Multimedia data communication system

• US 6,751,212 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1999
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Shuichi, Kashimoto, Shinichi, Yoshihara, Katsunori, Kaji, Akemi, Machida, Satoshi, Murai, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagannathan, Melanie
• Application Number:
  US09/255,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 379/373.01, 379/373.02, 379/373.03, 379/374.01, 379/374.02, 379/162, 379/393, 379/375.01, 379/361, 379/257, 379/372, 370/352, 370/354
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals

Abstract

A sound element database is installed in an analog telephone hub. When hold operation or the like is performed on an analog telephone during voice communication, the analog telephone hub selectively reads out necessary sound element data from the sound element database, and sends the sound element data or the type information of the sound element data to an analog telephone on the held party side through a LAN. In an analog telephone hub on the held part side, an audible sound is generated on the basis of sound element data read out from the sound element database on the basis of the sent sound element data or the sound element data type information. This audible sound is supplied to the analog telephone on the held party side to be output. With this operation, an audible sound indicating the operation state of a communication terminal can be effectively transmitted to the communication terminal of the other party.

Claims

1. A multimedia data communication system comprising:

communication terminals for transmitting/receiving information data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a communication network for transmitting information data in accordance with a second communication protocol;

communication interfaces each converting a communication protocol between said communication terminals and said communication network;

a sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of a first communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for, when said first communication terminal outputs a request to generate an audible sound indicating the operation state thereof from a second communication terminal, reading out sound element data corresponding to the request from said sound element database, and transferring the sound element data to said second communication terminal, thereby causing said second communication terminal to generate the audible sound corresponding to the sound element data.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises:

a sending device, provided in a first communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for reading out corresponding sound element data from said sound element database, and sending the readout sound element data to said second communication terminal through said communication network; and

a sound generator, provided in a secon communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for generating the audible sound corresponding to the sound element data sent from said sending device, and causing said second communication terminal to output the audible sound.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises:

a sending device, provided in a first communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for sending type information of sound element data corresponding to the audible sound, for which said first communication terminal has made a generation request, to said second communication terminal through said communication network; and

a sound generator, provided in a second communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for reading out from said sound element database sound element data corresponding to the sound element data type information sent from said sending device, generating the audible sound corresponding to the readout sound element data, and causing said second communication terminal to output the audible sound.

9. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an audible sound stopping circuit for stopping generation of the audible sound by said second communication terminal.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said audible sound stopping circuit comprises:

a sending circuit, provided in a first communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for, when said first communication terminal outputs an audible sound stopping request, sending the stopping request to said second communication terminal through said communication network; and

a sound stopper, provided in a second communication interface of said communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for stopping generation of the audible sound in response to the audible sound stopping request output from said sending circuit.

11. A system according to claim 9, wherein said audible sound stopping circuit is provided in said second communication interface to which said second communication terminal is connected, monitors a generation time of the audible sound in said second communication terminal, and stops generation of the audible sound when the generation time exceeds a predetermined time.

12. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a sound element data setting control circuit for, when a sound element data registration or deletion request is sent from said first or second communication terminal, registering or deleting sound element data in or from said sound element database in accordance with contents of the request.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound element database stores a sound element data element for generating a one-cycle audible sound, and

said sound generating circuit generates a continuous audible sound by repeatedly using the sound element data element.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises a sound element data memory for storing the sound element data element.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a hold sound.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a dial tone.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a voice message indicating an operation state of said first communication terminal.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a ring back tone.

4. A multimedia data communication system comprising:

communication terminals for transmitting/receiving information data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a communication network for transmitting information data in accordance with a second communication protocol;

first communication interfaces each converting a communication protocol between said communication terminals and said communication network; and

a second communication interface for converting a communication protocol between said communication network and an external communication network for transmitting information data in accordance with a third communication protocol,

said second communication interface including;

a sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of a first communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for, when said first communication terminal outputs a request to generate an audible sound indicating an operation state of said first communication terminal from a second communication terminal, reading out sound element data corresponding to the request from said sound element database, transferring the data to said second communication terminal, and causing said second communication terminal to generate the audible sound corresponding to the sound element data.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises:

a first sending device, provided in a first communication interface of the first communications interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for sending type information of sound element data corresponding to an audible sound requested by said first communication terminal to said second communication interface through said communication network;

a data reading circuit, provided in said second communication interface, for reading out from said sound element database sound element data corresponding to the sound element data type information sent from said first sending device, and transferring the readout sound element data to said first communication interface, connected to said first communication terminal, through said communication network;

a second sending device, provided in said first communication interface to which said first communication terminal is connected, for sending the sound element data transferred from said second communication interface to said second communication terminal through said communication network; and

a sound generator, provided in a second communication interface of said first communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for generating an audible sound corresponding to the sound element data sent from said second sending device and causing said second communication terminal to output the audible sound.

