JPH04269064A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically register the telephone number to make a number into data base by notifying the registration of the telephone number in the data base to a user when he dials the telephone number directly, and notifying it to the user when the prescribed reference is satisfied by non registration. CONSTITUTION:When a user presses the ten keys of a keyboard part 2 and touches a number menu displayed on a display device 19 so as to dial the telephone number directly, whether or not the number is registered in the display part 19 is checked. When it is not registered in the data base, a novel telephone is displayed on the display part 19 and outputted from a voice output part 16 by voice synthesis. When the speech time is more than the prescribed value, it is registered in the data base. On the other hand, when the telephone number is already registered, the name of the person is searched, and the name in the case of existence or information in the case of no existence is outputted from the display part 19 or the voice part 16. Then it turns to the normal speech state.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device called a composite OA (office automation) device in which, for example, a telephone, a facsimile, a personal computer, and the like are integrated.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, various electronic devices called composite OA devices, in which a telephone, a facsimile, a personal computer, etc. are integrated, have been developed and put into practical use. When making a telephone call or sending a facsimile to a specific party, such complex OA equipment uses a database of telephone numbers written in an address book, telephone directory, etc. on a computer to retrieve the telephone number of the other party. By searching for a number, etc., and clicking on the phone number with a mouse or the like, the user is automatically dialed and connected to the other party without having to dial the number themselves. However, when a user dials directly without using the database function, there is no way to confirm whether the number is the number intended by the user.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, in electronic devices that have integrated functions such as a telephone or facsimile and a telephone directory on a personal computer, it has been necessary to make a call to a destination that is not registered in the telephone directory. In some cases, the user must dial (enter) the telephone number themselves, and if the user already has the other party's telephone number memorized,
Because it was common for users to dial phone numbers directly without having to search the phone directory on a computer, database functions such as phone numbers were not utilized, and it was easy to accidentally dial a number that was different from the intended phone number. There was a problem that it would get stuck.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides an electronic system that can avoid communicating with the wrong party even when the user directly inputs the number of the party to communicate with, and that can effectively utilize a database of telephone numbers and the like. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The electronic device of the present invention includes a communication means such as a telephone or a facsimile, a storage means in which the number of the other party to communicate with the communication means is registered, and a communication means for a user. an operation instruction presenting means for instructing operation contents, etc.; and a confirmation means for confirming whether the input number is registered in the storage means when the user inputs the number of the other party to communicate with. , If the entered number is registered as a result of confirmation using this confirmation method,
a first control means that presents a notification to that effect on the operation instruction presentation means; and a first control means that displays a message to that effect if the input number is not registered and satisfies a predetermined standard as a result of confirmation by the confirmation means; Presenting it on the operation instruction presenting means, and
and second control means for registering the input number in the storage means.

[0006]

[Operation] According to the present invention, when the user directly inputs the number of the other party to communicate with, it is checked whether the input number is registered in the storage means, and the result of this check is immediately used. Since the user is notified, the problem of erroneously communicating with a number different from the number intended by the user can be avoided, and reliable number input is possible. Additionally, if a call is made to an unregistered number and the specified criteria are met, that number will be automatically registered, eliminating the need for the user to register the number one by one. , and the number can be used effectively from the next time onwards.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a personal composite OA device as an example of the electronic device according to the present invention, in which the main body part A
For example, when using the device on a desk, attach the portable section B to the top of the main body A, and when you go out, remove the portable section B from the main body A and carry it around. is now possible. This individual composite OA
The device is configured with each section described below.

First, the main body A is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the position input unit 1 is for inputting specified position coordinate information, and is composed of, for example, a tablet or a mouse. The keyboard section 2 is used to input numbers, character/symbol codes, control codes, etc., and includes a plurality of keys. The image input unit 3 inputs various image information, and includes, for example, an image scanner or an electronic camera. The control section 4 controls the operation of each section of the present composite OA device, and is mainly composed of, for example, a microprocessor. The bus controller 5 controls information transfer between each section via the bus 6.

The bus 6 is used to transfer necessary information between the various parts of the main body A. The encryption processing unit 7 encrypts various information. The image processing unit 8
Performs image processing such as composition, recognition, compression/expansion of image information. The memory unit 9 is a general-purpose memory used when performing a series of processes such as image processing and audio processing. The database unit 10 classifies various information into a plurality of classes and stores them as a database, and stores (memorizes) address book information such as a telephone directory and address book, image information, voice information, and the like.

