Wireless call system

• US 20020183031A1
• Filed: 08/22/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Folio Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Unirec Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamagishi, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,353,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/277.2
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/025 Door telephones adapted for television H04N7/186

Abstract

A wireless call system enables even a bedridden person to easily answer a visitor. The wireless call system has an outdoor unit (3) installed on the outside of an entrance of a structure having a door (13) lockable with an electronic lock (15), for calling a resident in the structure, and an indoor unit (9) connected to the outdoor unit (3) by radio, for informing the resident of the presence of a visitor upon receiving a signal from the outdoor unit (3) and allowing the resident to answer the visitor through the outdoor unit (3). The outdoor unit (3) has an image pickup unit (23) for picking up an image of the visitor making a call with the outdoor unit (3). The indoor unit (9) is portable and has a display (53) for displaying the visitor'"'"'s image picked up by the image pickup unit (23) and control buttons (55) for unlocking the electronic lock (15) if necessary. The resident can carry the indoor unit (9) to an optional location, and at the location, check the visitor displayed on the display (53) and unlock the electronic lock (15) through the control buttons (55) after checking the visitor.

Claims

1. A wireless call system comprising:

an outdoor unit installed on the outside of an entrance of a structure having a door lockable with lock means, for calling a resident in the structure; and

an indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by radio, for informing the resident of the presence of a visitor upon receiving a signal from the outdoor unit and allowing the resident to answer the visitor through the outdoor unit,

the outdoor unit having image pickup means for picking up an image of the visitor making a call with the outdoor unit,

the indoor unit being portable and having display means for displaying the visitor'"'"'s image picked up by the image pickup means and unlock means for unlocking the lock means,

the indoor unit being portable to an optional location and allowing, at the optional location, the resident to check the visitor displayed on the display means and, if necessary, unlock the lock means through the unlock means.

2. The wireless call system of claim 1, wherein:

the outdoor unit has message taking means for taking a message from the visitor; and

the indoor unit has message playback means for playing back the visitor'"'"'s message taken by the message taking means.

3. The wireless call system of claim 1, wherein:

the indoor unit has image recording means for recording the visitor'"'"'s image picked up by the image pickup means; and

the display means is able to display the visitor'"'"'s image recorded by the image recording means.

4. The wireless call system of claim 2, wherein:

the indoor unit has image recording means for recording the visitor'"'"'s image picked up by the image pickup means and message recording means for recording the visitor'"'"'s message taken by the message taking means; and

the display means is able to display the visitor'"'"'s image recorded by the image recording means, and the message playback means is able to play back the visitor'"'"'s message recorded by the message recording means.

5. The wireless call system of any one of claims 1, wherein:

the outdoor unit has biometric information input means for inputting biometric information on the visitor; and

the wireless call system further has unlock control means for unlocking the lock means if the biometric information input through the biometric information input means agrees with registered biometric information.

6. The wireless call system of any one of claims 2, wherein:

the outdoor unit has biometric information input means for inputting biometric information on the visitor; and

the wireless call system further has unlock control means for unlocking the lock means if the biometric information input through the biometric information input means agrees with registered biometric information.

7. The wireless call system of any one of claims 3, wherein:

the outdoor unit has biometric information input means for inputting biometric information on the visitor; and

the wireless call system further has unlock control means for unlocking the lock means if the biometric information input through the biometric information input means agrees with registered biometric information.

8. The wireless call system of any one of claims 4, wherein:

the outdoor unit has biometric information input means for inputting biometric information on the visitor; and

the wireless call system further has unlock control means for unlocking the lock means if the biometric information input through the biometric information input means agrees with registered biometric information.

9. The wireless call system of claim 5, wherein:

the biometric information input means is fingerprint input means;

the unlock control means unlocks the lock means if a fingerprint input through the fingerprint input means agrees with a registered fingerprint;

a part of the outdoor unit is made of conductive material and is grounded; and

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is touched by a person before inputting the person'"'"'s fingerprint into the fingerprint input means, to release static electricity from the person.

10. The wireless call system of claim 6, wherein:

the biometric information input means is fingerprint input means;

the unlock control means unlocks the lock means if a fingerprint input through the fingerprint input means agrees with a registered fingerprint;

a part of the outdoor unit is made of conductive material and is grounded; and

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is touched by a person before inputting the person'"'"'s fingerprint into the fingerprint input means, to release static electricity from the person.

11. The wireless call system of claim 7, wherein:

the biometric information input means is fingerprint input means;

the unlock control means unlocks the lock means if a fingerprint input through the fingerprint input means agrees with a registered fingerprint;

a part of the outdoor unit is made of conductive material and is grounded; and

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is touched by a person before inputting the person'"'"'s fingerprint into the fingerprint input means, to release static electricity from the person.

12. The wireless call system of claim 8, wherein:

the biometric information input means is fingerprint input means;

the unlock control means unlocks the lock means if a fingerprint input through the fingerprint input means agrees with a registered fingerprint;

a part of the outdoor unit is made of conductive material and is grounded; and

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is touched by a person before inputting the person'"'"'s fingerprint into the fingerprint input means, to release static electricity from the person.

13. The wireless call system of claim 9, wherein:

the conductive material is any one of nonconductive resin mixed with conductive metal powder, nonconductive resin mixed with carbon fiber, and conductive resin.

14. The wireless call system of claim 10, wherein:

the conductive material is any one of nonconductive resin mixed with conductive metal powder, nonconductive resin mixed with carbon fiber, and conductive resin.

15. The wireless call system of claim 11, wherein:

the conductive material is any one of nonconductive resin mixed with conductive metal powder, nonconductive resin mixed with carbon fiber, and conductive resin.

16. The wireless call system of claim 12, wherein:

the conductive material is any one of nonconductive resin mixed with conductive metal powder, nonconductive resin mixed with carbon fiber, and conductive resin.

17. The wireless call system of claim 9, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

18. The wireless call system of claim 10, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

19. The wireless call system of claim 11, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

20. The wireless call system of claim 12, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

21. The wireless call system of claim 13, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

22. The wireless call system of claim 14, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

23. The wireless call system of claim 15, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.

24. The wireless call system of claim 16, wherein:

the part of the outdoor unit made of conductive material is one of a call button used to make a call and a message input button used to input a message.