JPH11234435A - Miniaturized portable information terminal equipment and voice service data managing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily provide a program or telephone number of a voice information service. SOLUTION: Miniaturized portable information terminal equipment 100 accesses the data (program name/telephone number/validity) of a host 500 of the voice information service provided by a communication company through a portable telephone set 200 connected by a connecting cable 300 as needed, receives these data through a data receiving part 104 of a voice service data processing part 103 and stores these data in an auxiliary storage device 106. Besides, the miniaturized portable information terminal equipment 100 performs processing for displaying a list through a display managing part 105 based on these data and displays it on a display device 107. A user can select the program of the voice information service displayed on this display device 107 and enables automatic dialing as well.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information terminal device which is portable and can be communicated by connecting to a telephone line, and more particularly to a voice information service provided by a communication company which provides voice information services. The present invention relates to a small-sized portable information terminal device capable of managing data of the same, and a voice service data management method in such a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, telecommunications carriers that provide various types of information to users via wired and wireless communication lines include, for example, weather information and various types of news, in addition to ordinary call services. In order to provide various kinds of information to a user via voice, a so-called voice information service is provided.

[0003] In such a voice information service, a user has:
For example, by calling a predetermined telephone number previously provided by a telecommunications carrier in a pamphlet or the like,
The user can easily obtain various kinds of desired information by voice, and this is a very convenient function especially for a small portable information terminal device that can be carried by the user. On the other hand, there is a method of displaying the information on the terminal side in characters. However, in the method of displaying the information in characters, it may take time to display the received information or may display unnecessary information. Therefore, for example, when you are worried about the progress of a game such as sports,
When you just want to know the weather forecast, it is rather troublesome, and the voice information service is rather excellent.

[0004]

By the way, in such a voice information service, as described above, a user obtains the information by calling a predetermined telephone number which provides a desired voice information service. It is necessary to input (so-called, dial) a predetermined telephone number providing such a voice information service. However, it is difficult to store a station that provides such voice information service, in this case, a telephone number, especially when there are many such voice service information. For this reason, for example, even when a user tries to obtain a voice information service from his / her home with a small portable information terminal device carried by the user, the user often does not know the telephone number necessary for that purpose.

[0005] In addition, the contents of such voice information services are not necessarily limited to those that can always be obtained. For example, the contents of voice information services related to sports such as baseball are limited in time. Some may be available, or some may be seasonal, such as information related to the Olympics, for a predetermined period of time.

In this case, it is conceivable to carry various telephone numbers from which such voice service information can be obtained and a booklet displaying the contents of the service. However, it is troublesome to always carry such a booklet. Yes, and if this booklet is forgotten, or if the telephone number for providing the service or its content is changed, the voice service will not be available. It is also conceivable that the telephone numbers of various services displayed in such a booklet are recorded in advance using a telephone directory (storage) function normally provided in the above-mentioned small portable information terminal device. It is troublesome to input, and especially when there are many voice service information, it may not always be possible to record all the information. Also, in this case, if the telephone number for the service or its contents are changed, the user must record the changed telephone number again, which is not convenient. Was. As described above, in the above-described conventional technology, it is difficult for the user to understand what services are available when a large number of voice service information is present or when the service provision period is limited. It was not enough to use.

In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the present invention makes it possible for a user to easily obtain desired information by voice. It is an object of the present invention to provide a small-sized portable information terminal device which is excellent in usability and a voice service data management method therefor.

[0008]

According to the present invention, first, according to the present invention, it is possible to connect to a line capable of information communication including a voice information service, to transmit and receive information via the line, and A transmission / reception unit having a voice output unit for outputting voice information service obtained via the line as voice; and a voice service data processing unit managing voice service data related to the voice information service via the transmission / reception unit. A small portable information terminal device comprising: an input unit for performing an input; and a display device capable of displaying data.The voice service data processing unit further includes: A data receiving unit for receiving the voice service data through the storage unit; a storage unit for storing the voice service data received by the data receiving unit; Portable information terminal device, comprising: a display management unit that manages display contents of the voice service data on the display device based on the input input from the storage device and the voice service data stored in the storage unit. Is provided.

