JPH066502A - Picture communication telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the picture communication telephone system able to send a reply picture/voice message corresponding to a caller with respect to an incoming call during absence. CONSTITUTION:A transmission means (system control section) 17 sends a specific reply picture/voice message relevant to a specific caller whose telephone number is registered in a telephone number storage means (telephone directory memory section) 20 with respect to the arrival of a call during absence and the transmission means (system control section) 17 sends a reply picture/voice message for an unspecified caller whose telephone number is not registered in the telephone number storage means (telephone directory memory section) 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication telephone system having an answering machine answering function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional image communication telephone system.

In the figure, 1 is one of the image input means of the telephone system, a camera input section for mainly inputting a self-portrait and the like, and 2 is one of the image input means of the telephone system.
The document camera input unit 3 for inputting images such as drawings, maps, and documents is an input image from the camera input unit 1 or the document camera input unit 2, a received image from a partner, an operation screen, etc. The display unit 4 which outputs and displays image input means (camera input unit 1
And an image input interface section for performing switching processing of the document camera input section 2 and the like), 5 is an image output interface section for performing switching processing of image output means, and 6 is a picture-in-picture processing according to an instruction from the system control section 17. An image editing unit 7 for performing image freeze processing and the like, and an image encoding / decoding unit 7 for performing an encoding process of a transmission image signal and a decoding process of a reception image signal, including an image encoding unit 7a and an image decoding unit. And a conversion unit 7b.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an answering machine response image memory section for outputting a response image according to an instruction from the system control section 17 in the answering machine response mode, and 9 an image switching section for switching between an input image and an answering machine response image according to an instruction from the system control section 17, 1
Reference numeral 0 is a handset unit which is a voice input / output unit of the present telephone system, 11 is an echo canceling process, a tone generating process such as a dial tone, a ring tone, a busy tone, a ring tone and the voice input / output according to an instruction from the system control unit 17. A voice input / output interface unit for performing means switching processing and the like, and 12 is a voice encoding / decoding unit for performing transmission voice signal encoding processing and reception voice signal decoding processing according to an instruction from the system control unit 17. It includes an encoding unit 12a and a speech decoding unit 12b.

Reference numeral 13 denotes an answering machine response voice memory section for outputting a response voice according to an instruction from the system control section 17 in the answering machine response mode, and 14 a voice switching section for switching between an input voice and an answering machine response voice according to an instruction from the system control section 17. Reference numeral 15 is an operation unit such as a keyboard or a touch panel used for inputting control information for performing overall control of the telephone system, and 16 is an image signal from the image switching unit 9 and a voice signal from the voice switching unit 14. System control unit 17
The control signal from the control unit is multiplexed in transmission frame units, and the reception frame is separated into an image signal, an audio signal, and a control signal and is transferred to each unit.
A system control unit including an OM, a RAM, an auxiliary storage device, and the like, for monitoring the state of each unit, controlling the entire telephone system, creating an operation / display screen according to the state, executing an application program, and the like. Is a line interface unit for controlling the line in accordance with the ISDN user network interface, and 19 is a communication line.

Next, the operation of the image communication telephone system having the above configuration will be described.

Normal Communication Operation During normal communication, an input image from the camera input unit 1 or the document camera input unit 2 is input to the image coding unit 7a via the image input interface unit 4 and the image editing unit 6. It The input voice from the handset unit 10 is input to the voice encoding unit 12a via the voice input / output interface unit 11. The image switching unit 9 and the audio switching unit 14 selectively output the output of the image encoding unit 7a and the output of the audio encoding unit 12a, respectively. Further, the input image coded by the image coding unit 7a and the input voice coded by the voice coding unit 12a are multiplexed by the demultiplexing and multiplexing unit 16 and transferred to the communication line 19 via the line interface unit 18. Sent out.

On the other hand, the received signal from the communication line 19 is separated into an image signal and a voice signal by a demultiplexing unit 16 via a line interface unit 18, and an image decoding unit 7b, respectively.
It is input to the voice decoding unit 12b. The received image decoded by the image decoding unit 7b is displayed on the display unit 3 via the image editing unit 6 and the image output interface unit 5, and the received voice decoded by the voice decoding unit 12b is the voice input / output. It is output to the handset unit 10 via the interface unit 11.

Transmission operation in answering machine answering mode In the answering machine answering image memory section 8, an image coding section is inputted in advance from the camera input section 1 or the document camera inputting section 2 and then through the image input interface section 4 and the image editing section 6. The answering machine response image encoded in 7a is stored.
In addition, the voice mail input / output interface unit 1 which is input in advance from the handset unit 10 is input to the answering machine response voice memory unit 13.
The answering machine response voice coded by the voice coding unit 12a via 1 is stored.

In response to an incoming call in the absence, an answering machine answering mode signal from the system control section 17 causes the image switching section 9 to send an answering machine answering image memory section 8 as a transmission image.
Is selected, the output of the answering machine response voice memory section 13 is selected as the transmission voice in the voice switching section 14, and the answering machine response image / response voice is sent to the calling party.

[0011]

Here, there is a case where it is desired to send a specific message to one or a plurality of specific parties regarding the answering machine reply when the user is absent.

