JP5632256B2 - Voice call system, method, communication terminal, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a voice call technique, and more particularly, to a voice call technique for displaying information on a calling terminal on a called terminal when an incoming call is received.

  When performing a voice call between telephone terminals connected to the communication network, the caller information for identifying the calling user, such as the telephone number of the calling terminal, is notified from the communication network to the called terminal when receiving a call. A number display service for displaying a screen on the called terminal is provided (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). Thereby, before answering an incoming call, a callee user can confirm a caller and can answer in comfort.

"OCN dot phone / phone number display service", http://www.ocn.ne.jp/voip/phone/option/?voipd-t2&voip=2#option01, NTT Communications Corporation `` Make calls to landline / mobile phones '', http://www.skype.com/intl/en/features/allfeatures/call-phones-and-mobiles/, Skype Technologies

  When the callee user determines whether or not to respond to an incoming call, it is often determined according to the caller user, and such a case can be handled by the above-described conventional technology. However, if it is a specific caller, it does not necessarily respond, and it may be judged whether it responds to an incoming call according to the condition of a calling user. For example, it is often determined whether or not to respond depending on whether or not the caller is in a situation in which the callee user is interested, such as when the caller is with other friends.

  However, in the above-mentioned prior art, only the caller information for identifying the calling user such as a telephone number is displayed at the time of incoming call, so the caller side uses what kind of situation the calling user is sending. There was a problem that the person could not grasp in detail.

  On the other hand, there is a service for notifying a caller's image of a caller's image when an incoming call is received (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2). However, such an image is a fixed image that is registered in advance as a profile by the caller, and in what situation the caller is sending from such an image, the callee user Can not grasp in detail. It is also possible for the calling user to attach an image to the e-mail and notify the called user prior to making a voice call, but after confirming the image attached to the e-mail Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether or not to answer the incoming call, and there is a problem that the operation is complicated for both the originating user and the terminating user.

  The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a voice call technique that enables the called-side user to easily grasp the situation of the calling-side user when receiving a call.

  In order to achieve such an object, a voice call system according to the present invention includes a calling terminal and a called terminal that perform a voice call between each other via a first communication network, and a second communication network. An image storage device that exchanges images with the originating terminal and the destination terminal, and an image transmitting unit that transmits the originating image captured by the camera unit of the local terminal to the image storing device; After the image is transmitted, a call request for a voice call with the called terminal is notified to the first communication network, and the call is received via the first communication network in response to a notification of an incoming call response from the first communication network. A call control unit for starting a voice call with the side terminal, an image receiving unit for receiving the calling side image of the calling side terminal from the image storage device, and a voice from the first communication network. In response to notification of an incoming call request related to a call, the calling side image of the calling side terminal acquired by the image receiving unit In response to the notification of the incoming call request from the first communication network and the image display unit to be displayed, after the reception of the originating image in the image receiving unit is completed, the incoming call display is performed for the voice call, and the incoming call is displayed. A call control unit for notifying the first communication network of an incoming call response in response to the response operation and starting a voice call with the calling terminal via the first communication network.

  At this time, in the image storage device, call identification information for identifying a voice call received together with the calling side image from the calling side terminal is stored in association with the calling side image, and an image acquisition request from the called side terminal is stored. In response, the calling side image associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request is transmitted to the called side terminal, and the call receiving information of the voice call included in the incoming call request is designated by the image receiving unit of the called side terminal. The image acquisition request may be notified to the image storage device, and the source image of the source terminal may be acquired from the image storage device.

  Further, the image transmission unit of the originating terminal transmits terminal identification information for identifying the called terminal together with the originating image when transmitting the originating image to the image storage device. When the originating image is received from the terminal, the originating image may be notified to the terminating terminal based on the terminal identification information of the terminating terminal received together with the originating image.

  Further, the destination terminal further includes an image transmission unit that transmits the destination side image captured by the camera unit of the terminal itself and the terminal identification information of the terminal itself to the image storage device. The received destination image and terminal identification information are stored in association with each other, and in response to an image acquisition request from the source terminal, the destination image associated with the terminal identification information specified in the image acquisition request is transmitted to the source terminal. When the terminal information including the terminal identification information of the partner terminal registered in the storage unit of the own terminal is displayed on the screen, the image acquisition request specifying any terminal identification information of these partner terminals To the image storage device, and may further include a partner information display unit that acquires the called-side image of the partner terminal from the image storage device and displays the screen on the screen.

  In this case, the destination terminal further includes a terminal status transmission unit that transmits the terminal status indicating whether or not the terminal is in an activated state capable of voice communication to the image storage device together with the terminal identification information of the destination terminal, In the image storage device, the terminal state received from the destination terminal is stored in association with the destination side image and the terminal identification information, and the terminal specified in the terminal state acquisition request in response to the terminal state acquisition request from the source terminal When the terminal information related to the identification information is transmitted to the calling terminal, and the terminal information of the partner terminal is displayed on the screen on the partner information display unit of the calling terminal, the terminal status acquisition request specifying the terminal identification information of the partner terminal To the image storage device, the terminal status of the counterpart terminal is acquired from the image storage device, and an image acquisition request specifying the terminal identification information of the startup counterpart terminal in which the terminal status indicates the startup status is sent to the image storage device notification Te, respectively, from the image storage device acquires the callee image start remote terminal may be displayed on the screen.

  The voice call method according to the present invention includes a calling terminal and a called terminal that perform a voice call between each other via a first communication network, and a calling terminal and a called terminal via a second communication network. A voice call method used in a voice call system including an image storage device that exchanges images with each other, wherein the image transmission unit of the calling terminal transmits the calling image captured by the camera unit of the own terminal to the image storage device The image transmission step and the call control unit of the calling terminal notify the call request for the voice call with the called terminal to the first communication network after transmitting the calling image, and from the first communication network A call control step for starting a voice call with the called terminal via the first communication network in response to the notification of the incoming call response, and an image receiving unit of the called terminal from the image storage device to the calling terminal. The image receiving step for receiving the side image and the image display unit of the destination terminal An image display step for displaying a calling side image of the calling side terminal acquired by the image receiving unit in response to a notification of an incoming call request related to a voice call from the communication network, and a call control unit of the called side terminal comprising: In response to the notification of the incoming call request from the communication network, after the reception of the calling side image in the image receiving unit is completed, the incoming call display for the voice call is performed, and the first communication is performed in response to the response operation after the incoming call display. A call control step of notifying the network of an incoming call response and starting a voice call with the calling terminal via the first communication network.

