Information processing apparatus having speaker phone function

• US 5,848,133 A
• Filed: 02/05/1997
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuwahara, Kazuyoshi, Kaji, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/795,941
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.06, 379/93.08, 379/93.37, 379/110.01, 379/93.26, 379/387, 379/388, 379/419, 379/420, 381/83, 381/93, 381/90, 381/24, 370/435
• US Class Current: 379/93.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/253 Telephone sets using digital voice transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08

Abstract

A sound codec has an encoded signal input/output terminal. This terminal is selectively connected to a modem codec. Due to this selective connection, a microphone and a speaker, both connected to a sound signal input/output terminal of the sound codec, are used as a transceiver of the speaker phone, and the sound codec is controlled to function as a speaker phone codec.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a modem codec connectable to a telephone line;

a sound codec for encoding and decoding sound information;

a speaker and a microphone both connected to a sound signal input/output terminal of the sound codec;

first means for connecting the speaker and the microphone to the sound signal input/output terminal of the sound codec; and

second means for connecting the modem codec to an encoded signal input/output terminal of the sound codec.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting means includes a register for storing information used for selective connection of the encoded signal input/output terminal of the sound codec to the modem codec.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first means connects the speaker and the microphone, both connected to the sound codec, to the sound signal input/output terminal of a speakerphone codec;

and

the second means connects the encoded signal input/output terminal of the speakerphone codec selectively to the modem codec.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for synthesizing a transmission signal input to the speakerphone codec with a reception signal output from the speakerphone codec, thereby producing a transmission-reception data; and

means for supplying the transmission-reception signal to the sound codec and receiving from the sound codec transmission-reception data used for the speakerphone.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first connecting means includes a register which stores control information for selectively disconnecting a sound signal output terminal of the sound codec from the speaker and for selectively outputting only a sound signal processed by the speakerphone codec.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first connecting means includes a register which stores control information for selectively disconnecting a sound signal output terminal of the sound codec from the speaker and for selectively outputting only a sound signal processed by the speakerphone codec.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second connecting means includes a register which stores first control information for selectively connecting the encoded signal input/output terminal of the speakerphone codec to the modem codec, and second control information for selectively disconnecting a sound signal output terminal of the sound codec from the speaker.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second connecting means includes a register which stores first control information for selectively connecting the encoded signal input/output terminal of the speakerphone codec to the modem codec, and second control information for selectively disconnecting a sound signal output terminal of the sound codec from the speaker.

9. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for recording the transmission-reception data of the speakerphone.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

processing means for linking the modem codec and the sound codec by way of the system interface, thereby permitting speech signals to be exchanged between the modem codec and the sound codec.

11. An information processing apparatus which enables use of a speaker and a microphone, comprising:

a modem codec connectable to a telephone line;

a speaker phone codec, connected to the modem codec, for encoding and decoding sound information;

a sound codec;

a microphone;

a first signal path for permitting an output signal of the microphone to be supplied to both the speaker phone codec and the sound codec;

a mixer for mixing an output signal of the speaker phone codec and an output signal of the sound codec with each other;

a selective output circuit for selectively outputting the output signal of the sound codec to the mixer; and

a speaker for receiving an output signal of the mixer.

12. An information processing apparatus which enables use of a speaker and a microphone, comprising:

a modem codec connectable to a telephone line;

a speaker phone codec, connected to the modem codec, for encoding and decoding sound information;

a sound codec;

a microphone;

a first mixer circuit for mixing an output signal of the microphone and an output signal of the speaker phone codec with each other, and for supplying a signal obtained thereby to the sound codec;

a second mixer circuit for mixing the output signal of the speaker phone codec and output signal of the sound codec with each other;

a selective output circuit for selectively outputting the output signal of the sound codec to the second mixer circuit; and

a speaker for receiving an output signal of the mixer.

13. A method applied to an information processing apparatus which employs a modem codec connectable to a telephone line and a sound codec for encoding/decoding sound information, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an exclusive-use line exclusively used for connection of both a speaker and a microphone, and connecting the exclusive-use line to a sound signal input/output terminal of the sound codec;

causing the sound codec to convert an analog output signal of the microphone into a digital signal, and supplying the digital signal to the modem codec through the exclusive-use line;

causing the modem codec to convert the digital signal from the sound codec into an analog modulated signal, and for supplying the analog modulated signal to the telephone line;

causing the modem codec to convert the analog modulated signal supplied from the telephone line into a digital signal, and supplying the digital signal to the sound codec; and

causing the sound codec to convert the digital signal supplied thereto from the modem codec into an analog signal, and supplying the analog signal to the speaker,

whereby realizing a speaker phone device by means of the sound codec.

14. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker;

a modem codec, connected to a telephone line, for converting a digital signal supplied thereto into an analog modulated signal and supplying the analog modulated signal to the telephone line, and for converting an analog modulated signal supplied from the telephone line into a digital signal and outputting the digital signal;

an exclusive-use line connected to the modem codec; and

a sound codec, connected to the modem codec through the exclusive-use line, for converting an analog signal from the microphone into a digital signal and supplying the digital signal to the modem codec through the exclusive-use line, and for converting the digital signal supplied from the modem codec through the exclusive-use line into an analog signal and supplying the analog signal to the speaker.