Radio communication system, control method thereof, and radio communication terminal

• US 6,421,544 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1998
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sawada, Toshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Nguyen T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC M
• Application Number:
  US09/175,914
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 455/565, 455/418-420, 455/456, 455/414, 455/415, 455/410, 455/411, 340/825.44
• US Class Current: 455/565
• 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 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/667 Preventing unauthorised calls from a telephone set H04M1/677 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A CPU built in a portable telephone (or a PHS terminal), receiving the control signal from a doorway base station, detects the present operation mode. If the present mode is the call enable mode, it is assumed that the user has entered a use inhibit area and the operation mode is changed to any one of the sleep #1 mode and sleep #2 mode previously specified, these two modes belonging to the call inhibit mode. The CPU then performs call incoming control or call originating control. In a case where the present mode is the call inhibit mode when the CPU receives the mode change signal, it is assumed that the user has left the use inhibit area and the operation mode is returned to the standby mode, the call enable mode, and call incoming control and call originating control in the present operation mode are performed.

Claims

1. A radio communication system comprising:

a radio communication terminal; and

a base station connected to said radio communication terminal via a radio channel;

wherein said radio communication terminal can be operated in one of a plurality of operation modes, including at least;

(i) a call enable mode in which call origination and incoming call reception are possible, and (ii) a call inhibit mode in which call origination is impossible;

wherein said radio communication terminal comprises a receiver adapted to receive a control signal, a controller adapted to change the operation mode of said radio communication terminal based on said control signal received by said receiver, and a memory adapted to store call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call originating date of an incoming call;

wherein said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call enable mode to the call inhibit mode upon receipt of the control signal by said receiver; and

wherein, in the call inhibit mode, speech communication in response to an incoming call is inhibited and the call incoming history data of the incoming call is written into said memory.

2. The radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein said base station transmits the control signal to said radio communication terminal.

3. A radio communication system according to claim 2, wherein:

said base station transmits a second control signal to said radio communication terminal when said radio communication terminal exits from a use inhibit area where use of said radio communication terminal is inhibited; and

said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call inhibit mode to the call enable mode upon receipt of the second control signal by said receiver.

4. A radio communication system according to claim 3, wherein said base station is provided at a doorway to the use inhibit area.

5. A radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein, in the call inhibit mode, said control signal can still be received, and wherein upon receipt of the control signal by said receiver in the call inhibit mode said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call inhibit mode to the call enable mode.

6. A radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

said radio communication terminal comprises a display device; and

said display device, when said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode, displays a message or a mark indicating that the radio communication terminal is within the use inhibit area, continuously until said receiver again receives said control signal or temporarily upon a call originating operation.

7. A radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

said radio communication terminal comprises an informing device that provides an alarm notice indicating that the radio communication terminal has entered the use inhibit area; and

when said radio communication terminal has entered the use inhibit area in a case where said radio communication terminal is busy when the receiver receives the control signal, an alarm notice is issued and said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call enable mode to the call inhibit mode, and then said controller performs a call terminating process.

8. A radio communication system according to claim 1, wherein:

said radio communication terminal comprises an informing device; and

when the operation mode of said radio communication terminal is the call inhibit mode and said receiver receives said control signal, said controller changes the operation mode to the call enable mode, reads the call incoming history data from said memory, and causes said informing device to indicate the call incoming history data when there has been an incoming call while said radio communication terminal was in said call inhibit mode.

9. A method of controlling a radio communication system comprising a radio communication terminal and a base station connected to said radio communication terminal via a radio channel, said method comprising:

transmitting to said radio communication terminal a control signal for controlling an operation mode of said radio communication terminal when said radio communication terminal enters into a use inhibit area where use of said radio communication terminal is inhibited;

changing the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from a call enable mode to a call inhibit mode upon receipt of the control signal by said radio communication terminal, wherein in the call enable mode call origination and incoming call reception are possible and in the call inhibit mode call origination and incoming call reception are impossible;

storing call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call origination date of an incoming call in a system memory without calling said radio communication terminal while said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode; and

controlling said radio communication terminal to read the call incoming history data after said radio communication terminal has left the use inhibit area.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said base station transmits the control signal to said radio communication terminal.

