JPH098938A - Dialogue type multimedia device including caller identification decoding characteristic - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily discriminate caller ID information as a system sending high quality information via a telephone network by using a television receiver and a caller ID interactive multimedia decoder with an existing telephone network. SOLUTION: The system is provided with an interactive multimedia device (IMD-CID) 102 connected between a television receiver 106 and a telephone set 104 being part of a telephone network. The user of the telephone set 104 in this system observes a caller ID by observing the screen of the television receiver 106. Thus, the user observes flashed caller ID information on the screen for a prescribed time when the telephone set 104 rings in this system. In this case, the user may be located at any position and discriminate caller ID information by having only to observe the screen of the indoor television receiver, then it is not required for the user to move to the position of the telephone set 104 directly and to observe a display device of the telephone set 106.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and system for forming multimedia information and transmitting and receiving it over a communication network, and more particularly to forming multimedia information including caller identification information. And to send and receive via such networks.

[0002]

Multimedia information can be transmitted over a network in various applications. Multimedia information is information that has a number of parameters that can be increased or decreased based on the importance of the particular information being conveyed. For example, in a video environment,
There is foreground and background information to be sent to the screen. The screen is usually a video screen or a computer screen. The most common example of this type of system is an interactive video system as found in cable television networks (i.e. QVC or home shopping networks). This type of system allows a viewer to look at a screen, pick up the type of product he / she wants based on looking up the information on the screen, and then call a specific phone number to purchase that product. You can

Multimedia information may also be audio information, in which case news, weather, music, etc. are transmitted along with the use of background information such as white noise, background music or other information, The transmission can be completed. Also, the multimedia information may be a combination of graphics, video and music in an entertainment form such as karaoke. As mentioned above, interactive systems are currently available that allow individuals to access video, audio and graphic information on a network. All currently known systems suffer from the problem that they require a significant amount of bandwidth in order to allow a good transmission of multimedia information.

It is known that multimedia information requires a significant amount of bandwidth. In the case of video information, to transmit a high quality video image along the transmission path,
It requires a bandwidth of about 30 MB / sec. In the case of voice information, a bandwidth of about 10 MB / sec is required to accurately generate a high quality voice signal.

Limited bandwidth can be seen in two different ways. One way is to look at the total bandwidth available at any given moment. Another way to determine what a particular bandwidth requirement is is to determine the bandwidth available over a particular time period.

The available bandwidth can be limited in two ways. First of all, the bandwidth is almost 10 KHz.
The total bandwidth of the network is limited, as is the case with telephone networks. However, in this example, the available bandwidth over a particular time period is very high. This is because a particular phone is not always in use.

On the other hand, when looking at a wide bandwidth network such as a cable television, the bandwidth is large,
Most of the available bandwidth is used to provide network signals. In such an example, the available bandwidth over a particular time period would be significantly less than the telephone system described above.

Telephone networks are commonly used for the transmission of data or voice information. In such a telephone network, caller identification (caller ID) is set in an area.
The telephone user can know the telephone number of the calling party. In the caller ID system, the display of the telephone handset gives the telephone user an indication of the telephone number. A problem with known caller ID systems is that the user must be near the phone. More specifically, if the user of the phone is doing some other action, such as watching television, the user must look away from that action (watching television) to see the display. Thus, unless there is a phone in each room that is clearly visible, the caller-ID feature user has no choice but to answer the phone by looking at the phone display.

[0009]

Accordingly, there is a need for a system for sending high quality information over a telephone network that allows caller ID information to be easily determined. There is also a need for a system capable of forming, transmitting and receiving interactive multimedia information, including enhanced interactivity with caller ID information. There is also a need for a device that can be used in the home that can receive and send enhanced multimedia information, including caller ID information, and can control many other devices for useful purposes. To be done.

It is important that such a device can be installed inexpensively in a home environment. Furthermore, it is important that the interactive multimedia device does not require modification of the existing network when installed.

The present invention provides systems and apparatus for use in connection with communication networks such as telephone networks.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Disclosed herein is an interactive multimedia communication device that can be used with a telephone network or similar switching network, or in combination with a broadcast network such as satellite or cable.

According to the present invention, in an interactive multimedia device for use in a telephone network, interface means for receiving interactive multimedia information including caller identification (caller ID) information from the telephone network, and the interaction. Type decoder means for receiving multimedia information and providing decoded caller ID information, memory means for receiving the decoded caller ID information from the decoder means, the interface means, and the decoded means. Controller means connected to said decoder means for providing caller ID information
Graphic processor means for receiving the decoded caller ID information from the memory means and providing the caller ID information in graphic form in response to the controller means; and the graphic processor means and the controller means. And a video control means for transmitting the caller ID information to a television.

