Telephonic communications – Supervisory or control line signaling – Signal reception at substation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-01
2001-10-02
{haeck over (S)}mits, T{overscore (a)}livaldis I. (Department: 2641)
Telephonic communications
Supervisory or control line signaling
Signal reception at substation
C379S373040, C379S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298132
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ringing-tone control device for a telephone set.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some portable telephone sets, ringing tones indicative of calls incoming are intermittently generated at different intervals according to a predetermined pattern. Some of known ringing tones have different frequencies.
An advanced portable telephone set has an IC for generating a signal representing a predetermined melody. A ringing tone is produced on the basis of the signal generated by the IC. Thus, the predetermined melody is used as a ringing tone.
It is known that a melody to be used as a ringing tone is made or changed in accordance with user's requirement.
In a known portable telephone set, a musical piece is converted into a corresponding audio signal via a microphone, and the audio signal is recorded in a memory. Upon the arrival of an incoming call, the audio signal is read out from the memory, and a ringing tone is generated on the basis of the audio signal. Thus, the musical piece is used as a ringing tone.
Japanese utility model 3030672 discloses a portable telephone set having a voice recorder into which words uttered by an arbitrary person and meaning a call incoming can be stored. In Japanese utility model 3030672, upon the arrival of an incoming call, the voice recorder is activated to reproduce the words. Thus, the words are used as a ringing tone.
Japanese published unexamined patent application 63-5268338 discloses a telephone set circuit provided with a voice recorder having a memory. A sound is converted into a corresponding audio signal via a handset, and the audio signal is stored into the memory within the voice recorder. Upon the arrival of an incoming call, the audio signal is read out from the memory, and a ringing tone is generated on the basis of the audio signal. Thus, the sound sampled via the handset is used as a ringing tone.
Japanese published unexamined patent application 1-112892 discloses a system including telephone sets and recorders. The recorders correspond to the telephone sets, respectively. The recorders store different signals representing arbitrary sounds, for example, the songs of birds and the sounds of waves. Upon the arrival of an incoming call, the sound-representing signal is read out from the recorder related to the incoming call, and the sound-representing signal is fed to the corresponding telephone set. In the telephone set, a ringing tone is generated on the basis of the sound-representing signal. Thus, the sound-representing signal stored in the recorder is used as a source of a ringing tone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a device for controlling a ringing tone in a new way.
It is another object of this invention to provide a simple ringing-tone control device for a telephone set.
A first aspect of this invention provides a ringing-tone control device for a telephone set, comprising first means for converting an audio signal, which is sent from a communication opposite party, into a corresponding bi-level signal; a memory; second means for storing the bi-level signal generated by the first means into the memory; third means for reading out the bi-level signal from the memory; and fourth means for generating a ringing tone in response to the bi-level signal read out by the third means.
A second aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides a ringing-tone control device wherein the fourth means comprises a buzzer, and means for driving the buzzer in response to the bi-level signal read out by the third means.
A third aspect of this invention provides a ringing-tone control device for a telephone set, comprising first means for extracting a fundamental-frequency component from an audio signal which is sent from a communication opposite party, and for using the extracted fundamental-frequency component as a fundamental-frequency signal; a memory; second means for storing the fundamental-frequency signal generated by the first means into the memory; third means for reading out the fundamental-frequency signal from the memory; and fourth means for generating a ringing tone in response to the fundamental-frequency signal read out by the third means.
A fourth aspect of this invention is based on the third aspect thereof, and provides a ringing-tone control device wherein the first means comprises fifth means for separating the audio signal into sub signals having different frequency bands respectively; sixth means for selecting a strongest signal from among the sub signals generated by the fifth means; and seventh means for using the strongest signal selected by the sixth means as the fundamental-frequency signal.
A fifth aspect of this invention is based on the third aspect thereof, and provides a ringing-tone control device wherein the fourth means comprises a buzzer, and means for driving the buzzer in response to the fundamental-frequency signal read out by the third means.
A sixth aspect of this invention provides a ringing-tone control device for a telephone set, comprising first means for extracting a fundamental-frequency component from an audio signal which is sent from a communication opposite party, and for using the extracted fundamental-frequency component as a fundamental-frequency signal; second means for converting the fundamental-frequency signal, which is generated by the first means, into a corresponding bi-level signal; a memory; third means for storing the bi-level signal generated by the second means into the memory; fourth means for reading out the bi-level signal from the memory; and fifth means for generating a ringing tone in response to the bi-level signal read out by the fourth means.
A seventh aspect of this invention is based on the sixth aspect thereof, and provides a ringing-tone control device wherein the first means comprises sixth means for separating the audio signal into sub signals having different frequency bands respectively; seventh means for selecting a strongest signal from among the sub signals generated by the sixth means; and eighth means for using the strongest signal selected by the seventh means as the fundamental-frequency signal.
An eighth aspect of this invention is based on the sixth aspect thereof, and provides a ringing-tone control device wherein the fifth means comprises a buzzer, and means for driving the buzzer in response to the bi-level signal read out by the fourth means.
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Harada Hideo
Suzuki Haruo
Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
{haeck over (S)}mits T{overscore (a)}livaldis I.
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