JPH08242272A - Communication equipment having voice alarm for personal use and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide accurate notification of a call to each user by providing a communication equipment with a function for generating a specific calling tone in each user when there are plural pocket beepers in a group. SOLUTION: Plural different sound tones are recorded in a RAM 16 at the time of manufacturing of each pocket beeper or a user previously records a specific voice in the RAM 16 from a microphone 26. At the time of receiving a communication call, a microprocessor 10 accesses the RAM 16 and a previously prepared sound is converted into an analog sound through a D/A converter 34 and the analog sound is outputted to a speaker 28 through an analog switch 30. When a user answers the call, a cellular receiver 24 is connected to the speaker 28 by switching a switch 30. Consequently the user can surely distinguish a call tone to the user himself (or herself).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device having means for notifying a communication input.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the ringing tone for notifying a communication input is similar even if another pager (pager) is used.

[0003]

If a plurality of people in a group each have a pager, it was often difficult to determine which pager was signaling the communication input. As a result, each person in the group had to inspect his pager to see if he had received the communication input. In particular, it was annoying that some participants had to search for the pager in a messy bag of documents to see if the pager received input for the communication.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above, including wireline communication devices, pagers, cordless phones, small zone (cellular) phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like. The wireless communication device has a function of emitting a ringing tone that is different for each individual who notifies a communication input. The user selects a ringing tone to be used for communication input from prerecorded tones, or records a short message to be used for the ringing tone. This allows the user to distinguish the ringing tone of the communication input to his communication device from the ringing tone of the communication input to the communication device of another user.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram of a small zone type telephone. Microprocessor 1
0 transmits information via the bus 12 to other devices in the telephone. This microprocessor executes a program stored in a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) 14, and at this time, a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 16 is used for temporary storage. R
The AM 16 also includes a non-volatile memory for storing commonly used telephone numbers and personal voice ring tones.

A keypad (small keyboard) 18 is used to dial numbers and select menu options on small zone phones. The dialed number or menu option is shown to the user on display 19. The small zone transmitter 20 is used to transmit information via the antenna 22 as in the conventional type, and the small zone receiver 24 is used to receive information from the antenna 22 (wire communication. In the case of the device, a small zone type transmitter 20, a small zone type receiver 24, an antenna 22
Can be replaced with a traditional telephone network interface).

The microphone 26 converts the voice of the user into an electronic signal, and the speaker 28 converts the voice signal into a sound audible to the user. The analog switches 30 and 32 provide a signal transmission path to the speaker 28 and the microphone 26, respectively. Analog switch 3 during normal operation
0 is in a position that provides a signal transmission path from the speaker 28 to the small zone type receiver 24. During normal operation, the analog switch 32 is in a position that provides a signal transmission path from the microphone 26 to the small zone transmitter 20. The positions of the analog switches 30 and 32 are controlled by the microprocessor 10.

Upon receipt of the communication call, microprocessor 10 accesses from RAM 16 a preselected ring tone. As for the ringing tone, one may be selected in advance from a plurality of types of tone colors prepared by the manufacturer, or one may be selected from the tone colors, sounds, and voices that the user has recorded with the microphone 26. Good.

When an incoming call is about to be announced, the state of the analog switch 30 is modified by the microprocessor 10 so that a signal line is provided between the digital-to-analog converter 34 and the speaker 28. The digital-analog converter 34 converts the digital signal representing the ringing tone from the RAM 16 into an analog signal which can be notified to the user through the speaker 28. When the user answers the call and wants to abandon the communication, the microprocessor 10 is again provided with a signal transmission path between the small zone receiver 24 and the speaker 28.
This changes the state of the analog switch 30.

When the user records a sound to be used as a ringing tone at the time of communication input, a voice or a tone, the microprocessor 10 uses an analog switch so that a signal transmission path can be provided between the microphone 26 and the analog-digital converter 36. Change the state of 32. Further, the microprocessor 10 changes the state of the analog switch 30 so that a signal transmission path is formed between the digital-analog converter 34 and the speaker 28.

