Wireless telephone system with message storage for plural telephones

• US 5,592,532 A
• Filed: 08/26/1994
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Koizumi, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US08/296,972
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/61, 379/67, 379/69, 379/88, 379/89, 379/62, 379/63, 455/33.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724

Abstract

A wireless telephone system includes plural phones, each having a radio transmitting/receiving unit and a storage unit for recording and reproducing incoming messages, and a base unit connected to a telephone line that communicates by radio with the plural phones. In one arrangement, the base unit selects a desired phone and the selected phone records the incoming message. In another arrangement, the plural phones do not include storage units and base unit is adapted to select a desired phone according to a DTMF signal and to record an incoming message corresponding to the selected phone in a storage unit. The base unit reads out the stored incoming message in response to a designation from the selected phone, transmits the message to the phone and the incoming message is reproduced by the selected phone.

Claims

1. A wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which is connected to a telephone line and which communicates with said plurality of phones,

said base unit comprising first storage means for storing an outgoing message to be transmitted to the telephone line in response to an incoming call, reception means for receiving a selection signal sent from a calling party to select one of said plurality of phones, and transmission means for transmitting an incoming message from said telephone line to one of said plurality of phones selected by the selection signal so as to store the incoming message in the selected phone, and

each of said plurality of phones comprising second reception means for receiving the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means, second storage means for storing the incoming message received by said second reception means, and control means for controlling said second storage means to store the incoming message received by said second reception means.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second storage means reproduces the stored incoming message.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said base unit comprises selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones in accordance with the selection signal from the calling party.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said selection means selects one of said plurality of phones in accordance with a DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) signal from the calling party.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second storage means consists of a LSI (large scale integrated circuit).

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means comprises selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones in accordance with a selection signal from a communication partner.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first storage means comprises second transmission means for transmitting the outgoing message to the telephone line.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means transmits a call signal to one of said plurality of phones when an incoming call arrives, and transmits the incoming message to one of said plurality of phones.

6. A wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which is connected to a telephone line and which communicates with said plurality of phones,

said base unit comprising:

first storage means for storing an outgoing message to be transmitted to the telephone line in response to an incoming call;

selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones in accordance with a DTMF signal sent by a calling party to select one of said plurality of phones; and

transmission means for transmitting an incoming message from the telephone line to one of said plurality of phones selected by said selection means so as to store the incoming message in the selected phone,

each of said plurality of phones comprising second storage means for storing the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means; and

control means for controlling said storage means to store the incoming message in said storage means.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said second storage means reproduces the stored incoming message.

20. The system according to claim 6, wherein said first storage means comprises second transmission means for transmitting the outgoing message to the telephone line.

21. The system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission means transits a call signal to one of said plurality of phones when an incoming call arrives, and transits the incoming message to one of said plurality of phones.

8. A wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which is connected to a telephone line and which communicates with said plurality of phones,

comprising:

storage means for storing an outgoing message to be transmitted to the telephone line in response to an incoming call;

recording means for recording an incoming message from said telephone line corresponding to each of said plurality of phones in accordance with a selection signal sent from a calling party to select one of said plurality of phones; and

transmission means for transmitting the incoming message recorded by said recording means to one of said plurality of phones to which the incoming message corresponds according to a request for transmitting the recorded message from the phone,

each of said plurality of phones comprising reproduction means for reproducing the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means records the incoming message to one of said plurality of phones in an area corresponding to one of said plurality of phone, and said transmission means transmits the incoming message from one of said plurality of phones.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means records an identifier corresponding to one of said plurality of phones which is included in the incoming message, and said transmission means transmits the incoming message recorded by said recording means with the identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of phones.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means comprises selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones in accordance with a DTMF signal from a calling side.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means consists of a LSI.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means comprises selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein said reproduction means comprises designating means for designating said base unit to transmit the incoming message recorded by said recording means.

15. The system according to claim 8, wherein said recording means comprises receiving means for receiving a selection signal from a communication partner to select one of said plurality of phones.

16. The system according to claim 8, wherein said transmission means transmits the incoming message according to a command from one of said plurality of phones.

22. A base unit for connecting a plurality of radio phones, comprising:

storage means for storing an outgoing message to be transmitted to a telephone line in response to an incoming call;

recording means for recording an incoming message corresponding to each of the plurality of radio phones in accordance with a selection signal sent from a calling party to select one of said plurality of radio phones;

reception means for receiving a message request from one of the plurality of radio phones; and

transmission means for transmitting the incoming message, recorded by said recording means, corresponding to a radio phone from which the message request is sent to the radio phone.

23. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said recording means records the incoming message to one of the plurality of radio phones in an area corresponding to one of the plurality of radio phones, and said transmission means transmits the incoming message from the area corresponding to one of the plurality of radio phones.

24. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said recording means records an identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of radio phones which is included in the incoming message, and said transmission means transmits the incoming message recorded by said recording means with the identifier corresponding to one of the plurality of radio phones.

25. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said receiving means comprises selection means for selecting one of the plurality of radio phones in accordance with a DTMF signal from the calling party.

26. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said recording means comprises selection means for selecting one of the plurality of radio phones in accordance with the selection signal.

27. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said recording means comprises receiving means for receiving a selection signal from a communication partner to select one of the plurality of radio phones.

28. The base unit according to claim 22, wherein said recording means comprises a LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit).

29. A method for controlling a wireless communication system having a master unit and a plurality of slave units, comprising the steps of:

transmitting an outgoing message to a calling party in response to an incoming call from the master unit;

receiving a selection signal sent from a calling party to select one of a plurality of the slave units at the master unit;

transmitting an incoming message sent from the calling party to one of said plurality of slave units selected by the selection signal so as to store the incoming message in the selected phone; and

storing the incoming message transmitted from said master unit at each of the plurality of slave units.

30. The method according to claim 29, a call signal in the form of the radio signal for selecting one of said plurality of slave units is transmitted to the selected slave unit from the master unit at the step of transmitting the incoming message.

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein the incoming message is stored in an audio memory at the step of storing the incoming message.

32. A method for controlling a wireless communication system having a master unit and a plurality of slave units, comprising the steps of:

recording an incoming message from a calling party corresponding to each of the plurality of slave units in the master unit;

transmitting the recorded incoming message in a form of a radio signal to one of the plurality of slave units which requests to transmit the recorded incoming message; and

reproducing the incoming message transmitted from said master unit in the form of the radio signal in the slave unit which requests to transmit the recording incoming message.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein one of said plurality of slave units corresponding to the destination reproduces the incoming message.

34. The system according to claim 32, wherein said master unit transmits the incoming message according to a request from one of said plurality of slave units.

35. The method according to claim 32, wherein an outgoing message to be transmitted to the calling party in response to the incoming message is stored in said master unit.

36. The method according to claim 32, wherein an outgoing message is transmitted to the calling party in response to the incoming message at the step of recording the incoming message.

37. The system according to claim 32, wherein each of said plurality of slave units includes an audio memory.

38. The method according to claim 32, wherein a selection signal from the calling party is received at the step of recording the incoming message.

39. A wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which is connected to a telephone line and which communicates with said plurality of phones,

said base unit comprising detection means for detecting a selection signal sent from a calling party to select one of said plurality of phones,

selection means for selecting one of said plurality of phones in accordance with the selection signal from the calling party,

transmission means for transmitting an incoming message from the calling party to one of said plurality of phones selected by said selection means so as to store the incoming message in the selected phone;

each of said plurality of phones comprising;

storage means for storing the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means;

control means for controlling said storage means to store the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means, and

reproduction means for reproducing the incoming message stored by said storage means.

40. The system according to claim 39, wherein said selection signal is a DTMF signal from the calling party.

41. A wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which is connected to a telephone line and which communicates with said plurality of phones, comprising:

recording means for recording an incoming message from a calling party corresponding to each of said plurality of phones in accordance with a selection signal sent from the calling party to select one of said plurality of phones, and

transmission means for transmitting the incoming message recorded by said recording means to one of said plurality of phones to which the incoming message corresponds in accordance with a request for transmitting the recorded incoming message from the phone,

each of said plurality of phones comprising reproduction means for reproducing the incoming message transmitted by said transmission means and request means for requesting said base unit to transmit the recorded message.

42. The system according to claim 41, wherein said selection signal is a DTMF signal from the calling party.

43. A phone included in a wireless telephone system having a plurality of phones and a base unit which communicates with one of the plurality of phones selected by a selection signal from a calling party via a telephone line and stores an outgoing message to be transmitted to the telephone line, comprising:

reception means for receiving an incoming message from the calling party which transmits the selection signal to select the phone;

storage means for storing the incoming message received by said reception means; and

control means for controlling said storage means to store the incoming message received by said reception means in said storage means.

44. The phone according to claim 43, further comprising reproduction means for reproducing the incoming message stored in said storage means.