WO2005120026A1

WO2005120026A1 - Communication terminal and communication method

Info

Publication number: WO2005120026A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/010186
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ryoichi Yamada
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-06-04
Filing date: 2005-06-02
Publication date: 2005-12-15

Abstract

A communication terminal capable of selecting and determining, with ease of operation, the contents of a reply to a voice guidance, eliminating botheration, and reducing mishearing of the voice contents. The communication terminal (1) comprises a selecting/determining operation part (101), disposed at such a position on a case (11) that allows it to be operated during telephone conversation, for selecting a reply contents in response to a voice guidance outputted from a telephone receiving part (7) and determining the selected reply contents; a voice processing part (61) for converting the operation contents selected or determined by the selecting/determining operation part (101) into voice information and outputting it to the telephone receiving part (7); and a control part (6) for performing a control of transmitting the selected or determined reply contents to the transmission source of the voice guidance. The selecting/determining operation part (101) comprises a selecting operation part (101A) and a determining operation part (101B), which are disposed at such respective positions on the case (11) that they are opposed to each other about a telephone operation panel (102).

Description

Communication terminal and communication method

Technical field

The present invention relates to a communication terminal and a communication method, and particularly to a communication terminal such as a mobile phone, a PHS, a cordless telephone, a portable wireless device, and a communication method suitable for such a communication terminal.

Background art

[0002] Similar to a general wired telephone, a communication method using automatic voice guidance is frequently used in a mobile telephone. In this communication method using automatic voice guidance, options are explained from the other party that is the source, and the user replies to the corresponding content, so that the user's request Can be transmitted to the other party, and the purpose of both the other party and the user can be achieved.

[0003] FIG. 1 shows an operation procedure on the user side for automatic voice guidance in a mobile phone. First, the user starts communication with the other party, which is the source of the automatic voice guidance. Based on the user's own communication start signal, the other party sends information on automatic voice guidance to the user.

[0004] When this information is received by the user's mobile phone, automatic voice guidance is started as shown in steps S1 and S2. The specific content of the automatic voice guidance is, for example, "Thank you for using the automatic voice service. Enter the code you want to use. 1, weather forecast, pollen information, san, traffic information." This is a description of the numbered options. In this automatic voice guidance, a reply is required to the user side, such as "Please enter the code you want to use." Thereafter, the automatic voice guidance is in a waiting state.

[0005] In response to this reply request, the user takes his / her ear off the earpiece of the mobile phone as shown in step S3, selects the reply content as shown in step S4, and sets the response on the call operation panel. Visually find the corresponding number button. Then, as shown in step S5, the found number button is pressed. By pressing the number button, the reply content is confirmed and the status As shown in step S6, the reply content is transmitted to the other party. When this operation is completed, the user returns to the earpiece of the mobile phone as shown in step 7.

[0006] The other party accepts the contents of the reply from the user and proceeds with the automatic voice guidance procedure. If the reply content to the automatic voice guidance has been received (N0), a new automatic voice guidance is transmitted to the user side, and the operations shown in step 2 and thereafter are performed again.

[0007] When the response content to the automatic voice guidance has been received (YES), as shown in step 9, the automatic voice guidance ends, and the communication between the other party and the user ends.

[0008] A simple response system for replying to a received electronic mail with a one-touch key or voice to a mobile phone is described in Patent Document 1 below. A voice reply and transmission system for easily performing an information input operation of an e-mail is described in Patent Document 2 below. Further, a browser-equipped device that can be operated without looking at a display screen is described in Patent Document 3 below.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-045047

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-216215

Patent Document 3: JP-A-2002-169750

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] However, in the above-mentioned mobile phone, when selecting and confirming the reply content to the automatic voice guidance, the user takes his / her ear off the receiver and visually recognizes the number on the call operation panel. It requires a series of operations to search for the button, press the number button, and then return to the receiver. Since this operation is repeated until the automatic voice guidance is completed, there is a problem that the operability is poor and the operation is very troublesome. Furthermore, if the operation of returning the earpiece to the ear after selecting and confirming the reply content is troublesome, the next procedure of the automatic voice guidance may be missed.

