the light emitting element, and outputs a different said state information.

Further, in the status information presentation device, the status information output means does not cause the light emitting element to blink when the video information output means is outputting display information.

  According to these, since the state information can be notified by the light emitting element, it is possible to call attention and make it easy to understand, and it is possible to notify the state information even when the video display unit is in a stopped state.

Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform appropriate processing such as making a call immediately based on the other party's status information, refraining from the call, or switching to electronic mail, thereby enabling a smooth call.
In addition, status information can be reported in an easy-to-understand manner while alerting the user to light-emitting elements and displays without disturbing the user's viewing.
In addition, when it is determined that the other party is not in the room or at home, the call is controlled so as not to make a call, so a useless call is not made.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an electronic device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a communication system according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 of the present invention includes a status information acquisition unit 101, a user status information generation unit 102, and a user status output unit 103. The electronic device 100, which will be described in detail later, is, for example, a videophone or a television device having a call function, and by notifying the presence information of the call partner while grasping whether the other party is in the room. Users can decide whether to call or e-mail.

  The state information acquisition unit 101 detects the operation state and operation state of the electronic device, or directly detects the state of the user with various sensors and acquires the state information of the device and the user. For example, the operating state of the electronic device is whether or not the calling part is operating and the television part is operating. The operation state of the electronic device is whether or not the remote control is being operated. User status information means that the user is in the vicinity by detecting something that is moving, detecting the presence or absence of a remote control signal, detecting the surrounding volume, detecting brightness, etc. Whether or not. The operation state of the other device is a state where the power of the other device is turned on / off.

  The status information generation means includes status information acquisition means 101 that acquires status information of each device, and user status information generation means 102 that generates user status information based on the status information of the device. The user status information generation unit 102 determines in what state the user is in the vicinity of the electronic device based on the status information of the device acquired by the status information acquisition unit 101 and the status information of the user. Determine if you are at home but are ready to talk.

  The user status output means 103 notifies the user status based on the determination of the user status information generation means 102 by blinking the presence lamp or displaying it on the television screen.

  Since the user status information generating unit 102 generates user status information based on the device status information of each unit, more accurate user status information can be obtained. Since the user status output means 103 notifies the user based on the user status information, it is possible to perform appropriate processing such as making a call immediately based on the user status information, refraining from calling, or switching to e-mail. Become.

  Although FIG. 1 shows the electronic apparatus 100 in which the state information acquisition unit 101, the user state information generation unit 102, and the user state output unit 103 are incorporated, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, a state information acquisition device 105 including a state information acquisition unit 101 and a user state information generation unit 102 and a state information presentation device 106 including a user state output unit 103 are connected to a network. The communication system connected by 104 may be sufficient. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, a state information acquisition device 105 including a state information acquisition unit 101 and a state information presentation device 106 including a user state information generation unit 102 and a user state output unit 103 are connected to a network. The communication system connected by 104 may be sufficient.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a videophone system which is an electronic apparatus according to the present invention.
This video phone system has a configuration in which, for example, a plurality of video phone devices 1 are connected via a network 6. Here, in FIG. 3, only two videophone devices are drawn, but any number may be used.

  The videophone device 1 that is the electronic device 100 includes the television receiver 2 that is the user status output unit 103, the set top unit 3 that includes the status information acquisition unit 101 and the user status output unit 103, and the status information acquisition unit 101. And an adapter unit 4 including a user state information generating unit 102 and a user state output unit 103, and a remote controller 5. In the videophone device 1 of the present embodiment, the television receiver 2, the set top unit 3, and the adapter unit 4 are separately configured and connected to each other by wire, but two or more of these are combined and integrated. It may be configured. Further, data transmission may be performed wirelessly instead of wired. Further, it is assumed that the remote controller 5 performs signal transmission by infrared communication, but other wireless communication may be used, or a wired connection may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the television receiver 2 is, for example, a liquid crystal television, and includes a display unit (monitor unit) 11 including a liquid crystal panel, a speaker 12, a television remote control light receiving unit 13, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the set-top unit 3 is a device that is placed on the television receiver 2 and performs a videophone function, and includes a camera 21, a microphone 22, a motion detection sensor 23, a speaker 24, and an adapter remote controller. The light receiving unit 25, the incoming call button 26, the up / down / left / right swing mechanism 27, the connection cable 28 to which the adapter unit 4 is connected, and the incoming display LED 29 are configured.

  Here, the state information acquisition unit 101 of FIG. 1 is the camera 21, the microphone 22, the motion detection sensor 23, and the adapter remote control light receiving unit 25, and the user state output unit 103 is the speaker 24.

  The camera 21 functions as a photographing unit that photographs the front of the set top unit 3 and converts it into communication image data that can be transmitted. The microphone 22 functions as a voice data conversion means for collecting and inputting voices around the set top unit 3 and converting the voices into communication voice data that can be transmitted. The motion detection sensor 23 detects an object that moves on the front side of the set top unit 3. The speaker 24 utters and outputs sound based on the input sound data. The adapter remote controller light receiving unit 25 receives an infrared signal from the remote controller 5. The incoming call button 26 can be responded by being pressed by the user when responding to a call from the other party. The head swing mechanism 27 enables the set top unit 3 to move up and down, left and right, and is used to adjust the shooting direction and the like of the camera 21. The connection cable 28 is for data transmission with the adapter unit 4. The incoming call display LED 29 blinks to notify the user when an incoming call is received, and includes an incoming call lamp indicating incoming voice and image data and an incoming mail lamp indicating incoming mail.

  The adapter unit 4 is a device that is connected to the television receiver 2, the set top unit 3 and the network 6 to exchange data. As shown in FIG. 6A, the front side has an external input terminal 31, A card slot 32, a presence lamp 33, and an answering button 34 are arranged. As shown in FIG. 6B, on the back side, a connection terminal 35 to the connection cable 28 of the set-top unit 3, an F plug 36, a television receiver. It is composed of a video connection terminal 37 with the device 11, a LAN terminal 38 for LAN cable connection, a television receiver power tap 39, and an AC adapter connection terminal 40.