11. A radio communication terminal comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive a control signal for controlling an operation mode of said radio communication terminal;

a controller adapted to change the operation mode of said radio communication terminal in response to said control signal received by said receiver, wherein the operation mode of said radio communication terminal may be at least one of;

(i) a call enable mode in which call origination and incoming call reception are possible, and (ii) a call inhibit mode in which call origination is impossible; and

a memory;

wherein said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call enable mode to the call inhibit mode upon receipt of the control signal by said receiver; and

wherein, when said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode, speech communication in response to an incoming call is inhibited and said radio communication terminal writes call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call originating date of the incoming call into said memory.

12. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein:

said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal between the call inhibit mode and the call enable mode when said receiver receives said control signal.

13. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, wherein, in the call inhibit mode, said control signal can still be received, and wherein upon receipt of the control signal by said receiver in the call inhibit mode said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from the call inhibit mode to the call enable mode.

14. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a display device;

and

wherein said display device, when said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode, displays a message or a mark indicating that the radio communication terminal is within the use inhibit area, continuously until said receiver receives said control signal again or temporarily upon a call originating operation.

15. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising an informing device that provides an alarm notice indicating that the radio communication terminal has entered the use inhibit area;

and

wherein, when said radio communication terminal has entered the use inhibit area in a case where said radio communication terminal is busy when said receiver receives said control signal, said informing device provides the alarm notice and said controller changes the operation mode of said radio communication terminal to the call inhibit mode.

16. A radio communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein a call terminating process is performed after said informing device provides the alarm notice.

17. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising an informing device;

and

wherein when the operation mode of said radio communication terminal is the call inhibit mode and said receiver receives said control signal, said controller changes the operation mode to the call enable anode, reads the call incoming history data from said memory, and causes said informing device to indicate the call incoming history data when there has been an incoming call while said radio communication terminal was in said call inhibit mode.

18. A radio communication terminal according to claim 11, further comprising a recording/reproducing device, adapted to record a speech message at least when the radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein said receiver receives the control signal transmitted from said base station.

20. A radio communication system comprising:

a radio communication terminal;

a base station connected to said radio communication terminal via a radio channel;

a detector adapted to detect a position of the radio communication terminal;

a processor adapted to determine whether or not the radio communication terminal is in a use inhibit area; and

a memory;

wherein said base station does not call the radio communication terminal when there is an incoming call to the radio communication terminal if the processor has determined that the radio communication terminal is in the use inhibit area, and then writes call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call origination date of the incoming call into the memory; and

wherein said call incoming history data stored in the memory is read by the radio communication terminal after the radio communication terminal has left the use inhibit area.

21. A method of controlling a radio communication system comprising a radio communication terminal and a base station connected to said radio communication terminal via a radio channel, said method comprising:

transmitting to said radio communication terminal a control signal for controlling an operation mode of said radio communication terminal when said radio communication terminal enters into a use inhibit area;

changing the operation mode of said radio communication terminal from a call enable mode to a call inhibit mode upon receipt of the control signal by said radio communication terminal, wherein in the call enable mode call origination and incoming call reception are possible and in the call inhibit mode call origination and incoming call reception are impossible;

storing call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call origination data of an incoming call without establishing a speech channel between the radio communication terminal and the base station when there is an incoming call to the radio communication terminal while said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode.

22. A method of controlling a radio communication system comprising a radio communication terminal and a base station connected to said radio communication terminal via a radio channel, said method comprising:

transmitting from said base station to said radio communication terminal a control signal for controlling an operation of said radio communication terminal when said radio communication terminal enters into a use inhibit area where use of said radio communication terminal is inhibited;

changing an operation mode of said radio communication terminal from a call enable mode in which a call origination and an incoming call reception are possible to a call inhibit mode in which a call origination and an incoming call reception are impossible upon receipt of the control signal by said radio communication terminal;

storing call incoming history data indicating a call originating party and a call origination data of an incoming call in a system memory without calling said radio communication terminal while said radio communication terminal is in the call inhibit mode; and

controlling said radio communication terminal to read the call incoming history data after said radio communication terminal has left the use inhibit area.