Portable cellular phone system with automatic answering telephone function

• US 7,117,006 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ogoro, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/969,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 4554121-4122, 455/413, 4554141-4144, 455101-103, 455/552.1, 379/67.1, 379/68, 379/87, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.25, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form

Abstract

A portable cellular phone system with an automatic answering telephone function can perform data communication and has automatic answering telephone functions installed on both the network side and a terminal unit side. This system includes a section for transferring a message recorded first by the automatic answering telephone function on the network side to the terminal unit side.

Claims

1. A portable cellular phone system with an automatic answering telephone function which can perform data communication and has automatic answering telephone functions installed on both a network side and a terminal unit side, comprising a communications section that transfers a voice message recorded first by the automatic answering telephone function on the network side to the terminal unit side on a communications channel having a data reliability enhancement function, wherein said communication section comprises a switch that switches between a voice channel and said communications channel having the data reliability enhancement function based upon an identification of said voice message as having been recorded by the automatic answering telenhone function on the network side.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein when contents of the message recorded on the network side are to be transferred to the terminal unit side, a data communication function having means for improving reliability of the data is used.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the network side comprises means for automatically sending out contents of the recorded message to the terminal unit side at a proper timing.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the network side comprises means for automatically sending our contents of the recorded message to the terminal unit side at a proper timing.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically receiving automatic answering telephone recorded data without any operation by a user when the data is sent out from the network side.

6. A system according to claim 3, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically receiving automatic answering telephone recorded data without any operation by a user when the data is sent out from the network side.

7. A system according to claim 4, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically receiving automatic answering telephone recorded data without any operation by a user when the data is sent out from the network side.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically identifying automatic answering telephone recorded data sent out from the network side as recorded voice data of an automatic answering telephone when the data is automatically received and transferring the data to an automatic answering telephone recording memory.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically identifying automatic answering telephone recorded data sent out from the network side as recorded voice data of an automatic answering telephone when the data is automatically received and transferring the data to an automatic answering telephone recording memory.

10. A system according to claim 7, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for automatically identifying automatic answering telephone recorded data sent out from the network side as recorded voice data of an automatic answering telephone when the data is automatically received and transferring the data to an automatic answering telephone recording memory.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for reproducing the data transferred to the automatic answering telephone recording memory.

12. A system according to claim 9, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for reproducing the data transferred to the automatic answering telephone recording memory.

13. A system according to claim 10, wherein the terminal unit comprises means for reproducing the data transferred to the automatic answering telephone recording memory.

14. A portable cellular phone system comprising:

an automatic telephone answering center on a network side comprising a first voice recording memory that selectively communicates wit a terminal unit, wherein said system transfers a voice recording from said first voice recording memory to said terminal unit as voice data on a communications channel that includes a data reliability enhancement function, wherein said automatic telephone answering center comprises a first switch that switches between a voice channel and the communications channel that includes a data reliability enhancement function based upon an identification of said voice recording as having been recorded by the automatic telephone answering system on said network side.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said terminal unit comprises a second voice recording memory for recording said voice data.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said system further ensures the data reliability of the transfer of said voice data from said first voice recording memory to said second voice recording memory using a data communications channel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said system ensures reliability of the transfer of said voice data using at least one of handshaking, data retransmission, and error correction procedures on said data channel.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a base station comprising:

an automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section in selective communication with said automatic telephone answering center;

wherein said first switch is controlled by said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section;

wherein said voice channel has an input in communication with said first switch; and

wherein said data channel has an input in communication with said first switch,

wherein said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section determines whether a voice recording is being received from said automatic telephone answering center and that controls said first switch to place said data channel into communication with said automatic telephone answering center when a voice recording is being received and to output said voice data from said data channel.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section determines whether a voice recording is being received from said automatic telephone answering center based upon an identification code.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said data channel comprises a transmission reliability component.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said transmission reliability component performs at least one of an error detection and an error correction function.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein said base station further comprises:

a second switch in communication with outputs of said voice channel and said data channel; and

an antenna in communication with said second switch,

wherein, when said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section determines that a voice recording is being received, said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section controls said second switch to place said data channel into communication with said antenna to transmit said voice data.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein said terminal unit further comprises:

an automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section in selective communication with said automatic telephone answering center;

wherein said first switch is controlled by said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section;

wherein said voice channel has an input in communication with said first switch; and

wherein said data channel has an input in communication with said first switch,

wherein said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section determines whether voice data is being received from said automatic telephone answering center and that controls said first switch to place said data channel into communication with said automatic telephone answering center when voice data is being received.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section determines whether voice data is being received from said automatic telephone answering center based upon an identification code.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein said data channel comprises a transmission reliability component.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said transmission reliability component performs at least one of an error detection and an error correction function.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein said terminal unit further comprises a second switch controlled by said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section to place an output of said data channel into communication with said second voice recording memory when said voice data is being received.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said terminal unit further comprises a third switch controlled by said automatic answering telephone recorded voice identifying section to place one of an output from said voice channel and said voice recording memory into communication with an output device.

29. A method of transmitting a voice message in a portable cellular phone system, the method comprising:

detecting a voice message as an automatically answered and recorded voice message;

switching from a voice channel to a data communications channel that includes a data reliability enhancement feature based upon an identification of said voice message as having been recorded by an automatic answering telephone function on a network side; and

transmitting the voice message using said data communications channel.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the voice channel comprises a voice codec.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the data communications channel comprises a data communications system.