However, in the answering machine answering function of the conventional image communication telephone system, since the same response image / voice message stored in advance is sent regardless of the calling party, a specific answer is given to a particular calling party. Image / voice messages cannot be given. Also,
Since the same response message is sent to an unspecified number of other parties, there is a drawback that the content of the image message is inevitably limited, especially in the image message.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to perform image communication capable of transmitting a response image / voice message corresponding to a calling party in response to an incoming call while absent. To provide a telephone system.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, an image communication telephone system of the present invention encodes and transmits image and voice information, and receives the encoded image and voice information. In an image communication telephone system for decoding, a telephone number storage means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers, a response image storage means and a response voice storage means for storing a plurality of response image messages and response voice messages corresponding to the telephone numbers. Matching a calling number received when receiving a call with a number stored in the telephone number storage means, and reading out the corresponding response image message and response voice message from the response image storage means and the response voice storage means and sending them out. And a sending means.

[0015]

With respect to an incoming call in the absence, a specific response image / voice message corresponding to a specific calling number registered in the telephone number storage means is sent by the sending means and registered in the telephone number storage means. For a calling number that has not been set, the response means sends a response image / voice message to an unspecified partner.

[0016]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an image communication telephone system according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 which is the above-mentioned conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals.

The present invention is different from the conventional ones in that a telephone directory memory unit 20 for storing a telephone number registered by a user for the speed dial function and the like is provided, and an answering machine response image memory unit 8 is provided. Also, the telephone answering memory unit 20 is previously stored in the answering machine response voice memory unit 13 by the user.
A plurality of answering machine response images / voice messages corresponding to the plurality of telephone numbers stored in the table and a common answering machine response image / voice messages for unregistered telephone numbers are stored in the telephone directory memory unit 20. .

Next, the operation of the image communication telephone system of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

Normal Communication Operation Since the operation during normal communication is the same as the above-mentioned conventional example, its explanation is omitted.

Answering machine answering message for incoming call when nobody is present In advance, the answering machine answering image memory section 8 stores an answering machine answering image message similar to the above-mentioned conventional example. Further, the answering machine voice response memory unit 13 stores the same voice message for answering machine response as the above-mentioned conventional example.

Further, the telephone directory memory section 20 stores an answering machine response message number for a telephone number to be registered together with a shortened number used for a speed dial function or the like.
The answering machine response image message and the answering machine voice message correspond to the respective answering machine response message numbers stored in the telephone directory memory unit 20 by the user registration in a one-to-one correspondence. Further, the telephone directory memory unit 20 has an answering machine response message number for all unregistered calling telephone numbers, and a common answering machine response image message and a common answering machine response voice message corresponding to this number are also stored.

Answering machine answering operation in answering machine answering mode The answering machine answering operation in the answering machine answering mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The telephone system is switched to the answering machine response mode by the setting of the answering machine response mode by the user pressing the answering machine response mode setting key or the like. For an incoming call in the answering machine answering mode, first, a calling side identification signal (telephone number) is notified from a line having a calling number display service (step 201). The system control unit 17 collates the notified partner number with the telephone number registered in the telephone directory memory unit 20 (step 202), determines whether there is a matching telephone number (step 203), and if there is, the answering machine is available. A registered answering machine response message number corresponding to the matched registered telephone number is retrieved together with the response mode signal (step 204) and sent to the image switching unit 9 and the voice switching unit 14.

In the image switching section 9, instead of the output of the image encoding section 7a, the answering machine response image message corresponding to the registered answering machine response message number is sent to the answering machine response image memory section 8.
Read out, and in the voice switching unit 14, the voice encoding unit 12a
Instead of outputting the answering message, the answering machine response voice message corresponding to the answering machine response message number is read from the answering machine response voice memory unit 13 (step 205) and output to the demultiplexing unit 16 as a transmission image and a transmission voice, respectively. After multiplexing in the conversion unit 16 and transmitting to the calling party (step 206), this processing operation ends. As a result, a specific answering machine response image /
A voice message can be sent.

When the notified party number does not match any of the numbers registered in the telephone directory memory section 20, the system control section 17 sends an answering machine response message together with an answering machine response mode signal to an unregistered answering machine answer message. The number is sent to the image switching unit 9 and the voice switching unit 14. The image switching section 9 reads an answering machine response image message corresponding to the answering machine response message number from the answering machine response image memory section 8, and the voice switching section 14 reads an answering machine response voice message corresponding to the answering machine response message number from the answering machine response voice memory section 13. The data is read (step 207) and is output to the demultiplexing / multiplexing unit 16 as a transmission image and a transmission voice, respectively, and is multiplexed in the demultiplexing / multiplexing unit 16 and sent to the transmission partner (step 206). As a result, the common answerless answering image / voice message can be sent to an unspecified large number of callers who are not registered in the telephone directory memory unit 20.

By the above operation, in response to an incoming call in the absence, a specific response image / voice message corresponding to the registered specific calling number is sent out, and to the unregistered calling number. Sends a response image / voice message to an unspecified partner. Therefore, it is possible to send a response image / voice message according to the caller based on the callee number.

[0029]

As described above in detail, according to the image communication telephone system of the present invention, in response to an incoming call in the answering machine answering mode, a specific answering image / a specific answering image / A voice message can be sent.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an image communication telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of an answering machine response operation of the system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional image communication telephone system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Response Image Storage Means (Response Image Memory Unit) 13 Response Voice Storage Means (Response Voice Memory Unit) 17 Sending Means (System Control Unit) 20 Telephone Number Storage Means (Phonebook Memory Unit)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A telephone number storage means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers in an image communication telephone system for encoding and transmitting image and voice information and receiving and decoding the encoded image and voice information. A response image storage means and a response voice storage means for storing a plurality of response image messages and response voice messages corresponding to the telephone number, and a calling number received at the time of incoming call are collated with the numbers stored in the telephone number storage means. And a sending means for reading and sending the corresponding response image message and response voice message from the response image storage means and the response voice storage means.