  Here, the status information acquisition means 101 is a current detection sensor 85 (see FIG. 9 described later) in the television receiver power tap 39, and the user status information generation means 102 is a presence processing unit 73 (described later in FIG. 9). The user status output means 103 is a presence lamp 33.

  The external input terminal 31 is a terminal for inputting video and audio from an external device. The card slot 32 is a slot for an SD card or a PC card, and captures files such as still images, moving images, and audio recorded on a memory card that is a recording medium. The status information receiving means corresponds to the presence lamp 33, for example. The presence lamp 33 is composed of a my presence lamp indicating its own presence and a partner presence lamp indicating the presence of the other party A, B, C. In FIG. 6 (a), three partner presence lamps to which the symbols A, B, and C are added are provided, and the presences of three partners mapped to the partner presence lamps are shown. The presence lamp 33 serves to indicate whether the user or the other party is at home or in the room, and can also detect the detected status information. The presence lamp 33 is constituted by a light emitting element, can express presence by color and lighting condition, and can also be provided as a liquid crystal display unit. When the presence lamp 33 is provided as a liquid crystal display unit, the presence can be expressed by characters and pictures in addition to colors. In addition, the partner presence lamp may not be provided, and one liquid crystal display unit may be provided as the partner presence lamp so that A, B, and C presence information displays are switched every few seconds. In this case, A, B, and C are displayed as character information, and presence information for each of A, B, and C is displayed as a background color.

  The presence lamp 33 shown in FIG. 6A is composed of a full-color LED, and displays the state of itself or the other party using the color at the time of lighting and the light-off state. The presence lamp 33 may be a single color LED, or may be displayed by a device other than the lamp, such as a liquid crystal display device. Further, it goes without saying that the device of the present application only includes the presence lamp 33 as a means for indicating the state of the counterpart device, and it is not necessary to present the state of the counterpart device by means other than the presence lamp 33. In addition, when a change in state is received, it may be notified by voice or displayed on the screen.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the presence lamp 33 is provided on the front side of the adapter unit 4. This is so that the user can know the state of himself or the other party whenever necessary. The presence lamp 33 may be provided in the set top unit 3 instead of being provided in the adapter unit 4 if the user can know the state of himself or the other party at any time. When the television receiver 2 and the adapter unit 4 are integrated, the presence lamp 33 may be provided on the front surface of the television receiver 2 or at a position that can be seen from the front surface (see FIG. 27 described later).

  When the answering button 34 is pressed once, the user enters an absence state indicating that the user is away, and when the button is pressed again, the absence state is canceled. The connection terminal 35 is a terminal for connecting the connection cable 28 of the set top unit 3. The F plug 36 is a terminal for connecting a connection line from the TV antenna, and is connected to an internal TV tuner. The connection terminal 37 is for outputting video and audio signals to the television receiver 2. When the videophone device 1 is configured as an integral type, the video information output means corresponds to the monitor unit 11. In the case where the videophone device 1 is configured so as to be separated from the adapter unit 4 and the television receiver 2, the video information output means corresponds to the connection terminal 37. The LAN terminal 38 is connected to the network 6 through a router, for example, by connecting a LAN cable. The television receiver power tap 39 connects the AC power source of the television here. The AC adapter connection terminal 40 is for supplying electricity to the adapter unit 4.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the remote controller 5 is a device for remotely operating the television receiver 2 and the set top unit 3 with infrared signals, and includes a light emitting unit 41 that emits infrared signals in response to a remote control operation, an operation unit 52, It consists of a liquid crystal display unit 53. The operation unit 52 includes a return button 42, a telephone directory button 43, an enter button 44, a cross key 45, a call button 46, an end button 47, a channel switching button 48, a video related button 49, a call button 50, and a numeric character input key 51. Consists of

  The return button 42 is used when returning to the previous menu. The phone book button 43 is used when calling up the phone book screen. The determination button 44 is used when selecting and determining an item in focus among a plurality of candidates displayed. The cross key 45 is used to change the focused item up, down, left and right among a plurality of candidates displayed. The call button 46 is used when making a call to the other party, receiving a call from the other party, or responding to the other party's call. The end call button 47 is used when the call from the other party is not received, when the other party's call is stopped, when the call ends, or when the call is ended.

The channel switching button 48 is used when switching program information (channel).
The video related buttons 49 include a video input button 49a, a replacement button 49b, and a full screen button 49c. The video input button 49a is used when switching the video to be sent to the other party from the camera input to the external device input, or when switching from the external device input to the camera input. The replacement button 49b is used when the parent screen and the child screen are switched during a video call. The full screen button is used when the output of the child screen is stopped during the video call and the parent screen is displayed in a large size, and when the display is stopped and the display is returned to the parent screen and the child screen. The call button 50 is used when calling a partner assigned to the partner presence lamp. The numeric character input key 51 is used for channel designation and character input.

  The call button 50 is an example of a call partner designation means. Each of the call buttons 50 is associated with a partner assigned to the presence lamp 33. When the call button 50 is pressed, a call is made to the associated partner. That is, in the presence lamp 33 shown in FIG. 6A, three partner presence lamps to which the symbols A, B, and C are added are provided, but the call button 50 also has the symbols A, B, and C. Three added buttons are provided. That is, a partner whose status is indicated by the partner presence lamp to which the symbol A is added is the same as a partner who calls using the button to which the symbol A is added. Thus, by providing the presence lamp 33 and the call button 50 and associating them with each other, it is possible to make a call by selecting a partner who is likely to be called by looking at the lighting state of the presence lamp 33.