Microprocessor 10 then produces sound using digital-to-analog converter 34 and speaker 28. This informs the user to start recording a sound that he / she wants to use as a ringing sound at the time of communication input. The user then makes a sound or speaks into the microphone 26.

The signal from the microphone 26 is converted into a digital signal by the analog-digital converter 36. Then, the digital signal of the sound or the voice supplied by the user is RA by the microprocessor 10.
Stored in M16. It is desirable that the recording time of each sound or timbre that the user wants to record is about 2 seconds. In that case, in order to use each sound recorded by the user as a ringing sound, a memory of about 8 Kbytes is required in the RAM 16.

FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of a pager (pager). Microprocessor 60 communicates with other devices in the pager via bus 62. With this microprocessor 60,
The program stored in the read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) 64 is executed, and at this time, the random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 66 is used as temporary storage memory (scratch pad memory). The RAM 66 is also used as a memory for storing a ringing tone for an individual when communication is input.
At least a portion of RAM 66 is preferably non-volatile memory so that the recorded personalized sounds are not lost when power is removed.

The user can control with buttons and switches 68 and display messages on the display 70.
The communication information is received via the receiver 72 and the antenna 74 as in the conventional type. Upon receiving the communication input, the microprocessor 60 retrieves the digital signal of the selected tone or the ringing tone recorded by the user and provides the data to the digital-to-analog converter 76. The digital-analog converter 76 converts the ringing tone selected so that the user can hear it through the speaker 78 into an analog signal.

When the user wants to record the sound, speech or timbre made by the user, the user provides the microphone 80 with the sound or speech. The analog-digital converter 82 is
The signal from the microphone 80 is converted into a digital signal, and this digital signal is stored in the RAM 66 by the microprocessor 60.

Both the microprocessor 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the microprocessor 60 shown in FIG. 2 respectively store in RAM 16 and RAM 66 a ringing tone selected by the user for use as a ringing tone at the time of communication input. accumulate. The ringing tone for personal use may be the sound or voice that the user has created and recorded.
6 or RAM 66 may be recorded.

FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of the menu selection process. This process is similar to that in a wired communication device, cordless phone, small zone phone or pager. However, the timbre selection submenu 104, the notification control submenu 106, and the timbre / notification availability submenu 1
The difference is that there is 08. When a user operates a small zone phone or pager, a menu that allows selection of submenus can be activated. The submenu to be selected includes a submenu 100 for registering a telephone number normally used by the user in the communication device, and a telephone number previously stored by the user for searching by the name of the called party. There is a submenu 102.

The present invention further includes a submenu 104 for selecting a personal timbre from the timbres provided at the time of manufacture.
And a sub-menu 106 for the user to select or generate a ringing tone at the time of communication input, and a sub-menu 108 for permitting / not permitting selection of a tone color or ringing tone.
There is.

In this sub-menu 108, the user permits the tone color selected from the sub-menu 104, does not permit the ringing tone selected from the sub-menu 106, does not permit the tone color selected from the sub-menu 104, and the sub-menu 106.
Allow ringing tone selected from, or submenu 1
It is possible to choose to ring a prescribed ring tone when 04 and 106 are not permitted. When the user wants to end the menu selection function, he selects the function 110 for returning the communication device to the normal communication mode.

FIG. 4 shows the ring back tone control sub-menu 10.
Microprocessor 10 or 6 when 6 is selected
FIG. 6 shows a flow chart executed by 0. FIG. Step 12
A value of 0 allows the user to select a ring tone number. The ring back tone number selected here indicates which of the plurality of ring back tones generated by the user will be affected in the subsequent step.

In step 122, it is possible to indicate whether the user wants to record a new ringing tone in association with the ringing tone number selected by the user in step 120 or play and select the ringing tone specified in step 120. . One button on the keypad (eg number "1"; one of the control buttons in the case of a pager) indicates to the user that the ring tone identified in step 120 should be played during communication input. Press OK) and proceed to step 124, where a ring tone sounds so that the user can confirm that the correct ring tone has been selected.