  The communication terminal according to the present invention includes two communication terminals that operate as a calling terminal and a called terminal that perform a voice call between each other via a first communication network, and these two communication terminals that operate via a second communication network. A communication terminal used in a voice call system including an image storage device that exchanges images with a communication terminal, and when operating as a source terminal, transmits a source image captured by the camera unit of the terminal itself to the image storage device When the image transmission unit and the originating terminal operate, after transmitting the originating image, the first communication network is notified of a call request for a voice call with the called terminal, and is sent from the first communication network. A call control unit that starts a voice call with the called terminal via the first communication network in response to the notification of the incoming call response, and the calling side of the calling terminal from the image storage device when operating as the called terminal Operates as a receiver and an image receiver that receives images In response to the notification of the incoming call request for the voice call from the first communication network, the image display unit that displays the calling side image of the calling side terminal acquired by the image receiving unit on the screen, In response to the notification of the incoming call request for the voice call from the first communication network, after the reception of the calling side image in the image receiving unit is completed, the incoming call display for the voice call is performed, and the first response is made according to the response operation after the incoming call display. A call control unit that notifies an incoming call response to the communication network and starts a voice call with the calling terminal via the first communication network.

  The program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as each unit constituting the communication terminal described above.

  According to the present invention, in response to the completion of the reception of the calling side image from the image storage device, the incoming side display and the calling side image, and further the screen display of the message are performed almost simultaneously in the destination terminal. . For this reason, the called-side user recognizes that the incoming call has been notified by displaying the incoming call on the called-end terminal, and at that time, before answering the incoming call, the called-side image displayed on the called-side terminal is further displayed. Can confirm the status of the calling user by a message. For this reason, the called-side user can easily grasp the status of the calling user at the time of the incoming call, and can determine whether to respond to the incoming call according to the status of the calling user.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the voice call system concerning 1st Embodiment. It is an example of an incoming call display screen. It is a structural example which shows the management table of an image database. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the voice call system concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the voice call system concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of a structure of the origination side image management table in a destination side terminal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the voice call system concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the voice call system concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is an example of a screen display of partner information. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the voice call system concerning 4th Embodiment.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
First, a voice call system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the voice call system according to the first embodiment.

  The voice call system 1 is a communication system that performs a voice call between a plurality of communication terminals 10 connected to a communication network 50. Each of these communication terminals 10 has the same function, and either one becomes a calling side terminal 10A or a called side terminal 10B and transmits from the calling side terminal 10A to the called side terminal 10B. In response to the response, a voice call is started between the calling terminal 10A and the called terminal 10B.

  The image storage device 30 includes an information processing device such as a server device, and stores various information such as images with the communication terminal 10 based on a data communication protocol such as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Has a function to communicate.

  The call control device 40 includes an information processing device such as a server device constituting a communication network for voice communication, and performs connection control for voice communication between the communication terminals 10 based on a call control protocol such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). Has the function to perform.

  The communication network 50 includes a wired or wireless telephone network or an IP network such as the Internet, and has a function of providing communication services such as voice communication and data communication with the communication terminal 10. In FIG. 1, a communication network (first communication network) 51 that provides a voice call service between communication terminals 10 and a communication network (first communication network) that provides a data communication service between communication terminals 10 in a communication network 50. 2 communication network) 52. Note that the communication networks 51 and 52 may be realized by a single communication network.

  In the present embodiment, the originating terminal 10A of the communication terminals 10 transmits the originating image captured by the camera unit of its own terminal to the image storage device 30 and, after transmitting the originating image, arrives at the communication network 51. A call request for a voice call with the side terminal 10B is notified, a voice call is started with the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 51 in response to a notification of an incoming call response from the communication network 51, and the communication terminal 10, the receiving side terminal 10 </ b> B receives the calling side image of the calling side terminal 10 </ b> A from the image storage device 30, and acquires the calling side terminal 10 </ b> A according to the notification of the incoming call request regarding the voice call from the communication network 51. The caller side image is displayed on the screen, and after the caller side image is displayed, an incoming call display relating to the voice call is performed, and the incoming call response is notified to the communication network 51 according to the response operation after the incoming call display. Voice communication with the originating terminal 10A In which was to begin.

[Communication terminal]
Next, the configuration of the communication terminal 10 used in the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The communication terminal 10 is a wired or wireless data communication terminal having a voice call function as a whole.
The communication terminal 10 includes, as main functions, an operation input unit 11, a screen display unit 12, a camera unit 13, a storage unit 14, a voice call unit 15, a call control unit 16, an image editing unit 21, an image transmission unit 22, An image receiving unit 23 and an image display unit 24 are provided and are connected so as to exchange data with each other.

The operation input unit 11 includes an operation input device such as a keyboard and a mouse including dial keys and function keys, and has a function of detecting a user operation and outputting the operation to each function unit.
The screen display unit 12 includes a screen display device such as an LCD, and has a function of displaying display data such as operation menus, images, and messages output from each function unit on the screen.
The camera unit 13 includes a photographing device such as a CCD camera, and has a function of photographing a situation around the communication terminal 10 according to a user operation and outputting the obtained image to each functional unit.

The storage unit 14 includes a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and has a function of storing various processing information and programs used for processing operations in each functional unit.
Main processing information stored in the storage unit 14 includes a telephone number of the terminal itself, an address for data communication, an image taken by the camera unit 13, and an image received from the image storage device 30.

  The voice call unit 15 includes a dedicated voice call circuit such as a codec, a speaker, and a microphone, and another communication terminal 10 via the communication network 51 based on a communication protocol such as RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol). Has a function of realizing a voice call.

  The call control unit 16 uses the voice call unit 15 by exchanging various call control messages such as outgoing request, incoming call notification, and incoming call response with the call control device 40 based on a call control protocol such as SIP. In response to the function of performing connection control for the voice call between the communication terminals 10 and the notification of the incoming request for the voice call from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, the image receiving unit 23 receives the originating image. After the completion, a function for performing an incoming call display relating to a voice call and an incoming call response to the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 in response to a response operation after the incoming call display, and an originating terminal via the communication network 51 A function of starting a voice call with 10A, and a function of generating call identification information at the time of outgoing call and storing it in the storage unit.

  The image editing unit 21 edits an image captured by the camera unit 13 stored in the storage unit 14 and saves the image in the storage unit 14 according to a user operation, and a message according to the user operation. It has a function of creating / editing and saving in the storage unit 14.

  The image transmission unit 22 uses an image captured by the camera unit 13 or an image editing unit 21 at the time of transmission to the destination terminal 10B, that is, when the own terminal is the source terminal 10A, prior to transmission to the destination terminal 10B. It has a function of reading the created / edited message from the storage unit 14 and transmitting it to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52.