The symbol added to the presence lamp 33 may be written on the presence lamp 33 or in the vicinity of the presence lamp 33. Similarly, the symbol added to the call button 50 may be written on the call button 50 or may be written in the vicinity of the call button 50. Further, the same symbols do not necessarily have to be added. For example, the presence lamp 33 has uppercase letters A, B, and C, and the call button 50 has lowercase letters a, b, and c. May be added. The call button 33 is not necessarily provided on the remote controller 5 and may be provided on the adapter unit 4 or the set top unit 3. When the adapter unit 4 is provided, the presence lamp 33 and the call button 50 may be integrally configured so that the presence lamp 33 to which the symbol A is added can be pressed to make a call to A. . When integrated, there is an advantage that the correspondence between the presence lamp 33 and the call button 50 becomes clear. On the other hand, providing the call button 50 on the remote controller 5 separately from the presence lamp 33 has an advantage that the call operation can be performed at hand.
In this embodiment, the call button 50 is used to establish a one-way communication call, which will be described later, but may be used to establish a two-way communication call.

  Further, a call may be made to a partner who is not assigned to either the presence lamp 33 or the call button 50. For example, the address of the other party may be directly input using the operation unit 52 of the remote controller 5. Alternatively, a partner to which one or more (one) communication start request may be transmitted is stored in advance as communication start request transmission destination device information, and communication is performed as communication start request destination device information based on a user instruction. The device stored in the start request destination device information storage unit may be displayed, and a communication start request may be transmitted to the partner device selected based on the user's instruction.

  Note that “call” refers to a function of transmitting voice to the other party without receiving voice or video from the other party using one-way communication. More specifically, in the videophone device 1 on the calling side, the user operates the remote controller 5 to establish a one-way communication call capable of transmitting voice from the calling side to the called side. The process which conveys the audio | voice which the user of a side transmits to the video telephone apparatus 1 of a callee is shown. The videophone device 1 on the called side permits the establishment of a one-way communication call without a user's operation if the call establishment request is from the respondable party list.

  “Stop calling” indicates a process of disconnecting a one-way communication call by the user operating the remote controller 5 in the videophone device 1 on the calling side. “End the call” indicates a process of disconnecting a one-way communication call by the user operating the remote controller 5 in the videophone device 1 on the called side. “Respond to a call” indicates a process in which a user operates the remote controller 5 to shift a one-way communication call to a two-way communication call in the videophone device 1 on the called side. Note that the videophone device 1 on the calling side permits a transition from a one-way communication call to a two-way communication call without any user operation.

  In this embodiment, the side that transmits a connection request when establishing a one-way communication call is called a “calling side”, and the side that receives a connection request is called a “calling side”. Therefore, when switching from one-way communication to two-way communication, the side that transmits a request for switching a one-way call to a two-way call is not necessarily the calling side. Rather, it should be noted that in this application, the videophone device 1 on the called side is mainly described as the side that transmits a request for shifting a one-way call in both directions.

  The network 6 may be the Internet or a network such as a LAN or WAN. In the present embodiment, the connection of each device is described in a wired manner, but a wireless connection or the like may be used.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the videophone system. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the adapter unit 4. Portions common to FIGS. 3 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The adapter unit 4 takes in video / audio information from an external device 61 such as a video and receives a television program via the antenna 62. As shown in FIG. 9, it includes a tuner unit 71, a communication unit 72, a control unit 73, an audio / video processing unit 74, a videophone processing unit 75, a presence lamp 33, and a power source current detection unit 85.

  The tuner unit 71 is an example of video information input means. The tuner unit 71 demodulates a digital multi-channel broadcast signal received by the antenna 62 to generate a baseband bit stream signal. The bit stream signal output from the tuner unit 71 is input to the audio / video processing unit 74, and a specific video information stream and audio information are obtained from the bit stream signal in which a plurality of programs (video information) and program information are multiplexed. Streams and specific program information streams are separated. Then, the audio information stream is decoded by the program audio processing unit 76 and output from the speaker 24 of the television receiver 2 or the set top unit 3 via the audio / video synthesis unit 84. The video information stream is decoded by the program video processing unit 77 and output to the television receiver 2 via the audio / video synthesis unit 84. The video information output from the audio / video synthesis unit 84 is supplied to, for example, a video input terminal (composite terminal, S terminal, or D terminal) of the television receiver 2.

  Video / audio information is also input from the external device 61, and the same processing as described above is performed by the program audio processing unit 76 and the program video processing unit 77. In addition, video / audio information is input via the network 6, and video / audio information is input to the audio / video processing unit 74 via the communication unit 72, and processing similar to the above is performed.

  Further, it connects to the network 6 via the communication unit 72 and inputs / outputs videophone information. The videophone processing unit 75 processes the videophone information at this time. The video phone processing unit 75 is an example of a calling means. The term “call” includes not only two-way communication such as voice call and videophone, but also one-way communication called “call” in this embodiment. The videophone processing unit 75 is an example of a voice call unit when processing a call including voice, and is an example of a video call unit when processing a call including video. The videophone processing unit 75 includes a presence processing unit 79, a call control processing unit 80, an audio processing unit 81, a video processing unit 82, and a storage unit (memory) 83. The presence processing unit 79 performs processing for generating user status information such as the user's occupancy from the information acquired by each status information acquisition unit. The generated user status information is transmitted to other devices via the communication unit 72 or output to the monitor 11 and the presence lamp 33. The presence processing unit 79 also receives status information of other devices via the communication unit 72 and outputs it to the monitor 11 and the presence lamp 33. Note that the status information receiving means performs processing for receiving status information of other devices via the communication unit 72 in the presence processing unit 79. The status information transmission means performs processing for transmitting status information to other devices via the communication unit 72 in the presence processing unit 79. The call control processing unit 80 performs processing for establishing a call. The audio processing unit 81 and the video processing unit 82 process audio and video data in a videophone. The storage unit 83 stores data necessary for call control in advance. The control unit 73 controls the operation of each unit. The presence lamp 33 is controlled by the control unit 73 based on the user status information. The power source current detector 85 detects the current of the television receiver power tap 39 to detect ON / OFF of the television receiver 2.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing session establishment for one-way communication and two-way communication between videophone devices.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that a call is established between a calling videophone device and a called videophone device using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). The call control processing unit 80 of the videophone processing unit 75 performs this process. When making a call control request between the calling side and the called side, a request message is notified to the other side, and when responding to this request, a response message is notified to the other side. This message is processed automatically by the videophone device.