[0011] The output format selection section 11 selects and controls the format of information output from the composite OA device. Audio input section 12
is for inputting audio information, and is composed of, for example, a microphone. The audio processing unit 13 performs audio processing such as audio recognition, synthesis, and compression/expansion. The timer section 14 provides time information and time information to the composite OA device.

[0012] The main body interface (I/F) 15 is
This is an interface between the main unit A and the portable unit B, and is, for example, a wireless interface using infrared rays or radio. The audio output unit 16 outputs audio information, and includes, for example, a speaker. Image output section 1
Reference numeral 7 is a device for printing out various image information, such as a laser printer or a color printer. The communication unit 18 performs information communication between the present composite OA device and a telephone, facsimile machine, or other personal composite OA device or terminal device installed at a remote location. The display unit 19 displays characters, figures, images, etc., and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display.

Next, the portable unit B is constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the mobile unit interface (I/F) 20
is an interface with the main body part A on the side of the portable part B, and is a wireless interface using, for example, infrared rays or radio. The control section 21 controls the operation of each section of the portable section B when only the portable section B is used, and is configured mainly of a microprocessor, for example. The position input unit 22 is for inputting position coordinate information specified using the mobile unit B, and is configured by, for example, a transparent tablet. The online character recognition unit 23
This is for inputting characters using the portable unit B. The audio input unit 24 is for inputting audio information, and is composed of, for example, a microphone. The bus controller 25 controls information transfer between each section via the bus 26.

The bus 26 is used to transfer necessary information between the various parts of the portable unit B. The display section 27 displays characters, figures, images, etc., and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display. The communication section 28 performs information communication between the mobile section B and a telephone, a facsimile machine, the main body section A installed at a remote location, other personal complex OA equipment, a terminal device, and the like. The audio output unit 29 outputs audio information, and includes, for example, a speaker. The memory card unit 30 has a memory card attached thereto, and inputs and outputs necessary information to and from the memory card. Memory section 3
1 is a memory for various processing and data storage.

[0015] The personal complex OA device according to the present invention is basically configured with each of the above-mentioned parts, and each of the above-mentioned parts effectively utilizes its respective functions to present intelligent functions as a whole. It becomes.

Further, some characteristic components will be described in detail. The encryption processing unit 7 encrypts the given communication original text according to the encryption key to generate the encrypted communication part, or conversely decrypts the given encrypted communication text according to the encryption key to generate the original text. Execute the process to find . Such encryption processing is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63-85.
This is realized by techniques such as those described in No. 931.

The image processing section 8 is composed of an image composition section 41, a character recognition section 42, and an image compression/expansion section 43, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The image synthesis unit 41 generates a line figure indicated by parameters such as a given vector, polygon, or arc, and performs special processing such as filling processing, clipping processing, etc.
Performs processing such as compositing with natural images. The character recognition unit 42 is
The characters included in the image information obtained from the image bus 6b are recognized, and the character code is sent to the general-purpose bus 6a as a result of the recognition.
Output to. Such image synthesis processing and character recognition processing are realized by, for example, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-85931.

The output format selection unit 11 is activated in response to a media selection request signal output from the control unit 4, determines the medium of the source information to be transmitted and the destination medium, and selects the destination medium. Media conversion selection information is provided to the control unit 4 in order to apply corresponding media conversion to the source information. For example, when transmitting information given as ADPCM voice to a destination device that is a G3 standard facsimile device, it is determined that the source information medium is voice and the destination medium is image, and the voice → By performing media conversion in the order of character code → image, it is determined that information can be transmitted to the other party, and this fact is provided to the control unit 4 as media conversion selection information. Such output format selection processing is realized, for example, by the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-85931.

The audio input unit 12 converts audio into an electrical signal using a microphone, for example, and limits the audio to signals in a frequency band of 30 to 3400 Hz using a bandpass filter, and converts audio into an electrical signal at a sampling frequency of 12 KHz.
Quantize into a 2-bit digital signal. The voice information obtained in this way is sent to each component such as the voice recognition section 51 of the voice processing section 13 via the voice bus 6c. The audio bus 6c is a dedicated bus for transmitting audio information.

The audio output section 16 converts the digital audio information obtained from the audio bus 6c into an analog electrical signal, and outputs it as audio from a speaker, for example.