[0010] An object of the present invention has been made in view of power points, and selects and confirms the content of a reply to voice guidance with good operability, eliminates annoyance, and reduces omission of voice content. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal and a communication method which can perform the communication. Means for solving the problem

[0011] A communication terminal according to the present invention is different from the call operation panel including the numeric keypad and the call operation panel of the housing, and is arranged at a position of the housing operable in a call state. The response content is selected for the voice guidance output from the receiver, and the selection and confirmation operation unit for confirming the selected response content, and the operation content selected or confirmed in the selection and confirmation operation unit as audio information And a control unit for controlling the transmission of the selected or determined reply content to the source of the voice guidance.

[0012] In the communication method according to the present invention, a step of selecting a reply content for voice guidance, a step of determining the selected reply content, and converting the selected or determined operation content into voice information. And a step of transmitting the selected or confirmed reply content to a source of the voice guidance, and a step of outputting the voice information to a user. The invention's effect

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to select and confirm the content of a reply to voice guidance with good operability, eliminate inconvenience, and reduce omission of voice content.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication terminal according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[FIG. 3] Specific configuration diagram of the communication terminal shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of the communication method shown in FIG. 4

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)

Embodiment 1 of the present invention describes an example in which the present invention is applied to a mobile phone or a PHS as a communication terminal. [Configuration of Communication Terminal]

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, communication terminal 1 according to Embodiment 1 is arranged at a position of housing 11 operable in a call state, and returns to voice guidance output from earpiece 7. A selection / confirmation operation section 101 for selecting the message content and confirming the selected reply content; and a voice processing section for converting the operation content selected or confirmed in the selection / confirmation operation section 101 into voice information and outputting it to the receiver 7. 61 and a control unit (terminal control unit) 6 for controlling transmission of the selected or confirmed reply content to the source of the voice guidance.

[0018] Further, communication terminal 1 receives a reception signal including information of voice guidance, transmits antenna 2 for transmitting a reply content as a transmission signal, reception section 3 for performing signal processing of the reception signal, and a transmission signal The transmitting unit 4 that performs signal processing, the line control unit 5 that controls the signal processing of the receiving unit 3 and the transmitting unit 4, and the selection or determination of the reply content is determined, and the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61. A judgment unit 62, a transmission unit 8 for making a call, a display unit 9 for outputting information of a reception signal or a transmission signal as text, graphics, a still image or a moving image, a selection confirmation operation unit 101, a voice processing unit 61, The control unit 6 controls the receiving unit 4, the transmitting unit 3, the line control unit 5, the determining unit 62, the receiving unit 7, the transmitting unit 8, and the display unit 9.

[0019] The front surface of the housing 11 of the communication terminal 1 (the surface facing the user in a call state; see FIG. 3) is provided with a call operation panel 102 including a numeric keypad. It is provided at another position of the housing 11 with respect to 102. The call operation panel 102 uses a numeric keypad to input telephone numbers, characters, symbols, and the like, and perform operations such as calling and disconnecting. Note that the call operation panel 102 and the selection confirmation operation unit 101 constitute the input unit 10 of the communication terminal 1.

[0020] In the first embodiment, selection confirming operation section 101 is provided with selecting operation section 101A for selecting reply contents and confirming operation section 101B for confirming reply contents. Button operation switches are used in both the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B. The selection operation unit 101A is disposed on one side of the housing 11 on the right side in FIG. 3 around the call operation panel 102, and the determination operation unit 101B is located on the left side in FIG. 3 around the call operation panel 102. The housing 11 is provided on the other side. That is, the communication terminal 1 is in a state where the user is holding the communication terminal 1 with his right hand and talking with the earpiece 7 put on his ear. For example, it is possible to operate the selection operation unit 101A with the thumb and to operate the confirmation operation unit 101B with the index finger, for example.

The positions of the switches of the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B are not limited to the positions shown in FIG. When the user is holding the communication terminal 1 and talking with the earpiece 7 against his ear, the user can operate the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B with his / her finger. Just fine. For example, the selection operation unit 101A may be arranged on the left side, and the confirmation operation unit 101B may be arranged on the right side. Alternatively, the selection operation unit 101A may be arranged on the left side, and the confirmation operation unit 101B may be arranged on the back or upper side.