According to the present invention, in the small portable information terminal device described above, the transmitting / receiving section and the voice service data processing section are separately formed.

According to the present invention, in the small portable information terminal device described above, the transmission / reception unit and the voice service data processing unit are integrally formed.

Further, according to the present invention, in the small portable information terminal device described above, the voice service data processing unit further automatically converts the telephone number of the voice service data displayed on the display device. Means for dialing.

In addition, according to the present invention, in order to attain the above object, information is transmitted and received by connecting to a line capable of information communication including a voice information service, and voice service data relating to the voice information service is provided. A voice service data management method for accessing the host connected to the line to obtain voice service data related to the voice information service; temporarily storing the voice service data related to the voice information service obtained from the host. A voice service data management method for performing predetermined processing on voice service data related to the voice information service based on the temporarily stored voice service data related to the voice information service and displaying the service data.

That is, in the above-mentioned portable information terminal device and its voice service data management method according to the present invention, host data (program name / telephone number / valid data) which is voice service data relating to a voice information service provided by a communication carrier is provided. This is achieved by setting a table for managing the period) on the small portable information terminal device side. On the basis of this management table, a display is provided on this terminal device so that the user can easily select a desired program of the audio information service. Further, at this time, the user can automatically dial the telephone number that provides the program by selecting the displayed program and using the automatic dial function, so that the desired voice information service can be easily performed. Get to. In addition, since the validity period of each service is also managed, for a voice information service whose validity period has expired, an error message or the like is displayed to notify the user that the information is to be updated.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, FIG. 2 shows an appearance of a small portable information terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a small portable information terminal device. Reference numeral 200 in the figure indicates a mobile phone connected to the small portable information terminal device. That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, the portable telephone 200 is used as an information transmitting and receiving unit which can be connected to a public line such as a telephone and can communicate voice information and character information including a voice information service. The portable telephone 200 is configured separately from the small portable information terminal 100.

The portable telephone 200 is connected to the receiving side via a public line by a predetermined radio wave by inputting a telephone number with its ten-key button 210 in the same manner as a normal portable telephone, and the conversation and voice information are transmitted. It has a function of transmitting and receiving electronic information typified by so-called personal computer communication in addition to audio information of services and the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the mobile phone 2
In particular, the speaker 220 is provided as an audio output unit for outputting audio information services as audio. Reference numeral 230 in the figure indicates a microphone for inputting a voice signal of a caller as a signal,
Thereby, the mobile phone 200 can also exchange ordinary conversation information.

Next, a small portable information terminal device 10 connected to the portable telephone 200 via a connection cable 300 will be described.
0, like a normal portable information terminal, has a built-in microcomputer, as will be described later, inside the terminal, and uses, for example, a liquid crystal display device on its surface,
A so-called so-called liquid crystal display device for displaying various data including character data and an input function for inputting to the device using an input pen (touch pen) 110. Touch panel 120
Is provided. In this figure, a speaker is indicated by reference numeral 130 as an audio output unit of the small portable information terminal device 100. The small portable information terminal device 100 accesses various terminal devices via a public line such as a telephone via the portable telephone 200 connected via the connection cable 300 to transmit and receive necessary electronic information. It is possible to do. The small portable information terminal device 100 also has a function of performing a dial operation of the portable telephone 200 by a control signal from the small portable information terminal device 100, similarly to a normal portable information terminal.

Next, in the small portable information terminal device according to the present invention, the appearance and the schematic structure of which are described above,
Particularly, FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration for realizing the voice information service management method.

In this figure, reference numeral 500 denotes a host of a communication carrier providing the above-mentioned voice information service. The host 500 stores, as electronic information, information on a voice information service provided by the communication carrier, and performs information communication via a telephone line as a communication network. That is, by accessing the host 500 through personal computer communication or the like, the user can extract information on the audio information service as electronic information. In the host 500, information on the voice information service provided by the communication carrier is sequentially maintained, that is, the telephone number of the voice information service is changed, the service content is changed, or the available time is changed. Information necessary for the user of the voice information service, such as a change in the band, is changed to the latest information.

