Method for displaying calling party information in network telephone system, and network telephone system, gateway apparatus, and information terminal

• US 20030198323A1
• Filed: 03/21/2003
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,433,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

An object of the invention is to enable the user, in the case of a wired telephone, to check an incoming call even when the user is not present near the telephone and, regardless of the type of the telephone, enable the user to check calling party information when a call arrives. A gateway apparatus associates a PDA with a NET telephone connected to a LAN and, upon receiving an incoming call to the NET telephone, notifies the PDA of the calling telephone number received from a local exchange. When the incoming call notification is received from the gateway apparatus, the PDA causes a ringing tone to sound and displays the received calling telephone number. Further, based on the calling telephone number, the PDA searches telephone directory data stored therein and displays calling party information such as the caller'"'"'s name.

Claims

1. A method for displaying calling party information received from an external public network, in a network telephone system in which a telephone terminal for communication network connection and an information terminal are connected to the external public network via a gateway apparatus having a protocol conversion function and other functions, the method comprising:

managing the telephone terminal and the information terminal by the gateway apparatus by associating the telephone terminal with the information terminal,

when the calling party information transmitted from the external public network to the telephone terminal is received, allowing the gateway apparatus to notify the information terminal associated with the telephone terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, of the received calling party information, and

displaying the calling party information on the information terminal which is notified of the calling party information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling party information is transmitted when an incoming call to the telephone terminal arrives from the external public network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling party information is transmitted when an interrupt request to the telephone terminal during a call occurs from a third party.

4. A network telephone system comprising:

a telephone terminal for communication network connection;

a information terminal; and

a gateway apparatus having a protocol conversion function and other functions for connection to an external public network, wherein

the gateway apparatus manages the telephone terminal and the information terminal by associating the telephone terminal with the information and, when the calling party information transmitted from the external public network to the telephone terminal is received, the gateway apparatus notifies the information terminal associated with the telephone terminal to which the information is to be transmitted, of the received calling party information, and

the information terminal which is notified of the calling party information displays the received calling party information.

5. The network telephone system of claim 4, wherein the external public network to which the gateway apparatus is connected includes at least two networks selected from among an analog telephone network, a packet communication telephone network, and a broadband telephone network.

6. The network telephone system of claim 4, wherein the information terminal is a portable terminal that a user can carry, and communicates information with the gateway apparatus via a wireless link.

7. A gateway apparatus which, together with a telephone terminal for communication network connection and an information terminal, forms a network telephone system, and which has a protocol conversion function and other functions for connection to an external public network, the gateway apparatus comprising:

managing means for managing the telephone terminal and the information terminal by associating the telephone terminal with the information terminal;

receiving means for receiving calling party information transmitted from the external network to the telephone terminal; and

notifying means for searching through the managing means for the information terminal associated with the telephone terminal to which the calling party information received by the receiving means is to be transmitted, and for notifying the searched information terminal of the received calling party information.

8. The gateway apparatus of claim 7, wherein the managing means manages the status of every connected information terminal by performing communication with the information terminal at predetermined intervals of time, and

when the information terminal which is to be notified of the calling party information does not respond to the communication from the managing means, the notifying means stores the calling party information of which the information terminal is to be notified, and when a response from the information terminal to the managing means is detected, the notifying means notifies the information terminal of the stored calling party information.

9. The gateway apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gateway apparatus is capable of connecting to at least one external public network selected from among an analog telephone line, a packet communication telephone network, and a broadband telephone network.

10. An information terminal connectable to a network telephone system which includes a telephone terminal for communication network connection and a gateway apparatus having a protocol conversion function and other functions for connection to an external public network, the information terminal comprising:

display control means for performing control so that calling party information transmitted from the external public network to the telephone terminal, and received by the gateway apparatus, is displayed on the information terminal when the information terminal is notified of the received calling party information from the gateway apparatus.

11. The information terminal of claim 10, further comprising information managing means for managing personal information including telephone numbers as a data base, and

wherein, when the information terminal is notified of a telephone number as the calling party information from the gateway apparatus, the display control means searches the data base in the information managing means and, if personal information that matches the telephone number is found, performs control so as to display the thus found personal information together with information that identifies the telephone terminal to which the calling party information is directed.

12. The information terminal of claim 10, further comprising information storing means for storing the calling party information received from the gateway apparatus, and wherein, when a predetermined operation is performed, the display control means performs control so that the calling party information stored in the information storing means is displayed in the form of an incoming call history.

13. The information terminal of claim 10, further comprising sounding means for sounding a ringing tone when the information terminal is notified of the calling party information from the gateway apparatus.

14. A program for causing a computer to function as an information terminal, comprising:

receiving calling party information of which the information terminal is notified from a gateway apparatus receiving the calling party information which is transmitted from an external public network to a telephone terminal,

displaying the calling party information of which the information terminal is notified, on display means.

15. The program of claim 14, further comprising:

when the information terminal is notified of a telephone number as the calling party information from the gateway apparatus, searching a data base in the information managing means for managing personal information including telephone numbers as the data base and,

when personal information that matches the telephone number is found, displaying the thus found personal information together with information that identifies the telephone terminal to which the calling party information is directed.

16. The program of claim 14, further comprising:

when a predetermined operation is performed, displaying the calling party information stored in the information storing means for storing the calling party information received from the gateway apparatus, in the form of an incoming call history.

17. The program of claim 14, further comprising:

sounding a ringing tone when the information terminal is notified of the calling party information from the gateway apparatus.

18. A computer readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for causing a computer to function as an information terminal, the program comprising:

receiving calling party information of which the information terminal is notified from a gateway apparatus receiving the calling party information which is transmitted from an external public network to a telephone terminal,

displaying the calling party information of which the information terminal is notified, on display means.

19. The computer readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises:

when the information terminal is notified of a telephone number as the calling party information from the gateway apparatus, searching a data base in the information managing means for managing personal information including telephone numbers as the data base and,

when personal information that matches the telephone number is found, displaying the thus found personal information together with information that identifies the telephone terminal to which the calling party information is directed.

20. The computer readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises:

when a predetermined operation is performed, displaying the calling party information stored in the information storing means for storing the calling party information received from the gateway apparatus, in the form of an incoming call history.

21. The computer readable recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program further comprises:

sounding a ringing tone when the information terminal is notified of the calling party information from the gateway apparatus.