Abstract:
Apparatus and methods are presented to allow the creation of a personalized audio signal for a communication device., An option to record audio input and create a call signal audio file is selected via an input mechanism ( 203 ). Audio input is recorded when a record button ( 204 ) is pressed and the recording is terminated when the record button ( 204 ) is pressed a second time. Processing circuitry ( 220 ) optionally applies audio compression, filtering and encoding algorithms to said audio input and creates a call signal audio file. The call signal audio file is then stored in the memory circuitry designated for call signal audio files ( 210 ). Additional audio output circuitry ( 207 ) plays the call signal audio file when an incoming call is detected by the transceiver ( 201 ).

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (TI-30144) incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
         [0002]    The Applicant claims priority under  35  U.S.C.  119  from European Patent Application No. 00402250.5, filed in Europe, Aug. 8, 2000.  
           [0003]    Technical Field of the Invention This invention relates in general to telecommunications, and in particular to personalized audio signals for incoming calls on communication devices.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Communication devices, e.g. cellular telephones, cellular digital telephones, personal digital assistants, landline telephones, portable computers, and personal computers, are becoming more and more ubiquitous around the world. A large percentage of the population in first world countries already uses one or more communication devices on a daily basis. It is virtually impossible to find any public forum where communication devices are not present in significant numbers; especially those communication devices that allow the user to accept telephone calls. If the market projections of the manufacturers of these communication devices are to be believed, the use of such devices will only grow in the future.  
           [0005]    With such ubiquitous presence of communication devices comes an attendant problem: distinguishing the audio signal for an incoming call on an individual communication device from that of other communication devices that may be in the same vicinity. Many manufacturers of communication devices that provide telephone capability have given the user the option to select an audio signal from a limited set of such signals that are preprogrammed into the device. This option helps with the problem but does not totally eliminate it since users of the same type of communication device may select the same audio signal. Also, the audio signals selected by the various manufacturers to pre-program into their devices are very similar.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A primary object of the present invention is a method and apparatus for creating a personalized audio signal for incoming calls on communication devices. The present invention provides a communication device comprising a mechanism to accept user input for selection of options. In response to selection of an option to create a personalized audio signal, recording circuitry accepts audio input and creates a call signal audio file. This call signal audio file is stored in memory circuitry and is played when an incoming call is detected.  
           [0007]    In another form of the invention, processing circuitry on the communication device applies audio compression, filtering and coding algorithms to the recorded audio input when the call signal audio file is created.  
           [0008]    This and other features of the invention that will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention, taken together with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary prior art communication device with the ability to record and replay audio input;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication device with the ability to record and replay audio input and with extensions for storing a personalized audio signal according to the present invention; and  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a flow graph of a method for creating a personalized audio signal for the communication device of FIG. 2. 
     
    
       [0012]    Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures and tables refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013]    Aspects of the present invention include apparatus and methods for creating and using a personalized audio signal for a communications device. In the following description, specific information is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Well-known circuits are included in block diagram form in order to not complicate the description unnecessarily. Moreover, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details of these blocks are not required to practice the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary prior art communication device for providing telephone communications, a Panasonic GD90 GSM dual band digital telephone. The communication device  10  of FIG. 1 is a digital cellular phone. The appearance of device  10  may vary according to its capabilities but most such devices will have similar attributes: a display  12 , an input keypad  14  (which may be integrated with display  12  in the form of a touch screen), a microphone  16  for accepting audio input, and a conversation speaker  18  for audio when pressed to a user&#39;s ear, a loudspeaker/ringer  20  for playing audio signals, and an antenna  22 .  
         [0015]    Communication device  10  has the capability to record audio input and store it as an audio file in memory circuitry. This capability is invoked by pressing record button  19  that starts the recording of the audio input on the initial press and stops the recording with a second press. The recorded audio input is stored as an audio file in memory circuitry. For the ensuing paragraphs, record button  19  is considered to be a part of keypad  14  unless otherwise indicated. Other means may be used for starting and stopping of the recording on other communication devices.  
         [0016]    Communication device  10  also has special read-only memory circuitry that contains one or more pre-programmed audio signals that may be used to indicate an incoming call. When more than one audio signal is provided, the user may use input keypad  14  in conjunction with text presented on display  12  to select one of these audio signals as the preferred indicator of an incoming call.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a communication device  200  with the ability to record and replay audio input and with extensions for storing a personalized audio signal according to the present invention. In the present invention, the function of a communication device represented by device  10  is expanded to allow the creation of a personalized call signal. The recording circuitry and record button  204  of communication device  200  are used to create one or more personalized call signal audio files that are stored in memory circuitry  202 . The user may use input keypad  203  in conjunction with text presented on display  212  to select one of these audio signals as the preferred indicator of an incoming call.  