The information of the host 500, that is, the electronic information related to the voice information service, is stored in the small portable information terminal device 1.
The voice service data processing unit 103 for controlling data of the voice service information provided in the communication service unit 00 is received by the data receiving unit 104 in particular. In that case,
In the present embodiment, the processing is performed via the mobile phone 200. That is, the electronic information on the voice information service is
Mobile phone 200 connected by connection cable 300
Will be input via the. However, in the present embodiment, the portable telephone 200 is connected to the small portable information terminal 10.
However, according to the present invention, the communication function of the mobile phone 200 is not necessarily limited to such a separate configuration, and the communication function of the mobile phone 200 may be provided in the small portable information terminal device 100. It is needless to say that these can be integrated into a small portable information terminal device.

The voice service data processing unit 10
3 further includes a display management unit 105 for controlling the display of the voice service data on the display screen of the display device 107, and data on the voice information service received from the host 500, such as a table. An auxiliary storage device 106 for storing data in a format is provided. It should be noted that the voice service data processing unit 103 can be constituted by a microcomputer constituting a control circuit provided therein for controlling the operation of the small portable information terminal device 100. The auxiliary storage device 10
Regarding 6, it is possible to use a storage element or the like attached to the microcomputer, or to use the external storage device, or separately from this, a dedicated storage device for storing the voice service data It is also possible to use

Reference numeral 102 in the figure denotes an input unit for selecting a voice information service. According to the present embodiment, this input unit 102 is used for inputting the small portable information terminal device 100. A liquid crystal display device that constitutes the touch panel 120 is used as the display device 107 that includes a pen (touch pen) 110 and a touch panel 120 and that displays audio service data that is data relating to an audio information service. .

Next, the small portable information terminal device having the above-described detailed configuration, particularly the voice service data management method implemented in the voice service data processing unit 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. This will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, the voice service data relating to the voice information service previously sent from the host 500 of the communication carrier or stored in the device is stored in the auxiliary storage device 106 of the small portable information terminal device 100. Is stored in In the present invention, the processing control unit 103
And a display management unit 10 for managing the voice service data.
5 is provided on the display device 107 (that is, on the touch panel 120 of the small portable information terminal device).
Information on the audio information service is displayed as a list, for example, by menu display. As a result, as described in “Means for Solving the Problems” above, the user does not need to remember the telephone numbers that provide a large number of voice information services, and does not need to remember these. Sometimes this allows them to be removed immediately.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the voice service data transmitted from the host 500 of the communication carrier or stored in advance in the apparatus. In this example of the voice service data, the voice service data, which is information on the voice information service, is edited in a so-called table format.

As is clear from FIG. 3, the voice service data includes, as information, "number of effective programs" (10 in this example) which is the number of programs of the voice information service available to the user. Display, and below that,
"Program name", which is detailed information on these effective programs,
The “telephone number” and the “valid period” which is the valid period of the provided service (including information on the provided time zone) are displayed. That is, in the example shown in this figure,
The user indicates that the first “news” to the tenth “music” are effective as voice information services. The audio service data also depends on the storage capacity of a device or means for storing the data, but can also include, for example, data such as the content of a program of each audio information service.

FIG. 4 shows a so-called “voice service list” display screen in which the above-described voice service data is displayed on a touch panel 120 as a display device of the small portable information terminal device of the present invention. An example is shown. In this display example, only the "program name" and "telephone number" are selected from the audio service data and displayed according to the management table of FIG. Further, on this display screen, only a part of the above ten programs, that is, only “news”, “professional baseball”, “soccer”, “horse racing”, “fortune telling”, and “weather” are displayed. However, the items that cannot be displayed on this screen, that is, the remaining programs “traffic”, “travel / leisure”, “game”, and “music” are displayed on the vertical scroll bar 121 provided at the right end thereof, By pressing the “△” or “▽” buttons 122 and 123 provided at the upper and lower ends with the touch pen 110, the display can be appropriately switched and displayed.