The audio processing section 13 is configured as shown in FIG. 6, for example, and performs various processes on audio information. Each component will be explained below. The voice recognition unit 51 recognizes the voice information obtained from the voice bus 6c, and outputs a character code to the general-purpose bus 6a as the recognition result. The voice determination unit 52 determines whether the input voice information is by a specific speaker. The speech synthesis section 53 synthesizes speech information according to data such as documents and outputs the synthesized speech information to the speech bus 6c. Recognition and discrimination of such voices,
The compositing process is realized, for example, by the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-85931. The audio compression/expansion unit 54 compresses and encodes audio information and stores it in the database unit 10, or conversely restores and expands compressed audio information. Such audio information compression/expansion processing is described, for example, in ``computer audio processing'' (authored by Takeshi Yasuoin et al.
This is realized by the technology described in Akiba Publishing (see pages 30 to 42). Each component of the audio processing section 13 is controlled by the control section 4 via the general-purpose bus 6a.

[0022] The online character recognition unit 22 recognizes character information input online via a tablet or the like, and outputs a character code as the recognition result. This kind of online character recognition has been developed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 63
This is realized by the technology described in No.-85931.

Next, some characteristic functions that can be realized in this embodiment in such a configuration will be explained.

First, the audio information recording function will be explained. The voice obtained from the telephone function of the voice input section 12 and the communication section 18 can be compressed by the voice compression/expansion section 54 and stored as voice information in the database section 10 via the voice bus 6c.

When inputting voice or making a call using the telephone function, a handset/receiver 61 as shown in FIG. 7 is used, for example. The handset 61 has a receiver section (speaker, equivalent to the audio output section 16) 62 and a transmitter section (microphone, equivalent to the audio input section 12) 63, and the usage state can be changed by a hook switch like a normal telephone, for example. Detect. If it is in use, a "recording" menu is displayed on the menu screen of the display unit 19, for example. Recording is started by touching the "Record" menu. If you want to stop recording midway through, for example,
Touch the "Stop" menu. Furthermore, when the handset 61 is put down, the hook switch detects the state and automatically ends recording.

[0026] In this case, if the user touches the "Record" menu after determining that there is a need for recording during a call using the telephone function, problems such as the beginning of the conversation may occur. Therefore, when the communication unit 18 detects that a call is in progress, the memory unit 9 is used as a temporary recording area.
Audio is always temporarily recorded for a certain period of time. When the "recording" menu is touched, the audio information temporarily stored in the memory section 9 is prefixed, and subsequent audio information is successively stored in the database section 10. Through such processing, it is possible to record audio information from a certain period of time before the "recording" menu was touched.

[0027] Recorded audio information can be given a title or keyword to facilitate later retrieval. When recording is stopped, a menu screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed, for example, on the display screen of the display unit 19 in a multi-window display. After selecting a title or keyword from the menu, the user inputs the title or keyword using, for example, the keyboard section 2 or the online character recognition section 22. The input title and keyword are added as an audio information header as shown in FIG. The audio information header stores information such as a title, keywords, link information, recording date and time, and recording time as additional information to the audio information.

Furthermore, by touching the "Link" menu, recorded audio information can be linked to media information such as documents and images, or data such as addresses and schedules, as an audio memory. Information for connecting links can also be selected, for example, from a menu. If an open document or image information is directly touched on the current display screen,
linked to that information. These link information are also stored in the header as shown in FIG. 9, for example.

Search information can be set in the header by the above menu operations, but if no menu is specified within a preset period of time or if another operation is started, the header will be blank for the time being. Store the code + serial number in the header and record it. After that, using the blank code, the temporarily stored audio information can be searched all at once, and titles, keywords, and link information can be added by the same operation.

The recorded audio information is retrieved from the database section 10 by menu selection and keyword search, subjected to decompression processing in the audio compression/decompression section 54, and outputted from the audio output section 16.

Furthermore, if link information exists, voice information can be directly called up from media information such as documents and images, and data such as addresses and schedules. For example, if audio information is linked as a voice memo to a document on the display screen of the display unit 19, an icon will be displayed on the display screen of the display unit 19, and the link can be made by touching the icon. Audio information is output.

