GB2327011A - Data communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for transmitting/receiving character or image data to/from a control terminal equipment 3 (such as a personal computer, an electronic pocketbook, or particularly a digital camera Fig.3) has a data communication adapter (data modem) 2 coupled to the control terminal 3 and to a telephone set 1 (eg. a mobile telephone). When a call is originated from the telephone set 1, either by use of the keys 12 or by recall from a telephone number memory 11, the number of the called station is also sent from a telephone number reporting section 13 of the telephone set 1 to a telephone number storing section 34 in the control terminal 3. If the connection to the called station cannot be established because of no response or a busy line, or if it is otherwise required subsequently to make another call to the same station, this can be automatically initiated under the control of the terminal 3 using the number held in the number storing section 34, without having to re-enter the number from the telephone set 1 and without having to provide key buttons for direct number entry on the control terminal 3 (which may have restricted space). The called number is also then indicated on a display 31 on the control terminal 3.

Description

1 DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEM 2327011 The present invention relates to a,

data 5 communication system, and more particularly to a data communication system having a function of storing telephone numbers.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a block 10 diagram illustrating an example of a conventional data communication system.

This data communication system comprises a telephone set 51 to be connected to a telephone line, a data communication adapter 52 for processing data signals exchanged in a data communication in a transmission or reception procedure predetermined with a called station, and a control terminal' equipment 53 to or from which actually exchanged characters or image data is received or output, as a system used for a data communication through telephone lines. The telephone set 51 has a telephone number storing section 511 and a key operating section 512, the data communication adapter 52 has a communication procedure matching section 521 and a telephone set control section 522, and the control terminal 2 equipment 53 has a telephone number storing section 532 and an operating section 533..

In general, a mobile telephone set such as for example cellular phone is often used as the telephone set 51, and an adapter dedicated to mobile telephone sets or a modem adapter for a general analog line is used as the data communication adapter 52. As- the control terminal equipment 53, a personal computer or an electronic pocketbook with a communication function is used other than a digital camera which is recently used.

Particularly when a mobile telephone set is used as the telephone set 51 and. an adapter dedicated to mobile telephone sets is used as the data communication adapter 52, the system is often equipped with features of specifying a telephone number of a called station from the control terminal equipment 53, of transmitting a control signal to the telephone set 51 via the data communication adapter 52, and of originating a call automatically to the called station.

Accordingly, as a means for entering the telephone number of the called station, there have been a method of entering the telephone number from the operating section 533 of the control terminal equipment 53, a method of calling the telephone 3 number 'which has been previously stored in the telephone number storing section..532, a method of entering the telephone number directly from the key operating section 512 of the telephone set 51, and a method of calling the telephone number which has been previously stored in the telephone number storing section 511. If a digital camera is used as the control terminal equipment 53, however, in most cases it is impossible to enter directly the telephone number or to store previously an arbitrary telephone number in the telephone number storing section 532 since there is not enough space to arrange key buttons required for adequate operations on the operating section 533.

In the prior art, when a call is originated to a called station with entering a telephone number of the called station from the key operating section 512 of the telephone set 51 or with calling it from the telephone number storing section 511, the control terminal equipment 53 does not have any means for obtaining the telephone number of the called station.

Therefore, conventionally to connect the line with the called station again if there is no response from the called station or if the line cannot be connected to the called station due to a 4 busy line, the telephone number of the called station must be entered from the telephone set 51 again inconveniently.

In addition, if the user connects the line with the called station frequently, he must enter the telephone number of the called station from the telephone set 51 every time, though it is inconvenient.

In view of these problems, it is an object of at least the preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a data communication system in which control terminal equipment can originate the second and subsequent calls easily to the same called station, thereby improving operability.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a data communication system comprising telephone number transmitting means for transmitting a telephone number of a called station from a telephone set to control means, said control means comprising telephone number storing means for storing the telephone number transmitted from the reporting means so that a call to the called station can be automatically generated by the control means.

A preferred embodiment of a data communication system includes a telephone number reporting section for reporting the telephone number of the called station entered from the telephone set to the control terminal equipment and a telephone set transmission telephone number storing section for storing the telephone number reported from the telephone number reporting section in the control terminal equipment, so that the control terminal equipment is informed of the telephone number of the called station transmitted fl:om the telephone set.

