Telephone apparatus and a method of controlling same

Abstract: This invention relates to a telephone apparatus and a method of controlling the telephone apparatus, wherein, where a calling operation conflicts with a call-receiving operation, calling processing and call-receiving processing are performed so that an intention of an operator at a calling side may be respected. A timer (5) is caused to start to operate in response to an incoming signal detected by an incoming signal detecting unit (3). Where an off-hook operation is detected by an off-hook detecting unit (6) before the expiration of a timer time set at the timer (5), a line control unit (4) treats the off-hook operation as an off-hook operation for a calling operation. Where an off-hook operation is detected by the off-­ hook detecting unit (6) after the expiration of the timer time, the line control unit (4) treats the off-hook operation as an off-hook operation for a call-receiving operation.

Description: This invention relates to telephone apparatus for connection to an Integrated Services Digital Network and to methods of controlling same. In a telephone apparatus connected to a public subscriber line or to an Integrated Services Digital Network (hereinafter referred to as the ISDN), by responding to an incoming signal received from the line by an off-hook operation, a speech path is established through which speech is made possible. In such telephone apparatus, a calling operation conflicts with a call-receiving operation in many situations. This is recognised for example in Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 8, no. 4 (E-220) [1441], 10.01.1984, and JP-A-58 170 264 and in Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 9, no. 123 (E-317) [1846], 28.05.1985, and JP-A-60 010 992. These specifications resolve collisions between incoming and outgoing calls by automatic priority allocation; both systems include a determination of whether an incoming call lasts for at least a predetermined period. Conflict also occurs, for example, where an incoming signal is received from another telephone apparatus immediately before the operator at the calling side (hereinafter referred to as the caller) conducts an off-hook operation for calling. Under such circumstances, in a conventional telephone apparatus, the off-hook operation is always treated as a response to the incoming signal against the intention of the caller because the conventional telephone apparatus has no means for resolving such conflict. For this reason, when the caller dials without recognizing the reception of the incoming signal, a dial tone is transmitted to the destination office, thus discomforting the operator at the destination office. On the other hand, the caller who has been preparing for calling is immediately put into a call-receiving, speech state against his intention, and therefore the caller is also discomforted. An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone apparatus for connection to the ISDN and a method of controlling same, wherein calling processing and call-receiving processing are performed so that the intention of the caller may be respected. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a telephone apparatus for connection to an Integrated Services Digital Network to receive calls therefrom and to initiate calls thereto, comprising incoming signal detection means for detecting reception of an incoming signal, off-hook detecting means for detecting an off-hook operation conducted at the telephone apparatus, and control means connected to the incoming signal detection means and the off-hook detecting means for initiating either calling processing or call-receiving processing in response to the off-hook operation, characterized by timer means responsive to the incoming signal detection means to start timing a set period from reception of an incoming signal, the control means being arranged to initiate calling processing or call-receiving processing depending whether the off-hook operation has occurred respectively before or after the expiry of the set period. Further, the present invention provides a method of controlling such telephone apparatus connected to the ISDN, as defined in Claim 6. In the present invention, if the off-hook operation is conducted before the expiration of the set period, it is assumed that the user wishes to initiate a call rather than receiving a call; on the other hand, if the off-hook operation is conducted after the expiration of the set period, it is assumed that the user is reacting to the calling tone and wishes to answer the call. Since in the ISDN two channels are usable in one line and the line can be shared by a plurality of communication terminals connected thereto such as telephone sets, the incoming signal may be transferred to another communication terminal if the user wishes to initiate a call instead of receiving one. As described above, in the present invention, calling processing is performed in response to the off-hook operation conducted before the expiration of the set period, and call-receiving processing is performed in response to the off-hook operation conducted after the expiration of the set period, so that the conflict between the calling and the call-receiving operations may be resolved. Therefore, the calling processing and call-receiving processing can be performed so as to respect the apparent intention of the user. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail referring to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a telephone apparatus according to the present invention. A line terminal 1 is connected to an ISDN. As is well known, the ISDN is an integrated digital network capable of integrating service equipments having different characteristics such as a telephone set, a telex, a facsimile apparatus, etc., wherein one line has a plurality of channels. The line terminal 1 is connected to a speech unit 2, an incoming signal detecting unit 3 and a line control unit 4. The incoming signal detecting unit 3 and the line control unit 4 are connected through a bus line 7 to a timer 5 and an off-hook detecting unit 6. The speech unit 2 performs a predetermined speech processing at the time of a speech through the ISDN. The speech unit 2 is connected to a handset (not shown) through which a speech is made possible with the telephone apparatus at the destination office (not shown). The off-hook detecting unit 6 is used to detect an off-hook operation of the handset. When the unit 6 detects the off-hook operation, it transmits an off-hook detection signal to the line control unit 4. The incoming signal detecting unit 3 is used to detect the reception of an incoming signal sent from the ISDN. When the incoming signal detecting unit 3 detects an incoming signal sent from the ISDN, the unit 3 transmits a signal indicative of the detection of the incoming signal to the line control unit 4 so as to inform the unit 4 of the reception of the incoming signal. The line control unit 4 is used to perform control operations on the line inclusive of operations of connecting and disconnecting the line to/from the ISDN. When the line control unit 4 detects an incoming signal sent from the ISDN, the unit 4 causes the timer 5 to start to operate. The time 5 functions to prevent a conflict between the calling and the call-receiving operations according to the present invention. As will be described later, when the handset is caused to go off-hook and a calling operation is performed during the operation of the timer 5, that is, before the expiration of a timer time set at the timer 5, then no response is made to an incoming signal sent from the ISDN, and instead a calling processing is performed in response to the off-hook operation of the handset on a preferential basis. On the other hand, when the handset is caused to go off-hook after the expiration of the timer time, the off-hook operation is judged to be a response to the incoming signal sent from the ISDN and then a predetermined call-receiving processing is performed. Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating in detail processing performed at the line control unit 4 at the time when an incoming signal is received from the ISDN. When the line control unit 4 detects the reception of an incoming signal from the ISDN based on an incoming signal detection signal sent from the incoming signal detection unit 3 (step 201), the unit 4 causes the timer 5 to start to operate (step 202). After the timer 5 starts its operation, the line control unit 4 supervises by detecting a signal sent from the off-hook detecting unit 6 whether or not an off-hook operation for the calling operation or the call-receiving operation is conducted by the handset. When it is detected by the off-hook detection signal sent from the off-hook detection unit 6 that the off-hook operation is conducted before the expiration of the timer time, the line control unit 4 ignores the reception of the incoming signal and performs a calling processing (steps 203, 208). In this case, since it is assumed that the caller has not recognized the reception of the incoming signal, it is judged that the handset is caused to go off-hook for the calling operation. Based on the judgement, no response is made to the incoming signal from the ISDN, and then a predetermined calling processing is performed based on the off-hook operation by the handset. In this case, by taking advantage of the configuration that the ISDN has a plurality of channels, the incoming signal may be transferred to another channel. This transferring operation is shown in Fig. 2 as a step 211 designated by a dotted line. Incidentally, when the off-hook operation of the handset is not conducted before the expiration of time set at the timer 5 and the line control unit 4 detects, in response to disconnection detecting means (not shown), that the line is disconnected by the operator at the destination office, the unit 4 performs a predetermined line disconnection processing (steps 204, 210), using disconnection control means (not shown). When the timer time set at the timer 5 is expired, an off-hook operation of the handset is conducted after the expiration of the timer time, the off-hook detection unit 6 detects the off-hook operation of the handset, and the line control unit 4 detects the off-hook detection signal, then the line control unit 4 performs a predetermined call-receiving processing with respect to the incoming signal sent from the ISDN (step 206, 209). In this case, since it is assumed that the operator of the telephone apparatus is in a state that he is fully aware of the reception of the incoming signal sent from the ISDN, it is judged that the off-hook operation of the handset is made in response to the reception of the incoming signal. Based on this judgement, a predetermined call-receiving processing is performed. Incidentally, where, after the expiration of the timer time, the operator at the destination office disconnects the line before the handset is caused to go off-hook and where the line control unit 4 detects the disconnection of the line, the unit 4 performs a predetermined line disconnection processing (steps 207, 210). Incidentally, the time set at the timer 5 is set to a predetermined length, for example, a time not longer than one second, or the time delay from the reception of the incoming signal to the generation of a calling tone which would occur during call-receiving processing. In a modification of the apparatus which makes use of the availability, on a standard ISDN, of two usable channels per line, the line being connectable to any of a plurality of communication terminals such as telephone sets, the apparatus includes transferring means (not shown) for transferring an incoming signal to a terminal connected to the other channel of the same line, when calling processing is designated. This allows the incoming call to be dealt with at the other terminal, while the user makes his outgoing call.

