Digital information apparatus and method for receiving an inbound videophone call notice while displaying digital information on display

• US 10,070,099 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwabuchi, Kazunori, Mizosoe, Hiroki, Shimoda, Mutsumi, Bondan, Setiawan, Sasamoto, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US15/631,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20170289502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401, 348 1402, 348 1403, 348 1404, 348 1405, 348 1406, 348 1407, 348 1408, 348 1409, 348 141, 348 1411, 348 1412, 348 1413, 348 1414, 348 1515, 348 1416, 37926503, 4554141, 455566, 704270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A videophone system includes a processor which selectively sets a television (TV) broadcast program viewing function mode and videophone function mode in response to manual operation of a remote control, a decoder which performs, in the TV program view mode, a TV program-use decode function for decoding a broadcast program signal received from a TV tuner to thereby display it on a display screen while producing audio sounds by loudspeakers and which performs, in the videophone function mode a videophone-use decode function for decoding a videophone signal received from a distant party to thereby display on the screen an image of the distant party using the screen and speakers, and an encoder which performs a videophone-use encode function for encoding a video signal from a camera and a voice signal from a microphone to generate a videophone signal, which is sent to the distant party via a network.

Claims

1. A digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a first digital information including a first video information and a first audio information from a content server and to receive a second digital information including a second video information and a second audio information from another communication apparatus;

an encoder configured to generate a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera and a third audio information by encoding an audio signal picked up by a microphone;

a processor configured to control outputs of the first video information, the second video information and the third video information on a display, and to control outputs of the first audio information and the second audio information to a speaker;

an echo canceller configured to remove a part of the audio signal from the output audio signal of the microphone, wherein the part of the audio signal which is removed is an audio signal from the speaker; and

a user input device configured to accept an input from a user;

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the another communication apparatus during outputting of the first video information received from the content server on the display and the first audio information from the content server to the speaker,

the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus;

communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information; and

outputs the second video information on the display, the second audio information processed by the echo canceller to the speaker and the third digital information to the another communication apparatus, and

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of the user input device as the input from the user and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.

2. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the part of the audio signal which is removed by the echo canceller comprises a first audio signal from the content server.

3. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the videophone call is finished, the processor restarts the process of receiving the first digital information.

4. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor stops an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the processor does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the another communication apparatus.

5. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 4, furthermore comprising:

a decoder configured to decode the first digital information received by the network interface or the second digital information received from the another communication apparatus.

6. A method for receiving and transmitting digital information for a digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a first digital information including a first video information and a first audio information from a content server;

receiving a second digital information including a second video information and a second audio information from another communication apparatus;

generating a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera and a third audio information by encoding an audio signal picked up by a microphone;

removing, by an echo canceller, a part of the audio signal from the output audio signal of the microphone, wherein the part of the audio signal which is removed is an audio signal output from a speaker; and

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the another communication apparatus during outputting the first video information received from the content server on the display and the first audio information from the content server to the speaker,

the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus;

communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information; and

outputs the second video information on the display, the second audio information processed by the echo canceller to the speaker and the third digital information to the another communication apparatus, and

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of a user input device and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.

7. The method according to claim 6,

wherein the part of the audio signal removed by the echo canceller comprises a first audio signal from the content server.

8. The method according to claim 7, furthermore comprising the step of:

restarting the process of receiving the first digital information after the videophone call is finished.

9. The method according to claim 8, furthermore comprising the step of:

stopping an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the another communication apparatus.

10. The method according to claim 9, furthermore comprising the step of:

decoding the first digital information received by a network interface or the second digital information received from the other communication apparatus.