  When receiving an incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, that is, when the own terminal is the called terminal 10B, the image receiving unit 23 relates to a voice call with the calling terminal 10A from the received incoming request. A function of acquiring call identification information and notifying the image storage device 30 of an image acquisition request specifying the call identification information via the communication network 52, and the function of the calling terminal 10A from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 A function of receiving the calling side image and storing it in the storage unit 14, a function of notifying the image storage device 30 of a message acquisition request designating call identification information from the received incoming call request, and the image storage device 30 has a function of receiving a message from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52 and storing it in the storage unit 14. The call identification information may be information that can identify a voice call, such as a calling party telephone number, a called party telephone number, or an identification number (CallID) for identifying a voice call.

The image display unit 24 receives the incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, that is, when the own terminal is the called terminal 10B, the calling side of the calling terminal 10A acquired by the image receiving unit 23 It has a function of reading out images and messages from the storage unit 14 and displaying these outgoing images and messages on the screen display unit 12 together with incoming display.
FIG. 2 is an example of an incoming call display screen. Here, in addition to the calling party telephone number that identifies the caller, the calling party image and message of the calling terminal 10A are displayed on the screen.

  The communication terminal 10 has various configurations such as a communication unit, like a general data communication terminal such as a personal computer, a PDA, and a portable communication terminal. As one of them, a microprocessor such as a CPU and its peripheral circuits are provided. And an arithmetic processing unit that implements various processing units by reading and executing a program from the storage unit 14. Therefore, in the communication terminal 10, the image editing unit 21, the image transmitting unit 22, the image receiving unit 23, and the image display unit 24 may be realized by an arithmetic processing unit.

[Image storage device]
Next, the configuration of the image storage device 30 used in the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The image storage device 30 includes an information processing device such as a server device as a whole, and exchanges various information such as images with the communication terminal 10 via the communication network 52 based on a data communication protocol such as HTTP or FTP. It has a function to do.
The image storage device 30 includes an image management unit 31 and an image database (hereinafter referred to as an image DB) 32 as main functional units.

  The image management unit 31 receives a caller image and message and call identification information for identifying a voice call from the caller terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and the received caller image and message and call identifier. The function of registering the information in the image DB 32 in association with the information, and in response to the reception of the image acquisition request from the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52, the calling side associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request A function of retrieving an image from the image DB 32 and transmitting the image to the destination terminal 10B, and call identification information specified in the message acquisition request in response to reception of the message acquisition request from the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52; It has a function of retrieving a related message from the image DB 32 and transmitting it to the destination terminal 10B.

  The image DB 32 includes a hard disk and a semiconductor memory, and has a function of storing images and messages received by the image management unit 31 in association with call identification information received together with these images and messages.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration example showing the management table of the image database. Here, an image file name and a message are registered in association with each other for each call identification information including a calling party telephone number and a called party telephone number. In this management table, images are associated using image file names, and image files indicating actual image data are stored in the image DB 32 separately from the management table. In addition, part or all of the call identification information may be used by including the call identification information such as the telephone number of the calling terminal 10A as the image file name. Further, the call identification information is not limited to the calling party telephone number or the called party telephone number, and other identification information for identifying a voice call may be used.

  The image storage device 30 has various configurations such as a communication unit and a storage unit, as in a general information processing device such as a server device or a personal computer. And an arithmetic processing unit that realizes various processing units by reading and executing the program from the storage unit. Therefore, the image management unit 31 in the image storage device 30 may be realized by an arithmetic processing unit.

[Operation of First Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the voice call system according to the first embodiment. Here, a case where the destination terminal 10B responds to the incoming call from the originating terminal 10A and starts a voice call will be described.

  First, the calling-side user performs an image photographing operation on the calling-side terminal 10A prior to transmission to the called-side terminal 10B. The camera unit 13 captures the situation around the originating terminal 10A in accordance with the image capturing operation of the originating user detected by the operation input unit 11, and saves it in the storage unit 14 as the originating image (step 100). ). At this time, the originating user edits the image captured by the camera unit 13 in the image editing unit 21 by performing an image editing operation as necessary, and then saves it in the storage unit 14. Further, when transmitting a message to the destination terminal 10 </ b> B, the message is created by the image editing unit 21 and stored in the storage unit 14.

  Subsequently, the image transmission unit 22 reads the calling side image from the storage unit 14 prior to the transmission to the called side terminal 10B, and adds the call identification information including, for example, the calling side phone number and the called side phone number. Is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 101).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives an image registration request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the image registration request to the originating terminal 10A (step 102). The originating image included in the image registration request is associated with the call identification information and registered in the image DB 32 (step 103).

  Thereafter, when a transmission operation by the calling user is detected by the operation input unit 11 of the calling terminal 10A (step 110), the image transmission unit 22 of the calling terminal 10A refers to the storage unit 14 and is called The presence or absence of a message to the terminal 10B is confirmed. Here, when a message to the called terminal 10B is stored, this message is read from the storage unit 14, and a message including a message to which call identification information including, for example, a calling phone number and a called phone number is added. A registration request is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 111).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives a message registration request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the message registration request to the originating terminal 10A (step 112). The message included in the message registration request is associated with the call identification information and registered in the image DB 32 (step 113).

  In this way, after transmitting the calling side image or message from the image transmission unit 22 to the image storage device 30, the call control unit 16 of the calling side terminal 10A makes a call request for a voice call with the called side terminal 10B. Is transmitted to the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 (step 120).

  When the call control device 40 receives a call request from the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51, the call control device 40 communicates with the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51 to the callee terminal 10B specified by the call request. An incoming request for a voice call is notified (step 121).

  When the call control unit 16 receives an incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, the image receiving unit 23 of the called terminal 10B receives the call identification information related to the voice call with the calling terminal 10A from the incoming request. And the image acquisition request designating the call identification information is notified to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 130).

  When receiving an image acquisition request from the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 displays the calling image associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request in the image DB 32. (Step 131), and a response including the searched origination image is transmitted to the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52 (step 132).

The image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B receives the calling side image of the calling side terminal 10A transmitted from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 in response to the image acquisition request, and stores it in the storage unit 14. The call control unit 16 of the called terminal 10B is notified of the completion of reception of the calling side image.
Thereafter, the image display unit 24 displays the originating image received by the image receiving unit 23 on the screen display unit 12 (step 133). As a result, the calling-side image captured by the calling-side terminal 10A is presented to the called-side user.

  In addition, when the image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B receives an incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 by the call control unit 16, a call related to a voice call with the outgoing terminal 10A from the incoming request. The identification information is acquired, and a message acquisition request specifying the call identification information is notified to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 140).

  When receiving a message acquisition request from the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 searches the image DB 32 for a message associated with the call identification information specified in the message acquisition request. Then, a response including the retrieved message is transmitted to the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52 (step 142).

