Answering system and method for automatically hanging up or putting through incoming calls

• US 8,831,641 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Pan
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US13/537,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20130157714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/569.1, 455/570, 455/456.1, 455/556.1, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

An answering system including a first mobile phone, the first mobile phone includes a communication unit for communicating with a second mobile phone, a position sensor, a microphone, and a processor. The position sensor detects whether the first mobile phone is flat or tilted (balanced state or unbalanced state). The microphone detects vocal commands given to the first mobile phone. The processor acknowledges any incoming call when the first mobile phone is positioned in an unbalanced state and a conversation is detected in a preset time, and hangs up a call received previously when no command or conversation is detected in the preset time and the first mobile phone is positioned in a balanced state.

Claims

1. An answering system comprising a first mobile phone, the first mobile phone comprising:

a front surface, a back surface opposite to the front surface, a top surface adjacent to the front surface, and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface;

a communication unit configured for communicating with a second mobile phone;

a position sensor configured for detecting position states of the first mobile phone, the position states comprising a balanced state and an unbalanced state, wherein the unbalanced state is defined by the processor as being when the position sensor detects a first angle between a horizontal surface and one of the front surface, the back surface, the top surface, and the bottom surface as being within a range from five degrees to eighty five degrees;

a microphone configured for recording sound and generating a sound sample; and

a processor configured for putting through an incoming call made by the second mobile phone when the first mobile phone is in the unbalanced state and the sound sample comprises sound louder than a reference level of environmental noise in a preset time, and hanging up a current call when the sound sample does not comprise sound louder than the reference level of environmental noise in the preset time and the first mobile phone is in the balanced state.

2. A method of an answering system for automatically putting through an incoming call or hanging up a current call made by a second mobile phone to a first mobile phone, the first mobile phone comprising a front surface, a back surface opposite to the front surface, a top surface adjacent to the front surface, and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, the method comprising:

receiving the incoming call by a communication unit of the first mobile phone;

detecting position states of the first mobile phone by a position sensor, the position states comprising a balanced state and an unbalanced state, wherein the unbalanced state is defined as being when the position sensor detects a first angle between a horizontal surface and one of the front surface, the back surface, the top surface, and the bottom surface as being within a range from five degrees to eighty five degrees;

recording sound and generating a sound sample by a microphone of the first mobile phone; and

putting through the incoming call when the first mobile phone is unbalanced and the sound sample comprises sound louder than a reference level of environmental noise in a preset time; and

hanging up the current call made by the second mobile phone when the sound sample does not comprise sound louder than the reference level of environmental noise in the preset time and the first mobile phone is balanced.