Communication apparatus with outgoing call limiting

• US 6,346,995 B1
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Kaori, Sakakibara, Kenzo, Kobayashi, Makoto, Matsumoto, Koichi, Kohri, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly A.
• Application Number:
  US08/858,036
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.132, 358/400, 358/434-436, 358/438-440, 358/442, 358/468, 379/93.09, 379/93.32, 379/93.34, 379/93.35, 379/100.05, 379/100.09, 379/70, 379/210, 379/212, 379/213, 379/215
• US Class Current: 358/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32

Abstract

A communication apparatus comprises a communicating circuit, a connecting unit for connecting a telephone or the communicating circuit to a line, a disconnecting unit for disconnecting the telephone from the line, a call reception detection circuit, a detection circuit for detecting a hook state of the telephone, an output unit for outputting a signal indicating that the call generation limitation mode has been set, a display for displaying that the apparatus is in the call generation limitation mode, and a dial signal transmission unit. A call generation of an attached telephone can be limited with a simple construction and a call generation limiting function of the data communication apparatus can be certainly realized.

Claims

1. A data communication apparatus to which a voice communication terminal is connected, comprising:

data communicating means for communicating data via a line;

connecting means for connecting the voice communication terminal to the line;

supplying means for supplying the voice communication terminal with power while the voice communication terminal is disconnected from the line;

setting means for setting an outgoing call limitation mode in which an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state; and

control means for controlling said connecting means so as to disconnect the voice communication terminal from the line in the outgoing call limitation mode even during a time when said data communication means is communicating data.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an incoming call detecting means,

and wherein when an incoming call is detected by said incoming call detecting means, even if said outgoing call limitation mode has been set, said control means controls said connecting means so as to connect the terminal and said line.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes relay means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus waits for an incoming call.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means controls said connecting means so as to disconnect the terminal from the line in accordance with the end of an incoming call response of the terminal.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting a hook state of the terminal,

and wherein when an off hook is detected by said detecting means, if said outgoing call limitation mode has been set, said control means controls said connecting means so as to disconnect the terminal from the line.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising output means for outputting a signal indicating that the outgoing call limitation mode has been set to the terminal.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said output means outputs the signal in accordance with the off hook of the terminal.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying that the apparatus is in the outgoing call limitation mode.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communicating means has a modem.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communicating means executes a facsimile communication.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising dial signal transmitting means,

and wherein a transmission by said dial signal transmission means is limited in said outgoing call limitation mode.

13. An outgoing call limitation method for a data communication apparatus including a data communication unit for communicating data via a line and being capable of connecting a voice communication terminal, the data communication apparatus further including a setting unit for setting an outgoing call limitation mode, comprising the steps of:

discriminating whether the outgoing call limitation mode is set or not, an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal being limited in the outgoing call limitation mode even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state;

disconnecting the voice communication terminal from the line in the outgoing call limitation mode during a time when the data communication apparatus is communicating data; and

supplying the voice communication terminal with power while the voice communication terminal is disconnected from the line.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the terminal and the line are disconnected in the outgoing call limitation mode during the time the communication apparatus is in the stand-by state and waiting for an incoming call.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the terminal and the line are connected when an incoming call is detected even if the outgoing call limitation mode is set.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the terminal and the line are connected or disconnected by a relay.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the terminal and the line are disconnected in accordance with an end of an incoming call response of the terminal.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein the terminal and the line are disconnected in accordance with an off-hook by the terminal and the outgoing call limitation mode.

19. A method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of outputting a signal indicating the outgoing call limitation mode.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the signal is output in accordance with an off-hook by the terminal.

21. A method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of displaying that the apparatus is in the outgoing call limitation mode.

22. A method according to claim 13, wherein a modem is connected as the communication unit.

23. A method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of limiting the outgoing call by the communication apparatus in the outgoing call limitation mode.

24. An outgoing call limitation method for a data communication apparatus being capable of connecting a voice communication terminal to a line, the data communication apparatus including a setting unit for setting an outgoing call limitation mode, comprising the steps of:

detecting an incoming call signal from the line;

connecting the voice communication terminal to the line so that the incoming call signal is received by the voice communication terminal; and

disconnecting the voice communication terminal from the line after the end of a communication by the voice communication terminal in a case where the outgoing call limitation mode is set,

whereby an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited in the outgoing call limitation mode even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein an on-hook by the terminal is detected as the end of the communication.

26. A method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of limiting the outgoing call by the apparatus.

27. A data communication apparatus being connectable with a voice communication terminal, comprising:

detecting means for detecting an off-hook state of the voice communication terminal;

disconnecting means for disconnecting a connection between the voice communication terminal and a communication line in accordance with the off-hook state of the voice communication terminal detected by said detecting means when a call limitation mode for limiting an outgoing call has been set; and

supplying means for supplying the voice communication terminal with power while the voice communication terminal is disconnected from the communication line,

whereby an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited in the call limitation mode even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in the off-hook state.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said disconnecting means is invalidated in response to an incoming signal.

29. An apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising connecting means for making the connection between the terminal and the communication line in accordance with an on-hook by the terminal.

30. A data communication apparatus being capable of connecting a voice communication terminal to a line, comprising:

setting means for setting an outgoing call limitation mode;

detecting means for detecting an incoming call signal from the line; and

switching means for connecting the voice communication terminal to the line so that the incoming call signal is received by the voice communication terminal,

wherein said switching means disconnects the voice communication terminal from the line after the end of a communication by the voice communication terminal in a case where the outgoing call limitation mode is set,

whereby an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited in the outgoing call limitation mode even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state.

31. An apparatus according to claim 30, wherein an on-hook by the terminal is detected as the end of the communication.

32. An apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising means for limiting the outgoing call by the apparatus.

33. An outgoing call limitation method for a data communication apparatus being connectable with a voice communication terminal, comprising the steps of:

detecting an off-hook state of the voice communication terminal; and

disconnecting the voice communication terminal from a communication line in accordance with the off-hook state of the voice communication terminal detected in said detecting step when a call limitation mode for limiting an outgoing call has been set;

supplying the voice communication terminal with power while the voice communication terminal is disconnected from the communication line,

whereby an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited in the call limitation mode even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in the off-hook state.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein said disconnecting step is invalidated in response to an incoming signal.

35. A method according to claim 33, further comprising a connecting step of making the connection between the terminal and the communication line in accordance with an on-hook by the terminal.

36. A data communication apparatus being capable of connecting a voice communication terminal to a line, comprising:

setting means for setting an outgoing call limitation mode in which an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state;

detecting means for detecting an incoming call; and

switching means for disconnecting the voice communication terminal from the line in a case where no incoming call is detected by said detecting means and the outgoing call limitation mode is set.

37. An apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said switching means connects the terminal and the line in accordance with an on-hook operation of the terminal.

38. An outgoing call limitation method for a data communication apparatus which is capable of connecting a voice communication terminal to a line and which includes a setting unit for setting an outgoing call limitation mode in which an outgoing call by the voice communication terminal is limited even if a called party number is input from the voice communication terminal in an off-hook state, comprising the steps of:

connecting the voice communication terminal and the line;

detecting an incoming call; and

disconnecting the voice communication terminal from the line in a case where no incoming call is detected in said detecting step while the outgoing call limitation mode is set.

39. A method according to claim 38, wherein the terminal and the line is connected in accordance with an on-hook operation of the terminal.