Telecommunications – Transmitter and receiver at same station – Radiotelephone equipment detail
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-20
2002-07-16
Vo, Nguyen T. (Department: 2682)
Telecommunications
Transmitter and receiver at same station
Radiotelephone equipment detail
C455S418000, C455S456500, C455S420000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06421544
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a radio communication system that controls a call origination, incoming call processing, or communication of a radio communication terminal, a method of controlling the radio communication system, and a radio communication terminal.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 9-292663, filed Oct. 24, 1997, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In recent years, radio communication systems have progressed rapidly. As the charge for a telephone call has come down, radio communication terminals, including portable telephones and simplified portable telephones known as PHS (personal handy phone), have been popularized remarkably.
The radio communication systems control communication between a communication terminal and a base station, communication between a base station and an exchange for the radio communication system, communication between the exchanges, and communication between the exchange and a database. They enable mobile communication by performing communication between a communication terminal and a base station by radio.
As the built-in CPUs are getting more sophisticated, recent radio communication terminals are made to have more functions and a more compact design to improve the portability.
In this connection, there are now a lot of base stations and radio communication terminals that are compact and easy to carry, which makes it possible to make a call in various places, indoors or outdoors.
On the other hand, speaking by telephone or ringing a calling tone in a public place, such as a theater or a train, may annoy the people there. Radio communication in such a place as a hospital can have an adverse effect on the instruments there. Traditionally, use of radio communication terminals in such public places has been up to users. Specifically, the user himself or herself had to turn off the power supply of the radio communication terminal in a public place and turn on the power supply when leaving the place. However, the user sometimes forgot to turn off the power supply, annoying the people there or having an adverse effect on the instruments nearby. Alternately, forgetting to turn on the power supply, the user suffered inconvenience.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages in the prior art and provide a radio communication system that limits the use of radio communication terminals depending on circumstances.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling the above radio communication system.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a radio communication terminal used in the above radio communication system.
The foregoing objects are accomplished by the following radio communication systems, method of controlling the system, and radio communication terminal described in items (1) to (5).
(1) A radio communication system comprising a radio communication terminal, and a base station, wherein the base station transmits a control signal for controlling an operation of the radio communication terminal, and the radio communication terminal comprises communication control means capable of operating in several operation modes, reception means for receiving the control signal from the base station, and operation mode changing means for changing the operation mode of the communication control means based on the control signal received by the reception means.
In the radio communication system, the base station may transmit the control signal to the radio communication terminal crossing a boundary of a use inhibit area where use of the radio communication terminal is inhibited, the communication control means is capable of operating in a call enable mode and a call inhibit mode, and the operation mode changing means changes the operation mode to the call inhibit mode in a case where the operation mode of the communication control means is the call enable mode when the reception means receives the control signal and changes the operation mode to the call enable mode in a case where the operation mode of the communication control means is the call inhibit mode when the reception means receives the control signal. It is desirable that the base station should be provided at a doorway to the use inhibit area.
With such a configuration, it is possible to inhibit making a call reliably to any radio communication terminal that has entered the use inhibit area. Moreover, it is possible to return every radio communication terminal that has left the use inhibit area from the call inhibit state to the call enable state reliably.
This saves the user the trouble of turning off the power supply of the radio communication terminal in a public place and turning on the power supply when leaving the place. Consequently, the user will never fail to turn off the power supply in a public place, which eliminates the possibility of annoying the people there or having an adverse effect on the instruments nearby. Moreover, the user will never experience the inconvenience of being unable to make a call because of forgetting to turn on the power supply.
It is desirable that the radio communication terminal should comprise storage means for storing call incoming history data including information on the call originating party and information on the call originating date, and the call inhibit mode of the communication control means includes a first operation mode in which the radio communication terminal is inhibited from originating a call, neither a call incoming informing process nor the process of establishing a speech channel between the base station and the radio communication terminal is performed at the time of call incoming, and the call incoming history data is stored in the storage means.
With this configuration, because the radio communication terminal can store the call incoming data even when it cannot make a call in the use inhibit area, the stored data enables the user to check information on an incoming call for the user in the use inhibit area.
It is desirable that the call inhibit mode of the communication control means should include a second operation mode in which call originating and incoming call reception are inhibited and only the control signal can be received.
With this configuration, it is possible to completely shut off the radio waves radiated from the radio communication terminal in the use inhibit area.
It is desirable that the radio communication terminal should comprise display means, the operation mode changing means changes the operation mode to the call inhibit mode in a case where the operation mode of the communication control means is the call enable mode when the reception means receives the control signal, and the communication control means displays a message or a mark indicating that the terminal is within the use inhibit area, continuously on the display means or temporarily on the display means by a call originating operation during the time until the reception means receives the control signal again.
With this configuration, because a message or a mark indicating that the terminal is within the use inhibit area is displayed on the display means, this enables the user to easily know that the user has entered the use inhibit area and the operation mode is changed to the call inhibit mode.
It is desirable that the radio communication terminal should comprise informing means, the communication control means causes the informing means to give an alarm notice that the terminal has entered the use inhibit area in a case where the terminal is busy when the reception means receives the control signal, and then performs a call terminating process, and the operation mode changing means changes the operation mode of the communication control means to the call inhibit mode.
Such a configuration enables the user to easily know that the user has entered the use inhibit area and consequently the call is going to be interrupted.
It is desirable that the radio co
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Nguyen Duc
Vo Nguyen T.
LandOfFree
Radio communication system, control method thereof, and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Radio communication system, control method thereof, and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Radio communication system, control method thereof, and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2855071