Telephone communication terminal and communication method

• US 5,842,139 A
• Filed: 07/05/1995
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Toshiro, Muramatsu, Ryujiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/498,126
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 381/41, 381/42, 381/56, 381/110, 379/58-61, 455/404, 455/425, 455/563, 455/564, 455/567, 455/569, 455/570
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A telephone communication terminal responsive to a voice for originating a call includes an antenna, a diplexer, a radio unit, a base band unit, a controller, a loudspeaker, a microphone, a key input and display unit, a sound level measuring instrument, threshold generators, comparators, an analyzer, and a destination number storage. The sound level measuring instrument always measures the sound level of an input signal, such as a voice inputted from the microphone. The sound level measuring instrument conducts processing such as calculating signal power at fixed intervals. The output of the sound level measuring instrument is compared in a first comparator with the output of a first threshold generator outputting a preset threshold value. In the case where the output of the sound level measuring instrument is greater than the threshold value, a result of comparison is conveyed to the controller. The analyzer effects an analysis on an input signal and outputs information. The output of the analyzer is compared in a second comparator with lower and upper limit threshold values outputted from a second threshold generator.

Claims

1. A telephone communication terminal comprising:

means for measuring, at fixed time intervals, a sound level of a signal inputted to a telephone transmitter;

means for setting a preset threshold value for comparison with the sound level measured by said measuring means;

first comparator means for comparing a value measured by said measuring means with the preset threshold value;

analyzer means for analyzing an input signal, and extracting spectral information from said input signal at said fixed time intervals;

means for setting a preset lower limit threshold value and a preset upper limit threshold value for comparison with the spectral information;

second comparator means for comparing a value extracted by said analyzer means with the preset lower limit threshold value and the preset upper limit threshold value; and

controller means for originating a call to a telephone number registered beforehand when an output of said first comparator means and an output of said second comparator means simultaneously indicate that said measured sound level is greater than said preset threshold value in said first comparator means and said extracted value is in a range between said preset lower limit threshold value and said preset upper limit threshold value in said second comparator means.

2. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for monitoring a received signal to determine whether one of a ring back tone and a busy tone is continuously sensed for at least a fixed time;

wherein said controller means disconnects speech and originates a call to another telephone number registered beforehand on the basis of an output of said monitoring means.

3. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein said telephone communication terminal effects a hands-free function for outputting a received signal from a loudspeaker.

4. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the calling telephone communication terminal is one of a base station and a personal station of a cordless telephone set, and the called telephone communication terminal is one of a personal station and a base station of the calling telephone communication terminal.

5. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the calling telephone communication terminal is one of a base station and a personal station of a cordless telephone set, and the called telephone communication terminal is one of a personal station and a base station of the calling telephone communication terminal.

9. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the analyzer means effects non-parametric analysis on the input signal and extracts short-term spectral information from the input signal at said fixed time intervals.

10. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the analyzer means effects parametric analysis on the input signal extracts spectral envelope information from the input signal at said fixed time intervals.

6. A telephone communication terminal comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring a sound level of a signal inputted to a telephone transmitter;

means for setting a preset threshold value for comparison with the sound level measured by said measuring unit;

a first comparator for comparing a value measured by said measuring unit with the preset threshold value;

an extractor unit for analyzing said input signal, and extracting spectral information from said input signal;

means for setting a preset lower limit threshold value and a preset upper limit threshold value for comparison with the information extracted by said extractor unit;

a second comparator for comparing a value extracted by said extractor unit with the preset lower limit threshold value and the preset upper limit threshold value;

a first controller for receiving results outputted from said first comparator and said second comparator, and for originating a call to a first telephone number registered in a destination number storage on the basis of the results outputted from said first comparator and said second comparator when, simultaneously, said measured sound level is greater than said threshold value in said first comparator and said extracted value is in a range between said lower limit threshold value and said upper limit threshold value in said second comparator;

a monitor unit for monitoring one of a ring back tone and a busy tone to determine whether the ring back tone or the busy tone is sensed continuously for at least a fixed time period; and

a second controller, responsive to said ring back tone or busy tone sensed by said monitor unit continuously for at least a fixed time period after origination and ringing of the call to the first telephone number, for automatically effecting an on-hook operation, disconnecting a call assuming an off-hook state, thereafter reading out a second telephone number registered beforehand in a destination number storage, and newly originating a call to the second telephone number.

11. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the extractor unit effects non-parametric analysis on said input signal and extracts short-term spectral information from the input signal.

12. A telephone communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein the extractor unit effects parametric analysis on said input signal and extracts spectral envelope information from the input signal.

7. A communication method for a telephone communication terminal comprising:

a sound level measuring step for measuring a sound level of a signal inputted to a telephone transmitter when a telephone communication terminal is brought into an off-hook state in an automatic calling mode and an operation mode;

a step for setting a preset threshold value for comparison with the sound level measured in said sound level measuring step;

a first comparison step for comparing said measured sound level with the preset threshold value;

an analysis step for effecting analysis on said signal inputted to the telephone transmitter, and extracting spectral information from said signal;

a step for setting a preset lower limit threshold value and a preset upper limit threshold value for comparison with the information extracted in said extracting step;

a second comparison step for comparing a value extracted by said analysis step with the preset lower limit threshold value and the preset upper limit threshold value;

a step for receiving results of comparison at said first and second comparison steps and reading out desired telephone number information registered beforehand in a destination number storage when, simultaneously, said measured sound level is greater than said threshold value in said first comparison step and said extracted value is in a range between said lower limit threshold value and said upper limit threshold value in said second comparison step; and

a step for originating a call to a telephone number of said desired telephone number information.

8. A communication method for a telephone communication terminal according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring a signal received by said communication terminal and thereby determining whether one of a ring back tone and a busy tone is sensed continuously for at least a fixed time period;

automatically effecting an on-hook operation and disconnecting a call assuming an off-hook state when said ring back tone or busy tone is sensed at said monitoring step continuously for at least a fixed time period; and

originating a call to a different telephone number registered beforehand in a destination number storage after said disconnecting step.

13. A communication method for a telephone communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the analysis step effects non-parametric analysis on the signal inputted to the telephone transmitter and extracts short-term spectral information from the signal.

14. A communication method for a telephone communication terminal according to claim 7, wherein the analysis step effects parametric analysis on the signal inputted to the telephone transmitter and extracts spectral envelope information from the signal.