6. A system according to claim 4, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises:

a first sending device, provided in a first communication interface of the first communications interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for sending type information of sound element data corresponding to an audible sound requested by said first communication terminal to said second communication interface through said communication network;

a second sending device, provided in said second communication interface, for reading out from said sound element database sound element data corresponding to the sound element data type information sent from said first sending device, and sending the readout sound element data to said second communication interface through said communication network; and

a sound generator, provided in a second communication interface of said first communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for generating an audible sound corresponding to the sound element data sent from said second sending device and causing said second communication terminal to output the audible sound.

7. A system according to claim 4, wherein said sound generating circuit comprises:

a first transfer circuit, provided in a first communication interface of the first communications interfaces to which said first communication terminal is connected, for transferring type information of sound element data corresponding to an audible sound requested by said first communication terminal to said first communication interface, to which said second communication terminal is connected, through said communication network;

a sending device, provided in a second communication interface of said first communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal, for sending the sound element data type information transferred from said first transfer circuit to said second communication interface through said communication network;

a second transfer circuit, provided in said second communication interface, for reading out sound element data from said sound element database in accordance with the sound element data type information sent from said sending device, and transferring the readout sound element data to said first communication interface of the first communications, interfaces, to which said first communication terminal is connected, through said communication network; and

a sound generator, provided in the second communication interface of said first communication interfaces to which said second communication terminal is connected, for generating an audible sound corresponding to the sound element data transferred from said second transfer circuit and causing said second communication terminal to output the audible sound.

8. A multimedia data communication system comprising:

communication terminals for transmitting/receiving information data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a communication network for transmitting information data in accordance with a second communication protocol;

communication interfaces each converting a communication protocol between said communication terminals and said communication network; and

a server connected to said communication network and having a database for storing identification information and address information of each of said communication interfaces, said server including;

a sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of a first communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for, when said first communication terminal outputs a request to generate the audible sound indicating an operation state of said first communication terminal from a second communication terminal reading out sound element data corresponding to the request from said sound element database, transferring the sound element data to said second communication terminal, and causing said second communication terminal to generate the audible sound corresponding to the sound element data.

19. A multimedia data communication system having communication terminals connected to each other, each communication terminal comprising:

a sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of said communication terminal;

a sending circuit for sending sound element data stored in said sound element database to another communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for generating an audible sound on the basis of the sound element data,

wherein the audible sound is composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound,

said sound element database stores sound element data corresponding to a one-cycle audible sound, and

said communication terminal, which stores sound element data, transmits one-cycle sound element data for generating an audible sound to the another communication terminal to cause the another communication terminal which has received the sound element data to continuously use the one-cycle sound element data and generate the audible sound composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound.

22. A system according to claim 19, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a hold sound.

23. A system according to claim 19, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a dial tone.

24. A system according to claim 19, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a voice message indicating the operation state of said communication terminal.

25. A system according to claim 19, wherein said sound element database stores sound element data for generating a ring back tone.

20. A multimedia data communication system having communication terminals connected to each other, each communication terminal comprising:

a sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of said communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for generating an audible sound on the basis of the sound element data,

wherein the audible sound is composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound,

said sound element database stores sound element data corresponding to a one-cycle audible sound, and

said communication terminal continuously uses the one-cycle sound element data to generate the audible sound composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound on the basis of a request from another communication terminal or an operation state of said communication terminal.

21. A multimedia communication system having communication terminals connected to each other, each communication terminal comprising:

a sound element data managing device including sound element database for storing sound element data for generating an audible sound indicating an operation state of said communication terminal, and a sending circuit for sending sound element data stored in said sound element database to another communication terminal; and

a sound generating circuit for generating an audible sound on the basis of the sound element data,

wherein the audible sound is composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound,

said sound element database stores sound element data corresponding to a one-cycle audible sound, and

said sound element data managing device transmits one-cycle sound element data to a designated communication terminal, on the basis of a request from said communication terminal, to cause said designated communication terminal which has received the sound element data to continuously use the one-cycle sound element data and generate the audible sound composed of a continuous multi-cycle sound.

26. A multimedia data communication system comprising:

communication terminals for transmitting/receiving information data in accordance with a first communication protocol;

a communication network for transmitting information data in accordance with a second communication protocol;

communication interfaces each converting a communication protocol between the communication terminals and the communication network;

means for storing sound element data for generating an audio message indicating user information of the communication terminals and an operation state of the communication terminals; and

means, when a first communication terminal is to originate a call to a second communication terminal, for reading from the storing means sound element data for generating the audio message indicating user information of the second communication terminal and an operational state of the second communication terminal, converting readout sound element data into the audio message, and supplying the converted audio message to the first communication terminal.