  First, since there is no communication state between the videophone devices, the calling side sends a communication start request “INVITE” for establishing a new session to the called side. At this time, the calling side does not have to notify the communication port number of the communication unit 72 to the called side.

  The called party accepts the communication start request and returns a response message “RINGING” indicating that the call is being made. Note that since it is optional to return the response message “RINGING”, it is not always necessary to return “RINGING”. On the called side, reference is made to respondable device information in which whether or not the transmission source that has notified the communication start request is acceptable is accepted, and if the result of the reference is that the transmission source is included in the respondable device information The call control processing unit 80 notifies the caller of the communication port number of the voice data together with the communication start permission “OK” according to the communication request. The call control processing unit 80 on the calling side immediately notifies the called side of “ACK” indicating that the communication start permission “OK” has been received. Thus, a one-way communication session of voice data from the calling side to the called side is established.

  If the calling side is not included in the answerable device information in the called side memory 83, the called side call control processing unit 80 returns a message “NG” not responding to the call establishment request from the calling side, Do not establish direction communication.

  After one-way communication is performed, communication from the called side to the calling side may be performed this time. For this purpose, a two-way communication session must be established. Therefore, first, “Re-INVITE”, which is a communication switching request, is notified from the called side to the calling side. In response to the communication switching request, the calling port side is notified of the communication port number of the video data. At this time, the communication port number of the voice data may be notified again to the calling side. Upon receiving the communication switching request, the calling side returns “RINGING” as a message indicating that the communication switching request has been received. Since this “RINGING” is a provisional response message before returning OK or NG, it may be omitted. Then, it is confirmed from the other party that sent the communication start request, and communication switching permission “OK” is notified to the called party. At this time, the communication port number of the audio data and the communication port number of the video data are notified to the called party. If it is a partner other than the partner who sent the communication start request first, “NG” notifying that switching of communication is not permitted is notified. The called side immediately notifies the calling side of “ACK” indicating that the communication switching permission has been received. In this way, a bidirectional communication session consisting of audio data and video data that enables communication from the called side to the calling side is established. That is, a videophone call can be made between videophone devices.

  Here, the response message “RINGING” is returned immediately when the communication start request “INVITE” is received. However, the response message “RINGING” may be notified after a confirmation process. If there is no need, “RINGING” need not be transmitted.

  FIG. 10 merely shows an embodiment of a session establishment sequence for enabling a videophone call between videophone devices. In this embodiment, it is only necessary to be able to make a videophone call, and the caller notifies the callee of the communication port number of the audio data and the communication port number of the video data in the communication start request. The call side notifies the caller of the communication port number of the audio data and the communication port number of the video data in the communication start permission as a response to the communication start request, thereby establishing a bidirectional communication session consisting of the audio data and the video data. It may be a sequence of. In addition, it is conceivable as a modification of this embodiment to establish not only a video phone using audio and video but also a voice-only call or a call in which voice and video are transmitted only in one direction. Furthermore, SIP is assumed as a communication protocol for session establishment. Other communication protocols such as H.323 may be used.

  Next, the relationship between the presence lamp and respondable device information will be described. As described above, the respondable device information is information on a partner that can accept the communication start request for the purpose of automatically determining whether or not to accept the communication start request. It is stored in the storage unit 83). The information stored in these response-capable device information storage units, that is, stored as response-capable device information (see FIG. 12) means that, when a communication start request is received from the other party, one-way communication from the other party is permitted without specific instruction. Therefore, even if a communication start request is received when it is inconvenient, it cannot be answered. Therefore, by informing the other party of his / her own state, that is, when he / she is busy or absent, such a situation can be avoided, and a communication start request from the other party can be more reliably accepted and communication can be expected. . Therefore, it is desirable to register the counterpart device after obtaining the permission of the counterpart device in a predetermined procedure in advance. Needless to say, the reverse is also true.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of status notification registration and status notification procedures. Here, it is assumed that the first communication device desires the status notification of the second communication device. First, a status notification registration request, which is a request to notify the status, is transmitted from the first communication device to the second communication device. When receiving the status notification registration request, the second communication device inquires of the user of the second communication device whether to permit the status notification. When permission is input from the user, the second communication device registers the first communication device in the respondable device information in the storage unit 83, and the second communication device notifies the status notification registration permission. A reply is sent to the first communication device that is the source of the registration request. The storage unit 83 of the second communication device stores information on whether or not to permit status notification to the first communication device, and inquires the user when receiving the status notification registration request. Implementations that do not perform are also possible. Thereafter, when the state change occurs or periodically, the second communication device sends a state information notification to the first communication device that is the partner that transmitted the state notification registration permission. When receiving the status information notification from the second communication device, the first communication device returns “OK”, which is reception confirmation information, to the second communication device. Then, the received state of the second communication device is presented to the user using the presence lamp 33. Of course, the state of the second communication device may be stored temporarily or for a long time for presentation to the presence lamp 33. By doing so, the user of the first communication device can know the status information of the second communication device with the presence lamp 33, and the user can use the appropriate information according to the status of the user of the second communication device. It becomes possible to start communication at the expected time.