  The image receiving unit 23 of the receiving terminal 10B receives the message from the calling terminal 10A transmitted from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 in response to the message acquisition request, stores the message in the storage unit 14, and stores the image. The display unit 24 reads this message from the storage unit 14 and displays it on the screen display unit 12 (step 143).

In addition, the call control unit 16 communicates with the calling terminal 10A based on the incoming request received from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 in response to the completion of the calling image reception notified from the image receiving unit 23. An incoming call display relating to a voice call is performed (step 122).
With this incoming call display, the called-side user can recognize that the incoming call has been notified, and can confirm the status of the calling-side user from the calling-side image displayed on the screen and the message.

  Thereafter, when a response operation by the called user is detected by the operation input unit 11 (step 123), the call control unit 16 transmits an incoming call response to the incoming call request to the call control device 40 via the communication network 51. (Step 124).

  When the call control device 40 receives an incoming call response from the called terminal 10B via the communication network 51, the call control device 40 communicates with the called terminal 10B via the communication network 51 with respect to the calling terminal 10A specified by the outgoing call request. An incoming call response for the voice call is notified (step 125).

  As a result, the call control unit 16 of the calling terminal 10A and the call control unit 16 of the called terminal 10B control the respective voice call units 15 to communicate with the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51. Then, a voice call is started (step 126).

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the originating terminal 10A of the communication terminals 10 transmits the originating image captured by the camera unit 13 of the own terminal to the image storage device 30, and after transmitting the originating image, A call request for a voice call with the destination terminal 10B is notified to the communication network 51, and a voice call is made with the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 51 in response to a notification of an incoming call response from the communication network 51. The receiving side terminal 10B of the communication terminals 10 receives the calling side image of the calling side terminal 10A from the image storage device 30 and acquires it in response to the notification of the incoming call request regarding the voice call from the communication network 51. The calling side image of the calling side terminal 10A is displayed on the screen, and after the reception of the calling side image from the image storage device 30, the incoming call display regarding the voice call is performed, and the communication network 51 is operated according to the response operation after the call display. Notify incoming response to It is obtained so as to initiate a voice communication with the calling-side terminal 10A via the network 51.

  Thus, in the receiving terminal 10B, in response to the completion of the reception of the calling side image from the image storage device 30, the incoming call display and the calling side image and further the message screen display are performed substantially simultaneously. For this reason, the called-side user recognizes that the incoming call has been notified by the incoming call display at the called terminal 10B, and at that time, before answering the incoming call, the calling party displayed on the screen at the called terminal 10B The status of the calling user can be confirmed by an image and a message. For this reason, the called-side user can easily grasp the status of the calling user at the time of the incoming call, and can determine whether to respond to the incoming call according to the status of the calling user.

  Further, since the data size of the image data is usually larger than the call control message, the time required for transmitting / receiving the image data tends to be longer than the time for exchanging the call control message. For this reason, when the originating terminal 10A transmits the originating image simultaneously with the transmission of the outgoing request, the incoming request arrives at the terminating terminal 10B, although it is affected by the data size of the image data and the throughput of the communication network 52. At this point, the originating image cannot be acquired immediately from the image storage device 30 and a waiting time may occur.

  With respect to this point, in the present embodiment, before the transmission request is transmitted from the calling terminal 10A to the call control device 40, the calling image is transmitted to the image storage device 30. The waiting time when the callee terminal 10B acquires the caller image from the image storage device 30 in response to the incoming call request can be set to zero or shortened. For this reason, the time required from the reception of the incoming call request to the start of the incoming call display can be shortened.

In the present embodiment, in the calling terminal 10A, after the calling user performs an image photographing operation, a calling operation is performed so that the calling image is transmitted prior to the transmission of the call request. Although the case has been described as an example, the transmission control of the originating image and the transmission request is not limited to this.
For example, when transmitting a call origination request from the originating terminal 10A in step 120, whether or not a response (step 102) is received from the image storage device 30 to the image registration request for the originating image is confirmed, and the reception of the response is confirmed. The call origination request may be transmitted at this time. As a result, it is possible to reliably transmit the originating image at a timing prior to the transmission request.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the called-side user is absent and cannot answer the incoming call, the calling-side image is stored in the storage unit 14 of the called-side terminal 10B. For this reason, in response to the confirmation operation of the missed call history by the callee user, the image display unit 24 reads the calling side image from the storage unit 14 and the call display unit 16 stores the incoming call history information stored at the time of incoming call together with the screen display unit 12 may be displayed on the screen. As a result, when a missed call is confirmed, the situation of the calling user at the time of the incoming call can be grasped, and it can be appropriately determined whether or not to make a return call to the calling user.

  Further, even when the called terminal 10B is busy and cannot respond to the incoming call, the calling side image is stored in the storage unit 14 of the called terminal 10B, as in the absence. Therefore, in response to the confirmation operation of the busy incoming call history by the callee user, the image display unit 24 reads the calling side image from the storage unit 14 and displays the screen together with the incoming call history information stored by the call control unit 16 at the time of the incoming call. The screen may be displayed by the unit 12. As a result, when a busy incoming call is confirmed, the situation of the calling user at the time of the incoming call can be grasped, and it can be appropriately determined whether or not to make a return call to the calling user.

  When the call control unit 16 determines that the call is busy, the image receiving unit 23 obtains the calling side image and the message from the image storage device 30 and stores them in the storage unit 14, but the image display unit 24 These screen displays can be canceled. When the busy incoming call display is performed, the image display unit 24 may display the originating image and the message acquired from the image storage device 30 on the screen.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a voice call system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the voice call system according to the second embodiment, and the same or equivalent parts as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the first embodiment, a case has been described in which the receiving terminal 10B receives an incoming request from the call control device 40 and then transmits an image acquisition request to the image storage device 30 to acquire the originating image. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the receiving terminal 10B receives an outgoing image from the image storage device 30 before receiving an incoming call request from the call control device 40.

  In the image storage device 30 according to the present embodiment, when the image management unit 31 receives the calling side image from the calling side terminal 10A via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 associates the calling side image with the call identification information and stores the image DB 32. And a function of transmitting an image acquisition instruction including the calling side image to the called side terminal 10B via the communication network 52 based on the terminal identification information of the called side terminal 10B included in the call identification information. ing.

In the communication terminal 10, when transmitting the originating image to the image storage device 30, the image transmitting unit 22 reads terminal identification information for identifying the terminating terminal 10 </ b> B from the storage unit 14 and transmits it together with the originating image. The image receiving unit 23 has a function of saving the originating image included in the image acquisition instruction in the storage unit 14 when receiving the image acquisition instruction from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52. It has.
In addition, about the other structure concerning this Embodiment, it is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, and detailed description here is abbreviate | omitted.

