In-vehicle handsfree apparatus

• US 20090209295A1
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

An in-vehicle handsfree apparatus establishes a handsfree profile connection with each of a first cellular phone and a second cellular phone at the same time. When the first cellular phone is under telephone call, the second cellular phone receives an incoming call. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus receives from the second cellular phone a ring tone, which is previously registered in the second cellular phone. Herein, the in-vehicle handsfree apparatus does not output the ring tone registered in the second cellular phone. Instead, the in-vehicle handsfree apparatus generates a ring tone to thereby output it in addition to a reception sound received from the first cellular phone under the telephone call.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle handsfree apparatus comprising:

a handsfree connection section configured to establish a handsfree communication protocol connection with a cellular phone;

a ring tone reception section configured to receive a ring tone registered in a cellular phone, with which the handsfree connection section establishes a handsfree communication protocol connection;

a control section configured to

(i) output by using a reception sound output section a reception sound which is received from a cellular phone, which is under telephone call and with which the handsfree connection section establishes a handsfree communication protocol connection, and

(ii) output, when a cellular phone with which the handsfree connection section establishes a handsfree communication protocol connection receives an incoming call, a ring tone using a ring tone output section, the ring tone being received by the ring tone reception section from and registered in the cellular phone receiving the incoming call; and

a ring tone generation section configured to generate a ring tone,

the control section being further configured to

(i) establish a handsfree communication protocol connection with a plurality of cellular phones including at least a first cellular phone and a second cellular phone simultaneously, and

(ii) then output, in case that the second cellular phone receives an incoming call when the first cellular phone is under telephone call,

(a) a reception sound, which is received from the first cellular phone under the telephone call, via the reception sound output section, and, simultaneously,

(b) a ring tone, which is generated by the ring tone generation section, via the ring tone output section, without outputting a ring tone, which is received by the ring tone reception section from the second cellular phone and registered in the second cellular phone which is receiving the incoming call.

2. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a different phone interruption incoming call notice designation portion configured to designate a different phone interruption incoming call notice to be either in a validity mode or in an invalidity mode,

the control section being further configured to,

(i) when the different phone interruption incoming call notice is designated to be in the validity mode, output a ring tone, which is generated by the ring tone generation section, via the ring tone output section, and

(ii) when the different phone interruption incoming call notice is designated to be in the invalidity mode, not output the ring tone, which is generated by the ring tone generation section.

3. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a different phone incoming call interruption notice selection operation section configured for a user to select either the validity mode or invalidity mode of the different phone incoming call interruption notice,

the different phone interruption incoming call notice designation portion being further configured to designate either the validity mode or invalidity mode, which is selected by the user using the different phone interruption incoming call notice selection operation section.

4. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in case that the incoming call to the second cellular phone continues when the telephone call of the first cellular phone is completed,

the control section is further configured to output, via the ring tone out section, a ring tone, which is received by the ring tone reception section from the second cellular phone and registered in the second cellular phone which is receiving the incoming call, without outputting the ring tone, which is generated by the ring tone generation section.

5. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus according to claim 1,

the ring tone generation section being further configured,

in case that the first cellular phone, with which the handsfree connection section establishes the handsfree communication protocol connection, receives an incoming call when the first cellular phone is under the telephone call,

to generate a ring tone different from a ring tone which is transmitted from a communication network.

6. The in-vehicle handsfree apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a ring tone selection operation section configured for a user to operate in order to select a ring tone,

the ring tone generation section being further configured to generate a ring tone, which is selected by the user operating the ring tone selection operation section.

7. A method for an in-vehicle handsfree apparatus to notify an incoming call reaching one of cellular phones, with which the in-vehicle handsfree apparatus establishes a handsfree communication protocol connection, the method comprising:

establishing a handsfree communication protocol connection with a plurality of cellular phones including at least a first cellular phone and a second cellular phone;

receiving a reception sound received from the first cellular phone, which is under telephone call;

receiving a notice of an incoming call along with a registered ring tone from the second cellular phone when the second cellular phone receives the incoming call during the telephone call of the first cellular phone, the registered ring tone being previously registered in the second cellular phone, to thereby generate a ring tone for indicating the incoming call reaching the second cellular phone; and

outputting, together with the reception sound received from the first cellular phone, the generated ring tone for indicating the incoming call reaching the second cellular phone, without outputting the registered ring tone received from the second cellular phone, while receiving (i) the reception sound from the first cellular phone under the telephone call and (ii) the notice of the incoming call from the second cellular phone.