Communication terminal apparatus and communication control method for controlling communication channels

• US 6,298,372 B1
• Filed: 10/28/1998
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Munehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/181,382
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/202-203, 709/206, 709/227-228, 709/238, 709/249-250, 455/412-420, 455/445, 455/461-463, 455/466, 370/252
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation

Abstract

The present invention is intended to control communication devices on a screen with a good operability. The present invention provides a communication terminal apparatus which comprises receiving means for receiving from a server a text file created on the basis of communication control information, wherein the communication control information includes a specifying word for specifying a desired communication device and transmission control information for controlling transmission origination processing for the communication device, display means for detecting the communication control information in the text data to display a communication device corresponded to the specifying word and its line number on a screen, and control means operative when a displayed portion of the communication device and its line number is selected to perform the transmission origination processing for the line number to establish a communication link when a transmission origination condition defined by the transmission control information is satisfied, and to get rid of the transmission origination processing when the transmission origination condition is not satisfied.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving communication control information including one or more specifying indicators, each indicator specifying a predetermined communication device with which a communication link is to be established, and for receiving transmission control information for controlling transmission origination processing between said communication terminal apparatus and each of said predetermined communication devices said transmission control information for establishing a communication link between said communication terminal apparatus and one of said predetermined communication devices upon the selection of said one of said predetermined communication devices; and

control means operative, in response to, and at a time of selection of said specifying indicator by operation of a user at said communication terminal apparatus, to perform transmission origination processing at said one of said communication devices in accordance with said associated transmission control information to establish a communication link between said communication terminal apparatus and said one of said communication devices when a predetermined transmission origination condition defined by said transmission control information is satisfied at the time of selection of said specifying indicator, and to interrupt said transmission origination processing when said predetermined origination condition is not satisfied at the time of selection of said specifying indicator.

2. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transmission control information designates a predetermined range of days of the week and a predetermined range of hours of the day, said control means performing said transmission origination processing upon, and at the time of selection of said specifying indicator only when said day of the week and hour of the day at the time of selection of said specifying indicator is within said predetermined range of days of the week and predetermined range of hours of the day, and thus said transmission origination condition is satisfied.

3. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said communication control information includes user notification information for specifying a display state for displaying each of said specifying indicators.

4. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said communication control information includes icon information for displaying a dedicated icon corresponding to said predetermined communication devices and a menu screen including a plurality of dedicated icons, each corresponding to one of said predetermined available communication devices.

5. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means performs said transmission origination processing at a facsimile device with which a communication link is to be established.

6. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means performs said transmission origination processing at a telephone device with which a communication link is to be established.

7. The communication terminal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means performs said transmission origination processing at a computer device with which a communication link is to be established.

8. A communication control method, comprising the steps of:

transmitting communication control information including at least one or more specifying indicators, each indicator specifying a predetermined communication device with which a communication link is to be established; and

transmitting transmission control information for controlling transmission origination processing between a communication terminal apparatus and each of said predetermined communication devices said transmission control information for establishing a communication link between said communication terminal apparatus and one of said predetermined communication devices upon the selection of said one of said predetermined communication devices;

receiving said communication control information at said communication terminal apparatus;

detecting said communication control information;

displaying on a screen of said communication terminal apparatus at lest one character or diagram corresponding to each of said specifying indicators; and

performing said transmission origination processing at said one of said communication devices in response to, and at a time of selection of one of said at least one characters or diagrams by operation of a user corresponding to said one of said specifying indicators to establish a communication link with said one of said communication devices in accordance with said associated transmission control information when a predetermined transmission origination condition defined by said transmission control information is satisfied at the time of selection of said specifying indicator, and to interrupt said transmission origination processing when said predetermined transmission origination condition is not satisfied at the time of selection of said specifying indicator.

9. The communication control method of claim 8, wherein said transmission control information designates a predetermined range of days of the week and a predetermined range of hours of the day, said control means performing said transmission origination processing upon, and at the time of selection of said specifying indicator and when said day of the week and hour of the day at the time of selection of said specifying indicator is within said predetermined range of days of the week and predetermined range of hours of the day, and thus said transmission origination condition is satisfied only when said day of the week and hour of the day is within said predetermined range of days of the week and predetermined range of hours of the day, and thus said transmission origination condition is satisfied.

10. The communication control method of claim 8, wherein said communication control information includes user notification information for specifying a display state for displaying said each of said specifying indicators, and said character or diagram is displayed in accordance with said specified display state.

11. The communication control method of claim 8, wherein said communication control information includes icon information for displaying a dedicated icon corresponding to said one of said predetermined communication devices and a menu screen including a plurality of such dedicated icons, each corresponding to one of said predetermined available communication devices.

12. The communication control method of claim 8, further comprising the step of performing said transmission origination processing at a facsimile device with which a communication link is to be established.

13. The communication control method of claim 8, further comprising the step of performing said transmission origination processing at a telephone device with which a communication link is to be established.

14. The communication control method of claim 8, further comprising the step of performing said transmission origination processing at a computer device with which a communication link is to be established.