  The status notification registration request in this example can be made with a message “Subscribe” if it is SIP. In addition, a message “Notify” can be used for status information notification that is status notification. Although SIP is assumed as a communication protocol for status notification registration and status notification, other communication protocols may be used. Even when SIP is used, other messages such as “Publish” may be used.

  It should be noted that the status notification registration request may have not only the meaning of notifying the status but also the meaning of requesting registration as a device that permits one-way communication. If the status notification registration permission is returned including not only the meaning of permitting the status notification but also the meaning of permitting the one-way communication, the presence lamp 33 displays the status information to the other party. Thus, one-way communication can be established if the user desires.

  Hereinafter, a specific processing example based on the state information is shown.

<Example 1>
As shown in FIG. 13A, it is assumed that a videophone device 1a used by, for example, Mr. A who is a call partner of the user's videophone device 1d is connected via a network. In the videophone device 1a of Mr. A, the set-top unit 3 which is the status information acquisition means 101 acquires information that “the videophone function is in operation”, and this status information is the adapter which is the user status information generation means 102. It is sent to the presence processing unit 79 of the unit 4. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in a call with another electronic device and cannot respond”, and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. Based on the user status information, the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 of the user videophone device 1d generates and displays the character display 111 “Mr. A cannot talk to the videophone because he / she is talking to another person”. To do. Specifically, the character display 111 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. As a method of superimposing, it is desirable to display the character display 111 on a television program by dividing an opaque, translucent, or transparent area using a so-called “dialog box”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, if the videophone is not being used, the presence processing unit 79 of the videophone device 1a of Mr. A generates user status information “No videophone is used”. Since it is sent to the videophone device 1d, the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 of the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 112 "Mr. A is not on a call and can answer the videophone".

  In this way, the user knows whether or not the other party can respond, and can take appropriate measures such as refraining from calling for a while, switching to e-mail, or calling immediately.

<Example 2>
The device status information “telephone function is in operation” is sent from the set-top unit 3 of the videophone device 1a to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4, and the user status information “Mr. A is in the room” is received during the call. Generate. As shown in FIG. 14, the user status information is sent to the videophone device 1d, and the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 performs a display 113 of “Mr. A is in the room”. If “telephone function is stopped”, it is not certain that Mr. A is in the room, so generate a character display indicating that nothing is displayed or that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room. indicate.

Here, the expression “in-room” means that there is a user in the vicinity of the videophone device. Speaking of the numerical value of “near”, it is within a range of about 5 meters in radius centering on the videophone device. The reason for this is that the presence of the user is detected by each sensor described later, but the presence of the user can be reliably detected if the radius is about 5 meters. That is, the reach of the infrared remote control is generally about 2 meters, but if the remote control signal is not identified and only the infrared light is input, the infrared light remote from the remote control light receiving unit 25 is about 5 meters away. You can know the operation of the remote control. The motion detection sensor 23 has the ability to detect the motion of an object that is about 10 meters away at the maximum, but if the distance is about 5 meters, the possibility of missing a person's motion is considerably low. In addition, the fact that the length of the diagonal line of an 8 tatami room is about 5 meters is also the basis of the neighborhood. That is, a person in an 8 tatami room where the videophone device is placed can be regarded as being in the vicinity of the videophone device.
If the sensor detection capability is high, the above range may be exceeded depending on the capability. For example, the user may stay at home beyond the room, or may have a radius of about 10 meters centering on the videophone device.

  In this way, the user knows that the other party is in the vicinity of the videophone device, and if the other party is busy, he / she can take appropriate measures such as refraining from talking for a while or switching to electronic mail.

<Example 3>
As shown in FIG. 15A, when Mr. A is watching TV, the set-top unit 3 which is the state information acquisition unit 101 acquires information “TV function is in operation” in the videophone device 1a. Then, this status information is sent to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4 which is the user status information generating means 102. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is watching TV” and sends it to the videophone device 1d via the network. In the case of a TV, “TV function is in operation”, that is, “video information is being output”. However, in the case of an audio viewing device, for example, “Mr. A is watching audio” even if “audio output”. User status information can be generated. Based on the user status information, the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 114 “Mr. A cannot watch the videophone because he / she is watching TV”. Specifically, the character display 114 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Note that the presence processing unit 79 in the videophone 1a may generate and transmit user status information indicating that “the videophone cannot be answered” based on the status “video information is being output”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, if the user is not watching the television, the user status information “not watching the television” is sent from Mr. A's videophone device 1a. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 generates and displays a character display 115 “Mr. A is not watching TV and can answer the videophone”.

  In this way, the user knows whether or not the other party is watching TV, so if the content of the call does not require urgency, appropriate measures can be taken such as refraining from calling so as not to disturb TV viewing. .

<Example 4>
As another example, as shown in FIG. 16, in the videophone device 1a, the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4 uses “the Mr. A is in the room” from the device status information “TV function is operating”. Person status information is generated. In the case of a TV, “TV function is in operation”, that is, “video information is being output”. However, in the case of an audio viewing device, for example, even if “audio is being output” Person status information can be generated. The user status information is sent to the videophone device 1d, and the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 generates and displays a display 113 “Mr. A is in the room”. If “TV function is stopped”, it is not certain that Mr. A is at home, so nothing is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that he is not in the room is generated and displayed. To do.

