Television receiver with a TV phone function

• US 9,432,618 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Maxell Limited (Maxell, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iwabuchi, Kazunori, Mizosoe, Hiroki, Shimoda, Mutsumi, Bondan, Setiawan, Sasamoto, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI N
• Application Number:
  US14/811,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.04, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.03, 348/14.05, 348/14.06, 348/14.07, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 348/14.14, 348/15.15, 348/14.16, 382/275, 379/265.03, 455/414.1, 455/566, 704/270
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A videophone system includes a processor which selectively sets a television (TV) broadcast program viewing function mode and videophone function mode in response to manual operation of a remote control, a decoder which performs, in the TV program view mode, a TV program-use decode function for decoding a broadcast program signal received from a TV tuner to thereby display it on a display screen while producing audio sounds by loudspeakers and which performs, in the videophone function mode a videophone-use decode function for decoding a videophone signal received from a distant party to thereby display on the screen an image of the distant party using the screen and speakers, and an encoder which performs a videophone-use encode function for encoding a video signal from a camera and a voice signal from a microphone to generate a videophone signal, which is sent to the distant party via a network.

Claims

1. A digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a first digital information including a first video information from a content server and to receive a second digital information including a second video information from another communication apparatus;

an encoder configured to generate a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera;

a processor configured to control outputs of the first digital information, the second digital information and the third digital information; and

a user input device configured to accept an input from a user,

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the other communication apparatus during outputting of the first digital information received from the content server, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information and outputs the second digital information, and

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of the user input device as the input from the user and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.

2. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein after the videophone call is finished, the processor restarts the process of receiving the first digital information.

3. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the processor stops an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the processor does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the other communication apparatus.

4. The digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a decoder configured to decode the first digital information received by the network interface or the the third digital information received from the other communication apparatus.

5. A method for receiving and transmitting digital information for a digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a first digital information including a first video information from a content server;

receiving a second digital information including a second video information from another communication apparatus; and

generating a third digital information including a third video information by encoding a video signal generated by a camera;

wherein in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an inbound videophone call from the other communication apparatus during outputting the first digital information received from the content server, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus communicates with the content server for pausing a transmission of the first digital information and outputs the second digital information, and

in a case where the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus receives an input for stopping the videophone call from one of a user input device and the another communication apparatus, the digital information receiving and transmitting apparatus stops output of the third digital information.

6. The method according to claim 5,

wherein after the videophone call is finished, the processor restarts the process of receiving the first digital information.

7. The method according to claim 5,

wherein the processor stops an operation of the camera for generating the third video information in a case where the processor does not receive the second video information for a preset time from the other communication apparatus.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

decoding the first digital information received by the network interface or the third digital information received from the other communication apparatus.