Method of operating cordless telephone system

• US 5,253,287 A
• Filed: 09/23/1991
• Issued: 10/12/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Yoshisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US07/764,234
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/61, 379/67, 379/88, 379/213, 379/214, 455/54.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724

Abstract

A method of operating a cordless telephone system includes the steps of: waiting an incoming call; automatically answering the incoming call and setting the system to a monitoring mode; continuing the monitoring mode as far as it is confirmed that there is a radio connection between a single portable terminal and a main terminal; detecting the termination of communications; and restoring the system to the waiting state in response to the termination of the communications. During a period of monitoring, switching noises are eliminated from monitoring voice because the portable terminals do not transmit data for maintaining the connection to the main terminal in turn.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cordless telephone system, the cordless telephone system including a main telephone terminal device including a telephone line administration means connectable to a telephone line for voice communicating with another terminal through said telephone line, radio communication means for transmitting voice communications held by said telephone line administration means with another terminal by radiowaves, receiving radiowaves, and supplying a voice information contained in the received radiowaves on said telephone line through said telephone line administration means, and automatic answering means for automatically answering an incoming call from another terminal through said telephone line, and a plurality of portable telephone terminal devices including voice receiving means each for receiving and converting the radiowaves from said main telephone terminal device to voice and outputting the same, voice transmitting means for converting the voices to radiowaves and transmitting the same, and frequency switching means for switching the radio frequencies of said voice receiving means and said voice transmitting means, said method comprising the steps of:

waiting until the telephone line administration means detects an incoming call from another terminal through said telephone line;

initiating monitoring by starting communications with a calling party by automatically answering by the use of the automatic answering means and simultaneously setting the cordless telephone system to a monitoring mode in response to the detection of the incoming call;

confirming the establishment of radio connection between only a single one of the portable telephone terminal devices and the main telephone terminal device and holding said cordless telephone system to said monitoring mode as far as it is confirmed;

detecting the terminal of the voice communications; and

restoring the cordless telephone system to said waiting step from said monitoring mode in response to the detection of the termination of said voice communications.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said step of initiating monitoring comprises the steps of:

establishing line connection between said main telephone terminal device and a call origination station in response to the detection of said incoming call;

enabling said automatic answering means, said voice receiving means of all of said portable telephone terminal devices, and said voice transmitting means of said single one of said portable telephone terminal devices in response to the detection of said incoming call;

setting the frequency of each of said voice receiving means to a first frequency and setting the frequency of an enabled voice communication means to a second frequency; and

broadcasting the voice communications with said call origination station through said line by means of a first radio communication means at said first frequency.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said step of initiating monitoring further comprises a step of enabling said automatic recording means in response to the detection of said incoming call.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of enabling further includes enabling a voice recording means of the automatic recording means for recording said voice communications as voice signals.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring if a request for communications with said call origination station is generated in each of said portable telephone terminal devices during said monitoring; and

establishing communication connection between said call origination station and said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated in response to the generation of said request for communications.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said step of establishing communication connection includes the steps of:

transmitting a communication request generation signal to said second radio communication means at said third frequency from said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated; and

establishing a radio communication path between said second radio communication means and said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated in response to said communication request generation signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said step of transmitting the communication request generation signal includes the steps of:

enabling said voice transmitting means; and

switching the frequencies of said voice receiving means and said enabled voice transmitting means to said third and said fourth frequencies, respectively.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said step of establishing the radio communication path includes the steps of:

enabling a second radio communication means in response to said communication request generation signal;

transmitting a command instructing to establish said radio communication path to said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated at said third frequency; and

radio-connecting said voice receiving means and said voice transmitting means to said second radio communication means in response to the command instructing to establish said radio communication path in said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of disabling said voice receiving means and said voice transmitting means in each of said portable telephone terminal devices other than said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated in response to said communication request generation signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of disabling said first radio communication means in response to said communication request generation signal in said main telephone terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of disabling said automatic answering means in response to said communication request generation signal.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of disabling said automatic recording means in response to said communication request generation signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said restoring step includes the steps of:

disabling said voice transmitting means of each of said portable telephone terminal devices;

setting the frequency of said voice receiving means of each of said portable telephone terminal devices to said first frequency;

disabling said first and second radio communication means; and

starting monitoring a line by said line administration means.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said first and second frequencies are the same.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said third and fourth frequencies are the same.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said cordless telephone system includes three or more of said portable telephone terminal devices.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said cordless telephone system includes three or more of said portable telephone terminal devices.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said cordless telephone system further includes automatic recording means responsive to the detection of said incoming call for automatically recording voice communications held by said telephone line administration means with another terminal, and

said step of initiating monitoring further includes a step of enabling said automatic recording means in response to the detection of said incoming call.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said automatic recording means includes voice recording means for recording said voice communications as voice signals.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring if a request for communications with said call origination station is generated in each of said portable telephone terminal devices during said monitoring; and

establishing communication connection between said call origination station and said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated in response to the generation of said request for communications.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said step of establishing communication connection includes the steps of:

transmitting a communication request generation signal to said second radio communication means from said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated at said third frequency; and

establishing a radio communication path between said second radio communication means and said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated in response to said communication request generation signal.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said step of transmitting the communication request generation signal includes the steps of:

enabling said voice transmitting means; and

switching the frequencies of said voice receiving means and said enabled voice transmitting means to said third and fourth frequencies, respectively.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said step of establishing the radio communication path includes the steps of:

enabling said second radio communication means in response to said communication request generation signal;

transmitting a command instructing to establish said radio communication path to said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated at said third frequency; and

radio-connecting said voice receiving means and said voice transmitting means to said second radio communication means in response to the command instructing to establish said radio communication path in said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising a step of disabling each of said voice receiving means and said voice transmitting means in response to said communication request generation signal in each of said portable telephone terminal devices other than said portable telephone terminal device where said request for communications is generated.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising a step of disabling said first radio communication means in response to said communication request generation signal in said main telephone terminal device.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising a step of disabling said automatic answering means in response to said communication request generation signal.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising a step of disabling said automatic recording means in response to said communication request generation signal.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein said restoring step includes the steps of:

disabling said voice transmitting means of each of said portable telephone terminal devices;

setting the frequency of said voice receiving means of each of said portable telephone terminal devices to said first frequency;

disabling said first and second radio communication means; and

starting monitoring of a line by said line administration means.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said first and second frequencies are the same.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein said third and fourth frequencies are the same.