<Example 5>
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, it is assumed that the videophone device 1a is divided into at least a video receiver 2a and an adapter unit 4a and is configured as separate devices. As means for detecting “TV function is in operation”, as shown in FIG. 17, the power outlet of the TV receiver 2a of the TV telephone device 1a is connected to the TV receiver power tap 39 of the adapter unit 4a. A current flowing through the television receiver power tap 39 is detected by a power current detector 85. When the power source current detection unit 85 of the adapter unit 4 detects a current of a predetermined value or more, status information “TV receiver power is ON” is sent to the presence processing unit 79. The reason why the current exceeds the predetermined value is that the current during standby of the television receiver 2a is taken into consideration. Upon receiving the status information “TV receiver is powered on”, the presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room”. This is sent to the videophone device 1d, and the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 generates and displays a display 113 “Mr. A is in the room”. Note that it is not determined that the television function is in operation by supplying a predetermined current or more to the power outlet of the television receiver 2a. For example, audio or video from the audio / video processing unit 74 is received. The determination may be made based on the fact that the audio / video synthesis unit does not output.

<Example 6>
As shown in FIG. 18, when Mr. A is operating the remote controller 5, the remote control light receiving unit 13 of the set-top unit 3 of the videophone device 1 a detects the infrared rays emitted from the remote controller 5, and detects them. It is sent to the presence processing unit 79. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” and sends it to the videophone device 1d via the network. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the user videophone device 1 generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Also, if there is no remote control operation, it is not certain whether Mr. A is in the room, so nothing is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room is generated and displayed. .

<Example 7>
As shown in FIG. 19, when Mr. A is operating the air conditioner remote control 117, the remote control light receiving unit 13 of the set top unit 3 detects the infrared rays emitted from the remote control 5, and detects it as the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4. To send. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Also, if there is no remote control operation, it is not certain whether Mr. A is in the room, so nothing is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room is generated and displayed. .

  In FIG. 19, the air conditioner remote controller is used for explanation, but any remote controller that operates by infrared rays, such as a video deck, stereo, DVD player, etc. may be used. Further, by using a device that receives and measures radio waves instead of the remote control light receiving unit 25, it is possible to detect the operation of the remote control that uses radio waves. In the present embodiment, the purpose is to intercept whether or not Mr. A is present in the room by intercepting a remote control signal transmitted for the purpose of operating a device other than the video phone 1a. Variations within the range to be satisfied are within the scope of the invention.

<Example 8>
As shown in FIG. 20, when Mr. A has a conversation around the videophone device 1a, the volume is detected by the microphone 22 of the set-top unit 3a. The data is sent to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the user videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Also, if there is no input above the predetermined volume on the microphone 22a, it is not certain whether Mr. A is in the room, so nothing is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room Is generated and displayed. In addition, the structure which provides another volume sensor for the sound volume detection without using the microphone 22 may be used. If the microphone 22 is used for volume detection, the adapter unit 4 can be constructed at low cost because the volume can be detected using a microphone used for voice input in a videophone or voice call without providing a separate volume sensor. .

<Example 9>
As shown in FIG. 21, when the camera 21, which is an illuminance sensor of the set top unit 3, detects a predetermined illuminance or higher, it sends it to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4. As a method for detecting the illuminance, for example, a method of examining the luminance of the pixels constituting the image captured by the camera 21 can be used. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Also, if there is no illuminance greater than the predetermined value, it is not certain that Mr. A is in the room, so no character is displayed or a character display is generated indicating that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room. To display. In addition, the structure which provides another illumination intensity sensor without using the camera 21 for illumination intensity detection may be sufficient. If the camera 21 is used for illuminance detection, the illuminance can be detected by using a camera used for video input with a videophone without providing another illuminance sensor, so that the adapter unit 4 can be configured at low cost.

<Example 10>
As shown in FIG. 22, in the videophone 1a, a power outlet of another electrical device, for example, a vacuum cleaner 123, is connected to a power strip 124 with a current sensor 122 (this is, for example, provided in a television receiver). To detect the current flowing through the power tap 124 and send the information to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” because “another electric device is in operation”, and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. To do. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. Also, if no current flows through the power strip 124, it is not certain that Mr. A is in the room, so no character is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that it is not in the room is generated. And display.

  In addition, although it demonstrated using the vacuum cleaner in FIG. 22, as long as it is an electric product which presupposes that a person will be near and operate, such as an iron and a game machine, it does not matter. On the other hand, a refrigerator, a video deck having a reservation recording function, and the like are electric products that are not assumed to be operated by a human being, and thus are not suitable for the use of the present invention. In this example, when Mr. A is near the electrical product and is operating the electrical product, he / she intercepts that electric current is supplied to the electrical product and determines whether Mr. A is in the room. Is within the scope of the present invention.

<Example 11>
As shown in FIG. 23, when the motion sensor (motion sensor) 23 of the set-top unit 3 of the videophone device 1a detects a person's movement, it sends it to the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4. The presence processing unit 79 generates user status information “Mr. A is in the room” and sends it to the user's videophone device 1d via the network. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 in the videophone device 1d generates and displays a character display 113 “Mr. A is in the room” based on the user status information. Specifically, the character display 113 generated by the video processing unit 82 is superimposed on the video from the program video processing unit 77 and transmitted to the television receiver 2 by the audio / video synthesis unit 84. If no movement is detected, it is not certain that Mr. A is in the room, so no character is displayed or a character display indicating that there is a high possibility that the person is not in the room is generated and displayed. To do.

  Thus, in Examples 4 to 11, since the user knows whether the other party is in the room, an appropriate measure can be taken in the call.

<Example 12>
As described above, various state information acquired from the state information acquisition unit is sent to the presence processing unit 79, where user state information is generated based on the state information. At this time, the status information is sent from the videophone device 1a to the videophone device 1d, and the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 of the videophone device 1d uses the presence lamp 33 as shown in FIG. Can be notified. That is, if no partner is assigned to the presence lamp 33, the presence lamp 33 is turned off. Even when the absence state is set by the absence button 34 of the videophone 1a, the presence lamp 33 is turned off. When the absence state is canceled by the answering button 34 of the videophone device 1a and a call is made by the videophone device 1a, the presence lamp 33 displays yellow. When the absence state is canceled by the answering button 34 of the videophone device 1a, and the telephone call is not made by the videophone device 1a, the presence lamp 33 displays green or red. Green is displayed within 1 minute after the motion detection sensor 23 of the videophone device 1a detects motion, or within 1 minute after the remote control light receiving unit 25 of the videophone device 1a detects an infrared signal. This is the case. Red is displayed for one minute or more after the motion detection sensor 23 of the videophone device 1a detects motion, and one minute after the remote control light receiving unit 25 of the videophone device 1a detects an infrared signal. This is the case when the time has passed.

