Communication terminal apparatus

• US 5,216,517 A
• Filed: 08/26/1992
• Issued: 06/01/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Haruki, Motohama, Eishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US07/934,906
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/401, 358/402, 358/403, 358/404, 358/405, 358/406, 358/407, 358/434, 358/435, 358/436, 358/438, 358/439, 358/440, 358/442, 358/444, 379/100
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3239 Forwarding image data, e.g. to an absent recipient
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32704 Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32708 Telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32713 Data transmission device, e.g. switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32726 signals other than facsimile protocol signals, e.g. DTMF signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32797 Systems adapted to communicate over more than one channel, e.g. via ISDN changing transmission mode according to type of channel H04N2201/33364; multichannel or multilink communication protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0435 Details

Abstract

A communication terminal apparatus connected to a communication network through a data channel for transfer of line transaction data or packet transaction data and through a signal channel for control of a call to a communication destination party. Communication terminal apparatuses are connected to the communication network and subscriber numbers are usually previously designated, as identification data, to all subscribers of the communication network and as necessary, address data (referred to as subaddresses) arbitrarily set among some of these subscribers are attached to the subscriber numbers. These subscriber numbers and subaddresses are transmitted and received through the signal channel separately from transaction data transmitted and received through the data channel. The present apparatus performs predetermined control operations, depending on whether or not the then received subscriber number (subaddress, if necessary) coincides with one of the previously registered subscriber numbers (subaddresses); the operations include:

a) granting or rejecting the reception of the associated transaction data;

b) automatically transmitting the associated transaction data to another communication terminal; and

c) displays such auxiliary data as a previously registered subscriber'"'"'s name corresponding to the subscriber number.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus connected to a communication network through a data channel for transfer of line transaction data or packet transaction data and through a signal channel for control of a call from a transmitter to a communication destination party, the apparatus comprising:

a first memory for storing previously registered predetermined caller identification data to be transmitted through the communication network and the signal channel;

a second memory for temporarily storing received caller identification data each time the communication terminal apparatus receives caller identification data transmitted through the communication network and the signal channel from the transmitter;

a third memory for temporarily storing therein transaction data received through the communication network and the data channel;

a fourth memory for storing previously registered receiver registration identification data corresponding to a plurality of destination communication terminal apparatuses, to which the transaction data from a communication terminal apparatus associated with one of the caller identification data stored in the first memory is to be transmitted, the receiver registration identification data being stored in one of a one-to-one relationship, a one-to-plural relationship, and a plural-to-one relationship with the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory;

first control means for comparing the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory with the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory, and for transmitting the transaction data to the third memory upon detection of a coincidence between one of the predetermined caller identification data and the received caller identification data;

second control means for automatically calling one of the receiver registration identification data stored in the fourth memory corresponding to the coincided predetermined caller identification data; and

third control means for automatically transferring the transaction data stored in the third memory to one or more of the plurality of destination communication terminal apparatuses associated with the receiver registration identification data,

whereby the transaction data is transferred between the transmitter and the one or more of the plurality of destination communication terminal apparatuses with the communication terminal apparatus functioning as a relay station in accordance with the relationship between the transmitter and the previously registered receiver registration data stored in the fourth memory.

2. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

display means;

a fifth memory for storing in the receiver terminal, as knowledge data, previously registered document data including proper nouns such as a subscriber'"'"'s company titles, person names, and notes, in association with the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory; and

fourth control means for comparing the predetermined caller identification data with the receiver caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory, for reading out one of the document data from the fifth memory upon detection of a coincidence between the predetermined caller identification data and the received caller identification data, and for displaying the readout document data on the display means,

wherein the communication terminal apparatus functions as a private database which is automatically invoked through the first through third memories and the fourth control means, in response to a call from the transmitter.

3. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the fifth memory comprises a detachable external memory IC card.

4. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting a communication disable state of the apparatus;

a seventh memory for storing the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory;

an eighth memory for storing previously registered message data notifying return of the apparatus to a communication enable state from the communication disable state; and

sixth control means for transferring and storing the received caller identification data stored in the second memory to the seventh memory when the sensor detects the communication disable state, and for automatically calling the received caller identification data stored in the seventh memory and automatically transferring the message data stored in the eighth memory to the at least one of the destination communication terminal apparatuses associated with the predetermined caller identification data upon detection of the communication enable state by the sensor.

5. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the apparatus is a facsimile machine and the sensor detects an out-of-recording-paper state of the facsimile machine.

6. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and fourth memories comprises a detachable external memory IC card.

7. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the predetermined caller identification data and the received caller identification data include at least one of a subscriber number previously designated to one of a plurality of subscribers of the communication network, and subaddress data arbitrarily set among subscribers as data additional to the subscriber number.

8. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

signal-reception-condition setting means for setting reception conditions of the transaction data transmitted through the communication network and the data channel; and

fourth control means for carrying out retrieval of the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory based on the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory when the conditions set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are satisfied, and causing unconditional rejection of reception of the transaction data when the conditions set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are not satisfied.

9. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the signal-reception-condition setting means comprises:

timer means for setting a desired time; and

means for setting a flag when the predetermined caller identification data coincides with the received caller identification data, and when the desired time set by the timer means is valid,

wherein the conditions set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are satisfied when the flag is set.

10. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

signal-reception-condition setting means for setting reception conditions of the transaction data transmitted through the communication network and the data channel; and

fourth control means for carrying out retrieval of the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory based on the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory when the condition set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are satisfied, and causing unconditional granting of reception of the transaction data when the conditions set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are not satisfied.

11. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein the signal-reception-condition setting means comprises:

timer means for setting a desired time; and

means for setting a flag when the predetermined caller identification data coincides with the received caller identification data, and when the desired time set by the timer means is valid,

wherein the conditions set by the signal-reception-condition setting means are satisfied when the flag is set.

12. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the caller identification data includes both the subscriber number and subaddress data, the apparatus further comprising:

a sixth memory for storing previously registered mode data, as a table, indicative of at least one operational mode of the apparatus, the mode data comprising at least part of the subaddress data; and

fifth control means for comparing the predetermined subscriber number and the subaddress data with the received caller subscriber number and the received subaddress data, and upon detection of a coincidence, for reading out one of the mode data associated with the coincided subaddress data from the sixth memory, and for automatically carrying out the at least one operational mode corresponding to the readout mode data.

13. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the sixth memory comprises a detachable external memory IC card.

14. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the fifth control means causes retrieval from the first memory based on the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory with respect to both the subscriber number and the subaddress data.

15. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein the fifth control means causes retrieval from the first memory based on the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory with respect to only the subscriber number, and wherein the subaddress data is used exclusively to select the mode data.

16. The communication terminal apparatus connected to a communication network through a data channel for transfer of line transaction data or packet transaction data and through a signal channel for control of a call from a transmitter to a communication destination party, the apparatus comprising:

a first memory for storing previously registered predetermined caller identification data, related to a plurality of subscribers, to be transmitted through the communication network and the signal channel;

a second memory for temporarily storing received caller identification data each time the communication terminal apparatus receives caller identification data transmitted through the communication network and the signal channel from the transmitter;

display means;

a third memory for temporarily storing, as knowledge data, document data including proper nouns, such as subscriber company titles, person names, and notes, in association with the caller identification data stored in the first memory; and

control means for comparing the predetermined caller identification data stored in the first memory with the received caller identification data temporarily stored in the second memory, for reading out one of the document data from the third memory upon detection of a coincidence between the predetermined caller identification data and the received caller identification data, and for displaying the readout document data on the display means,

wherein the communication terminal apparatus functions as a private database which is automatically invoked through the first through third memories and the fourth control means, in response to a call from the transmitter.

17. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the predetermined caller identification data and the received caller identification data include at least one of a subscriber number previously designated to one of the plurality of subscribers of the communication network, and subaddress data arbitrarily set among the plurality of subscribers as data additional to the subscriber number.

18. The communication terminal apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein at least one of the first and third memories comprises a detachable external memory IC card.