Next, the telephone function will be explained. The telephone function is realized using the voice input section 12, the voice output section 16, and the communication section 18. The microphone for voice input and the speaker for output take the form of a telephone handset 61, for example, as shown in FIG. It functions as a general-purpose audio input/output device, such as inputting voice and outputting synthesized voice. A speaker for audio output is provided in addition to the handset 61, and is used when the handset 61 is in an on-hook state. Naturally, control of telephone functions is also performed by the control section 4. The control section 4 has time division control and a control section dedicated to the telephone function, so that the telephone function can be used even when another function, such as a word processor, is being used. The operation menu for the telephone function is displayed on the display section 19 by touching the "Telephone" menu or by detecting that the telephone receiver is picked up using the hook switch.
For example, Figure 1 shows a multi-window display on the display screen.
It is displayed as shown in 0. Main operations are executed by touching the operation menu.

[0033]Dialing is performed by the following operation. If you want to dial the other party's phone number as is, like a normal phone call, touch the number menu or
The telephone number is keyed in using the numeric keys on the keyboard section 2. In the keyboard section 2, the numeric keypad corresponds to a dial number when the operation menu of the telephone function is opened. When a telephone number is dialed and the communication section 18 starts making a call, the communication section 18 detects this state and releases the keyboard section 2 from the telephone function, so that it can be used for other functions such as a word processor.

[0034] Also, if you touch the alphabetical order menu,
A Japanese syllabary search is performed on the address book information stored in the database section 10. For example, if you touch "A", the page in the A row opens, and you can visually search for the necessary phone number using the "Next page"/"Previous page" menu. When the required page opens, touch the phone number of the person you want to call. The address book information on the display screen of the display unit 19, like the menu, corresponds to the touched coordinates, and the control unit 4 retrieves the corresponding telephone number from the database unit 10 and sends a dial operation to the communication unit 18. Let's do it. Of course, the address book information in the database section 10 can also be directly searched by inputting the name of the other party using the keyboard section 2 or the online character recognition section 22. Through such operations, the retrieved address book information can be checked on the display screen of the display unit 19 and then touched and dialed in the same manner.

[0035] Redialing is performed by the following operation. History information of previously called telephone numbers is stored in the memory section 9 for a certain period of time, and when the "redial" menu is touched, it is displayed all at once on the display section 19. If the telephone number is a telephone number that exists in the address book information in the database section 10, the name etc. is also referred to from the information in the address book information by searching by telephone number,
Display accompanying. The screens displayed all at once serve as a menu screen. That is, when a user touches a telephone number to redial, the control section 4 causes the communication section 18 to redial the telephone number.

Note that the answering machine function, message board function, etc. are realized by reading out the response message by the voice synthesis section 53 and the voice information recording function described above.

Now, when the handset 61 is put down, its state is detected by the hook switch and the telephone function is terminated. When finished, erase the telephone function operation menu from the display screen,
Return to original functionality. Of course, operations performed on the original function while using the telephone function remain valid.

Next, the facsimile function will be explained. The facsimile function includes an image input section 3, an image output section 17, an image compression/expansion section 43, and a communication section 1.
This is realized using 8. Naturally, control of the facsimile function is also performed by the control section 4. Control unit 4
By having a control section dedicated to time-sharing control and facsimile functions, it is now possible to use facsimile functions even when using another function, such as a word processor. By touching the "FAX" menu, the operation menu of the facsimile function is displayed in a multi-window display on the display screen of the display unit 19, for example, as shown in FIG. 11. By touching the operation menu, the main operations are executed.

The receiving operation of the facsimile function is performed as follows. When the communication unit 18 detects reception of facsimile information, the control unit 4 temporarily stores the received facsimile information in the image area of the database unit 10. As shown in FIG. 12, information such as the date and time of reception is stored in the facsimile information header. At the same time, the control section 4 displays, for example, "receiving fax" in a specific area on the display screen of the display section 19 so as not to interfere with the operation currently being performed. The above receiving operation is performed by the control unit 4.
This is done automatically under the control of

The facsimile information stored in the database section 10 is placed in the image compression/expansion section 43 for decompression processing as needed, and can be displayed on the display section 19 by touching the "Display" menu, or can be displayed on the "Print" menu. The image is printed out from the image output unit 17 by touching the menu.

The sending operation of the facsimile function is performed as follows. By touching the "Send" menu, the image information input from the image input section 3 is compressed in the image compression/expansion section 43, and the communication section 1
8. Compressed image information is
At the same time, it is also temporarily stored in the memory section 9 and used for retransmission and confirmation.