  However, since there are few types that can be notified only by the color of the presence lamp 33, as shown in FIG. 24, icons are also displayed on the television receiver 2 to notify various state information. That is, a remote control icon indicating an infrared signal detection state of the remote control light receiving unit 25 of the videophone device 1a, a remote control icon indicating a motion detection state of the motion detection sensor 23 of the videophone device 1a, These are a TV icon indicating a current detection state, and a status icon indicating the state of the user of the videophone device 1a by comprehensively judging them. The color of the status icon is the same as the color of the presence lamp 33.

<Example 13>
In addition, as described above, only the color of the presence lamp 33 is used, so that there are few types that can be notified, and as shown in FIG. 25, it is possible to increase the types of notification by blinking the presence lamp 33. Status information is reported by flashing 3 times per unit time when the TV is turned on, flashing once per unit time when the remote control is operated once, and flashing slowly (change in blinking interval) when detecting human motion. To do.

  In this way, the user knows what the status information obtained by the status information acquisition means is, so that the situation can be easily grasped and appropriate measures can be taken in the call.

<Example 14>
There is a high possibility that the user is still present in the vicinity of the apparatus within a certain time after the presence processing unit 79 generates the user status information indicating “in-room” where the user exists in the vicinity of the apparatus. . Therefore, the presence lamp 33 of the adapter unit 4 displays it. As shown in FIG. 26, the presence lamp 33 is displayed in green because the possibility of being at home is high within 5 minutes after acquiring the user's occupancy status information. When 5 to 10 minutes have passed, the possibility of being at home becomes low, so it is displayed in orange. When 10 minutes or more have elapsed, it is displayed in red because there is no possibility of being at home.

  In this way, the user predicts and notifies the other party's occupancy status, so that appropriate measures can be taken in the call.

<Example 15>
As shown in FIG. 27, the user status information generated by the presence processing unit 79 of each adapter unit 4 of the electronic devices 1a, 1b, and 1c is sent to the electronic device 1d. The control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 of the electronic device 1d lights the presence lamp 33 of the adapter unit 4 based on the transmitted user status information. In FIG. 27, the presence lamp 33 is disposed above the television receiver 2 for convenience of explanation, but may be disposed anywhere. For example, as shown in FIG. 27, ON / OFF of the TV power supply is detected, and if it is ON, the presence lamp 33 is lit, and if it is OFF, it is not lit. At the same time, the status information is displayed on the television receiver 2.

<Example 16>
For example, as shown in FIG. 28, the operation of the remote controller 5 is detected, the user's state information (presence / absence of presence) is obtained based on the operation, and the information is displayed as presence information. At this time, if the user is watching TV in the electronic apparatus 1d, the presence lamp 33 is lit in green, but does not blink. This is because if it blinks, it is good to call attention, but there is a possibility that a TV program that was being watched could be disturbed by the blinking. Therefore, when the television shown in FIG. 28 (a) is being viewed, lighting is not performed so as not to hinder viewing.
As shown in FIG. 28 (b), when the television receiver 2 is not viewing a television program or the like, the presence lamp 33 blinks to alert the user.

  In this way, the user status information is notified by properly using the presence lamp 33 and the television receiver 2 according to the situation, so that the user can be surely notified.

<Example 17>
As shown in FIG. 29, the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4 generates user status information from a plurality of status information. This is more accurate than generating user status information from 1 status information. That is, as shown in FIG. 29 (b), the status information of the electronic device 1a has a high possibility of being in the room such as “TV OFF” and “no remote control signal detected” indicating the high possibility of absence. Each of the state information is weighted based on “illumination ON”, “sound detection”, “operation of other devices” indicating “,” and finally the user state information “at home” is generated.

As shown in FIG. 29 (b), when the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4 generates user status information “at home” from the status information of each unit, the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 performs call control. The processing unit 80 is caused to perform call processing. The control unit 73 determines whether to perform call processing.
On the other hand, when the user status information indicating that the user is absent is obtained, the control unit 73 of the adapter unit 4 performs a display 130 indicating that “Mr. A is absent and cannot answer the videophone”. Then, call processing is not performed on the call control processing unit 80. Thus, even if the user tries to make a call by mistake, the device itself does not operate. When user status information indicating that the user is absent is obtained, not only the videophone calling process for transmitting and receiving audio and video using two-way communication is performed, but also when the call button 50 is pressed, You may be made not to perform all the call processing including the call which transmits audio | voices using communication. (The call determination unit corresponds to the control unit 73 that performs this determination.) Further, when user status information indicating that the user is absent is obtained, a call for establishing a call without an operation of the other user is issued. A configuration may be adopted in which calling is not permitted, but a videophone call that establishes a call is permitted when an operation of the other user is performed after the other party rings. (The call determination means corresponds to the control unit 73 that performs this determination.)

<Example 18>
As shown in FIG. 30, the presence processing unit 79 of the adapter unit 4 generates user status information from a plurality of status information. When the user status information is “response impossible”, “absent”, or “high possibility of absence”, the control unit 73 performs call processing to the call control processing unit 80 as in the above-described embodiment. I won't let you. And the control part 73 performs the process which transmits a video message (message transmission means). For example, a video message application in which the address of the partner videophone device 1 is set as destination information is started. In this way, a call cannot be made on the spot, but a message can be left on the other side, and smooth communication is possible.