Claims: Telephone apparatus for connection to an Integrated Services Digital Network (1) to receive calls therefrom and to initiate calls thereto, comprising incoming signal detection means (3) for detecting reception of an incoming signal, off-hook detecting means (6) for detecting an off-hook operation conducted at the telephone apparatus, and control means (4) connected to the incoming signal detection means (3) and the off-hook detecting means (6) for initiating either calling processing (208) or call-receiving processing (209) in response to the off-hook operation, characterized by timer means (5) responsive to the incoming signal detection means (3) to start timing a set period from reception of an incoming signal, the control means (4) being arranged to initiate calling processing (208) or call-receiving processing (209) depending whether the off-hook operation has occurred respectively before or after the expiry of the set period. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the set period of the timer means (5) is of a predetermined constant length. Telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the set period of the timer means (5) is the delay between the detection of an incoming signal and the generation of a calling tone by the telephone apparatus which would occur during call-receiving processing (209). Telephone apparatus according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising: disconnection detecting means for detecting (204; 207) disconnection of the line; and disconnection control means for performing a predetermined disconnection processing (210) when reception of the incoming signal is detected by the incoming signal detecting means (3) before or after the expiration of the set period. Telephone apparatus according to any preceding claim comprising a plurality of terminals for connection with corresponding different channels of a line of the Integrated Services Digital Network and transferring means for transferring (211) an incoming signal to a terminal connected to another channel on the same line when calling processing (208) is designated. A method of controlling a telephone apparatus connected to an Integrated Services Digital Network, comprising: detecting (3) reception of an incoming signal sent from the Integrated Service Digital Network (1); detecting (6) an off-hook operation conducted at the telephone apparatus; and designating, in response to an off-hook operation, either calling processing (208) or call-receiving processing (209); characterized by timing (202) a set period from reception of an incoming signal, and designating, in response to the off-hook operation, calling processing (208) or call-receiving processing (209) depending whether the off-hook operation has occurred respectively before or after the expiry of the set period. A method according to Claim 6, wherein the set period is of a predetermined constant length. A method according to claim 6, wherein the set period is the delay between the detection of an incoming signal and the generation of a calling tone by the telephone apparatus which would occur during call-receiving processing (209). A method according to Claim 6, 7 or 8, further comprising performing, when an incoming signal is detected, a predetermined disconnection processing (210) when disconnection of a line is detected (204; 207) before or after the expiration of the set period. A method according to any of Claims 6 to 9, of controlling a telephone apparatus having a plurality of terminals connected to corresponding different channels of a line connected to the Integrated Services Digital Network, comprising transferring (211) the incoming signal to a terminal connected to another channel on the same line when calling processing (208) is designated. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 5, or a method according to any of Claims 6 to 10, in which the set period is not longer than one second.

Inventors: SASANO JUN C O PATENT DIVISION, SASANO, JUN C/O PATENT DIVISION
Applicants: TOSHIBA KK, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Application year: 1989
Main classification: H04M1
IPC codes: H04M1, H04Q11