Network systems

• US 5,381,466 A
• Filed: 03/29/1994
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamaguchi, Kazumasa, Shibayama, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US08/219,750
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/52, 379/100, 379/96, 395/2, 395/200, 395/600, 381/36, 381/44, 370/94.1, 370/94.2
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a terminal unit for processing voice information which is adopted in a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information. This disclosure also pertains to a group of such terminal units. In a case where a voice converter is not provided in the terminal unit or when the use of the voice converter is suppressed, the terminal unit converts received voice information into a medium other than voice, for example, into characters, and thereby conveys it to a receiver. In a case where the terminal unit which receives the voice information is not provided with the function of converting the received voice information into a medium other than voice, the terminal unit requests another terminal unit within the terminal unit group to convert the voice information into a medium other than voice and thereby conveys it to a receiver.

Claims

1. A network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, comprising:

a plurality of terminal units connected to said network system for converting the received voice information into character codes and for outputting the results of the conversion,

wherein each of said plurality of terminal units comprises;

reception means for receiving voice information;

conversion means for converting the voice information into character codes;

output means for outputting the information converted by said conversion means;

checking means for checking whether voice information reproduction means for reproducing and outputting the voice information is provided in that terminal unit; and

conversion control means for controlling said conversion means in a manner such that said conversion means is activated when said checking means confirms that voice information reproduction means is not provided in the terminal unit.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of terminal units further comprises:

suppression means for suppressing voice reproduction performed by the voice information reproduction means, and wherein said conversion control means further controls said conversion means in a manner such that it converts the voice information into character codes where reproduction by the voice information reproduction means is suppressed.

3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein said output means has display means for displaying the character codes in characters.

4. The network system according to claim 3, wherein said display means has notification means for notifying that the displayed characters are originally voice information.

5. The network system according to claim 4, wherein said notification means comprises:

window generation means for generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area of said display means;

division means for dividing the window generated by said window generation means into two areas; and

window display control means for controlling such that notification for notifying that the displayed characters are originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division means, while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

6. A network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, comprising:

a plurality of terminal units connected to the system,

wherein a subset of said plurality of terminal units which are located close to each other constitutes a group of terminal units, and each of said terminal unit groups includes;

first communication means for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups, and

conversion means for converting received voice information into character codes,

wherein said conversion means resides on a terminal unit in each of said terminal unit groups in order to centralize the conversion processing in each group,

wherein each terminal unit group includes one server type terminal unit having a computer for executing a specified job, at least one client type terminal unit having a computer for requesting said server type terminal unit to execute the specified job by sending necessary data and for receiving a result of the specified job, and a communication path for connecting said server type terminal unit, said one client type terminal unit and said first communication means, and

wherein said server type terminal unit includes said conversion means for converting the voice information.

7. The network system according to claim 6, wherein each of said client type terminal units comprises:

second communication means connected to said communication path for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal units, within the terminal unit group and for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups through said first communication means;

storage means for storing the voice information;

request means for reading out the voice information from said storage means and for requesting voice information conversion to said server type terminal unit; and

output means for receiving the results of the voice information conversion from said server type terminal unit and for outputting the results of the voice information conversion.

8. The network system according to claim 7, wherein said output means comprises:

display control means for controlling the display of the results of the voice information conversion; and

display means for displaying the results of the voice information conversion in characters on the basis of the control of said display control means.

9. The network system according to claim 8, wherein said display means has notification means for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information.

10. The network system according to claim 9, wherein said information means comprises:

window generation means for generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area displayed by said display means;

division means for dividing the window generated by said window generation means into two areas; and

window display control means for controlling such that notification for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division means while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

11. The network system according to claim 6, wherein each of said server type terminal units comprises:

third communication means connected to said communication path for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal units within the terminal unit group and for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups through said first communication means;

acceptance means for accepting the request for conversion of the voice information which is transmitted from said client type terminal unit;

control means for controlling said conversion means in a manner such that said conversion means is activated on the basis of the conversion request of the voice information accepted by said acceptance means; and

transmission request means for requesting said third communication means to transmit the information converted from the voice information by said conversion means to said client type terminal unit.