With such a system and apparatus, high quality multimedia information can be formed using the system with existing telephone networks.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improving the transmission and reception of multimedia information when using existing networks. The following description is for making the present invention available to those skilled in the art, and details of the content of the invention and its requirements are described. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the general principles and features described herein, as well as various changes to the preferred embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a known caller identification system 10 used in a telephone. In such a system 10, a telephone 1 with a display 14
2 is connected to the telephone line. The telephone user looks at the display after the telephone begins ringing to determine the calling party's telephone number. As mentioned for this system, the user must approach the telephone 12 and observe the caller ID information. Further, if the phone is not in the room, the user can enter the room where the phone is located and
The caller ID information must be observed. This is believed to defeat the purpose of the caller ID, that is, the phone user has to look at the phone's display and then go to the phone to determine the number. Therefore, in many cases, at this point the user can only answer the call.

The present invention is directed to a system that allows a telephone user having caller ID characteristics to determine caller number and other information without having to look at the screen display. This system uses television and caller ID interactive multimedia decoders with existing telephone networks to form such a system. To describe such a system in more detail, please refer to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram of a caller ID interactive multimedia communication system 100 according to the present invention.

The system comprises an interactive multimedia device (IMD-CID) 1 connected between a telephone 104 and a television 106, which is part of the telephone network.
It is equipped with 02. The system allows the user of telephone 104 to see caller ID information by looking at the television screen. Thus, the system allows the user to see a flash of caller ID information on the screen for a predetermined time as the phone rings. At this time, the user may be at any position and can judge the caller ID information by merely watching the television in the room.

In one embodiment, only the numbers may flash. In the second embodiment, the IMD 102
May include information such as the name and address of the caller. Furthermore,
The system can be updated to allow the user to enter new information on the IMD 102.

To describe the functionality of the IMD 102 in more detail, reference is made to FIG. 3, which is a block diagram of the IMD 102. IMD 102 comprises a number of elements. The telephone line is connected to the interface 202. The interface 202 is connected to the interactive controller 204 and the caller ID decoding chip 206. Interactive control device 204 receives signals from a standard telephone keypad or remote controller. The interface 202 is a multimedia memory 208 that is an expandable dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
Connected to. Caller ID decoding chip 206 provides data representing the caller ID information to memory 208. The multimedia memory 208 provides data to the graphics processor 210.

Further, the output of the graphic processor 210 is sent to the video control chip 212. Video control chip 212 sends signals to standard television displays and receives signals from standard television sources. Caller ID decoding chip 206, multimedia memory 208, graphics processor 210 and video controller 212 are all controlled by a microprocessor or microcontroller 214 which manages the operation of all of the above elements. The video controller 212 may be connected to a standard telephone keypad input, or may be a television remote type device or a special IM.
In the case of a D-remote device, it can be used in various ways, which are described in detail below.

User personal and demographic information (age, race, gender and other personal characteristics) can be found in IMD1.
Used in conjunction with the 02 related technical information (serial number, generator number, format, etc.).

The function of each of the different elements in the preferred embodiment is summarized below.

Interface Chip 202 A. It is responsible for all communication between the standard telephone line, optional serial port, interface to multimedia memory, multimedia decoder, voice controller and processor control module. B. Supports standard protocols for half-duplex, full-duplex and half-duplex high-speed operation. C. On-chip encode / decode function, D / A for voice, A / D, facsimile and data function. D. Dual tone multi frequency (DTMF) detection and generation.

Caller ID Decoding Chip 206 A. The real-time caller ID information serves to extract data from processing in subsequent operations.

Multimedia Memory 208 A. Nominal DRAM or VRAM for image mixing / processing and auxiliary multimedia data storage. B. Nominal R for resident IMD control program
OM. C. Optional co-resident DRAM for multimedia data storage and program / data storage. D. Optional non-volatile storage (expandable). E. FIG. Memory control unit for VRAM / ROM / DRAM and non-volatile storage.

Video control chip 212 A. It performs all of the video mixing, enhancement and display functions of the IMD 102. B. Pixel processor for blending, zooming, panning, chromakeying, converting on pixel data, and transitions. C. Generate a figure (eg, a rectangle filled with color),
Graphic processor for sprites, text in foreign languages, and scrolling. D. Digital / analog conversion, analog / NTSC, N
TSC video and stereo audio / RF.

