Telephonic communications – Audio message storage – retrieval – or synthesis – Message management
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-24
2002-04-30
Knepper, David D. (Department: 2645)
Telephonic communications
Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis
Message management
Reexamination Certificate
active
06381310
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication support system in which a telephone unit is connected through a communication control device into a data processing device and the communication control device is connected to a telephone network in order to provide computer-assisted telephone services for a user of the telephone unit when the user remotely controls the data processing device by using the telephone unit. Further, the present invention relates to a computer readable medium which stores program code instructions for causing a processor to execute a telephone service processing in response to the remote control by the user of the telephone unit.
Personal computers for home use are becoming widespread. Modems have now been shrunk to a chip size, enhancing the popularity in personal computers. The increasing prevalence of the personal computers having a built-in modem makes it easier to access the Internet or other communication networks through telephone lines. In recent years, the telephone lines have been shared by the computers and the telephones.
In recent developments, there is a demand for a useful, advanced communication support system which enables a telephone user to use a telephone unit to remotely control a data processing device in order to obtain computer-assisted telephone services. Currently, the computer-assisted telephone services are provided only by locally operating the data processing device, and the telephones and the computers are separately used. Further, it is desired to provide a communication support system which allows the telephone user to easily transmit data to or receive data from other communication media.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional communication support system which provides existing telephone services by executing an application program installed in the system is known. The conventional communication support system provides the telephone services only when the user locally operates an input device (such as a keyboard or a mouse) of a personal computer. That is, when one of the telephone services is obtained from the conventional communication support system, the user must be located in front of the personal computer and locally operate the input device of the personal computer.
FIG. 29
shows such a conventional communication support system.
As shown in
FIG. 29
, the conventional communication support system generally has an existing telephone unit
301
, a data processing device
304
, and a line unit
303
. The telephone unit
301
is connected through the line unit
303
into the data processing device
304
, and the line unit
303
is connected to a telephone network
302
. The data processing device
304
is, for example, a personal computer. The telephone network
302
is, for example, a public switched telephone network.
In the above-described conventional system, a voice input/output unit
305
, a dialing unit
306
and a signal detection unit
307
are connected to the line unit
303
. Further, a personal-computer (PC) interface unit
308
is provided between the data processing device
304
and the units
305
and
306
.
The voice input/output unit
305
supplies a voice signal sent from the telephone unit
301
or the telephone network
302
, to the data processing device
304
via the PC interface unit
308
, and supplies a voice signal derived from digital data stored in the data processing device
304
, to the telephone unit
301
or the telephone network
302
. The dialing unit
306
provides an existing dialing function to transmit a call over the telephone network
302
to a destination terminal according to a telephone number input by an input device (such as a keyboard or a mouse) of the data processing device
304
. The signal detection unit
307
detects various signals sent from a telephone line, such as a busy tone signal, a ring tone signal, a ring back tone signal, an on-hook signal, and an off-hook signal.
In the above-described conventional system, the telephone services are provided by an existing telephone-service application program executed by the data processing device (or the personal computer). Such telephone services include, for example, voice recording and playback, file transmission, and telephone number entry.
In the above-described conventional system, when a user of the data processing device
304
makes a call to the destination terminal, the application program installed in the data processing device
304
is executed. The user inputs the telephone number of the destination terminal and presses a dialing button on a monitor of the data processing device
304
by operating the input device (such as the keyboard or the mouse) of the data processing device
304
. In this case, the user lifts a handset of the telephone unit
301
located away from the data processing device
304
, and then the off-hook signal is detected by the signal detection unit
307
. The telephone unit
301
is connected to the destination terminal by the line unit
303
, and this enables the user to use the handset to communicate with a person of the destination terminal by voice.
However, in the above-described conventional system, it is impossible for the user to make a call to the destination terminal by using the telephone unit
301
to remotely control the application program on the data processing device
304
.
In the above-described conventional system, when a voice recording function, as one of the telephone services, is obtained by executing the application program on the data processing device
304
, the user of the data processing device
304
presses a recording start button on the monitor by operating the input device of the data processing device
304
. In this case, the data processing device
304
acquires voice data from the telephone unit
301
or the telephone network
302
through the voice input/output unit
305
. The application program on the data processing device
304
converts the voice data into digital data in a computer-readable format and stores the digital data in a memory of the data processing device
304
. The application program continues to provide the voice recording until a recording end button on the monitor is pressed by the user.
However, in the above-described conventional system, it is impossible for the user to start the voice recording processing by using the telephone unit
301
to remotely control the application program on the data processing device
304
.
In the above-described conventional system, when a playback function, as one of the telephone services, is obtained by executing the application program on the data processing device
304
, the user of the data processing device
304
presses a playback start button on the monitor by operating the input device. In this case, the application program on the data processing device
304
converts the digital data stored in the memory of the device
304
into voice data, and supplies the voice data to the voice input/output unit
305
. A voice signal is derived from the voice data by the voice input/output unit
305
, and the voice signal is supplied to the telephone unit
301
or the telephone network
302
via the line unit
303
. The application program continues to provide the playback function until a playback end button on the monitor is pressed by the user or the end of the data stored in the memory is detected.
However, in the above-described conventional system, it is impossible for the user to start the playback processing by using the telephone unit
301
to remotely control the application program on the data processing device
304
.
Further, in the above-described conventional system, when a telephone number entry function, as one of the telephone services, is obtained by executing the application program on the data processing device
304
, the user of the data processing device
304
inputs a telephone number by operating the input device. In this case, the application program on the data processing device
304
stores the input telep
Azami Toshihiro
Furukawa Kimikazu
Kakuta Jun
Sato Yasuo
Takebayashi Tomoyoshi
Fujitsu Limited
Knepper David D.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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