12. The network system according to claim 11, wherein said conversion means is adapted to convert the voice information into corresponding character codes.

13. The network system according to claim 6, wherein said communication path comprises a LAN (local area network).

14. A network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, comprising:

a plurality of terminal units connected to the system,

wherein subset of said plurality of terminal units which are located close to each other constitutes a group of terminal units, and each of said terminal unit groups includes;

first communication means for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups, and

conversion means for converting received voice information into character codes,

wherein said conversion means resides on a terminal unit in each of said terminal unit groups in order to centralize the conversion processing in each groups, and

wherein said first communication means comprises a gate way for accepting information from the terminal unit within the terminal unit group to which said first communication means belongs, transmitting the information to the other terminal unit groups, receiving information from the other terminal unit groups, and distributing the information to the terminal unit within the terminal unit group to which said first communication means belongs.

15. A terminal unit connected to a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, said terminal unit comprising:

reception means for receiving voice information through said network system;

conversion means for converting the voice information into character code information to be outputted;

output means for outputting the information converted by said conversion means;

checking means for checking whether voice information reproduction means for reproducing and outputting the voice information is provided in the terminal unit; and

conversion control means for controlling said conversion means in a manner such that said conversion means is activated when said checking means confirms that voice information reproduction means is not provided in the terminal unit.

16. The terminal unit according to claim 15, further comprises:

voice information reproduction means for reproducing and outputting the voice information;

suppression means for suppressing voice reproduction preformed by said voice information reproduction means; and

conversion control means for determining whether or not reproduction by said voice information reproduction means is suppressed and for controlling said conversion means such that it converts the voice information into character code information.

17. The terminal unit according to claim 15, wherein said conversion means is adapted to convert the voice information into corresponding character codes, and wherein said output means has display means for displaying the character codes in characters.

18. The terminal unit according to claim 17, wherein said display means has notification means for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information.

19. The terminal unit according to claim 18, wherein said notification means comprises:

window generation means for generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area of said display means;

division means for dividing the window generated by said window generation means into two area; and

window display control means for controlling such that notification for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division means, while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

20. A data processing method performed by a plurality of terminal units connected to a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information comprising:

a reception step of receiving the voice information;

a checking step of checking whether voice information reproduction facilities for reproducing and outputting the voice information is provided in that terminal unit;

a converting step of converting the received voice information into character code information;

a conversion control step of controlling said conversion step in a manner such that said conversion step is performed when said checking step confirms that voice information reproduction facilities are not provided in the terminal unit; and

an outputting step of outputting the results of the conversion.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising a reproduction step wherein the voice information reproduction facilities reproduce the voice information, and a suppression step of suppressing voice reproduction performed by the voice information reproduction facilities,

wherein said conversion control step further controls said converting step in a manner such that it converts the voice information into character codes when reproduction by the voice information reproduction facilities is suppressed.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein said outputting step includes a display step of displaying the character codes as characters.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said display step includes a notification step of notifying that the displayed characters represent originally voice information.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said notification step comprises:

a window generation step of generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area in said display step;

a division step of dividing the window generated by said window generation step into two areas; and

a window display control step of controlling such that notification of notifying that the displayed characters represent originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division step, while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