[Operation of Second Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case where the destination terminal 10B responds to the incoming call from the originating terminal 10A and starts a voice call will be described.

  First, the calling-side user performs an image photographing operation on the calling-side terminal 10A prior to transmission to the called-side terminal 10B. The camera unit 13 captures the situation around the originating terminal 10A in accordance with the image capturing operation of the originating user detected by the operation input unit 11, and saves it in the storage unit 14 as the originating image (step 100). ). At this time, the originating user edits the image captured by the camera unit 13 in the image editing unit 21 by performing an image editing operation as necessary, and then saves it in the storage unit 14. Further, when transmitting a message to the destination terminal 10 </ b> B, the message is created by the image editing unit 21 and stored in the storage unit 14.

  Subsequently, prior to the transmission to the destination terminal 10B, the image transmission unit 22 obtains the calling side image from the storage unit 14 and the call identification information including the terminal identification information of the destination terminal 10B such as the destination telephone number. The image registration request including the calling side image and the call identification information is read and transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 101).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives an image registration request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the image registration request to the originating terminal 10A (step 102). The originating image included in the image registration request is associated with the call identification information and registered in the image DB 32 (step 103).

  Thereafter, the image management unit 31 sends an image acquisition instruction including the calling side image and the call identification information via the communication network 52 based on the terminal identification information of the called side terminal 10B included in the call identification information. Transmit to the called terminal 10B (step 200).

  In response to this, the image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B receives an image acquisition instruction from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52, and returns it to the image storage device 30 in response to this image acquisition instruction (step 201). ), The calling side image included in the image acquisition instruction is stored in the storage unit 14 (step 202), and the call control unit 16 of the called side terminal 10B is notified of the reception completion of the calling side image.

  FIG. 6 is a configuration example of the originating image management table at the destination terminal. Here, the reception date and time of the originating image, the image file name of the originating image, and the message are registered in association with each other. In this management table, the source image is associated using the image file name, and the image file indicating the actual source image data is stored in the storage unit 14 separately from the management table. In addition, part or all of the call identification information may be used by including the call identification information such as the telephone number of the calling terminal 10A as the image file name. At this time, the call identification information is not limited to the calling telephone number or the called telephone number, and other identification information for identifying a voice call may be used.

  Thereafter, when a transmission operation by the calling user is detected by the operation input unit 11 of the calling terminal 10A (step 110), the image transmission unit 22 of the calling terminal 10A refers to the storage unit 14 and is called The presence or absence of a message to the terminal 10B is confirmed. Here, when a message to the called terminal 10B is stored, this message is read from the storage unit 14, and a message including a message to which call identification information including, for example, a calling phone number and a called phone number is added. A registration request is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 111).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives a message registration request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the message registration request to the originating terminal 10A (step 112). The message included in the message registration request is associated with the call identification information and registered in the image DB 32 (step 113).

  In this way, after transmitting the calling side image or message from the image transmission unit 22 to the image storage device 30, the call control unit 16 of the calling side terminal 10A makes a call request for a voice call with the called side terminal 10B. Is transmitted to the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 (step 120).

  When the call control device 40 receives a call request from the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51, the call control device 40 communicates with the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51 to the callee terminal 10B specified by the call request. An incoming request for a voice call is notified (step 121).

  When the call control unit 16 receives an incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, the image display unit 24 of the called terminal 10B receives the call identification information related to the voice call with the calling terminal 10A from the incoming request. The call identification information, for example, the caller image corresponding to the caller telephone number is read from the storage unit 14 and displayed on the screen display unit 12 (step 210). As a result, the calling-side image captured by the calling-side terminal 10A is presented to the called-side user.

  In addition, when the image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B receives an incoming request from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51 by the call control unit 16, a call related to a voice call with the outgoing terminal 10A from the incoming request. The identification information is acquired, and a message acquisition request specifying the call identification information is notified to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 140).

  When receiving a message acquisition request from the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 searches the image DB 32 for a message associated with the call identification information specified in the message acquisition request. Then, a response including the retrieved message is transmitted to the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52 (step 142).

  The image receiving unit 23 of the receiving terminal 10B receives the message from the calling terminal 10A transmitted from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 in response to the message acquisition request, and stores it in the storage unit 14. The image display unit 24 reads this message from the storage unit 14 and displays it on the screen display unit 12 (step 143).

Further, the call control unit 16 confirms completion of acquisition of the calling side screen based on the notification from the image receiving unit 23, and then, based on the incoming request received from the call control device 40 via the communication network 51, the calling side An incoming call display relating to a voice call with the terminal 10A is performed (step 122).
With this incoming call display, the called-side user can recognize that the incoming call has been notified, and can confirm the status of the calling-side user from the calling-side image displayed on the screen and the message.

  Thereafter, when a response operation by the called user is detected by the operation input unit 11 (step 123), the call control unit 16 transmits an incoming call response to the incoming call request to the call control device 40 via the communication network 51. (Step 124).

  When the call control device 40 receives an incoming call response from the called terminal 10B via the communication network 51, the call control device 40 communicates with the called terminal 10B via the communication network 51 with respect to the calling terminal 10A specified by the outgoing call request. An incoming call response for the voice call is notified (step 125).

  As a result, the call control unit 16 of the calling terminal 10A and the call control unit 16 of the called terminal 10B control the respective voice call units 15 to communicate with the calling terminal 10A via the communication network 51. Then, a voice call is started (step 126).

[Effect of the second embodiment]
Thus, in the present embodiment, when the image transmitting unit 22 of the originating terminal 10A transmits the originating image to the image storage device 30, terminal identification information for identifying the terminating terminal 10B is used as the originating image. And when the image storage device 30 receives the originating image from the originating terminal 10A, the originating image is received on the basis of the terminal identification information of the terminating terminal 10B received together with the originating image. Since the notification is made to 10B, the receiving terminal 10B can start acquiring the calling image from the image storage device 30 before receiving the incoming request from the call control device 40. For this reason, compared with the first embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the time required from the reception of the incoming request to the start of the incoming display.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a voice call system 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the voice call system according to the third embodiment, and the same or equivalent parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case has been described as an example in which the state of the calling terminal 10A is confirmed by the calling terminal image 10B using the calling image at the time of an incoming call. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the state of the called terminal 10B is confirmed by the called terminal 10A by a called image at the time of outgoing call.

Compared with the first and second embodiments, a terminal status transmitter 25 and a partner information display unit 26 are added to the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment.
The terminal state transmission unit 25 displays the terminal state indicating whether or not the own terminal is in an activated state capable of voice communication together with the terminal identification information of the own terminal read from the storage unit 14 via the communication network 52. 30.

