Mobile phone system with incoming melody designating function and mobile phone

• US 20050090292A1
• Filed: 10/21/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yasutake, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/04 the calling signal being supplied from the final selector
• 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

Abstract

A mobile phone system in which the incoming melodies, used in making a call, are not registered at the outset, and a desired incoming melody, out of plural incoming melodies, stored in a network server, may be selected and designated, so that a large variety of incoming melodies may be optionally designated each time a call is made. In a network server 103, there are stored plural incoming melodies. When making a call, a transmitting party selects, from a transmitting side mobile phone 101, an incoming melody for a receiving party, from the list of the incoming melodies in the network server 103, and transmits an ID corresponding to the selected incoming melody as a call signal to the network 102. The network server 103 reads out incoming melody data from the designated ID to send the so read-out data to an incoming side mobile phone 106.

Claims

1. A mobile phone system having an incoming melody designating function, said system comprising mobile phones, a network to which said mobile phones are connectable, and a network server for storing a plurality of incoming melody data in association with identifiers (IDs) thereof;

any one of said mobile phones including means for retrieving a list of incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating, by said ID, a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function;

means for appending an ID of the selected incoming melody to transmission information that includes a contact site of a counterpart party, to send out the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, and means for extracting an incoming melody data to replay said incoming melody data by incoming announcing means, on receipt of the incoming information including said incoming melody data from said network;

said network including means for extracting the ID of said incoming melody from the transmission information, received from said mobile phone, and having the ID of said incoming melody appended thereto, and for transmitting the extracted ID to said network server, and means for appending incoming melody data corresponding to said ID, received from said network server, to the incoming information, corresponding to said transmission information, and for transmitting the melody data-incoming information to another mobile phone specified by said transmission information;

said network server including means for reading out an incoming melody data corresponding to said ID thereof on receipt of said ID from said network and for transmitting the so read-out incoming melody data to said network.

3. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1, wherein the mobile phone includes means for setting a manner mode, means for halting the replay of said incoming melody data when said manner mode has been set and when said incoming information added by said incoming melody data has been received from said network, means for storing at least the incoming melody data when said incoming information added by said incoming melody data has been received, and means for extracting said stored incoming melody data by release of said manner mode or by opening the incoming information for replaying said incoming melody by incoming announcing means.

4. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1 wherein the mobile phone includes means for setting a manner mode, means for transmitting to said network the information to the effect that the manner mode has been set, when said manner mode has been set and when the incoming information added by said incoming melody data has been received, and means for halting the replay of said incoming melody data.

5. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1 wherein the mobile phone includes means for setting a manner mode, and means for transmitting the manner mode setting information to said network on receipt of a manner mode setting conformation signal from said network;

said network including means for transmitting said manner mode setting conformation signal to another mobile phone specified by said transmission information, and means for halting the transmission of said incoming melody data to said other mobile phone on receipt of the information indicating the setting of said manner mode from said other mobile phone.

6. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1 wherein the mobile phone includes means for transmitting unique melody data formulated by a transmitting party or sound data, obtained on recording a speech, to said network server, as incoming melody data to said network server for registration therein;

and wherein

said network server includes original incoming melody storage unit for registering unique melody data, formulated by a transmitting party, or sound data obtained on recording the speech, as said ID is appended to said unique melody data or sound data.

7. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1, wherein said network server includes means for transmitting to said network the incoming melody data read out at random from a specified genre, when an ID received over said network from said mobile phone specifies the genre of the incoming melody.

8. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1, wherein said mobile phone includes an incoming melody designation melody name hysteresis storage unit for storing the hysteresis of said incoming melodies designated in the past and means for selecting and designating said incoming melody ID from said incoming melody designation melody name hysteresis storage unit.

9. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1 wherein said network server is a contents provider server for storage not only of said incoming melody data but of a variety of application data in association with an identifier (ID), and includes means for selecting and reading out said application data corresponding to the ID designated from said mobile phone over said network, and means for transmitting the read-out application data over said network to an incoming side contact site from said mobile phone;

and wherein

said mobile phone includes means for acquiring a list of said applications from said contents provider server over said network, means for selecting one or more desired application data, to be sent to the incoming side mobile phone, from said list, and means for transmitting the information pertinent to the incoming side contact site to said contents provider server.

10. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 8 wherein said application data includes a game, wall paper and animation data.

11. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 8, wherein said mobile phone includes means for storing at least said application data on receipt of said incoming information added by said application data and means for executing the operation by said application data other than the stored incoming application data when the manner mode has been set and when the incoming information having said application data is received from said network.

12. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 1, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, by said ID, means for appending an ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information including the contact site of a counterpart party to transmit the ID-transmission information to said network, and means for extracting said incoming melody data on receipt of the incoming information including the incoming melody data from said network for replaying said incoming melody by incoming announcing means.

13. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 3, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, by said ID, means for appending the ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information including the contact site of a counterpart party and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data, on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data, for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, means for setting the manner mode, means for halting the replay of said melody data on receipt from said network of said incoming information having the incoming melody data under manner mode setting, means for storing at least said incoming melody data on receipt of said incoming information added by said incoming melody data, under manner mode setting, and means for extracting the stored incoming melody data, by manner mode releasing operation of incoming information opening operation, to replay the incoming melody by incoming announcing means.

14. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 4, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, by said ID, means for appending the ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information including the contact site of a counterpart party and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data, on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data, for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, means for setting the manner mode, means for transmitting the fact that the manner mode has been set to said network on receipt from said network of said incoming information having said incoming melody data under manner mode setting, and means for halting the replay of said melody data on receipt from said network of said incoming information having the incoming melody data under manner mode setting.

15. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 5, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody as selected by said retrieving function by said ID, means for appending the ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information including the contact site of a counterpart party and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data, on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data, for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, means for setting the manner mode, and means for transmitting the manner mode setting information to said network on receipt of said manner mode setting confirmation signal from said network.

16. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 6, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody as selected by said retrieving function by said ID, means for appending an ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information including the contact site of a counterpart party, and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data, for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, and means for transmitting unique melody data formulated by a transmitting party or speech data obtained on recording the voice as incoming melody data to said network server for registration therein.

17. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 8, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, by said ID, means for appending the ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information, including the contact site of a counterpart party, and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data, for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, incoming melody designation melody name hysteresis storage means for storing the hysteresis of said incoming melodies designated in the past, and means for referencing said incoming melody designation melody name hysteresis storage means for selecting said incoming melody ID.

18. A mobile phone used in the mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, as defined in claim 9, wherein said mobile phone includes means for retrieving a list of the incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating a desired 5 incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, by said ID, means for appending the ID of the selected incoming melody to the transmission information, including the contact site of a counterpart party, and for transmitting the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, means for extracting said incoming melody data on receipt from said network of the incoming information including the incoming melody data for replaying the incoming melody by incoming announcing means, means for acquiring a list of said applications from said contents provider server over said network, means for selecting one or two or more desired application data from said list for transmission to an incoming side mobile phone, and means for transmitting the information to an incoming side contact site to said contents provider server.

2. The mobile phone system having the incoming melody designating function, said system comprising mobile phones, a network to which is connected said mobile phone, and a network server for storing a plurality of incoming melody data in association with identifiers (IDs) thereof;

any one of said mobile phones including means for retrieving a list of incoming melodies stored in said network server, means for designating, by one of said IDs, a desired incoming melody, as selected by said retrieving function, means for appending an ID of the selected incoming melody to transmission information that includes a call signal or a mail address, to send out the resultant ID-transmission information to said network, and means for extracting an incoming melody data to replay an incoming melody data by incoming announcing means, on receipt of the incoming information including said incoming melody data from said network;

said network including means for extracting the ID of said incoming melody from the transmission information, received from said mobile phone, and having the ID of said incoming melody appended thereto, and for transmitting the extracted ID to said network server, and means for appending an incoming melody data corresponding to said ID, received from said network server, to the incoming information, corresponding to said transmission information, and for transmitting the melody data-incoming information to another mobile phone specified by said transmission information;

said network server including means for reading out an incoming melody data corresponding to said ID thereof on receipt of said ID from said network and for transmitting the so read-out incoming melody data to said network.