Mobile communications terminal device and method for identifying incoming call for use with the same

• US 7,289,796 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2001
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kudoh, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US09/871,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,339 Days
• Field of Search: 455/415, 455/343.21, 455/563, 455/566, 455/567, 455/414.1, 455/413, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/343.2, 379/354, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/142.06
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability

Abstract

To provide a mobile communications terminal device that can identify an originator in a unit of group or a discriminating ringing by depending on the kind of an incoming identification tone without regard to a display, and acquire information designating the originator in accordance with an external specification.

In a mobile communications terminal device 1, if there is any matched data in a retrieval from a telephone directory, the call is informed with an incoming identification tone specified by the kind of a call incoming and a telephone directory of a memory 17. If a switch is pressed on an operation section 11, a ringing of incoming identification tone from a voice output section 13 is stopped, and the voice information converted from a character string registered in the telephone directory of the memory 17 is output from the voice output section 13.

Claims

1. A mobile communications terminal device, comprising:

storage means for registering beforehand a name of an originator, one of a telephone number and a mail address of said originator, a kind of an incoming identification tone at a time of a call incoming from said originator, and a character string input by a user and corresponding to a voice information designating said originator;

voice output means for ringing with the kind of the incoming identification tone corresponding to said originator at the time of the incoming call; and

control means for controlling said voice output means to output the voice information corresponding to the character string registered beforehand in said storage means in response to an instruction received from said user while said voice output means is ringing.

2. The mobile communications terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said voice output means to output said voice information after stopping said ringing in response to the instruction.

3. The mobile communications terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said voice output means to output said voice information after reducing an output volume of ringing in response to the instruction.

4. The mobile communications terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said voice output means outputs the voice information corresponding to one of the telephone number and the mail address of said originator as said incoming identification tone at the time of said incoming call.

5. The mobile communications terminal device according to claim 1, wherein said voice output means outputs the primary information regarding one of the discriminating ringing and the originator as the voice information instead of said incoming identification tone.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said instruction comprises an input from a switch mounted on an exterior of said mobile communication terminal device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said outputting of said voice information is in response to an external instruction during said ringing.

8. The mobile communications terminal device of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving said character string from said user.

9. A method for identifying an incoming call in a mobile communications terminal device, said method comprising:

ringing with a kind of an incoming identification tone corresponding to an originator at a time of an incoming call; and

outputting a voice information corresponding to a character string registered beforehand by a user in a storage means for registering beforehand a name of the originator, one of a telephone number and a mail address of said originator, said kind of the incoming identification tone being output at the time of the incoming call, and said character string corresponding to the voice information designating said originator, in response to an instruction received from said user during the ringing of said incoming identification tone.

10. The method for identifying the incoming call in the mobile communications terminal device according to claim 9, wherein said outputting the voice information corresponding to said character string comprises outputting said voice information after stopping said ringing of said incoming identification tone in response to the instruction.

11. The method for identifying the incoming call in the mobile communications terminal device according to claim 9, wherein said outputting the voice information corresponding to said character string comprises outputting said voice information after reducing an output volume of ringing of said incoming identification tone in response to the instruction.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving said character string from said user before said ringing.

13. A method for identifying an incoming call in a mobile communications terminal device, said method comprising:

outputting a voice information at a time of an incoming call in response to receiving an instruction from a user while receiving the incoming call, said voice information corresponding to a character string registered by said user beforehand in a storage means for registering beforehand a name of an originator, one of a telephone number and a mail address of said originator, a kind of an incoming identification tone at the time of the incoming call, and said character string corresponding to the voice information designating said originator.

14. A method for identifying an incoming call in a mobile communications terminal device, said method comprising:

outputting a voice information corresponding to one of a telephone number and a mail address of an originator in response to receiving an instruction from a user while receiving the incoming call, a kind of an incoming identification tone at a time of the incoming call, and a character string from said user corresponding to the voice information designating said originator.

15. A communications terminal comprising:

a memory storing a character string input by a user for a calling party, said character string to be retrieved from said memory upon a receipt of a call from said calling party for outputting voice information and upon receipt of an instruction from a user during an incoming call.

16. The terminal of claim 15, further comprising:

a speaker; and

a controller that controls said speaker to output said voice information in response to a call from said calling party based upon said character string that was stored before said call from said party and upon receipt of said instruction.

17. The terminal of claim 15, further comprising a converter that converts said character string into an analog voice waveform.

18. The terminal of claim 15, further comprising a switch to receive said instruction, and to control a retrieval of said character string and a conversion of said character string into an analog waveform.

19. The terminal of claim 15, further comprising a speaker in communication with said memory.

20. The terminal of claim 16, wherein said controller determines whether said call is from said party based upon caller identification data.

21. The terminal of claim 15, wherein said memory further stores a tone for said party.

22. The terminal of claim 16, wherein said controller controls said speaker to output said tone in response to a call from said party.

23. The terminal of claim 15, wherein said character string comprises a digitized voice signal.

24. The terminal of claim 15, wherein said memory comprises a telephone directory that stores said character string.

25. The terminal of claim 15, wherein said communications terminal comprises a mobile communications terminal.

26. A method for identifying a caller in a mobile terminal, comprising:

determining whether a memory includes a character string input by a user that corresponds to a caller; and

outputting a voice signal that corresponds to said character string if said character string corresponds to said caller and in response to an instruction from said user during an incoming call from the caller.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving caller identification data and wherein said determining comprises determining whether said character string corresponds to said caller based upon said caller identification data.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising storing said character string in a telephone directory before said determining.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

storing a tone in said telephone directory;

determining whether said tone corresponds to said caller; and

outputting said tone if said tone corresponds to said caller before outputting said voice signal.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising initially running an identification tone in response to a call from said caller.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the instruction comprises a prompt by a user for the output of the voice signal while an identification tone, corresponding to said caller, is ringing.