[0042] Dial or redial of the facsimile destination number can be performed in the same way as a telephone function. That is, dialing can be performed directly using the number menu or numeric keypad, or dialing can be performed with one touch from the address book information in the database section 10 or the history of facsimile destination numbers previously called. Note that the details are described in the explanation of the telephone function.

Next, the communication access destination automatic management instruction function, which is the most important part of the present invention, will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in order to call the other party, the user directly dials (inputs) the telephone number "123-4567" (step S1). To enter the phone number, press the numeric keypad on keyboard section 2,
This is done by, for example, touching a number menu displayed on the display section 19. The telephone number input in this way is searched from address book information such as an address book or a telephone directory in the database unit 10 (step S2), and it is checked whether the telephone number is registered in the database (step S3). .

If it is not registered in the database, information such as "This is a new call" is displayed as a character string on the display screen of the display unit 19, or a voice is output from the audio output unit 16. Output by compositing (
Step S4). After that, it becomes a call state (step S
5) After the call, measure the current call time (step S6)
, for example, if it is longer than 15 seconds, the telephone number is automatically registered in the address book information of the database section 10 (step S7), and the process ends. If the time is 15 seconds or less, the telephone number is not registered in the database section 10 and the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the input telephone number has already been registered in the database section 10, the name of the person corresponding to the telephone number (for example, Tanaka) is searched (step S8), and if it exists, the name of the person corresponding to the telephone number is searched. (Step S9), and if the name (Step S10) does not exist, implicit information is output from the display screen of the display section 19 or the audio output section 16 as described above (Step S11). Thereafter, a normal conversation state is established (step S12).

[0046] Of course, the user can arbitrarily specify the call time for new calls here. For example, if the call time is set to "0", all new calls will be registered in the database section 10. will be done.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, in a composite OA device equipped with a communication means such as a telephone or a facsimile, and a database for storing telephone numbers, the user can directly enter a telephone number (or a facsimile destination number). When dialing, the telephone number is checked against a telephone directory in a database, so for example, before the telephone connects with the other party, the name of the other party corresponding to the telephone number is sent from the voice output unit by speech synthesis. By outputting
This avoids the problem of dialing a number different from the telephone number intended by the user.

[0048] Furthermore, if the user dials a number that is not registered in the database, it is assumed that the user has dialed the intended phone number when the call lasts for a predetermined time.
Since the phone number is automatically registered in the database, there is no need for the user to register the phone number in the database one by one, which reduces the burden of registration on the user. Can be used effectively.

Furthermore, the database is searched immediately after the user dials, and the result can be immediately known by text on the display screen or by voice on the voice output unit, making it more reliable. You can dial.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the registration and search of telephone numbers have been explained as an example, but not only telephone number information but also facsimile destination numbers, e-mail address information, etc. may be used.

[0051]

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, even when the user directly inputs the number of the other party to communicate with,
It is possible to provide an electronic device that can avoid communicating with the wrong party and can effectively utilize a database of telephone numbers and the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a communication access destination automatic management instruction function.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main body in detail.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of a portable unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of an image processing section.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of an audio processing section.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a handset as an audio input/output unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an audio information recording menu.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an audio information header.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a telephone function menu.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a facsimile function menu.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a facsimile information header.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Position input section, 2... Keyboard section, 3... Image input section, 4... Control section, 5... Bus controller, 6
... bus, 7 ... encryption processing section, 8 ... image processing section, 9 ... memory section, 10 ... database section, 11 ...
Output format selection section, 12... Audio input section, 13... Audio processing section, 14... Timer section, 15... Main unit interface, 16... Audio output section, 17... Image output section, 1
8...Communication unit, 19...Display unit, 20...Mobile unit interface, 21...Control unit, 22...Position input unit, 23...Online character recognition unit, 24...Voice input unit, 25... ...Bus controller, 26...Bus, 27...
...Display section, 28...Communication section, 29...Audio output section, 30...Memory card section, 31...Memory section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A communication means such as a telephone or a facsimile, a storage means in which the number of the other party to communicate with this communication means is registered, and an operation instruction presentation for instructing the user on the contents of the operation. means, a confirmation means for confirming whether or not the input number is registered in the storage means when the user inputs the number of the other party to communicate with; If the input number is registered, the first control means presents the fact to the operation instruction presentation means, and as a result of the confirmation by the confirmation means, if the input number is not registered and the predetermined number is An electronic device characterized by comprising: a second control means that, when a criterion is satisfied, displays a message to that effect on the operation instruction presentation means and registers the input number in the storage means.