On the display screen of the "voice service list" shown in FIG. 4, for example, when the user selects "news" from the program name which is the service item, the item is highlighted and displayed. When the "dial" button 124 arranged at the upper right of the screen is pressed, the telephone number is automatically dialed by the operation of the processing control unit 103 of the small portable information terminal device 100, and the information can be accessed. That is, according to the present embodiment, “news”, which is a voice information service, is obtained by voice from the speaker 220 of the connected mobile phone 200. When the “cancel” button 125 is pressed, the “voice service list” screen ends.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a so-called error message displayed on the display screen shown in FIG. 4 when the service period of the program of the audio information service selected by the user has expired. . That is, the display management unit 105 checks the date of each validity period in the table (see FIG. 3) stored in the auxiliary storage device 106, and for the program of the service whose period has expired,
Display the above error message to inform the user.

By depressing the "confirmation" button 126 on the error message display screen, the window is closed, and then the "voice service list" screen of FIG. 4 is displayed.

FIG. 6 shows a flow of processing by the display management unit 105 in the processing control unit 103 of the small portable information terminal device 100.

First, the display management unit 105 performs a so-called program list display for displaying the "voice service list" screen of FIG. 4 based on the voice service information table shown in FIG. 3 (step S501). Then, after waiting for an input from the user, it is determined whether or not the input is a selection of a program of the audio information service, that is, an item selection (step S502).

As a result of the discrimination in step S502, if the item is selected (that is, in the case of "Y" in the figure), the "program name" is displayed in reverse video (step S503: in other words, "" in FIG. 4). News)) and wait for the next input.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S502 is that there is no item selection (ie, "N" in the figure), it is further determined whether or not a "dial" button has been selected (step S504). Then, as a result of the above determination,
Selection of the "dial" button (that is, in the case of "Y" in the figure)
If so, dialing is automatically started (step S50).
5), end the processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S504 that the "dial" button is not selected (that is, "N" in the figure), the "cancel" button is further selected. It is determined whether or not the cancellation has been made (step S506). If it is not the cancellation (that is, in the case of “N” in the figure), the process returns to the determination processing of step S502. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S506 that the cancellation has been made (that is, “Y” in the figure), that is, if the “cancel” button has been selected, the processing of displaying the program list of the audio service ends.

Next, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the processing of displaying the program list of the audio service shown in FIG. 6 (step S501). In this process, first, the number of valid programs in the table is set to a variable i, "0" is set to a variable j, and the current date is set to a variable Date, and initialization is performed (step S601). This display processing is performed when the variable i is larger than the variable j, that is, until the number of valid programs is reached.

That is, after the initialization (step S601), it is determined whether or not the variable i is larger than the variable j (step S602). As a result, if the variable i is smaller than or equal to the variable j ("N"), the processing is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S602 that the variable i is larger than the variable j (in the case of “Y”), then it is determined whether or not Date exceeds the validity period of the j-th program. Is determined (step S603). As a result, if Date exceeds this validity period (">" in the figure)
), The error message window of FIG. 5 is displayed (step S606). On the other hand, if it is within the valid period, a program list of the program name and the telephone number is displayed (step S604), and then 1 is added to the variable j (step S605). Repeat the process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the error message window display process. In the error message window display processing, first, a character string to be displayed in the error message window is created from the program name in the audio information service management table shown in FIG. 3 (step S701). Thereafter, this error message window is displayed on the screen (step S
702). Subsequently, it is determined whether the “confirmation” button on the window has been pressed (step S703). If the “confirm” button on this window is not pressed (“N” in the figure), input is waited until this button is pressed. On the other hand, if the “confirmation” button is pressed (“Y” in the figure), the window display processing ends.

