Telephone communication apparatus

• US 7,308,086 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2003
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshitani, Norifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/391,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.04, 379/93.07, 379/94.14, 379/156, 379/165, 379/171, 379/177, 379/185, 379198-199, 379/211.01, 379/215.01, 379/209.01, 455/462, 455/464
• US Class Current: 379/93.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/733 with a plurality of base stations connected to a plurality of lines for selection in cordless PBX H04W84/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A cordless slave apparatus is connected to a host apparatus connected to lines via wireless communications. When the cordless slave apparatus is picked up from a charging apparatus to respond to a call from any of the lines, if the line at which the call has arrived has been selected by the cordless slave apparatus, the line is connected immediately and communications can start. If the line is not selected by the cordless slave apparatus, when a connection instruction from the user is provided, the line is connected and communications can start. When calls have arrived from lines simultaneously, communications can start by capturing a line according to a connection instruction. When a call from another line has arrived during communications, the lines are switched according to a switching instruction from the user and the line through which the communications have been performed is automatically turned to be on hold.

Claims

1. A telephone communication apparatus that can be connected to communication paths of a plurality of lines, comprising a host apparatus and a cordless slave apparatus, wherein

the cordless slave apparatus can be charged from a power source for operation by being mounted on a charging apparatus, and includes pick-up notification means for detecting whether or not the cordless slave apparatus is mounted on the charging apparatus and providing a notification to the host apparatus when detecting that the cordless slave apparatus is picked up from the charging apparatus, and

the host apparatus includes,

communication means that can perform communications by switching the communication paths of a plurality of lines;

selection means for selecting a line for each cordless slave apparatus; and

quick communication means for immediately setting a communication path between a line at which a call has arrived and the cordless slave apparatus via the communication means, when notified from the pick-up notification means of the fact that the cordless slave apparatus is picked up from the charging apparatus in response to a ringing tone that occurs upon arrival of a call from any one of the communication paths, and when the line at which the call has arrived is selected for the picked-up cordless slave apparatus by the selection means,

wherein when the line at which a call has arrived is not selected corresponding to the cordless slave apparatus that is picked up from the charging apparatus by the selection means, the quick communication means indicates the line to which the communication request is made to a user via the cordless slave apparatus without setting the communication path between the line and the cordless slave apparatus and connects the line to the cordless slave apparatus after an instruction for connection is input from the user.

2. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein in a case where calls have arrived from a plurality of lines including the line that has been selected corresponding to the cordless slave apparatus by the selection means, when the line at which the call has arrived is the line that has been selected, the quick communication means immediately captures the line that has been selected, whereas, when the line at which the calls have arrived is not the line that has been selected, the quick communication means indicates the line at which the call has arrived to the user via the cordless slave apparatus without capturing the line that are not selected, and selects a line to be captured according to an instruction after the instruction is input from the user.

3. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection means assigns a line to be selected in advance to each of the host apparatus and the cordless slave apparatuses.

4. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection means selects a line for the host apparatus and the cordless slave apparatuses in accordance with an instruction input from the user.

5. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection means selects a line that was used for the latest communications before arrival of the call for the cordless slave apparatus.

6. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection means can switch a manner of the selection of the line in accordance with input of an instruction from a user, the manner is selected from among:

assigning a line to be selected in advance to each of the host apparatus and the cordless slave apparatuses;

selecting a line for the host apparatus and the cordless slave apparatuses in accordance with an instruction input from a user; and

selecting a line that was used for the latest communications before arrival of the call for the cordless slave apparatus.

9. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication paths of the plurality of lines include a communication line formed by superimposing a high-frequency signal on a telephone line.

11. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication paths of the plurality of lines include a communication line through which wireless communications are performed.

7. A telephone communication apparatus that can be connected to communication paths of a plurality of lines, comprising:

communication means that can perform communications by switching the communication paths of the plurality of lines;

request detection means for detecting whether or not a communication request is made to another line during communications that are performed by the communication means via any of the lines; and

line switching means for notifying a user of detection of the communication request by at least displaying the line information of the communication request when the communication request from another line is detected by the request detection means and for switching between one line which communications have already been performed to another line from which the communication request is detected by the request detection means in accordance with an instruction for switching the line when the instruction is input from the user,

wherein the display is included on the communication means that is communicating.

8. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the line switching means turns a line through which communications via the communication means have been performed before the switching of the line, to be in an on-hold state.

10. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication paths of the plurality of lines include a communication line formed by superimposing a high-frequency signal on a telephone line.

12. The telephone communication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication paths of the plurality of lines include a communication line through which wireless communications are performed.