  When the partner information display unit 26 displays terminal information including terminal identification information of the partner terminal registered in the storage unit 14 in a general address book function or telephone book function, The image acquisition request designating the terminal identification information is notified to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52, and the called party's destination image is acquired from the image storage device and displayed on the screen. Yes.

  Further, in the image storage device 30, the image management unit 31 associates the destination image and the terminal identification information received from the destination terminal 10B and registers them in the image DB 32, and in response to an image acquisition request from the source terminal 10A, It has a function of searching for a destination image associated with the terminal identification information specified in the image acquisition request and transmitting it to the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52.

Further, as a more specific configuration according to the present embodiment, when the callee terminal 10A acquires the callee image from the image storage device 30, only the callee image of the callee terminal 10B capable of voice communication is acquired. You may do it.
In this case, the partner information display unit 26 notifies the image storage device 30 of a terminal state acquisition request specifying the terminal identification information of the partner terminal registered in the storage unit 14, and the terminal of the partner terminal from the image storage device 30. A function for acquiring the status and an image acquisition request designating the terminal identification information of the activation partner terminal in which the terminal status of the partner terminal indicates the activation status are notified to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52. , It has a function of acquiring the called-side image of the counterpart terminal from the image storage device 30 and displaying it on the screen.

In addition, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 registers the terminal state received from the destination terminal 10B in the image DB 32 in association with the destination image and the terminal identification information, and responds to the terminal state acquisition request from the source terminal 10A. Accordingly, it has a function of searching the terminal state associated with the terminal identification information specified in the terminal state acquisition request from the image DB 32 and transmitting it to the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52.
In addition, about the other structure concerning this Embodiment, it is the same as that of 1st or 2nd Embodiment, and detailed description here is abbreviate | omitted.

[Operation of Third Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the voice call system according to the third embodiment. Here, when the calling terminal 10A displays the terminal information of each partner terminal on the screen in the address book function or the phone book function, the called-side image of each partner terminal is acquired from the image storage device 30 and displayed on the screen. Will be described.

  The terminal state transmitting unit 25 of the destination terminal 10B determines that the terminal itself is in an active state capable of voice communication according to the terminal state transmission operation of the destination user detected by the operation input unit 11 (step 300). A terminal status registration request including the terminal status shown and the terminal identification information of the own terminal registered in the storage unit 14 is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 301).

At this time, the terminal state transmission operation may be configured to transmit only the activation state indicating that the voice call is possible. In the terminal state transmission operation, whether or not the voice call is allowed is selected, and the voice call can be performed according to the selection result. You may make it transmit the start state which shows that it exists, or the stop state which shows that a voice call is impossible.
In addition, the terminal state registration request may be automatically transmitted as the start state or the stop state when the availability of a voice call changes, such as when the operation of the destination terminal 10B starts or ends.

  When the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives a terminal state registration request from the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52, it returns a response to the terminal state registration request to the destination terminal 10B (step 302). ), The terminal state included in the terminal state registration request and the terminal identification information are associated and registered in the image DB 32 (step 303).

  In addition, the camera unit 13 of the destination terminal 10B captures a situation around the destination terminal 10B according to the terminal state transmission operation of the destination user detected by the operation input unit 11, and stores it as a destination image. The data is stored in the unit 14 (step 304).

  Subsequently, the image transmission unit 22 reads out the called-side image and the terminal identification information of the called-side terminal 10B such as the called-side telephone number from the storage unit 14, and performs image registration including these called-side image and terminal identification information The request is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 305).

The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives the image registration request from the destination terminal 10B via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the image registration request to the destination terminal 10B (step 306). The callee image included in the image registration request is associated with the terminal identification information and registered in the image DB 32 (step 307).
Note that either the terminal state registration request or the image registration request in the destination terminal 10B may be transmitted first.

  Thereafter, the partner information display unit 26 of the calling terminal 10A is registered by the address book function or the phone book function from the storage unit 14 in accordance with the partner information display operation detected by the operation input unit 11 (step 310). The terminal information acquisition request including the terminal identification information registered in the partner information is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 311).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives the terminal information acquisition request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and displays the terminal status associated with the terminal identification information specified in the terminal information acquisition request in the image DB 32. (Step 312), and transmits a response including the obtained terminal status and terminal identification information related thereto to the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52 (step 313).

  The partner information display unit 26 of the originating terminal 10A receives a response to the terminal information acquisition request from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52, and the terminal state is activated from the terminal identification information included in this response. The terminal identification information of the activation partner terminal indicating the state is selected, and an image acquisition request designating the terminal identification information is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 314).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives an image acquisition request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and receives a destination image associated with the terminal identification information specified by the image acquisition request from the image DB 32. A search is performed (step 315), and a response including the obtained image acquisition request and terminal identification information related thereto is transmitted to the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52 (step 316).

The partner information display unit 26 of the calling terminal 10A receives a response to the image acquisition request from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52, and reads the incoming image included in the response from the storage unit 14. The information is added to the information and displayed on the screen display unit 12 (step 317).
FIG. 9 is an example of a screen display of partner information. Here, in addition to the other party information such as the registration number, name, and telephone number, the incoming image and the shooting date and time of the incoming image are displayed on the screen.

[Effect of the third embodiment]
Thus, in the present embodiment, the image transmission unit 22 of the destination terminal 10B transmits the destination side image captured by the camera unit 13 of the terminal itself and the terminal identification information of the terminal itself to the image storage device 30. When the terminal information of the partner terminal registered in the storage unit 14 is displayed on the screen by the partner information display unit 26 of the originating terminal 10A, an image in which any terminal identification information among these partner terminals is designated An acquisition request is notified to the image storage device 30, the called-side image of the counterpart terminal is acquired from the image storage device 30, and each screen is displayed.

  Thus, when the destination terminal 10A uses the address book function or the telephone book function to select and send a destination from the terminal information displayed on the screen, the called side image showing the situation of the destination terminal 10B Is displayed on the screen together with the terminal information. For this reason, the calling user can easily grasp the situation of the called user at the time of outgoing call, and can determine whether or not to make a call according to the situation of the called user.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the terminal state transmission unit 25 of the destination terminal 10B displays the terminal state indicating whether or not the own terminal is in an activated state capable of voice communication together with the terminal identification information of the own terminal. 30, when the terminal information of the partner terminal is displayed on the screen by the partner information display unit 26 of the originating terminal 10 </ b> A, the terminal state of the partner terminal is acquired from the image storage device 30. Since only the arrival side image of the activation partner terminal indicating the activation state is acquired from the image storage device 30, it is possible to acquire only the arrival side image of the other party terminal in the activation state where communication is possible. As a result, the time required for acquiring the wear-side image can be greatly shortened.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the voice call system 1 concerning the 4th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the voice call system according to the fourth embodiment.