Graphic processor 210 A. It serves to enhance the received analog / digital voice, the generation of synthetic music, and the total analog mixing and voice effects. B. Incorporate decoding burden. C. Sampled device synthesis from compressed MIDI input. D. Built-in microcontroller for multitasking. E. FIG. Dual analog source mixing, digital audio and synthesizer mixing, analog audio control for output to analog left and right audio (volume, bass, treble, balance).

Microprocessor / Microcontroller
LA 214 A. Responsible for multi-tasking execution of resident and downloaded IMD code to work with or independently of MCPS. B. Master / slave microcontroller architecture for multitasking control of communications, multimedia memory, multimedia decoding, digital video control, digital voice / synthesis, and interface management.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the caller ID system 100 operates as follows. First, step 302 causes the phone to ring. The caller ID decoder 206 decodes the caller ID information in step 304 and sends it to the memory 208.
The memory 208 is under the control of the controller 212.
In step 306, the number information is cross-referenced with the name information in the memory 208. If the number is cross-referenced to the name, the name and telephone number are step 30.
8 is displayed on the TV screen. On the other hand, if the numbers are not cross-referenced, step 310 displays only the numbers. After the phone has stopped ringing, step 312 terminates the display.

With this system, caller ID information is displayed directly on the television screen. Therefore, the user
There is no need to go directly to the phone and observe the phone display.

The calling party name information can be updated using the keypad, by the remote control of the TV, or by the remote controller of the device.

Thus, in this system, the name can be added by a voice response system operated via an interactive control system, or by using the keypad of the telephone itself, and / or by a remote controller or the like. , Name information can be added to memory. The system can also select letters or numbers by using the telephone keypad or remote control. The user can visually confirm the selection on the television and immediately remove the error by using a special key on the phone such as the erase, delete or backspace keys or the remote control.

Another important feature of IMD 102 is that it has a remote controller that operates in conjunction with a TV or other display to form enhanced multimedia information. To fully explain this feature, refer to FIG. The remote controller 900 is much like a telephone keypad. This is the numbers (0-9) and symbols (*-#) that are part of the regular telephone keypad.
have. It also includes the input keys 902 normally used to switch information or, in the case of television sets, switch channels. The controller 900 also includes a volume key 904, a channel or memory select key 906, a connect key 908, and a multimedia toggle button 910. It also includes a credit card slot 912. This credit card slot 912, while watching the TV screen,
Used by viewers to make certain items available for direct purchase. In addition, the controller 900 includes a special effects key 916 to allow browsing of the multimedia directory while simultaneously displaying images, for example, in the images of the current broadcast TV channel.

The remote controller 900 uses a high frequency signal or an audio signal to receive the receiver and / or the IMD 102.
Can interact with and control the IMD, control the selection of multimedia information, and control other home devices. It is also known that conventional remote controllers, such as those controlling a VCR or television, can be used, and their use is within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can modify these embodiments and those modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. Would be obvious. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a known system used to identify caller ID information.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system for identifying caller ID information.

FIG. 3 shows an interactive multimedia device (IM
It is a figure which shows D).

4 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of the operation of the system of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a remote controller used in connection with the system according to the invention.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An interactive multimedia device for use in a telephone network, the interface means for receiving interactive multimedia information including caller identification (caller ID) information from the telephone network, and the interactive multimedia information. Decoder means for receiving and providing decoded caller ID information, memory means for receiving the decoded caller ID information from the decoder means, the interface means, and the decoded caller Controller means connected to the decoder means for providing ID information, and receiving the decoded caller ID information from the memory means and responsive to the controller means to render the caller ID information in a graphical form. A graphic processor means for providing the above, An interactive multimedia device comprising: a graphic processor means and a video control means connected to the controller means for transmitting the caller ID information to a television. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said interactive controller means comprises a microprocessor. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises multimedia memory means. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the caller ID information comprises number and name information. 5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the name information is updateable. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the updatable name information can be erased character by character. 7. The updatable name information can be erased or added by a key of a remote control.
An apparatus according to claim 1. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the updatable name information can be erased and added by keys on a telephone keypad. 9. A method of providing caller identification information from a telephone signal to a television, comprising: (a) detecting ringing from a telephone; (b) decoding caller ID information from a telephone signal; c) providing the decoded caller ID information to a telephone, and (d) displaying the decoded caller ID information on a television. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the caller ID information includes a telephone number. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the caller ID information includes a name associated with a telephone number. 12. The step (c) further comprises: (c1) determining whether there is a cross-reference to the name of the telephone number, and if there is a cross-referenced name, the (c2) telephone number and 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: displaying the cross-referenced name and, if there is no cross-referenced name, (c3) displaying a telephone number.