According to the above data communication system with the control terminal equipment being informed of the telephone number of the called station entered from the telephone set, the control terminal equipment can call the telephone number of the called station so as to originate a call automatically on the telephone set via a data communication adapter when originating the call to the same called station again.

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a conventional data communication system; Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a basic circuit configuration of a data communication system; and Fig. 3 is a block diagrwn illustrating an embodiment of the data communication system.

Referring to Fig. 2, there is shown a block 6 diagram illustrating an embodiment of a data communication system.

This data communication system comprises a telephone set 1 to be connected to a telephone line, a data communication adapter 2 for processing data signals to be exchanged in a communication procedure required for a data communication, connected to an interf ace- arranged in this telephone set 1, and a control terminal equipment 3 for entering or outputting character data or image data to be actually exchanged in a data communication.

The telephone set 1 has a key operating section 12 for entering a telephone number of a called station, a telephone number storing section 11 to or from which the telephone number of the called station can be previously written or read with an operation from the key operating section 12, and a telephone number reporting section 13 for reporting to the control terminal equipment 3 the telephone number of the called station which is actually transmitted from the telephone set 1. To originate a call by entering the telephone number of the called station from the telephone set 1, one of the following two methods is used; (1)Entering the telephone number of the called station directly 7 from the key operating section 12. (2)Calling the telephone number which has.. been previously registered from the telephone number storing sectio.n 11 for originating the call.

Next, the data communication adapter 2 includes a communication procedure matching section 21 for matching a communication procedure of the called station, with a communic-ation procedure of an intra-office after establishment of a line connection to the called station from the telephone set 1 so as to establish the subsequent communication procedures and a telephone set control section 22 for receiving control signals from the control terminal equipment 3 to control the telephone set 1. The communication procedures to be matched by the communication procedure matching section 21 include data transfer speed, error correction procedures, and data compression procedures. The operations of the telephone set 1 to be controlled by the telephone set control section 22 include setting telephone numbers of called stations and automatic originating call and automatic clearing operations.

Finally, the control terminal equipment 3 has an operating section 33 for selecting information of actually exchanged character data or image data, 8 so that a user can select the content of the communication through the operating section 33. In addition, the control terminal equipment 3 has a display section 31 for displaying a telephone number of a called station if the telephone number is set on the control terminal equipment 3, so that the user can check the telephone number of the called station of the current-outgoing call.

The following description is intended for a procedure of connecting a line with a called station.

First, data to be exchanged, are prepared in the control terminal equipment 3, and then a telephone number of a called station is directly entered from the key operating section 12 on the telephone set 1 or the telephone number is called from the telephone number storing section 11 for a line connection. The telephone number of the called station selected here is reported from the telephone number reporting section 13 to the telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34 of the control terminal equipment 3 so that it is stored in the storing section.

If the line connection with the called station cannot be established because of no response from the called station or of a busy line, the control 9 adapter terminal equipment 3 automatically calls the telephone number of the called station from the telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34 and outputs it to the telephone set control section 22 of the data communication 2, and then the telephone set control section 22 outputs a control signal of originating a call to the called station to the telephone set 1. Then, the telephone set 1 re-originates a call to the called station. At this time, the called telephone number is displayed on the display section 31 of the control terminal equipment 3, on which the user can check the called station.

On the other hand, if the connection with called station is successfully established, telephone set 1 enters or.. outputs data to exchanged with the called station to or from communication procedure matching section 21 of data communication adanter 2. and the the the be the the data coinmunication adapter 2 operates to establish the data communication procedure with the called station.

Referring to Fig. 3, there is shown a block diagram illustrating the embodiment of the data cananicaticnsystem. In Fig. 3, the telephone number storing section 32 in Fig. 2 is not shown.

Fi.rst, the key operating section 12 which is a component of the telephone set 1.comprises keys 12a such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, #, and, a memory call key 12b needed for writing or reading a telephone number to or from the telephone number storing section 11, a memory load key 12c, and a monitoring CPU 121 for detecting which key has been entered. The information of the entered key signal is output to required circuits in a body of the telephone set 1 including the telephone number reporting section 13 and the telephone number storing section 11 as a parallel signal. The telephone number storing section 11. comprises an EEPROM 111 and a data input-output circuit 112, and data signals needed for read/write' operations are output to circuits required in the body including the telephone number reporting section 13 as data a parallel format. The telephone number reporting section 13 converts the called telephone number transmitted in parallel signals from the CPU 121 or from the telephone number storing section 11 to serial signals in a serialparallel conversion section 131, and then outputs it to the telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34.