         [0018]    Referring to FIG. 2, the block diagram of communication device  200  illustrates circuitry used in recording and replaying audio files and for storing pre-programmed audio signals. Processing circuitry (typically a digital signal processor (DSP) or a multiple microprocessor/DSP system)  220  is coupled to transceiver  201 , memory circuitry  202 , keypad  203 , record button  204 , microphone  205 , read-only memory circuitry  206 , and audio output circuitry  207 . Audio output circuitry  207  is coupled to speaker  208 . Memory circuitry  202  includes one or more locations for storing audio files  209  and one or more locations for storing call signal audio files to be used as a personalized incoming call signal  210 . Note that other data may also be stored in memory circuitry  202 . Read-only memory circuitry  206  contains one or more pre-programmed audio signals that may be used as the incoming call signal.  
         [0019]    Memory circuitry  202  may include memory internal to processing circuitry  220 , external to processing circuitry  220 , or a combination of the two. Processing circuitry  220  may receive data and commands through keypad  203 , microphone  205 , and from telecommunications signals via transceiver  201 .  
         [0020]    During operation of communication device  200 , processing circuitry  220  executes a number of tasks. For example, processing circuitry  220  monitors inputs from the keypad  203  (including record button  204 ). If the user presses the appropriate button or buttons to select an option to create a personalized audio signal, processing circuitry  220  initiates the operation responsive to a program stored in program region  211  and waits for the user to start the recording action by pressing record button  204 . When record button  204  is pressed, processing circuitry  220  executes the recording action to create and store a call signal audio file. When record button  204  is pressed a second time, the recording action is terminated. After the recording action is terminated, processing circuitry  220  executes algorithms to compress, filter, and encode the recorded audio signals to create the final call signal audio file. Such algorithms are well known to practitioners of the art and are exemplified in technical publications such as ITU-T Recommendation G.162,  Characteristics Of Compandors For Telephony.  The final call signal audio file is stored in a location  210  in memory circuitry  202  designated to contain a call signal audio file. If the user then presses the appropriate button or buttons on keypad  203  to select an option to designate a call signal audio file to be used as an incoming call signal, processing circuitry  220  executes this action.  
         [0021]    When a user presses the appropriate button to select an option to create a personalized audio signal, processing circuitry  220  presents a menu on display  212  responsive to control software in memory circuitry  202 . By appropriate keypad input, a user can select either microphone  205  or transceiver  201  as a source for the personalized audio signal. Advantageously, this allows a user to record a favorite musical snippet from a nearby radio or CD player, for example, or to select a voice or musical snippet being received via transceiver  201  from a remote location, for example.  
         [0022]    Several different personalized audio signals can be stored in memory circuitry  202 . Advantageously, a user can select a designated call signal audio file from among the several different personalized audio signals at different times by appropriate keypad input.  
         [0023]    Processing circuitry  220  also monitors transceiver  201  for incoming calls directed to communication device  10 . When such a call is detected, processing circuitry  220  causes the designated call signal audio file to be played through audio output circuitry  207  as the incoming call signal.  
         [0024]    In another embodiment of the present invention, processing circuitry  220  can select one of the several different personalized audio signals in response to data received by transceiver  201  indicating the originating telephone number of an incoming call, as described in related U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (TI-30144).  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 3 is a flow graph of a method for interfacing to communication device  200  to create a personalized audio call signal for an incoming call. In step  31 ; an option to record a personalized audio call signal is selected. The audio input that will become the personalized audio call signal is recorded in step  32 . In step  33 , a call signal audio file is created from the recorded audio input. Optionally, algorithms to compress, filter and encode the audio input to create the call signal audio file are executed during this step. The call signal audio file is stored in memory circuitry  202  in step  34 . In step  35 , the call signal audio file is designated as the preferred incoming call signal.  
         [0026]    The present invention provides a significant advantage over the prior art. It permits the user of a communication device to create a personalized incoming call signal that may be easily differentiated from the incoming call signals of other communication devices in use in the same vicinity.  
         [0027]    While the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description should not be construed in a limiting sense.  
         [0028]    Various other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. For example, the communication device may be any of a cellular phone, a digital cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a landline telephone, or a personal computer. Also, it may be possible to create and select among multiple call signal audio files on a communication device. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications of the embodiments as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.