  In the first to third embodiments, a case has been described in which an image of a partner terminal such as a calling-side image or a called-side image is acquired and displayed on the screen at the time of incoming or outgoing. In the present embodiment, a case where an image of a partner terminal is displayed on a screen during a voice call will be described.

  In the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, the image receiving unit 23 includes call identification information of the voice call periodically, sequentially, or according to the user's image acquisition operation during the voice call with the counterpart terminal. A function of transmitting an image acquisition request to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52, and receiving and storing a partner image transmitted from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 in response to the image acquisition request. A function of saving in the unit 14.

The image display unit 24 has a function of reading the partner image stored in the image receiving unit 23 from the storage unit 14 and displaying the screen on the screen display unit 12.
The image transmission unit 22 has a function of transmitting a terminal image captured by the camera unit 13 to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 in response to a user screen transmission operation.

  Further, in response to the reception of the image acquisition request from the communication terminal 10 via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 displays a terminal image associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request. The function of searching from the image DB 32, the function of transmitting the terminal image obtained by the search to the requesting communication terminal 10 via the communication network 52, and the relevant terminal image when the related terminal image is not obtained by the search It has a function of holding the acquisition request and transmitting the terminal image to the requesting communication terminal 10 via the communication network 52 when a newly associated terminal image is registered in the image DB 32.

[Operation of Fourth Embodiment]
Next, the operation of the voice call system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, in a state where the calling terminal 10A and the called terminal 10B are making a voice call via the communication network 51, the called terminal 10B acquires the calling image registered by the calling terminal 10A and displays the screen. The case where it does is demonstrated.

  First, the image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B acquires an image including call identification information of the voice call periodically, sequentially, or according to a user's image acquisition operation during the voice call with the calling terminal 10A. The request is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 400).

  In response to the reception of the image acquisition request from the communication terminal 10 via the communication network 52, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 displays the calling side image associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request. A search is performed from the DB 32 (step 401). Here, when the corresponding untransmitted originating image is not registered, the image management unit 31 suspends the image acquisition request (step 402).

Thereafter, the camera unit 13 of the originating terminal 10A captures the situation around the originating terminal 10A in accordance with the image capturing operation of the originating user detected by the operation input unit 11, and stores it as the originating image. The data is stored in the unit 14 (step 410).
Further, the image transmission unit 22 reads out the calling side image and the call identification information captured by the camera unit 13 from the storage unit 14 in response to the user's screen transmission operation, and includes the calling side image and the call identification information. An image registration request is transmitted to the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 (step 411).

  The image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 receives an image registration request from the originating terminal 10A via the communication network 52, and returns a response to the image registration request to the originating terminal 10A (step 412). The calling side image and the call identification information included in the image registration request are associated with each other and registered in the image DB 32 (step 413).

  In addition, the image management unit 31 confirms the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request from the held called terminal 10B, and the newly registered calling image is associated with the corresponding call identification information. Then, a response including the originating image is transmitted to the called terminal 10B via the communication network 52 (step 414). At this time, the image management unit 31 registers in the image DB 32 that the transmitted source image has been transmitted.

The image receiving unit 23 of the destination terminal 10B receives a response to the image acquisition request from the image storage device 30 via the communication network 52 and stores the originating image included in this response in the storage unit 14.
The image display unit 24 reads the originating image from the storage unit 14 and displays it on the screen display unit 12 (step 415). As a result, the calling side image captured by the calling side terminal 10A is displayed on the screen of the called side terminal 10B during the voice call.

[Effect of the fourth embodiment]
As described above, in the present embodiment, during a voice call, an image captured by the partner terminal is acquired via the image storage device 30 and displayed on the screen. Even so, the situation of the other user can be grasped in detail by the image.
In the present embodiment, the image acquisition request is suspended in the image storage device 30 and transmitted to the requesting communication terminal 10 when the corresponding terminal image is registered. The latest image can be transmitted to the requesting communication terminal 10 without doing so.

  It is also conceivable that the image storage device 30 does not hold the image acquisition request. In this case, when the terminal image associated with the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request is not registered, the request is made to the communication terminal 10 and the associated terminal image is registered. In this case, the corresponding terminal image may be transmitted to the requesting communication terminal 10.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where image acquisition is requested from the destination terminal 10B has been described as an example, but the case where image acquisition is requested from the originating terminal 10A can also be realized in the same manner, and the above-described diagram. 10, the calling terminal 10A and the called terminal 10B are switched.
Further, in the present embodiment, the case where terminal images are exchanged during a voice call has been described as an example. However, messages may be exchanged instead of terminal images, and both terminal images and messages may be exchanged. It may be.

[Extended embodiment]
The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

  In each embodiment, the case where the image storage device 30 and the call control device 40 are realized by separate devices connected to separate communication networks 51 and 52 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. is not. For example, the image storage device 30 and the call control device 40 may be connected to the same communication network 51 or the communication network 52. Furthermore, the image storage device 30 and the call control device 40 may be realized by a single device. Good.

In each embodiment, when a terminal image or a message is registered in the image DB 32 of the image storage device 30, the image management unit 31 associates the previous terminal image with the designated call identification information or terminal identification information. May be updated with a new terminal image. Thereby, the storage capacity of the image DB 32 can be used efficiently.
When the image DB 32 has a sufficient storage capacity, the image management unit 31 manages a plurality of terminal images for each call identification information and terminal identification information by serial number and registration date and time without updating with a new terminal image. In response to an image acquisition request from the communication terminal 10, the latest terminal image may be acquired from the related terminal images and notified.

  In each embodiment, the case where terminal images are exchanged between the communication terminals 10 via the image storage device 30 has been described. However, when a plurality of terminal images are managed as described above, the exchange of these terminal images is performed. Every time, the terminal image is stored in the image DB 32. Therefore, the image management unit 31 may provide these terminal images to the communication terminal 10 as an image library.

Specifically, in response to an image history confirmation request operation on the communication terminal 10 by the user, the image receiving unit 23 transmits an image history acquisition request including the terminal identification information of the own terminal to the image storage device 30. In response to this, the image management unit 31 of the image storage device 30 searches the image DB 32 for a terminal image associated with the terminal identification information specified in the received image history acquisition request, and obtains the obtained terminal image as a request source communication. Return to terminal 10. The image display unit 24 of the communication terminal 10 causes the screen display unit 12 to display each terminal image received from the image storage device 30 as an image history.
Thereby, the user can confirm the history regarding the voice call of the communication terminal 10 with the image.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Voice call system, 10 ... Communication terminal, 10A ... Origination side terminal, 10B ... Arrival side terminal, 11 ... Operation input part, 12 ... Screen display part, 13 ... Camera part, 14 ... Memory | storage part, 15 ... Voice call part , 16 ... Call control unit, 21 ... Image editing unit, 22 ... Image transmission unit, 23 ... Image reception unit, 24 ... Image display unit, 25 ... Terminal status transmission unit, 26 ... Partner information display unit, 30 ... Image storage device 31 ... Image management unit, 32 ... Image DB, 40 ... Call control device, 50 ... Communication network, 51 ... Communication network (first communication network), 52 ... Communication network (second communication network).

