Selective call response radio telephone system and method for providing appropriate responses to incoming calls to a radio telephone

• US 6,347,225 B1
• Filed: 07/12/1994
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Kohei
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/273,790
• Time in Patent Office: 2,772 Days
• Field of Search: 379/56, 379/57, 379/58, 379/59, 379/67, 379/61, 379/142, 379/127, 379/127.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 455/33.1, 455/54.1, 455/412, 455/413, 455/415, 455/461, 455/550, 340/825.44, 340/7.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A telephone number memory stores telephone numbers which are divided into telephone number groups, and a response message memory stores response messages corresponding to the telephone number groups. In the automatic response mode, when a call is generated, a telephone number of a caller is checked as to whether the telephone number is stored in the telephone number memory, and, when the same telephone number is found therein, a response message of the telephone number group, to which the received telephone number belongs, is transmitted to the caller.

Claims

1. A radio telephone system, comprising:

a radio telephone apparatus which comprises;

a radio telephone set circuit for transmitting a first signal to a fixed radio apparatus and receiving a second signal therefrom;

a response message memory for storing a plurality of response messages;

a telephone number memory for storing a plurality of telephone numbers and one or more telephone groups, each of said one or more telephone groups including at least two of said plurality of telephone numbers; and

a control unit for controlling said radio telephone set circuit to operate in signal transmitting and receiving modes;

wherein said control unit comprises;

a comparator comparing a telephone number of a caller included in information of said second signal received from said fixed radio apparatus with said plurality of telephone numbers stored in said telephone number memory, in an automatic response mode, to determine a coincident telephone number which coincides with said telephone number of a caller from among said plurality of telephone numbers stored in said telephone number memory,

a reader reading one of said plurality of response messages from said response message memory corresponding to one of said one or more telephone groups which includes said coincident telephone number, and

a first controller controlling said radio telephone set circuit to transmit the corresponding response message via said fixed radio apparatus to said caller, wherein said first controller transmits in a wireless mode.

2. A radio telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit further comprises a second controller controlling said radio telephone set circuit to carry out telephone communication with a telephone set of said caller, said second controller performing an “

off-hook”

operation which is effected when a callee operates said telephone set of said radio telephone set circuit during transmission of one of said plurality of response messages, said transmission of said response message being terminated by said “

off-hook”

operation.

3. A radio telephone system, according to claim 1, wherein:

said control unit controls said radio telephone set circuit to transmit none of said plurality of response messages, when said control unit selects a non-response mode by canceling said automatic response mode.

4. A radio telephone set system, according to claim 3, wherein:

said telephone number of said caller is stored in a memory in said non-response mode.

5. A radio telephone set system, according to claim 1, wherein:

said fixed radio apparatus is connected via a telephone line to a digital exchange unit.

6. A radio telephone set system, according to claim 4, wherein:

said digital exchange unit is connected to a plurality of fixed radio apparatus by a plurality of telephone lines.

7. A radio telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said telephone number memory stores a plurality of telephone numbers and a plurality of telephone groups, each telephone group including a portion of said plurality of telephone numbers, wherein said reader reads at least one response message from said response message memory corresponding to one of said plurality of telephone groups including said telephone number stored based on said telephone number of said caller.

8. A radio telephone system according to claim 7, wherein each of said telephone groups is assigned a unique number which corresponds to a specific response message stored in said response message memory.

9. A radio telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said reader reads a standard response message from the response message memory when said telephone number of said caller fails to coincide with said telephone number stored.

10. A radio telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit further comprises a second controller controlling said radio telephone set circuit to carry out telephone communication with a telephone set of said caller, said second controller performing an “

off-hook”

operation which is effected when a callee operates said telephone set of said radio telephone set circuit subsequent to an interruption of said transmission, said transmission of said response message being terminated by said “

off-hook”

operation, and further wherein said “

off-hook”

operation is not carried out during transmission of said response message.

11. A radio telephone for use in a radio telephone system, said radio telephone comprising:

means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers and at least one telephone group including a plurality of telephone numbers;

means for determining whether a telephone number of a caller included in information received by the radio telephone coincides with said telephone number stored in the radio telephone;

means for selecting a response message based upon a coincidence of said telephone number of said caller and one of said plurality of said telephone numbers stored determined by said means for determining;

means for transmitting a response which consists of a response message which has been selected by said means for selecting;

whereby an appropriate selected response is made to an incoming call request to the radio telephone based on said telephone number of said caller, and said means for transmitting transmits in a wireless mode.

12. A radio telephone, according to claim 11, further comprising:

a control means for selectively disabling said means for determining, said means for selecting, and said means for responding upon selection of a non-response mode.

13. A radio telephone, according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for storing a telephone number of a caller.

14. A method of providing an appropriate selected response to an incoming call to a radio telephone comprising the steps of:

storing in a telephone number memory a plurality of telephone numbers and at least one telephone group including at least two of said plurality of telephone numbers;

determining whether a telephone number of an incoming caller coincides with said telephone numbers stored within the radio telephone;

selecting one of a plurality of response messages based upon a coincidence of said telephone number of said caller with said telephone numbers stored which has been determined;

responding to said incoming call by transmitting said one of said response messages which has been selected based on said telephone number of said caller.

15. A method according to claim 14, comprising the further steps of:

storing within the radio telephone the telephone number of the caller; and

removing one of said plurality of telephone numbers when a storage capacity is exceeded and no telephone number is older than said telephone number of said caller.