[0022] [Communication method]

Next, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show an operation procedure on the user side of the above-mentioned communication terminal (mobile phone or PHS) 1 for automatic voice guidance. First, the user starts communication with the other party, which is the source of the automatic voice guidance. Based on the communication start signal from the user side, the other side transmits information of automatic voice guidance to the user side.

The information of the automatic voice guidance is received by the communication terminal 1 through the receiving antenna 2 shown in FIG. The information of the automatic voice guidance is output to the user through each of the receiving unit 4, the line control unit 5, the control unit 6, and the receiving unit 7, and the automatic voice guidance is started as shown in step S21. The specific content of the automatic voice guidance is, for example, “Thank you for using the automatic voice service. Enter the code you want to use. , Pollen information, san, traffic congestion information. " In this automatic voice guidance, as shown in step S22, it is required to reply to the user, such as "Please enter the code you want to use." Thereafter, the automatic voice guidance is in a waiting state.

[0024] In response to the reply request, the user puts his / her ear on the receiver 7 and, as shown in step S23, selects the selection operation unit of the selection confirmation operation unit 101 shown in Figs. Operate 101 A and select the reply content. The operation content of the selection operation unit 101A is determined by the determination unit 62 of the control unit 6, and a control signal (for example, an electric signal) corresponding to the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61 based on the determination result. . As shown in step S24, the audio processing unit 61 In, the voice information corresponding to the operation content of the selection operation unit 101A is output to the receiver 7. For example, when the user selects the option “san” by operating the selection operation unit 101A, the determination unit 62 determines that the operation content is “san”, and the voice processing unit 61 outputs a voice including “san”. The information is output to the receiver 7. As a result, as shown in step S11 of FIG. 5, a voice such as “select“ san ”” is output from the receiver 7. With the sound output from the receiver 7, the user can recognize the operation content by hearing while the receiver 7 is in contact with the ear.

[0025] As shown in step S25, the user determines whether or not the operation content is correct. If the operation is not correct, the operation of the selection operation unit 101A shown in step S23 is performed again. If the operation content is correct, the user operates the confirmation operation unit 101B of the selection confirmation operation unit 101 in the state where the user listens to the earpiece unit 7 and confirms the reply content as shown in step S26. . The content of the operation of the confirmation operation unit 101B is determined by the determination unit 62 of the control unit 6, and based on the determination result, the content of the reply according to the determination result As shown in step S27, the line control unit 5, the transmission unit 3 , And is transmitted to the other party of the transmission source through each of the antennas 2.

At the same time as transmitting the reply content to the other party, a control signal corresponding to the determination result is output to the voice processing unit 61 based on the determination result. The voice processing section 61 outputs voice information corresponding to the operation content of the confirmation operation section 101B to the receiving section 7. For example, the voice processing unit 61 outputs voice information including “san” to the receiver unit 7, and the receiver unit 7 outputs a voice such as “confirm“ san ””. The sound output from the receiver 7 allows the user to recognize the operation content by hearing while the receiver 7 is in contact with the ear.

[0027] On the other side, as shown in step S28, the reply content from the user side is accepted, and the procedure of the automatic voice guidance proceeds next. If the response to the automated voice guidance has not been received (NO), a new automated voice, such as "Please enter a region code ....", is displayed as shown in step 12 in Figure 5. Send the guidance to the user. The user continues to perform the processing from step S22 onward according to the automatic voice guidance.

If the reception of the reply content to the automatic voice guidance is completed (YES), step 29 As shown in, the automatic voice guidance ends, and the communication between the other party and the user ends.

[0029] According to the first embodiment, the selection confirmation operation unit 101 for selecting and confirming the reply content to the automatic voice guidance is arranged at the position of the housing 11 that can be operated in a call state, and is selected or confirmed. The received operation content can be output as a voice from the receiver 7, so that the user can select or confirm the reply content to the automatic voice guidance in a state in which the ear 7 is kept untouched, and The contents of the operation can be recognized by hearing. As a result, it is possible to provide a communication terminal 1 and a communication method capable of selecting and confirming a reply content to the automatic voice guidance with good operability, eliminating troublesomeness, and reducing omission of the automatic voice content. Can be.