25. A data processing method performed by a plurality of terminal units connected to a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, comprising:

a configuration step of configuring a subset of the plurality of terminal units which are located close to each other as a group of terminal units;

a communication step of transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups; and

a conversion step of converting received voice information into character codes within each of the terminal units groups,

wherein said conversion step is performed in a unit in each of said terminal unit groups in order to centralize the conversion processing in each group,

wherein each terminal unit group includes one server type terminal unit having a computer for executing a specified job, at least one client type terminal unit having a computer for requesting said server type terminal unit to execute the specified job by sending necessary data and for receiving a result of the specified job, and a communication path for connecting said server type terminal unit, said one client type terminal unit and a first communication unit used by said communication step, and

wherein said server type terminal unit includes a conversion unit used by said conversion step for converting the voice information.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein each of said client type terminal units performs:

a second communication step, when connected to said communication path, of transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal units within the terminal unit group and for transmitting information to the receiving information from the other terminal unit groups through said first communication step;

a storage step of storing the voice information;

a request step of reading out the voice information stored by said storage step and for requesting voice information conversion to said server type terminal unit; and

an output step of receiving the results of the voice information conversion from said server type terminal unit and for outputting the results of the voice information conversion.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said output step comprises:

a display control step of controlling a display of the results of the voice information conversion; and

a display step of displaying the results of the voice information conversion as characters on the basis of the control of said display control step.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein said display step has a notification step of notifying that the display characters represent originally voice information.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said notification step comprises:

a window generation step of generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area displayed in said display step;

a division step of dividing the window generated by said window generation step into two areas; and

a window display control step of controlling such that notification for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division step while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

30. The method according to claim 25, wherein each of said server type terminal units performs:

a third communication step, when connected to said communication path, of transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal units within the terminal unit group and for transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups through said communication step;

an acceptance step of accepting the request for conversion of the voice information which is transmitted from said client type terminal unit;

a control step for controlling said conversion step in a manner such that said conversion step is activated on the basis of the conversion request of the voice information accepted by said acceptance step; and

a transmission request step of requesting said third communication step to transmit the information converted from the voice information by said conversion step to said client type terminal unit.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein said conversion step converts the voice information into corresponding character codes.

32. The method according to claim 25, wherein said communication path comprises a local area network.

33. A data processing method performed by a terminal unit connected to a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information comprising:

a reception step of receiving voice information through the network system;

a checking step of checking whether voice information reproduction facilities for reproducing and outputting the voice information as provided in the terminal unit;

a conversion step of converting the voice information into information corresponding to character code information;

a conversion control step of controlling said conversion step in a manner such that said conversion step is performed when it is confirmed by said checking step that said voice information reproduction facilities are not provided in the terminal unit; and

an output step of outputting the information converted in said conversion step.

34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising:

a voice information reproduction step of reproducing and outputting the voice information;

a suppression step of suppressing voice reproduction performed by said voice information reproduction step; and

a conversion control step of determining whether or not reproduction by said voice information reproduction step is suppressed and for controlling said conversion step to convert the voice information into character code information.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein said conversion step converts the voice information into corresponding character codes, and wherein said output step has a display step of displaying the character codes as characters.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein said display step has a notification step of notifying that the displayed characters represent originally voice information.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein said notification step comprises:

a window generation step of generating a window for defining a predetermined display area within a display area in said display step;

a division step of dividing the window generated by said window generation step into two areas; and

a window display control step of controlling such that notification for notifying that the displayed characters were originally voice information is displayed on one of the areas divided by said division step, while the characters converted from the voice information are displayed on the other area.

38. A data processing method performed by a plurality of terminal units connected to a network system for transmitting and receiving voice information, comprising:

a configuration step of configuring a subset of the plurality of terminal units which are located close to each other as a group of terminal units;

a communication step of transmitting information to and receiving information from the other terminal unit groups; and

a conversion step of converting received voice information into character codes within each of the terminal units groups, wherein the conversion step is performed in a terminal unit in each of said terminal unit groups in order to centralize the conversion processing in each group,

wherein said communication step comprises a step of accepting information from the terminal unit within the terminal unit group to which said communication step belongs, transmitting the information to the other terminal unit groups, receiving information from the other terminal unit groups, and distributing the information to the terminal unit within the terminal unit group to which said communication step belongs.