FIG. 9 shows a data receiving unit 10 in the processing control unit 103 of the small portable information terminal device 100.
4 is a flowchart of a process of No. 4; In addition, this processing is performed, for example, by a button (for example, “Receive Voice Service Information”) displayed on the display device 107 by the liquid crystal display device constituting the touch panel 120, although not shown, as required by the user
Button) with the touch pen 1 constituting the input unit 102.
Triggered by pressing with 10.

In the voice service data receiving process, first, the data receiving unit 104 in the processing control unit 103 automatically dials the host 500 of the communication carrier providing the voice information service. ,
As a result, the voice service information transmitted from the host 500 is received (step S801). Thereafter, the received data is registered in the auxiliary storage device 106 as the management table also shown in FIG. 3 (step S802),
The process ends.

In other words, according to the voice service data receiving process, the user can input information on the voice information service provided by the communication carrier, that is, the program name of the voice information service, its contents, the telephone number, and the like. It is possible to update the included voice service data at any time, and the user can always obtain the latest information.

In the small portable information terminal device and the voice service data management method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention, the voice service data displayed on the display device 107 by the liquid crystal display device constituting the touch panel 120 is provided. As an example, the audio service list shown in FIG. 4 has been exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to such display contents only. For example, as shown in FIG. In addition to the number, the content, the providing time, and the update cycle can also be displayed.

[0044]

As is apparent from the above detailed description, according to the small portable information terminal device and the voice service data management method thereof according to the present invention, the user relates to the voice information service provided by the communication carrier. Since data can be managed by the small portable information terminal device, there is no need to remember the program name and contents or the telephone number of a large number of voice information services. Whenever a service is required, the necessary information can be displayed on the small portable information terminal device.

According to the small portable information terminal device of the present invention, it is possible to access a necessary audio information service by a simple operation of simply selecting a desired program from a display screen on the display device. Can be done,
This improves the usability and at the same time increases the value of using voice information services.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a small portable information terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration external view showing an example of an external configuration of the small portable information terminal device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a management table of information on a voice information service transmitted from a communication carrier host used in the small portable information terminal device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a voice service list displayed on the small portable information terminal device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an error message displayed on the small portable information terminal device.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall process flow of a voice service data management method by a display management unit of the small portable information terminal device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a program list display process in the audio service data management method.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of an error display process in the voice service data management method.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of a data receiving unit process in the voice service data management method.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a display screen of a voice service list displayed on the small portable information terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 small portable information terminal device 103 voice service data processing unit 104 data receiving unit 105 display management unit 106 auxiliary storage device 107 display device 110 touch pen 120 touch panel 200 mobile phone 210 numeric keypad 220 speaker 230 microphone 300 connection cable 500 host

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A voice which is connectable to a line capable of information communication including a voice information service, transmits / receives information via the line, and outputs a voice information service obtained via the line as voice. A small portable information terminal device comprising: a transmitting / receiving unit including an output unit; and a voice service data processing unit that manages voice service data related to the voice information service via the transmitting / receiving unit. And a display device capable of displaying data, further comprising: a data receiving unit for receiving the voice service data via the transmitting / receiving unit; and the data receiving unit. Storage means for storing the voice service data received by the input unit; an input input from the input unit and the voice stored in the storage means A portable information terminal device comprising: a display management unit that manages display contents of the voice service data on the display device based on service data. 2. The small portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said transmission / reception unit and said voice service data processing unit are configured separately from each other. . 3. The small portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting / receiving unit and said voice service data processing unit are integrally formed. 4. The small portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the voice service data processing unit further automatically dials a telephone number of the voice service data displayed on the display device. A small portable information terminal device comprising means. 5. A voice service data management method for transmitting and receiving information by connecting to a line capable of information communication including a voice information service and managing voice service data related to the voice information service, comprising: A voice service data related to the voice information service obtained by accessing the host; temporarily storing voice service data related to the voice information service obtained from the host; a voice service related to the voice information service temporarily stored A voice service data management method, wherein predetermined processing is performed on voice service data related to the voice information service based on data and displayed.