Multi-media communication apparatus

• US 5,309,434 A
• Filed: 09/04/1991
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Maekawa, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Application Number:
  US07/754,590
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/94.1, 370/94.2, 370/62, 370/110.1, 370/58.1, 370/58.2, 370/58.3, 379/34, 379/35, 379/93, 379/96, 379/112, 379/113, 379/114, 379/116, 379/119, 379/121, 379/126, 379/122, 379/130, 379/133, 379/135, 379/136, 379/164, 379/140, 358/440, 358/406, 358/400, 358/450, 358/462, 340/825.06, 340/825.17, 395/154
• US Class Current: 370/265
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/44 Augmented, consolidated or itemized billing statement or bill presentation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/58 based on statistics of usage or network monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0104 Augmented, consolidated or itemised billing statement, e.g. additional billing information, bill presentation, layout, format, e-mail, fax, printout, itemised bill per service or per account, cumulative billing, consolidated billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0188 Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0471 Terminal access circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/091 Indication of kind/number of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/103 Memories
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13 Charging
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 : Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 : ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13248 : Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/171 : Number indicating signals (no dial signals)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/332 : Broadband system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/908 : Multimedia

Abstract

A multi-media communication apparatus for communicating with a communication partner by using various kinds of media including image, voice and data. The communication apparatus has a memory for storing information on a communication on each medium, and forms and outputs a report for communication management from information on each communication. The communication management report can be formed manually or automatically and contains communication history along with images for identification of communication partners.

Claims

1. A multi-media communication apparatus comprising:

communication means for communicating with a partner'"'"'s apparatus by using different categories of data on a plurality of kinds of media;

memory means for storing information on a communication, which information is generated when the communication is performed by said communication means;

output means for visually outputting, as a communication report, the information on the communication stored by said memory means; and

edition means for editing the information on the communication stored by said memory means, said outputting means outputting the information edited by said edition means as a communication report,

wherein said edition means edits the information on the communication on each medium used by said communication means.

2. A multi-media communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication means effects a communication with the partner'"'"'s apparatus by using voice, an image and code data.

3. A multi-media communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising designation means for designating outputting of a communication report, said output means outputting a communication report in accordance with the designation from said designation means.

4. A multi-media communication apparatus comprising:

communication means for communicating with a partner'"'"'s apparatus by using different categories of data on a plurality of kinds of media;

memory means for storing information on a communication, which information is generated when the communication is performed by said communication means;

output means for visually outputting, as a communication report, the information on the communication stored by said memory means; and

edition means for editing the information on the communication stored by said memory means, said outputting means outputting the information edited by said edition means as a communication report,

wherein said edition means edits information on the media used by said communication means during one communication.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said communication means effects a communication with the partner'"'"'s apparatus by using voice, an image and code data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising designation means for designating outputting of a communication report, said output means outputting a communication report in accordance with the designation from said designation means.

7. A multi-media communication apparatus comprising:

communication means for communicating with a partner'"'"'s apparatus by using different categories of data on a plurality of kinds of media;

memory means for storing information on a communication, which information is generated when the communication is performed by said communication means;

output means for visually outputting, as a communication report, the information on the communication stored by said memory means; and

edition means for editing the information on the communication stored by said memory means, said outputting means outputting the information edited by said edition means as a communication report,

wherein said edition means edits a communication management report by using, as a parameter, at least one of the media which can be used for communication by said communication means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said communication means effects a communication with the partner'"'"'s apparatus by using voice, an image and code data.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising designation means for designating outputting of a communication report, said output means outputting a communication report in accordance with the designation from said designation means.

10. A multi-media communication apparatus, comprising:

communication means for effecting a communication on each kind of media including image, voice and data;

memory means for storing information on each communication;

formation means for forming a communication management report from the information on each communication; and

output means for outputting the communication management report formed by said formation means,

wherein said memory means stores information on the medium for each communication, and said formation means forms a communication management report based on the information on the medium for each communication.

11. A multi-media communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said output means outputs a communication management report by using, as a parameter, each of the kinds of media including image, voice and data.

12. A multi-media communication apparatus comprising:

communication means for a communication with a partner'"'"'s communication apparatus on each of kinds of media including image, voice and data;

memory means for storing an image sent from the partner'"'"'s communication apparatus and information on each communication;

formation means for forming a communication management report containing an image from the image and the information on each communication stored by said memory means; and

output means for outputting the communication management report formed by said formation means.

13. A multi-media communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising time monitoring means for automatically storing the image to be contained in a communication report, and first operation means for manually instructing the operation of storing the image.

14. A multi-media communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said memory means includes a first memory section for storing the image sent from the partner'"'"'s communication apparatus, and a second memory section for storing information on communication with the partner'"'"'s communication apparatus, and

wherein said formation means forms a communication management report by combining the image from said first memory section and the information from said second memory section.

15. A multi-media communication apparatus to claim 12, further comprising communication number management means for automatically forming and outputting a communication management report when information on a predetermined number of communications and relating images are stored by said memory means, and second operation means for manually instructing the operation of forming and outputting a communication report.

16. A multi-media communication method comprising:

a communication step of effecting a communication on each kind of media including image, voice and data;

a storage step of storing information on each communication;

a formation step of forming a communication management report from the information on each communication; and

an output step of outputting the communication management report formed in said formation step,

wherein, in said storage step, the information is stored on the medium for each communication, and

wherein in said formation step, the communication management report is formed based on the information on the medium for each communication.

17. A multi-media communication method comprising:

a communication step of effecting a communication with a partner'"'"'s communication apparatus on each of kinds of media including image, voice and data;

a storage step of storing an image sent from the partner'"'"'s communication apparatus and information on each communication;

a formation step of forming a communication management report containing an image from the image and the information on each communication stored in said storage step; and

an output step of outputting the communication management report formed in said formation step.