[0030] Further, the selection / confirmation operation unit 101 can be provided at a position of the housing 11 which can be operated in a call state, and the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B are separated. Since it is arranged, the operability of selection or determination can be improved.

[0031] Further, by using the button-type switching switch for the selection / confirmation operation unit 101, versatility can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)

Embodiment 2 of the present invention describes another operation procedure on the user side for automatic voice guidance in communication terminal 1 according to Embodiment 1 described above.

In the communication method according to the second embodiment, after the reply request to the user is made in step S22 of FIG. 4 in the communication method according to the first embodiment, the user listens to earpiece 7. In the state where is pressed, the selection operation unit 101A of the selection confirmation operation unit 101 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is operated once as shown in step S31 in FIG. 6 (once in the button-type switching switch, once). ₀ The operation content of the selection operation unit 101A is determined by the determination unit 62 of the control unit 6, and a control signal corresponding to the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61 based on the determination result. . Here, since the selection operation unit 101A is operated once, the voice processing unit 61 outputs voice information including “1” to the reception unit 7 as shown in step S32. As a result, a sound such as "ichi" is output from the receiver 7. The voice output from the receiving section 7 allows the user to place the receiving section 7 against the ear. In this case, the operation content can be recognized by hearing.

[0034] As shown in step S33, the user determines whether or not the reply content is correct. If the content of the reply is not correct, operate the selection operation unit 101A once more (press it again in the button type switch). ₀ The operation contents of this selection operation unit 101A are determined by the control unit 6. The determination is performed by the unit 62, and a control signal corresponding to the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61 based on the determination result. Here, since the selection operation unit 101A is operated once more, the voice processing unit 61 outputs voice information including “ni” to the receiver 7 as shown in step S35. As a result, a sound such as "ni" is output from the receiver 7. By the sound output from the receiver 7, the user can recognize the operation content by hearing while the receiver 7 is in contact with the ear.

[0035] As shown in step S36, the user determines whether or not the reply content is correct. If the reply content is not correct, operate the selection operation unit 101A one more time (press it again in the button type switch). ₀ The operation contents of this selection operation unit 101A The determination is made by the determination unit 62, and a control signal corresponding to the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61 based on the determination result. Here, since the selection operation section 101A is operated once more, the voice processing section 61 outputs voice information including "san" to the reception section 7 as shown in step S38. As a result, a sound such as "san" is output from the receiver 7. The voice output from the receiver 7 allows the user to recognize the operation content by hearing while the receiver 7 is in contact with the ear.

[0036] As shown in step S39, the user determines whether or not the reply content is correct. If the reply is incorrect, proceed to the next step. If the reply content is correct, the user operates the confirmation operation unit 101B with the earpiece unit 7 listening, as shown in step S40, to confirm the reply content. The operation content of the confirmation operation unit 101B is determined by the determination unit 62 of the control unit 6, and based on the determination result, the reply content according to the determination result is transmitted through the line control unit 5, the transmission unit 3, and the antenna 2 at the source. Along with being transmitted to a certain partner, a control signal corresponding to the determination result is output to the audio processing unit 61 based on the determination result. The voice processing unit 61 outputs voice information corresponding to the operation content of the operation unit 101B for confirmation to the receiving unit 7. For example, the voice processing unit 61 receives voice information including "san" The sound is output to the unit 7, and a sound such as “confirm“ san ”” is output from the receiver 7. With the sound output from the receiver 7, the user can recognize the operation content by hearing while the receiver 7 is in contact with the ear. If the reply content is correct in step S33 and step S36, similar processing is executed.