At step 126, the microprocessor determines whether the user is satisfied with the selection or modifies it. When the user enters a value (eg, "0") from the keypad, the process returns to step 120 and the user is given the opportunity to change the selection. When the user enters a value (eg, "1") from the keypad, the method proceeds to step 128 and the microprocessor returns to the operation of providing the submenu selection of FIG.

In step 122, if the user inputs a value (eg, "0") from the keypad, the user wants to record a new tone or ring associated with the ring number in step 120. It means that. In that case, the microprocessor proceeds to step 1.
Step 30 and play a short tone to indicate to the user the beginning of the recording period.

At step 132, the microprocessor
Record the ringtone created by the user and store it in memory. In step 134, the microprocessor responds to user input (eg, key "1") and plays the sound recorded and recorded by the user in step 132 (step 136). After playing the previously recorded message in step 136, the microprocessor performs step 138. In step 134, if the user inputs a value indicating that reproduction is not requested (for example, “0”), step 136 is executed without executing step 136.
8 is executed.

In step 138, step 140 is executed in response to the user's input (for example, the keypad operation key "1"). In this step 140, the microprocessor returns to the menu selection function of FIG. Also, in step 138, when the user enters some input (eg, "0"), the microprocessor returns to step 120 where the user's selection can be modified.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of the steps performed by the microprocessor 10 or 60 when the voice selection submenu 104 is selected. In step 160, the microprocessor receives a tone selection number from the user. This selection number indicates the tone color that the user wants to ring when receiving the communication input. In step 162, the tone selected by the microprocessor sounds and the user can confirm his selection.

In step 164, the user presses a key (eg, "1") to indicate to the microprocessor that the tone produced in step 162 has been accepted. If the timbre is accepted, step 166 is executed and the microprocessor, upon receiving the input of the communication, causes the memory to store the timbre identification code for use in playing the timbre. After step 166, the microprocessor executes step 170 which returns to the menu selection function of FIG.

At step 164, the user steps 16
If the user presses a key (e.g., "0") indicating that he is not satisfied with the tone played at 2, the microprocessor executes step 168. At step 168, the user may press one key (eg, "0") indicating that he wishes to restart the tone selection step. If so, the microprocessor returns to step 160.
At step 168, the user may also press a key (eg, "1") indicating that he wants to keep the current timbre selection. If so, the microprocessor returns to the menu selection function of FIG. 3 step 17
Execute 0.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the user can distinguish the ringing tone of the communication input to his or her communication device from the ringing tone of the communication input to the communication device of another user. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a small zone telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic functional block diagram of a pager according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for submenu selection.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for recording and selecting ringtones for each individual.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for selecting a recorded ringtone.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 60 ... Microprocessor 12, 62 ... Bus 14, 64 ... Read-only memory 16, 66 ... Random access memory 18 ... Keypad (small keyboard) 19, 70 ... Display 20 ... Small zone transmitter (cellular transmitter) 22, 74 ... Antenna 24 ... Small zone type receiver (cellular receiver) 26, 80 ... Microphone 28, 78 ... Speaker 30, 32 ... Analog switch 34, 76 ... Digital-analog converter 36, 82 ... Analog-digital converter 68 ... switch 72 ... receiver

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. Means (72) for receiving a communication input and means (1) for selecting one audio output from a plurality of audio outputs.
0), and the voice output automatically announces the communication input. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means (72) is a wireless receiver. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device is a wireless transmitter. 4. Communication comprising: means (72) for receiving a communication input; and means (10) for automatically announcing the communication input and for accumulating a voice output produced by a user. machine. 5. Communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that said receiving means (72) is a radio receiver. 6. The communication device of claim 4, further comprising a wireless transmitter (24). 7. A means (72) for receiving a communication input to a wireless communication device, and a means (6) for accumulating a plurality of voice outputs created by a user.
6) and means (60) for selecting one voice output from a plurality of voice outputs created by the user, the voice output automatically notifying the communication input, Communication equipment characterized by.