Device transmitting audio and image information remotely via e-mail

• US 6,072,861 A
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 06/06/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Won Uk
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/079,221
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.05-93.08, 379/93.14-93.17, 379/93.24, 379/93.25, 379/100.08, 379/100.12, 379/102.06 , 379/88.12-88.14, 379/88.17, 358/402
• US Class Current: 379/93.24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression

Abstract

An audio and image information transmitting device transmits audio information stored in a telephone device having an answering machine and image information of a visitor from a doorphone system to an internet server by e-mail. The transmitting device converts inputted analog information to digital information, stores the digital information in a memory and outputs the same to the internet server by the e-mail system. An analog/digital converter of the device converts an inputted analog signal to a digital signal, and when the inputted signal is an image signal, an image processing encoder for encoding the digital image signal supplied from the analog/digital converter is additionally provided to the transmitting device.

Claims

1. An audio and image information transmitting device for directly connecting to a consumer electronic device, comprising:

an information converter to convert an inputted analog audio or image signal from the directly connected consumer electronic device to a digital signal;

a memory;

a controller to control the storing of the digital signal outputted from the information converter in the memory and converting digital data stored in the memory to an e-mail file; and

a modem to log into an internet server and transmit the e-mail file from the controller by e-mail.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller adds index information to the e-mail file.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a keyboard for turning on/off the controller.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the information converter converts an analog audio signal from a directly connected telephone answering machine.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the information converter begins converting the audio signal when the answering machine begins recording a message.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the information converter converts an analog image signal from a directly connected doorphone system.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the information converter begins converting the image signal when a camera in the doorphone system begins operating.

2. An audio and image information transmitting device, comprising:

an information converter to convert an inputted analog audio or image signal to a digital signal;

a memory;

a controller to control the storing of the digital signal outputted from the information converter in the memory and converting digital data stored in the memory to an e-mail file; and

a modem to log into an internet server and transmit the e-mail file from the controller by e-mail, wherein the information converter includes,

an analog/digital converter converting an analog audio signal outputted from a telephone device having an answering machine or an analog image signal from a CCD camera of a doorphone system to a digital audio signal or a digital image signal, respectively, and

an image processing encoder encoding the digital image signal outputted from the analog/digital converter and outputting the encoded signal to the controller.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the controller outputs a first enable signal to the analog/digital converter when receiving a signal from the telephone device having the answering machine or a second enable signal to the analog/digital converter when receiving a bell signal from a bell switch of the doorphone system, and the analog/digital converter converts the analog audio signal to the digital audio signal in accordance with the first enable signal and outputs the digital audio signal to the controller or converts the analog image signal to the digital image signal in accordance with the second enable signal and outputs the digital image signal to the image processing encoder.

6. An audio information transmitting device, comprising:

an analog/digital converter to convert an analog audio signal supplied from a telephone device to a digital audio signal;

a memory;

a controller to control storing of the digital audio signal in the memory and to convert digital data stored in the memory to an e-mail file; and

a modem to log into an internet server and transmit the e-mail file from the controller by e-mail.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller starts operating in accordance with the telephone device and enables the analog/digital converter.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller adds index information to the e-mail file.

9. The device of claim 6, further comprising:

a keyboard for turning on/off the controller.

10. An image information transmitting device for directly connecting to a consumer electronics device, comprising:

an analog/digital converter to convert an analog image signal from a CCD camera in the directly connected consumer electronic device to a digital image signal;

an image processing encoder to encode the digital image signal outputted from the analog/digital converter;

a memory;

a controller to control the storing of the encoded signal in the memory to convert digital data stored in the memory to an e-mail file; and

a modem for logging into an internet server and transmitting the e-mail file from the controller by e-mail.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller enables the analog/digital converter.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the controller adds index information to the e-mail file.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

a keyboard for setting up operation time of the controller.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the directly connected consumer electronic device is a doorphone system.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the information converter begins converting the image signal when a camera in the doorphone system begins operating.

20. An audio information transmitting device, comprising:

a memory to store a digital audio signal from a consumer electronic device;

a controller to control the storing of the digital audio signal in the memory and to convert digital data stored in the memory to an e-mail file; and

a modem to log into an internet server and transmit the e-mail file from the controller by e-mail.