Next, the control terminal equipment 3 is a in 11 digital' camera, for example, having an interface connected to the data communication adapter 2, and the operating section 33 comprises a camera lens 331 needed for taking photos with the digital camera, a photo-taking operation key 334 needed for taking photos, an image selection key 332 for selecting image data of a photo which has been taken, a connection start key 333 for starting a connection with a called station, and a CPU 335 for entering or outputting signals to or from required circuits in the control terminal equipment 3 according to each key operation for an input operation. The telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34 comprises an EEPROM 341 and a data input-output circuit 342, and a serial signal transmitted from the. telephone number reporting section 13 is read by the data input-output circuit 342 and stored into the EEPROM 341.

In addition, the data input-output circuit 342 reads out the telephone number stored in the EEPROM 341 based on a control signal requested by required circuits in the control terminal equipment 3 and then outputs it to the required circuits. The display section 31 comprises an LCD 311 for an actual display and an WD driver 312 for driving 12 the LM 311. and data is displayed on the LCD 311 after it is output from the data input-output circuit 342 of the telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34.

Finally,. the data communication adapter 2 is dedicated to general mobile telephones; the data communication procedure matching section 21 has a function of establishing a communication procedure in an MNP10 system and the telephone set control section 22 converts an AT command control signal transmitted from the control terminal equipment 3 via an RS-232C interface or a PCMCIA interface to a data signal determined to control a mobile telephone set which is the telephone set 1 before it is output.

As invention originating a call set forth provides a hereinabove, the present function of automatically from a control terminal equipment in the second or after connections to the same called station by reporting a telephone number transmitted from a telephone set to the control terminal equipment, by which it becomes possible to omit means for entering the called telephone number repeatedly from the telephone set.

13 Each feature disclosed in this specification (which term includes the claims) and/or shown in the drawings may be incorporated in the invention independently of other disclosed and/or illustrated features.

The text of the abstract filed herewith is repeated below as part of the specification.

A data communication system, connecting a personal computer, an electronic pocketbook, or a digital camera to a mobile telephone set or the like, comprising a telephone number reporting section 13 for reporting a telephone number transmitted from a telephone set 1 to a control terminal equipment 3 in the telephone set 1 in order to simplify a re-entering operation of the telephone number from the mobile telephone set or the like and a telephone set transmission telephone number storing section 34 for storing the telephone number transmitted from the telephone set 1 and reported from the telephone set 1 in the control terminal equipment 3, so that a call can be automatically originated for the second and subsequent connections under the control of a personal computer or the like.

14

Claims (1)

1. A data communication system comprising telephone number transmitting means for transmitting a telephone number of a called station from a telephone set to control means, said control means comprising telephone number storing means for storing the telephone number transmitted from the reporting means so that a call to the called station can be automatically generated by the control means.

2. A data communication system according to Claim 1, comprising a data communication adapter having means for performing data communication via telephone links, said telephone set and said control means being connected to said adapter.

3. A data communication system comprising a data communication adapter having mews for performing data communication via telephone links, a telephone set having an interface for connection with said data communication adapter, control terminal equipment, connected to said data communication adapter, for receiving or outputting communication data, a telephone number reporting section for reporting, to said control terminal equipment, the telephone number transmitted from said telephone set, and a telephone set transmission telephone number storing section for storing the telephone number transmitted from said telephone set and received by said control terminal equipment.

A data communication system according Claim 3, wherein said control terminal equipment originates a call to the same telephone number as that received from said telephone number reporting section via said data communication adapter.

is 5. A data communication system according to Claim 3 or 4, further comprising a display section for displaying the telephone number stored in said telephone set transmission telephone number storing section.

6.

A data communication system according to any preceding claim, wherein said telephone set is a mobile telephone set.

7. A data communication system substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 2 or 3 of the accompanying drawings.