TV telephone system which sends and receives image data to another TV telephone system and having power supply and image display control

• US 5,528,285 A
• Filed: 04/25/1994
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Morikawa, Shigenori, Tsukamoto, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/232,771
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 379/96-99, 379/93, 379/90, 379/110, 379/53, 348/14-20
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

Disclosed is a TV telephone system that comprises a TV telephone apparatus, which includes image pickup means, display means and an input/output port to connect to another apparatus, and a station, which includes a modulation/demodulation section to connect to a telephone line and an input/output port to connect to the TV telephone apparatus, whereby when the TV telephone apparatus is connected to the station, an image is exchanged therebetween over a telephone line using the image pickup means and display means of the TV telephone apparatus.

Claims

1. A TV telephone system connected to another TV telephone system of a same type through a telephone line, the system comprising,

a portable first apparatus including:

image pickup means for obtaining image data;

display means for displaying one of the image data obtained from said image pickup means and image data transmitted from said another system;

memory means for storing one of the image data obtained from said image pickup means and image data transmitted from said another system;

voice input means for inputting voice data;

voice output means for outputting voice data; and

a battery; and

a second apparatus including;

a first terminal for connecting said second apparatus to a telephone line;

a second terminal for connecting said second apparatus to a telephone;

modem means for modulating the image data obtained from the image pickup means of said first apparatus and the voice data input by the voice input means of said first apparatus and for transmitting the modulated data to the telephone line, and for demodulating the image data and voice data transmitted from said another system through the telephone line; and

a power supply for supplying power to said first apparatus;

said second apparatus being electrically and mechanically detachable from said first apparatus; and

wherein (i) when said first apparatus, said second apparatus and said telephone are connected with each other, one of the image data obtained from the image pickup means of said first apparatus and the image data of said another system received by said second apparatus is displayed on the display means of said first apparatus, and the battery of said first apparatus is charged by the power supply of said second apparatus, and (ii) when said first apparatus alone is disconnected from said second apparatus, one of the image data obtained from the image pickup means of said first apparatus and the image data stored in the memory means of said first apparatus is displayed on the display means of said first apparatus while said display means of said first apparatus is powered by the battery of said first apparatus.

2. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein:

said voice input means of said first apparatus receives voice data from a transmitter of the telephone through said second apparatus; and

said voice output means of said first apparatus causes a receiver of the telephone to output voice data, transmitted from said another system, through the telephone line.

3. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said second apparatus includes:

image combining means connected to a home TV set; and

means for displaying at least one of the image data obtained by the image pickup means of said first apparatus and the image data of said another system transmitted through the telephone line on the home TV set.

4. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said second apparatus further includes an answer-phone.

5. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said first apparatus further includes a TV tuner.

6. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said second apparatus further includes a printer.

10. The TV telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said second apparatus further includes a printer.

7. A TV telephone system connected to another TV telephone system of a same type through a telephone line, comprising,

a portable first apparatus including:

image pickup means for obtaining image data;

display means for displaying one of the image data obtained from said image pickup means and image data transmitted from said another system;

memory means for storing one of the image data obtained from said image pickup means and image data transmitted from said another system;

voice input means for inputting voice data;

voice output means for outputting voice data;

a first terminal for connecting said second apparatus to a telephone line;

a second terminal for connecting said second apparatus to a telephone; and

modem means for modulating the image data obtained from said image pickup means and the voice data input by said voice input means and transmitting the modulated data to the telephone line, and for demodulating the image data and voice data transmitted from said another system through the telephone line; and

a second apparatus including;

a power supply for supplying power to said first apparatus; and

image combining means, connected to a home TV set, for displaying at least one of the image data obtained by said image pickup means of said first apparatus and the image data of said another system transmitted through the telephone line on the home TV set;

said second apparatus being electrically and mechanically detachable from said first apparatus; and

wherein (i) when said first apparatus, said second apparatus and said telephone are connected with each other, one of the image data obtained from the image pickup means of said first apparatus and the image data of said another system received by said second apparatus is displayed on the home TV set, and (ii) when said first apparatus is coupled with the telephone, one of the image data obtained from the image pickup means of said first apparatus, the image data stored in the memory means of said first apparatus, and the image data transmitted from said another system through the telephone line is displayed on the display means of said first apparatus.

8. The TV telephone system according to claim 7, wherein said second apparatus further includes an answerphone.

9. The TV telephone system according to claim 7, wherein said first apparatus further includes a TV tuner.