  Although each example has been described above, the electronic device 100, the state information acquisition device 105, and the state information presentation device 106 according to the present embodiment are substantially the same hardware for program execution as a general computer. Hardware, a computer program executed by the hardware (hereinafter simply referred to as “program”), and data stored in the hardware.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the communication system which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the video telephone system by the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is an external view which shows a television receiver. It is an external view which shows a set top unit. It is an external view which shows an adapter unit. It is an external view which shows a remote control. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a videophone system. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an adapter unit 4. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the session establishment of the one-way communication between videophone apparatuses, and two-way communication. It is a sequence diagram which shows the registration procedure for registering as a status notification and a respondable counterpart device. It is explanatory drawing which shows respondable apparatus information. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating Example 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating Example 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Example 6. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Example 7. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an eighth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Example 9. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Example 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining Example 11. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining Example 12; FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining Example 13; It is a figure explaining Example 14. FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining Example 15; It is a figure explaining Example 16. FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an example 17; FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining an example 18;

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Video telephone apparatus 2 Television receiver 3 Set top unit 4 Adapter unit 5 Television remote control 12 Speaker 21 Camera 22 Microphone 23 Motion detection sensor 24 Speaker 25 Adapter remote control light-receiving part 26 Call button 28 Connection cable 31 External input terminal 32 Card slot 33 Presence lamp 34 Answering button 35 Connection terminal 36 F plug 37 Video connection terminal 38 Terminal 39 TV receiver power tap 40 Adapter connection terminal 41 Light emitting part 42 Button 43 Phone book button 44 Enter button 45 Cross key 46 Call button 47 End Button 48 Channel switching button 49 Video related button 49a Video input button 49b Replacement button 49c Full screen button 50 Call button 51 Numeric character input key 52 Remote control 52 Operation unit 53 Liquid crystal display unit 61 Outside Device 62 Antenna 71 Tuner unit 72 Communication unit 73 Presence processing unit 73 Control unit 74 Audio video processing unit 75 Video phone processing unit 76 Program audio processing unit 77 Program video processing unit 79 Presence processing unit 80 Call control processing unit 80 Calling side call Control processing unit 81 Audio processing unit 82 Video processing unit 83 Storage unit 84 Audio video synthesizing unit 100 Electronic device 101 State information acquisition unit 102 User state information generation unit 103 User state output unit 104 Network 105 State information acquisition unit 106 State information Presentation device

Claims (16)

Status information receiving means for receiving status information from an electronic device connected to a communication network;
Status information output means for outputting the status information received by the status information receiving means;
Means for communicating with the electronic device;
Call partner designation means for designating the electronic device as a call partner in the call means;
With
The status information output means is assigned to output the status information of the specific electronic device,
The call partner designation means is assigned to designate a specific electronic device as a call partner, and is provided on the remote controller of the status information presentation device ,
The status information output means is associated with the call partner designation means,
The state information is information indicating whether or not a user of the electronic device is in a state where a call is possible.
The state information presentation apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. In the status information output means, an identification code for identifying the electronic device is written,
In the call partner designation means, the identification code written in the status information output means associated with the call partner designation means is written.
The status information presentation device according to claim 1, wherein When the electronic device to be a call partner is specified by the call partner specifying means,
The call means establishes a call that does not receive voice and video from a communication partner to the electronic device specified by the call partner specifying means.
The state information presenting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein Further comprising call determination means for determining whether to make a call with the electronic device;
When the electronic device to be a call partner is specified by the call partner specifying means,
The call determination unit determines whether to make a call with the electronic device designated by the call partner designation unit based on the state information received by the state information reception unit;
When the call means determines that the call determination means is to make a call with the electronic device,
Make a call,
The state information presenting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein Further comprising means for sending a message to the electronic device,
When the call determination unit determines not to make a call with the designated electronic device,
The message transmitting means transmits a message to the designated electronic device.
The state information presentation device according to claim 4, wherein The electronic device further comprises call determination means for determining whether to establish a call that does not receive voice and video from a communication partner,
When the electronic device to be a call partner is specified by the call partner specifying means,
The call determination unit determines whether or not to establish a call that does not receive voice and video from a communication partner based on the state information received by the state information reception unit,
The call means establishes a call that does not receive voice and video from the communication partner when the call determination means determines to establish a call that does not receive voice and video from the communication partner;
The state information presentation device according to claim 3 . Video information input means for inputting video information from outside;
Video information output means for outputting display information based on the input video information;
Status information receiving means for receiving status information from an electronic device connected to a communication network;
Status information output means for outputting the status information received by the status information receiving means;
With
The state information output means is provided independently of the video information output means,
The status information output means outputs the status information using visual information,
The state information is information indicating whether or not a user of the electronic device is in a state where a call is possible.
The state information presentation apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The status information output means is assigned to output the status information of the specific electronic device.
The state information presentation device according to claim 7 . The video information input means inputs broadcast video,
The state information presentation device according to claim 7 or 8 , characterized by the above. The video information output means displays display information on a screen provided integrally with each means.
The state information presentation device according to any one of claims 7 to 9 . The video information output means outputs display information as a video signal to the outside.
The state information presentation device according to any one of claims 7 to 9 . The state information output means is composed of at least one light emitting element.
The state information presentation device according to any one of claims 7 to 11 , wherein The state information output means outputs the state information by blinking the light emitting element.
The state information presentation device according to claim 12 , wherein The status information output means outputs different status information based on the number of times the light emitting element blinks per unit time.
The state information presentation device according to claim 13 . The status information output means outputs the different status information based on an interval of blinking the light emitting element.
The state information presentation device according to claim 13 . The state information output means does not blink the light emitting element when the video information output means is outputting display information.
The state information presentation device according to any one of claims 13 to 15 , wherein

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