Telephone terminal, call system, internet terminal and terminal control program

• US 20040028198A1
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Ouchi, Tetsuya, Takahashi, Hideaki, Kabeya, Shozo, Kuwabara, Kazuhiro, Enomoto, Katsunori, Kato, Tokunori, Chida, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 7,551,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A call system for performing a voice call by an Internet call function using a known telephone terminal. In a multifunction machine serving as the telephone terminal, the output destination and the input source of audio signals input/output from/to a transmitter/receiver may be switched to an audio I/F. In the switched state, audio based on audio signals input/output from/to an outside source through the audio I/F is output/input from the transmitter/receiver. Therefore, when the multifunction machine is connected to a PC having the Internet call function such that audio signals can be input/output through an audio cable, an indirect audio call by the Internet call function with the transmitter/receiver is available. When an incoming call from a telephone line network is received, reception of the incoming call is notified so that a user can confirm the reception of the incoming call during the voice call by the Internet call function.

Claims

1. A telephone terminal for enabling a voice call by inputting/outputting audio based on audio signals transmitted through a telephone line network from a transmitter/receiver, the telephone terminal comprising:

an NCU capable of inputting/outputting audio signals through the telephone line network;

an audio input/output path provided besides the NCU and capable of inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source through an Internet network;

a switch device for switching an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from the transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver from the NCU to the audio input/output path according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a telephone call notification device for notifying reception of an incoming call from the telephone line network when the incoming call from the telephone line network is received in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the audio input/output path by the switch device.

2. The telephone terminal as set forth in claim 1, wherein the telephone call notification device makes audio indicating that an incoming call has been received from the telephone line network output from the transmitter/receiver.

3. A call system comprising:

an Internet terminal with an Internet call function allowing input/output of audio signals transmitted through an Internet network; and

a terminal device connected to the Internet terminal through an audio transmission path for transmitting audio signals, wherein the Internet terminal makes the terminal device output audio based on audio signals to thereby perform a voice call,

and wherein the terminal device is a telephone terminal including;

an NCU capable of inputting/outputting audio signals through the telephone line network;

an audio input/output path provided besides the NCU and capable of inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source through an Internet network;

a switch device for switching an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from the transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver from the NCU to the audio input/output path according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a telephone call notification device for noticing reception of an incoming call from the telephone line network when the incoming call from the telephone line network is received in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the audio input/output path by the switch device.

4. A call system comprising:

an Internet terminal with an Internet call function allowing input/output of audio signals transmitted through an Internet network; and

a terminal device connected to the Internet terminal through an audio transmission path for transmitting audio signals, wherein the Internet terminal makes the terminal device output audio based on audio signals to thereby perform a voice call,

and wherein the terminal device is a telephone terminal including;

an NCU capable of inputting/outputting audio signals through the telephone line network;

an audio input/output path provided besides the NCU and capable of inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source through an Internet network;

a switch device for switching an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from the transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver from the NCU to the audio input/output path according to a user'"'"'s operation; and

a telephone call notification device for notifying reception of an incoming call from the telephone line network when the incoming call from the telephone line network is received in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the audio input/output path by the switch device.

5. A call system comprising:

an Internet terminal with an Internet call function allowing input/output of audio signals transmitted through an Internet network; and

a telephone terminal for performing a voice call by inputting/outputting audio based on audio signals transmitted through a telephone line network from a transmitter/receiver, the telephone terminal being connected to the Internet terminal through an audio transmission path for transmitting audio signals and a control transmission path for transmitting control signals,

wherein the Internet terminal includes;

an Internet terminal side audio input/output path for inputting/outputting audio signals from/to the telephone terminal through the audio transmission path,

an Internet terminal side control output path for outputting control signals to the telephone terminal through the control transmission path, and

a notification signal output device for outputting a notification signal as a control signal for noticing an enabled voice call by the Internet call function to the telephone terminal through the Internet terminal side control output path and the control transmission path when the voice call is enabled,

and wherein the telephone terminal includes;

a telephone terminal side audio input/output path for inputting/outputting audio signals from/to the Internet terminal through the audio transmission path,

a telephone terminal side control input path for inputting control signals from the Internet terminal through the control transmission path,

a switch device for switching an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from the transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver between an NCU of the telephone terminal and the telephone terminal side audio input/output path according to a user'"'"'s operation, and

an Internet call notification device for notifying an enabled voice call by the Internet call function when the notification signal is input from the Internet terminal through the control transmission path and the telephone terminal side control input path in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the NCU of the telephone terminal by the switch device.

6. The call system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the Internet call notification device included in the telephone terminal makes audio indicating the enabled voice call by the Internet call function output from the transmitter/receiver.

7. An Internet terminal with an Internet call function allowing input/output of audio signals transmitted through an Internet network, the Internet terminal comprising:

an audio input/output path for inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source through an audio transmission path for transmitting audio signals;

a control output path for outputting control signals to an outside source through a control transmission path for transmitting control signals; and

a notification signal output device for outputting a notification signal as a control signal for notifying an enabled voice call by the Internet call function to the control transmission path through the control output path when the voice call is enabled.

8. A terminal control program to make a computer system execute a variety of processes for controlling a telephone terminal that performs a voice call by inputting/outputting audio based on audio signals transmitted through a telephone line network, the terminal control program including:

a switching process to switch an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from a transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver from the NCU of the telephone terminal to an audio input/output path for inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source; and

a telephone call notification process to notify reception of an incoming call from the telephone line network when the incoming call from the telephone line network is received in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the audio input/output path in the switching process.

9. A terminal control program to make a computer system execute a variety of processes for controlling a telephone terminal that performs a voice call by inputting/outputting audio based on audio signal transmitted through a telephone line network, the terminal control program including:

a switching process to switch an output destination of audio signals based on audio input from a transmitter/receiver and an input source of audio signals to be output as audio from the transmitter/receiver between either the NCU of the telephone terminal or an audio input/output path capable of inputting/outputting audio signals from/to an outside source; and

an Internet call notification process to notify the nature of a control signal when the control signal is input from the outside source through a control input path for inputting a control signal in the state in which the output destination and the input source of audio signals have been switched to the telephone line network in the switching process.

10. A terminal control program to make a computer system execute a variety of processes for controlling an Internet terminal with an Internet call function allowing input/output of audio signals transmitted through an Internet network, the terminal control program including a notification signal output process to output a notification signal as a control signal for notifying an enabled voice call by the Internet call function through a control transmission path for transmitting control signals when the voice call is enabled.