Information processing system, information processing apparatus and method, program storage medium, and telephone set

• US 7,206,612 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2001
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer; Temica
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONTEE, JOY KIMBERLY
• Application Number:
  US09/775,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 455/415, 455/414.1, 455/567, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/142.05, 379/142.1, 379/127.01, 379/140, 379/354, 379/142.17, 379/157, 379/93.23, 379/88.21, 379/142.04, 709/201, 709/213
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• 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

In an information processing system, an information processing apparatus and method, a program storage medium, and a telephone set, a caller number for an incoming call to a telephone set is transmitted to an information processing apparatus, and information concerning a caller having originated the incoming call is read from storage means to be displayed, so that the user can be provided with various kinds of information concerning the caller before the user responds to the incoming call.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a digital cellular telephone set including a wireless communication link and a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link, the digital cellular telephone configured to transmit via the wireless communication link a caller number specific to a caller, said caller number previously added to an incoming wireless signal via the cellular network communication link from a base station; and

an information processing apparatus configured to receive said caller number transmitted by said digital cellular telephone set via the wireless communication link, configured to read personal information on said caller associated with said caller number from a storage means, and configured to display the information.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication link is a BLUETOOTH interface and said information processing apparatus is a personal computer (PC).

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the information processing apparatus is further configured to display a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and is configured to display detailed information associated with at least one item in said summary when said at least one item in said summary is selected.

2. An information processing apparatus comprising:

receiving means for receiving via a wireless communication link a caller number specific to a caller previously added to an incoming signal arriving at a called-station digital cellular telephone set from a caller-station digital cellular telephone set via a cellular network communication interface operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link;

storage means for storing personal information on said caller associated with said caller number; and

read and display means for reading said personal information associated with said caller number from said storage means and displaying the personal information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the read and display means are further displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and are displaying detailed information associated with at least one item in said summary, when said at least one item in said summary is selected.

3. An information processing method comprising:

receiving at an information processing apparatus via a wireless communication link a caller number specific to a caller previously added to an incoming wireless signal arriving at a called-station digital cellular telephone set from a caller-station digital cellular telephone set via a cellular network communication interface operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link;

reading, from storage means for storing personal information on said caller associated with said caller number, said personal information associated with said received caller number; and

displaying the personal information.

9. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein said wireless communication link is a BLUETOOTH interface and said information processing apparatus is a personal computer (PC).

12. The information processing method according to claim 3, wherein the displaying further comprises:

displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and after selecting at least one item in said summary, displaying detailed information associated with the at least one item in said summary.

4. A program storage medium which causes an information processing apparatus to execute a program, said program comprising:

receiving via a wireless communication link a caller number specific to a caller previously added to an incoming signal arriving at a digital cellular telephone set from the digital cellular telephone set via a cellular network communication interface operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link;

reading, from storage means for storing personal information on said caller associated with said received caller number, said personal information associated with said caller number; and

displaying the personal information.

13. The program storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the displaying further comprises:

displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and after selecting at least one item in said summary, displaying detailed information associated with the at least one item in said summary.

5. A digital cellular telephone set comprising:

detecting means for detecting a caller number previously added to a transmitted incoming wireless signal via a cellular network communication interface from a base station; and

transmitting means for transmitting via a wireless communication link said caller number to an information processing apparatus which reads from a storage means and displays personal information on a caller associated with said caller number operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link.

14. The digital cellular telephone set according to claim 5, further comprising:

displaying means for displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and for displaying detailed information associated with at least one item in said summary, when said at least one item in said summary is selected.

6. An information processing method comprising:

detecting a caller number previously added to a transmitted incoming signal from a base station via a cellular network communication interface; and

transmitting said caller number via a wireless communication link to an information processing apparatus which reads from a storage means and displays personal information on a caller associated with said caller number operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link.

15. The information processing method according to claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and displaying, after selecting at least one item in said summary, detailed information associated with the at least one item in said summary.

7. A program storage medium comprising the steps of:

detecting a caller number previously added to a transmitted incoming signal from a base station via a cellular network communication interface; and

transmitting said caller number via a wireless communication link to an information processing apparatus which reads from a storage means and displays personal information on a caller associated with said caller number operating with a cellular network communication link, the wireless communication link being a shorter-range communication link than the cellular network communication link;

wherein a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database is displayed, and detailed information associated with one or more items in said summary is displayed when said one or more items in said summary is selected.

16. The program storage medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a summary of said personal information based on an electronic mail database, and displaying, after selecting at least one item in said summary, detailed information associated with the at least one item in said summary.