Claims (9)

A calling terminal and a called terminal that perform a voice call via a communication network ;
An image storage device that stores the content transmitted from the calling terminal or the called terminal or the terminal state of the called terminal ;
The calling terminal is
An image transmission unit that transmits the content stored in the originating terminal to the image storage device ;
A call control unit that performs connection control for the voice call with the called terminal after transmission of the content ;
The terminal state corresponding to the counterpart terminal registered in the storage unit of the originating terminal is acquired from the image storage device, and the content corresponding to the terminal selected according to the terminal state from among the counterpart terminals is Including a partner information display unit that acquires from the image storage device and displays the screen .
The called terminal is
An image receiving unit that acquires the content transmitted by the calling terminal from the image storage device in response to a notification of an incoming call request for the voice call;
A call control unit for displaying an incoming call regarding the voice call after obtaining the content ;
An image transmission unit for transmitting content stored in the destination terminal to the image storage device;
A voice call system, comprising: a terminal status transmitter that transmits the terminal status of the called terminal to the image storage device . The voice call system according to claim 1,
The voice call system, wherein the destination terminal includes an image display unit that displays the content before the incoming call display or substantially simultaneously with the incoming call display. In the voice call system according to claim 1 or 2,
Prior Symbol image receiving unit, in response to said incoming call request notification for a voice call, voice call system and acquires the content stored on the image storage device. In the voice call system according to claim 3,
The image storage device stores call identification information for identifying the voice call received together with the content from the calling terminal in association with the content, and responds to an image acquisition request from the called terminal. , Transmitting the content related to the call identification information specified in the image acquisition request to the called terminal,
The image receiving unit of the destination terminal notifies the image storage device of an image acquisition request specifying the call identification information of the voice call included in the incoming call request, and the image storage device transmits the image acquisition request. The voice call system characterized by acquiring the content. In the voice call system according to claim 3,
The image transmitting unit of the originating terminal transmits terminal identification information for identifying the called terminal together with the content when transmitting the content to the image storage device,
The image storage device, when receiving the content from the calling terminal, notifies the content to the called terminal based on terminal identification information of the called terminal received together with the content. Voice call system. In the voice call system according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
Before Symbol image storage apparatus accumulates in association with the adhesive side image and the terminal identification information received from the called party terminal, in response to the image acquisition request from the calling-side terminal, designated by the image acquisition request Transmitting the called image associated with the terminal identification information to the calling terminal;
When the partner information display unit displays terminal information including the terminal identification information of the partner terminal registered in the storage unit of the terminal itself on the screen, the image acquisition specifying any terminal identification information of these partner terminals request and notifies the image storage device, voice communication system, wherein you each screen to obtain the called party image of the counterpart terminal from the image storage device. The voice call system according to claim 6, wherein
The terminal status transmission unit, the terminal status indicating whether its own terminal is in the voice communication can start state, and transmitted together with the terminal identification information of the called party terminal to the image storage device,
The image storage device stores the terminal status received from the destination terminal in association with the destination image and the terminal identification information, and acquires the terminal status in response to a terminal status acquisition request from the source terminal Sending the terminal status associated with the terminal identification information specified in the request to the originating terminal;
When the terminal information of the counterpart terminal is displayed on the screen, the counterpart information display unit of the originating terminal notifies the image storage device of the terminal status acquisition request specifying the terminal identification information of the counterpart terminal, Obtaining the terminal status of the counterpart terminal from the image storage device, and notifying the image storage device of the image acquisition request specifying the terminal identification information of the startup counterpart terminal in which the terminal status indicates the startup status, The voice call system, wherein the callee side image of the activation partner terminal is acquired from the image storage device and is displayed on a screen. A voice call comprising a calling terminal and a called terminal that perform a voice call via a communication network, and an image storage device that stores contents transmitted from the calling terminal or the called terminal or a terminal state of the called terminal. A voice call method used in the system,
A terminal status transmission step in which the terminal status transmitter of the destination terminal transmits the terminal status of the destination terminal to the image storage device;
An image transmission unit step in which the image transmission unit of the destination terminal transmits the content stored in the destination terminal to the image storage device;
The partner information display unit of the calling terminal acquires a terminal state corresponding to the partner terminal registered in the storage unit of the calling terminal from the image storage device, and sets each terminal state from among these partner terminals. A partner information display step of acquiring content corresponding to the terminal selected in response from the image storage device and displaying it on the screen;
An image transmitting step in which the image transmitting unit of the originating terminal transmits the content stored in the originating terminal to the image storage device ;
A call control step in which the call control unit of the calling terminal performs connection control for the voice call with the called terminal after the transmission of the content;
An image receiving step in which the image receiving unit of the called terminal acquires the content transmitted by the calling terminal from the image storage device in response to a notification of an incoming call request for the voice call;
A call control step, wherein the call control unit of the callee terminal includes a call control step of displaying an incoming call regarding the voice call after acquiring the content. An image that stores two communication terminals that operate as a caller terminal and a callee terminal that perform a voice call via a communication network, and contents transmitted from the caller terminal or callee terminal or the terminal state of the callee terminal A communication terminal used in a voice call system including a storage device ,
An image transmitting unit that transmits content stored in the calling terminal to the image storage device when operating as the calling terminal;
When operating as the calling terminal, a call control unit that performs connection control for the voice call with the called terminal after transmission of the content;
An image receiving unit that acquires the content transmitted by the calling terminal from the image storage device in response to a notification of an incoming request for the voice call when operating as the called terminal;
A call control unit for displaying an incoming call regarding the voice call after obtaining the content when operating as the destination terminal ;
An image transmission unit for transmitting content stored in the destination terminal to the image storage device when operating as the destination terminal;
A terminal state transmitter that transmits the terminal state of the destination terminal to the image storage device when operating as the destination terminal;
When operating as the calling terminal, the terminal state corresponding to the partner terminal registered in the storage unit of the calling terminal is acquired from the image storage device, and the terminal state is selected from these partner terminals according to the terminal state. A communication terminal , comprising: a partner information display unit that acquires content corresponding to the selected terminal from the image storage device and displays the content on a screen .

Images