In the second embodiment, the reply content can be selected according to the number of operations of the selection operation unit 101A, and a sound corresponding to the number of operations can be output for each operation. It is possible to select or confirm the content of the reply to the automatic voice guidance in a state where the user does not let go of the ear, and the operation content can be recognized by hearing. As a result, it is possible to provide a communication terminal 1 and a communication method that can select and confirm the content of a reply to the automatic voice guidance with good operability, can eliminate inconvenience, and can reduce omission of automatic voice content. Can be.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the communication terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, each of the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B of the selection / confirmation operation unit 101 includes a rotary dial-type switching switch, a stick-type switching switch, and the like. May be used. In addition, the selection confirmation operation section 101 may be configured such that one of them is formed by a button-type switching switch, and the other is formed by a rotary dial-type switching switch.

When the rotary dial type switching switch is used, there is an effect that the functions of the selection operation unit and the determination operation unit can be collectively integrated into one switch. As an example, this can be realized by providing a rotation dial type switching switch with rotation and pressing functions, allocating rotation to selection, and allocating pressing to finalization.

[0040] Similarly, when a stick-type switching switch is used, there is an effect that the functions of the selection operation unit and the determination operation unit can be combined into one switch. As an example, this can be realized by providing the stick-type switch with the functions of selecting and pressing up, down, left, and right directions, assigning directions to selection, and assigning pressing to finalization.

Further, in the communication terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, each of the selection operation unit 101A and the confirmation operation unit 101B of the selection / confirmation operation unit 101 has a vibration sensor disposed inside the housing. May be used. When a vibration sensor is used, selection and determination can be distinguished and realized by the number of vibrations, the direction of the vibration, the strength of the vibration, and the like.

When a vibration sensor is used, it becomes possible for the user to operate the switch without worrying about the position of the switch for selection or confirmation.

Furthermore, the communication terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention converts the operation content selected or confirmed by the selection / confirmation operation unit 101 into vibration information instead of the voice processing unit 61 of the control unit 6, A vibration information processing unit that outputs vibration information to the housing 11 may be provided. The vibration information processing unit can vibrate (vibrate) the housing 11 according to the operation content, and the user can select or confirm the reply content to the automatic voice guidance in a state where the user touches the earpiece unit 7 and does not release it. Can be recognized by the sense of touch. As a method of vibrating the housing 11 according to the operation content, there is a method of changing the number of vibrations and the intensity of the vibration, and the reply content can be selected or determined by this method.

Further, the communication terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include an electronic sound as the sound output from the receiver 7 and replace the number of times of outputting the electronic sound with the number of the option. No.

The present specification is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-167491 filed on Jun. 4, 2004. This content is included here.

Industrial applicability

[0047] The communication terminal and the communication method according to the present invention have the effect of selecting and confirming the content of a reply to voice guidance with good operability, eliminating inconvenience, and reducing omission of voice content. However, it is effective for devices that cannot directly operate the call operation panel during a call, such as portable radios and cordless phones that are not limited to mobile phones and PHS.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] Call control panel including numeric keypad,

This is a different surface to the call operation panel of the housing, is placed in a position where it can be operated in a call state, and selects the content of a reply to voice guidance output from the receiver. A selection confirmation operation unit for confirming the selected reply content;

An audio processing unit that converts the operation content selected or confirmed in the selection confirmation operation unit into audio information, and outputs the audio information to the reception unit;

A control unit that performs control to transmit the selected or confirmed reply content to the source of the voice guidance,

A communication terminal comprising:

[2] The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the selection confirming operation unit is a button type switch, a rotary dial type switch or a stick type switch.

[3] The selection confirmation operation unit includes a selection operation unit for selecting the reply content, and a confirmation operation unit for confirming the reply content,

The operation unit for selection is provided on one side surface of the housing around the call operation panel, and the operation unit for determination is provided on another side surface opposite to one side surface of the housing. Communication terminal described in 1.

[4] The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the selection confirmation operation unit includes a vibration sensor inside a housing.

[5] A vibration information processing unit for converting the content of the operation selected or confirmed by the selection / confirmation operation unit into vibration information and outputting the vibration information to the housing, instead of the voice processing unit. A communication terminal according to item 1.

[6] selecting a response to the voice prompt,

Confirming the selected reply content;

Converting the selected or determined operation content into audio information;

Transmitting the selected or confirmed reply content to the source of the voice guidance, and outputting the voice information to a user;

A communication method comprising: