JP2004304374A - Terminal equipment and response control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow efficient communication with the other party in which a callee transmits a message corresponding to own communication state to a caller at an incoming telephone call, and the caller selects next operation based on the message. <P>SOLUTION: An incoming-side terminal 1 sends back a message corresponding to own communication state to a calling-side terminal 2 at incoming from the calling-side terminal 2. The message is such menu as allows a caller to select next operation, and is displayed on a display unit 22 of the calling-side terminal 2. If the calling-side terminal 2 selects a desired menu number from the menu, it is notified to the incoming-side terminal 1 which processes according to the selected number. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a terminal device and a response method, and is particularly suitable for use in communications such as telephones.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when a caller places a call, he or she needs to know only the communication status of the called parent device and the multiple child devices connected to this parent device, and then calls only the specified child device, or I leave my business to the other party.
[0003]
Patent Literature 1 describes a technique in which, when a call is received, a communication method desired by the callee is returned to the caller according to the call status and the caller of the callee. According to this technique, the caller can know the call status of the callee and what kind of communication the callee wants.
[0004]
Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique of displaying a message of a caller on a display unit before answering an incoming call when receiving a call.
[0005]
Patent Literature 3 discloses a technology for displaying the contents of a caller's telephone and information of a caller on a display to a callee. Further, it is shown that when the caller does not respond to the call from the caller, the callee can appropriately select a response method such as forwarding, switching to mail, and holding.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2000-69075
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-11-122343
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-08-298546
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in any of these conventional methods, the receiver selects the response method arbitrarily at the time of an incoming call, and transmits a reply message to the sender in accordance with the response method. One way from to the caller. In addition, none of these aims at the caller knowing the callee's response before the callee answers the telephone, and does not consider the caller's response to the subsequent callee's response.
[0008]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible for a caller and a callee to perform a smooth response interactively according to each telephone use state at the time of telephone call.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, when a call is received from outside, a reply response is created according to the state of the terminal device itself on the receiving side or the state of the slave terminal, and this reply response is provided to the terminal device on the calling side. is there. Here, the reply response includes a message prompting the next operation, and when an input corresponding to this message is made at the transmitting terminal device, a communication process corresponding to this input is executed at the receiving terminal device. Is done.
[0010]
For example, the reply response includes a screen displaying a list of the states of the slave terminals set in the terminal device (“communicable”, “during a call”, “out of office”, etc.), and these slave terminals. The message screen prompts the user to select a desired one (a callable one). In this case, when an input for selecting a desired slave unit terminal is made on the other party's terminal device, this selection information is transmitted to the called side terminal device, and the connection information for connecting the call to the selected slave unit terminal is transmitted. The process is executed by the receiving terminal device.
[0011]
Further, for example, in preparation for the case where the desired state of the slave terminal is “calling” or “out of office”, the slave terminal is given a predetermined message (“return phone request”, “answering machine”, etc.). ) May be included in the reply response. In this case, when a desired message is input at the partner terminal device, a notification to the effect that the message has been left at the transmitting terminal device is sent to the target slave unit terminal.
[0012]
When a user is set in each of the slave terminals, from the viewpoint of private information protection, there may be a case where it is desired to provide related information of each user only to a limited number of terminal devices. Therefore, a message screen prompting the input of a password is included in the reply response provided to the calling terminal device first, and a message including the user-related information is received in response to the input of the appropriate password from the partner terminal device. The screen may be provided to the partner terminal device.
[0013]
The invention of each claim has the following features.
[0014]
The invention according to claim 1 is a terminal device, comprising: a state management means for managing states of the terminal itself and the slave terminal; a message creation means for creating a response message to an incoming call based on the state; and transmitting the response message. And a message transmitting means.
[0015]
The invention according to claim 2 is the terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the state management means manages the state of the slave terminal based on a communication history with the slave terminal. I do.
[0016]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device according to the first aspect, the status management unit inquires the status of the slave terminal at the time of an incoming call and / or at a predetermined cycle, and Managing the state of the terminal.
[0017]
The invention according to claim 4 is the terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive selection information for the response message, and according to the received selection information, Controlling the slave terminal.
[0018]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the response message includes a message including a status of the terminal itself and the slave terminal, and / or a message prompting a next operation. Which is characterized in that
[0019]
The invention according to claim 6 is the terminal device according to claim 5, further comprising an authentication unit that determines the validity of the input password, wherein the response message includes a first message and the first message. A second message different from the message, wherein the message creating means creates the second message and supplies it to the message transmitting means when the input password is determined to be valid by the authentication means. , Is characterized.
[0020]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the terminal device according to the sixth aspect, the first message includes a message for prompting entry of a password, and the message creating unit creates the first message. When the password input in response to the first message is determined to be valid by the authentication unit, the second message is created and supplied to the message transmission unit. To be characterized.
[0021]
The invention according to claim 8, which is a response control method in communication, comprising: a state acquisition step of acquiring the state of the terminal itself and the slave terminal; and, at the time of an incoming call, a response message based on the acquired state as a response to the incoming call. And a message sending step of sending the created response message.
[0022]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the response control method according to the eighth aspect, the status obtaining step obtains a status of the slave terminal based on a communication history with the slave terminal. And
[0023]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the response control method according to the eighth aspect, the status acquisition step includes the step of inquiring the status of the child device terminal at the time of an incoming call and / or at a predetermined cycle to obtain the status of the child device. Acquiring the status of the device terminal.
[0024]
The invention according to claim 11 is the response control method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the receiving step of receiving selection information for the response message, and the mobile terminal and the slave unit according to the received selection information And a control step of controlling the terminal.
[0025]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the response control method according to any one of the eighth to eleventh aspects, the response message includes a message including a status of the terminal itself and the slave terminal, and / or prompts a next operation. Message.
[0026]
The invention according to claim 13 is the response control method according to claim 12, further comprising an authentication step of determining the validity of the input password, wherein the response message includes a first message and the A second message different from the first message, wherein the message creating step creates a second message when the input password is determined to be valid by the authentication step;
It is characterized by the following.
[0027]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the response control method according to the thirteenth aspect, the first message includes a first message for prompting a password input, and the message creation step includes the first message. And, when the password input in response to the first message is determined to be valid by the authentication step, the second message is created.
[0028]
In the above claims, "creating a message" includes reading a message created and stored in advance.
[0029]
The features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments.
[0030]
However, the following embodiments are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the meanings of the terms of the present invention and each component are limited to those described in the following embodiments. is not.
[0031]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0032]
First, FIG. 1 shows an outline of a telephone system according to an embodiment.
[0033]
Each of the terminal devices 1 and 2 is a terminal device having means for connecting to a wired or wireless network, and can communicate with another terminal device connected to the same network.
[0034]
Each of the terminal devices 1 and 2 has a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel, and the display unit displays the status of the partner terminal device, an operation menu, and the like. For example, when the terminal device 1 is called from the terminal device 2, the response message 3 is transmitted from the terminal device 1 to the terminal device 2 and displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 2.
[0035]
The terminal device 4 is a slave terminal of the terminal device 1 and communicates with the outside via the terminal device 1 which is a parent device. Needless to say, the terminal device 1 can communicate with the child device terminal 4 as a parent device.
[0036]
[First embodiment]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the terminal device 1 and the slave terminal 4 in the first embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that FIG. 1 shows only a configuration required for message exchange, and blocks necessary for normal call processing, such as a voice input / output and a voice signal processing system, are omitted.
[0037]
(Configuration of terminal device 1)
In this embodiment, it is assumed that the terminal device 1 is an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone. Here, the IP telephone means a voice telephone service provided using the IP network technology.
[0038]
The terminal device 1 includes a data input unit 11, a display unit 12, a state management unit 13, a state information storage unit 14, a message creation unit 15, a message storage unit 16, a communication control unit 17, and a main processing unit 18.
[0039]
The data input unit 11 is a set of function buttons to which numeric keys and various operations are assigned, and is used for inputting data and for each operation instruction.
[0040]
The display unit 12 displays the state of the terminal device 1, messages used for operations, and characters input from the data input unit 11. Also, when calling from outside, information on the calling side is displayed.
[0041]
The state management unit 13 monitors the current state of the terminal device 1 and instructs the message creation unit 15 to create a reply message to the caller when receiving a telephone call. In communication with the slave terminal 4, the status of the slave terminal 4 is acquired and managed.
[0042]
The status information storage unit 14 holds the current status of its own terminal device 1 and slave unit terminal 4 managed by the status management unit 13.
[0043]
The method of managing the “current state” in the terminal device 1 and the slave terminal 4 and the state items to be managed will be described later in detail.
[0044]
When receiving a telephone call, the message creating unit 15 generates a message according to the status of the terminal device 1 or the slave terminal 4 according to an instruction from the status management unit 13.
[0045]
The message storage unit 16 holds a message template corresponding to the state of the terminal device 1 or the child device terminal 4, a recently used message, a frequently used message, and the like. When composing a message, the message composing section 15 selects a message from the message as necessary and sets it as a reply message.
[0046]
The communication control unit 17 controls transmission to and reception from an external terminal device by transmitting and receiving data. That is, control is performed to establish a communication path between the terminal devices and transmit and receive data using the communication path. In communication with the slave terminal 4, communication control and transmission / reception of a call signal are performed.
[0047]
The main processing unit 18 controls the overall operation of the terminal device 1. In addition, an internal memory is provided, and a telephone number book used during a call is stored in the memory.
[0048]
(Configuration of terminal device 2)
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the terminal device 2 is an IP telephone, like the terminal device 1.
[0049]
The terminal device 2 has the same configuration as the terminal device 1. Hereinafter, in the terminal device 2, the same components as those of the terminal device 1 are denoted by numbers 11, 12, 13,..., 18 assigned to the terminal device 1 as 21, 22, 23,.
[0050]
(Configuration of slave terminal 4)
The slave terminal 4 includes a data input unit 41, a display unit 42, a communication control unit 43, and a main processing unit 44.
[0051]
The data input unit 41 is a group of function buttons to which numeric keys and various operations are assigned, and is used for inputting data and for each operation instruction.
[0052]
The display unit 42 displays the status of the slave terminal 4, messages used for operations, and characters input from the data input unit 41. Also, when calling from outside, information on the calling side is displayed.
[0053]
The communication control unit 43 controls communication control in communication with the terminal device 1 which is a master device, and controls transmission and reception of a call signal.
[0054]
The main processing unit 44 controls the overall operation in the slave terminal 4. Also, a telephone number book used for a call is stored.
[0055]
(message)
Next, the message 3 transmitted from the receiving terminal device to the calling terminal device at the time of telephone call will be described.
[0056]
In FIG. 1, a message transmitted from the called terminal device 1 to the calling terminal device 2 is created in the message creating unit 15 in the terminal device 1 based on the state of the called terminal device 1 at the time of the incoming call. At this time, the message creating unit 15 selects a message corresponding to the state of the terminal device 1 from the messages stored in the message storage unit 16.
[0057]
FIG. 4 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 2 when the terminal device 2 calls the terminal device 1 in FIG.
[0058]
Menu numbers 1 to 4 indicate call destination selection menus of the called terminal device 1 (the other party).
[0059]
Menu number 1 is specified when no call destination is specified. When this menu is specified in the transmitting terminal device 2, for example, the receiving terminal device 1 itself, which is the parent device, is called. The selection menu numbers 2 to 4 are the user names of the slave units, and are set to “ken”, “koichi”, and “hiroko” in this order.
[0060]
Further, the menu numbers 8, 9, and 0 are operation menus for designating the intention of the calling terminal device 2 when the called terminal device 1 or its user is on the phone or out of the office. "Call me again,""Callme," and "Message recording."
[0061]
That is, in FIG. 4, in the home where the receiving-side terminal device 1 is installed, in addition to the terminal device 1 itself, which is the parent device, the child terminal 4 used by “Ken”, “Koichi”, and “Hiroko”. It is shown that there is. Further, it is shown that "ken" is on the phone and "hiroko" is out of the office.
[0062]
After selecting the menu numbers 8, 9, and 0, the calling terminal device 2 subsequently designates a call destination from the selected menu numbers 1 to 4. Thereby, the receiving side terminal device 1 can know the terminal device 1 itself, which is the parent device, or to which of the child device terminals the specified response is addressed.
[0063]
By referring to such a display indicating the state of the receiving terminal device 1, the caller can directly call the slave terminal owned by the other party by selecting the party to which the call is to be connected. Also, when the other party who wants to connect the telephone cannot answer, the caller can notify the other party by selecting the desired response.
[0064]
For example, when the menu number 8 is selected, the selected number is transmitted from the transmitting terminal device 2 to the receiving terminal device 1. Thus, the receiving-side terminal device 1 can display to the user that the call is to be made again from the other party.
[0065]
(Device status management)
Next, management of the states of the terminal device 1 and the slave terminal 4 will be described.
[0066]
In the terminal device 1, the state management unit 13 analyzes its own operation state and stores it in the state information storage unit 14.
[0067]
The operation state of the child device terminal 4 is managed by the terminal device 1 which is the parent device.
[0068]
Normally, in communication between a base unit and a slave unit of a telephone, a communication is started after communication control using an identification number (extension number) of the slave unit. The identification number of the child device is determined manually or by the parent device when using the child device, and the parent device holds this identification number and uses it for communication control.
[0069]
In the present embodiment, these communication controls are processed by the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 1 and the communication control unit 43 of the slave terminal 4.
[0070]
Further, in the present embodiment, the state management unit 13 of the terminal device 1 stores the communication history together with the identification number of the slave terminal in the state information storage unit 14 every time the communication with the slave terminal 4 is performed. Here, the communication history is a history of the connection status (connection start, connection end, etc.) to the slave unit. Then, of the communication histories stored in the state information storage unit 14, the current state of the slave terminal 4 is acquired based on the latest communication history.
[0071]
Further, when the user performs an input indicating the status such as “out of the office”, “temporarily out of the office”, and “busy” from the data input unit 41 of the child device terminal 4, the information is immediately transmitted. Is transmitted to the terminal device 1 of the parent device.
[0072]
In the terminal device 1, this information is received via the communication control unit 17, and further stored by the state management unit 13 in the state information storage unit 14 for each child terminal 4.
[0073]
In the following, the communication history, the user setting information such as “out of home” and “temporarily out of the office”, and information on the status of the terminal device 1 itself are collectively referred to as status information.
[0074]
Next, the operation in the first embodiment will be described.
[0075]
First, FIG. 1 illustrates an operation until the called terminal device 1 returns a response message in response to a call from the calling terminal device 2. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of this operation.
[0076]
When there is an incoming call from the terminal device 2 to the terminal device 1 (S100), the status management unit 12 of the terminal device 1 acquires the current status information of the terminal device 1 and the slave terminal 4 from the status information storage unit 14 (S101). This is output to the message creation unit 14 and the creation of a reply message to the terminal device 2 is requested.
[0077]
The message creating unit 14 creates the response message 3 based on the input state information while referring to the message storage unit 16 (S102).
[0078]
On the other hand, the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 1 responds to the call from the terminal device 2 according to the call control protocol (S103), and transmits the message 3 created by the message creating unit 14 to the terminal device 2 (S104). ).
[0079]
The method of transmitting the reply message 3 is not particularly limited, but here, a message transmission function of the SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is used. Here, SIP is one of the call control protocols, and is a protocol for negotiating how to exchange information between communicating terminals before communication. SIP is attracting attention as a call control protocol for IP telephones because of its high expandability, compatibility with the Internet, and ease of implementation.
[0080]
(Display message ~ Enter menu number)
As described above, the message 3 transmitted from the terminal device 1 is received by the communication control unit 27 of the terminal device 2.
[0081]
In the terminal device 2, the received message 3 is displayed on the display unit 22. At this time, the user determines whether or not the operation menu is included in the message 3, and when the operation menu is included in the message 3, indicates a partner to which a telephone is to be connected and a desired operation from the data input unit 21 of the terminal device 2. Enter the menu number. The selection menu number input at this time is transmitted to the terminal device 1 by, for example, a method of transmitting the DTMF sound as it is or a method of using the message transmission function of the SIP.
[0082]
Further, in the above determination regarding the presence or absence of the menu, when the received message does not include the menu, the call is connected in the same manner as a normal call, or a predetermined process is performed based on the received message.
[0083]
(Process corresponding to menu number)
The menu selection number transmitted from the terminal device 2 is received by the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 1. Hereinafter, the operation of the terminal device 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0084]
First, the main control unit 18 determines whether a number corresponding to the menu has been notified (S201).
[0085]
When the input of the menu number is confirmed, this menu number is referred to and it is determined whether or not this is a number indicating the slave terminal 4 (S202).
[0086]
When the notified menu number is a number indicating the slave terminal 4, the process of calling the slave terminal 4 is performed (S203).
[0087]
In S202, if the notified menu number is not the number of the slave terminal 4 but a menu number indicating an operation, the process according to the selected menu number is performed (S204).
[0088]
In S201, when the menu number is not notified even after a predetermined time has elapsed (S205), a predetermined process such as a timeout process is performed (S206).
[0089]
Specifically, for example, when the caller makes a call to “Ken”, which is one of the users of the terminal device 1, the child used by “Ken” is displayed on the display unit 22 of the caller's terminal device 2. The device terminal 4 is displayed, and a message that "KEN" is on the phone is displayed (FIG. 4). Then, the caller selects and inputs "call again" of menu number 8, which means calling again, and "ken" of menu number 2, as a destination to which this response should be notified.
[0090]
At this time, the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 1 disconnects the telephone call from the terminal device 2 and, at the same time, of the slave terminal 4 used by the currently active “Ken” selected and input as the destination of the response. On the display unit 42, a message is displayed indicating that there is an incoming call from telephone number 090-1234-5678. At this time, if the telephone number “090-1234-5678” and the user “Saori” are stored in the telephone number book of the terminal device 1 in association with each other, as shown in FIG. "Saori received a call. Call again." Is displayed.
[0091]
Also, in the above menu selection, if the caller selects and inputs “call me” of menu number 9, the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 1 disconnects the call from the terminal device 2 and sends the response destination. Is displayed on the display unit 42 of the handset terminal 4 used by the currently active "ken", which is selected as "Phone number 090-1234-5678. Please call". .
[0092]
Further, in the above menu selection, when the caller selects and inputs “message recording” of menu number 0, the main processing unit 18 of the terminal device 1 sends a guidance “message to the terminal device 2” prompting the terminal device 2 to record a message. Start recording a message at the same time as "Please record."
[0093]
Note that the guidance for prompting the message recording is a voice generated by the main processing unit 18 or a display generated by the message creating unit 15. It is transmitted to the terminal device 2.
[0094]
In accordance with the guidance for prompting the recording of the message, the terminal device 2 starts inputting the recording message of the user. When the input of the recording message is completed, the terminal device 1 disconnects the telephone call from the terminal device 2 and, at the same time, selects the child device 4 that is currently used by the currently active “Ken”, which is selected and input as the destination of the response. Is displayed on the display unit 42 of the message "There is an incoming call from telephone number 090-1234-5678. There is a message."
[0095]
In this way, when another incoming call is received during a call, it is possible not only to indicate that there is an incoming call, but also to notify the incoming caller's intention by selecting a menu number.
[0096]
[Second embodiment]
In the present embodiment, the state of the slave terminal in the first embodiment is grasped more reliably.
[0097]
The terminal device 1 and the terminal device 2 in the present embodiment have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.
[0098]
FIG. 7 shows a configuration of the slave terminal 5 that realizes this operation.
[0099]
Note that blocks having the same functions as those of the terminal device 1 and the slave terminal 5 in the first embodiment are assigned the same numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted. Hereinafter, only the functions newly provided by the present invention will be described.
[0100]
The slave terminal 5 includes a state management unit 45 in addition to the configuration of the slave terminal 4 of the first embodiment. The state management unit 45 grasps and stores the state of the slave terminal 5 itself. That is, setting information such as “going out”, “temporarily leaving”, and “busy” of the user is stored in the state management unit 45 when the user performs an input indicating these conditions from the data input unit 41.
[0101]
Further, when the status management unit 45 receives an inquiry from the terminal device 1 which is the parent device, the status management unit 45 determines its own communication status (communicating, not communicating, etc.).
[0102]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart according to the operation of the present embodiment.
[0103]
When there is an incoming call to the terminal device 1 which is the parent device, the terminal device 1 inquires of the child terminal 5 registered as its own child device about the state (S300).
[0104]
When there is a status inquiry from the terminal device 1, the status management unit 45 of the slave terminal 5 determines its own communication status, and transmits the determination result and the already stored setting information via the communication control unit 43. Transmit to the terminal device 1.
[0105]
When the status information is transmitted from the slave terminal 5 within a predetermined time in the terminal device 1 as the master device (S301, S304), the received information is used as information indicating the current status of the slave terminal 5, The information is stored in the information storage unit 14 (S302).
[0106]
When the status information is not transmitted from the slave terminal 5 within a predetermined time (S301, S304), the latest information among the information stored in the status information storage unit 14 is changed to the current status of the slave terminal 5. Information (S303).
[0107]
Then, based on the information on the state of the slave terminal 5 stored in the state information storage unit 14 and the information on its own state, a message is created in the same manner as described above, and this message is sent to the partner terminal apparatus. Send. Thereafter, the same processing as in the above embodiment is executed.
[0108]
In the present embodiment, the status is inquired to the child device in response to an incoming call to the terminal device 1 which is the parent device. In addition, the status is periodically transmitted to the child device. The inquiry and the storage of the status information of the child device may be updated. As a result, the reliability of the status information stored in the status information storage unit 14 can be improved, so that even if there is no response from the slave terminal 4 in S301 and S304, an appropriate guidance menu can be displayed on the partner terminal device. Can be provided.
[0109]
[Third embodiment]
The present embodiment relates to a function in the case where the function displayed on the menu requires security in the first embodiment.
[0110]
The originating terminal device 2 in the present embodiment has the same configuration as in the first embodiment.
[0111]
FIG. 9 is a block diagram when the receiving-side terminal device 6 has a security function.
[0112]
Note that blocks having the same functions as those of the terminal device 1 in the first embodiment are given the same numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted. Hereinafter, only the functions newly provided by the present embodiment will be described.
[0113]
In this embodiment, an authentication processing unit 19 is newly provided in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.
[0114]
When a menu number indicating a function requiring security is selected on the menu display displayed in response to the incoming call, the authentication processing unit 19 sets the password input in order to confirm the use authority, and sets the password in advance. Authentication is performed to check whether the entered password matches.
[0115]
Here, the function displayed in the menu requires security, for example, when operating a device in the home, or by displaying a connectable child device in the home, the family configuration is known to others. Is a problem or a case where the user listens to a recording message addressed to himself from outside.
[0116]
FIG. 10 shows an example of a response menu display including such an item requiring a security check.
[0117]
FIG. 10A shows a menu transmitted from the receiving terminal device 6 to the calling terminal device 2 upon receiving a call. At this time, when “4. Password limited service” is selected, a display screen for prompting the user to input a password is transmitted from the receiving terminal device 6 to the calling terminal device 2 as shown in FIG. .
[0118]
In the terminal device 2, the user inputs a password from the data input unit 21 on the screen displayed on the display unit 22. The input password is transmitted to the terminal device 6 via the communication control unit 27.
[0119]
The password received by the communication control unit 17 of the terminal device 6 is authenticated by the authentication processing unit 19. That is, it is determined whether or not a password that permits predetermined use of a function such as retrieval of personal information, a list of devices in the house, and an answering machine message matches a received password.
[0120]
As a result, when the received password matches the use permission password, a menu (FIG. 9C) indicating a function enabled by the password matching is transmitted to the terminal device 1.
[0121]
When the passwords do not match, a message that the password is incorrect is displayed, and the first menu is displayed (FIG. 9D).
[0122]
As for the display of the functions requiring security, as in the above method, a specific function in the menu is selected. In the above embodiment, “4. Password limited service” is selected, and then the password is input. Alternatively, the user may be limited by another method. For example, a user or a terminal device capable of using a function requiring security is determined in advance, and when they access the terminal device of the present embodiment, the identification information held by the user or the terminal device is used in advance. User authentication can be performed automatically.
[0123]
Further, the user can be limited using the authentication key. Specifically, the calling terminal transmits an authentication key issuance request to the called terminal, and upon receiving the request, the called terminal returns a message including the authentication key to the calling terminal. Upon receiving the reply message, the originating terminal device encrypts the authentication information including the authentication key included in the message and information for identifying the originator (for example, a user name) by a predetermined method, and encodes the encrypted information with the receiving terminal. Send to device. The receiving side terminal device may decode the received encrypted authentication information, perform authentication using the authentication information, and use a function requiring security when the caller is authenticated.
[0124]
Further, by combining these, it is possible to further improve the security function, and it is possible to prevent unauthorized operation of home devices by a malicious third party and leakage of family information and the like.
[0125]
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various other changes are possible.
[0126]
For example, in the above description, the terminal devices 1, 2, and 6 are assumed to be devices, such as telephones, for performing communication with a person in another place and communication such as transmission and reception of text messages. However, the devices to be communicated by the terminal devices 1, 2, and 6 are not limited to these communication terminals. For example, terminal devices having a communication function, such as a personal computer and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance). Can also be widely included.
[0127]
Further, the slave unit terminal 4 is, for example, an apparatus having a function for making a call with the outside or another slave unit via the master unit and a call with the master unit, such as a slave unit terminal of a telephone. Is assumed. However, the slave terminal 4 is not limited to a terminal device serving as a slave of a telephone. For example, home appliances that can be connected to a network and handle digital information, such as digital network home appliances, In addition, a terminal device capable of communicating with a terminal device serving as a master device, such as a remote controller that operates a home appliance, may be widely included.
[0128]
Various changes can be made to the embodiments of the present invention as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.
[0129]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the caller grasps the state of the callee from the menu sent from the callee, and selects the next operation. Also, it is possible to convey his / her own intention such as "I want a return phone call", and both the caller and the callee can take a smooth response according to their current telephone usage status.
[0130]
Further, by adding the security function, it is possible to prevent unauthorized operation of the device in the house and leakage of information.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal device 1 and a slave terminal 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the terminal device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing contents displayed on the terminal device 2 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the terminal device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing contents displayed on the terminal device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a slave terminal 5 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the terminal device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display unit of a terminal device 6 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing contents displayed on a terminal device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Terminating terminal device
2 originating terminal device
3 messages
4 Receiving slave terminal

Claims (14)

State management means for managing the state of the terminal itself and the child device;
Message creation means for creating a response message to the incoming call based on the state,
Message transmitting means for transmitting the response message;
A terminal device comprising: In claim 1,
The state management means manages the state of the slave terminal based on a communication history with the slave terminal,
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. In claim 1,
The state management means manages the state of the slave terminal by inquiring of the slave terminal at the time of an incoming call and / or at a predetermined cycle.
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a receiving means for receiving selection information for the response message, according to the received selection information, to control itself and the slave terminal,
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. In any one of claims 1 to 4,
The response message includes a message including the status of the terminal itself and the slave terminal, and / or a message prompting the next operation.
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. In claim 5,
Further comprising an authentication means for determining the validity of the entered password,
The response message includes a first message and a second message different from the first message;
The message creation means, when the input password is determined to be valid by the authentication means, creates the second message and supplies it to the message transmission means,
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. In claim 6,
The first message includes a message prompting for a password,
The message creation means creates the first message and supplies it to the message transmission means, and when the password input according to the first message is determined to be valid by the authentication means, Creating the second message and supplying it to the message transmitting means;
A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. A response control method in communication,
A state acquisition step of acquiring the state of the terminal itself and the child device;
At the time of an incoming call, a message creating step of creating a response message based on the acquired state as a response to the incoming call,
A message transmitting step of transmitting the created response message,
And a response control method. In claim 8,
The state obtaining step obtains a state of the slave terminal based on a communication history with the slave terminal,
And a response control method. In claim 8,
The state acquiring step acquires the state of the slave terminal by inquiring the slave terminal of the state at the time of an incoming call and / or at a predetermined cycle.
And a response control method. In any one of claims 8 to 10,
A receiving step of receiving selection information for the response message;
A control step of controlling itself and the slave terminal according to the received selection information;
A response control method, further comprising: In any one of claims 8 to 11,
The response message includes a message including the status of the terminal itself and the slave terminal, and / or a message prompting the next operation.
And a response control method. In claim 12,
Authenticating to determine the validity of the entered password,
Further having
The response message includes a first message and a second message different from the first message;
The message creating step creates a second message when the input password is determined to be valid by the authentication step,
And a response control method. In claim 13,
The first message includes a message prompting for a password,
The message creating step creates the first message, and creates the second message when the password input in response to the first message is determined to be valid by the authentication step. ,
And a response control method.

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