Abstract:
The phone landline and videophone handset system is related to landline videophone devices, videophone methods, and videophone systems for establishing video communications between two or more persons through an internet network, wherein a telephone landline is used for the voice transmission and the internet videophone is used for visual transmission.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to videophone devices, videophone methods, and videophone systems for establishing video communications between two or more persons through an internet network, wherein a telephone landline is used for voice transmission and the Internet videophone is used for visual transmission. 
     Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a systems level drawing of a first videophone and second videophone and how said devices communicate with one another over an internet network and preexisting landline networks. 
         FIG. 2  shows a potential process flow corresponding to the method set forth in claim  5 . 
         FIG. 3  depicts a possible embodiment for the physical architecture of the videophone discussed herein and the various electronic components located on said videophone. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1-3 , the present invention primarily features a videophone system comprising a plurality of videophones, including a first videophone  10  and at least one second videophone  11  having a predetermined phone number, and in some embodiments the system further comprises:
         (a) a first videophone  10 , configured to perform, after issuing or receiving a call request to or from a second videophone  11  having a predetermined phone number, a simultaneous exchange of video images  14  with the second videophone  11  through an internet network  12 ;   (b) the second videophone  11 ;   (c) a data storage unit  39 , housed within the first videophone  10  and operatively connected to the same, whereby the data storage unit  39  is configured to store information acquired by the simultaneous exchange of video images  14 , information corresponding to the first videophone and a plurality of other videophones, and also store a plurality of phone numbers which identify the first videophone  10  and other videophones;   (d) a controller  37 , configured to establish an interconnection with the second videophone  11 , over the internet network  12 , by using the information stored in the data storage unit  39  upon issuing or receiving a call request to or from the second videophone  11  having the predetermined phone number to thereby make a subsequent phone call to the second videophone  11 ;   (e) wireless internet card  36 , operatively connected to said first videophone  10 , which enables the first videophone  10  to transmit and receive visual images  14  over the internet network  12  to and from the second videophone  11 ; and a   (f) microprocessor  38 , operatively connected to the wireless internet card  36 , the data storage unit  39 , and the controller  37  where said microprocessor  38  is configured to enable the simultaneous exchange of video images  14  by querying the data storage unit  39  for information about the first videophone  10  and the second videophone  11 , enable the controller  37  to establish an interconnection between the first videophone  10  and the second videophone  11 , and enable the wireless internet card  36  to transmit visual images  14  through the Internet network  14  by and between the first videophone  10  and second videophone  11 .
 
wherein after issuing or receiving a call request to or from the at least one second videophone  11 , the first videophone  10  is configured to perform a simultaneous exchange of video images  14  with the at least one second videophone  11  through an internet network  12  and to transmit and receive image data  14  to and from at least one second videophone  11  through the internet network  12  to thereby make a phone call involving the display of the image data  14  received from the at least one second videophone  11 , and wherein where said first videophone  10  is further configured to be compatible with and connectable to a land line network  13  whereby audio communications  15  by and between the first videophone  10  and second videophone  11  are conducted over said land line network  13  and not over the internet network  12 .
       

     The present invention can enable users, currently utilizing land line telephone networks, to transmit visual images between one another over an internet network using a simple electronic telephone handset which is still compatible with and connectable to a regular telephone land line network. 
     The invention, as set forth in claim  1  and as stated herein does not purport to claim the communication of audio between videophones, rather, only the exchange of visual images is sought. Thus, the present invention can utilize preexisting land line telephone networks to enable audio communication over said networks. This way users do not require costly purchases of new equipment. Rather, all a user requires is the handset and an internet connection. 
     A basic use of the proposed system can occur follows. A user can connect a local videophone to a landline network as can be done with any ordinary phone. This connection, or installation of the local videophone to the preexisting land line network can immediately enhance the capability of the phone connection because it can enable the simultaneous transmission of visual images to and from the local videophone and other videophones while not requiring additional costly equipment other than the local videophone, or handset. 
     Next, in order to use the local videophone, the user first initiates a call and dials a phone number of another videophone programmed into the local videophone where information about the remote videophone is stored in the local videophone&#39;s data storage unit. 
     Thereafter, the controller, after verifying that the remote videophone is the intended recipient of the call, can establish an interconnection, over an internet network, between the two videophones, which allows a simultaneous exchange of visual images. At the same time, an audio call is also established over the land line network because the phone number dialed by the local videophone can be the same phone number used to reach the recipient of the call, or the remote videophone, during an ordinary landline phone call over the landline network. Thus, two connections are established by the calling of the phone number of the remote videophone; (i) an interconnection for the simultaneous exchange of visual images over an internet network, and (ii) an audio connection, or normal call connection established over the regular land line network. 
     Miniature video cameras, attached to both videophones can capture the visual images in real time which are then exchanged between the videophones. However, as stated herein, audio communications can still be transmitted through the land line network while the simultaneous exchange of video images takes place over the internet network. 
     Once the interconnection is established the data storage units on both pones store information about the interconnection until the videophone call is terminated. 
     In some embodiments, the system above could further comprise a remote business server, which stores additional information about the plurality of videophones communicating over the internet network. Said server could contain information to notify videophone users as to what telephone numbers on land line networks are currently also being enhanced by the present invention, or in other words, where other videophones are located so that the videophone users know who they can communicate with visually across said system. 
     A videophone transmission/reception method comprises a first videophone  10  and a second videophone  11  having a predetermined phone number, wherein after issuing or receiving a call request to or from the second videophone  11 , the first videophone  10  is configured to perform a simultaneous exchange of video images  14  with the second videophone  11  through an internet network  12  and to transmit and receive image data  14  to and from the second videophone  11  to thereby make a phone call involving the display of the image data  14  received from the second videophone  11 . 
     The method comprises the first videophone  10  initiating a call to or receiving a call from the second videophone  11 ,  21 . The method further comprises the controller  37  of the first videophone  10  verifying the identity  22  of the second videophone  11 , and when it is determined that the second videophone  11  is the second videophone  11 , said controller  37 , establishes an interconnection  23  with the second videophone  11  by using the information stored in the data storage unit  39 . The method further comprises exchanging, simultaneously, visual images  14  over the internet network  12  by and between the first videophone  10  and second videophone  11 ,  24 , and directing the first videophone  10  and the second videophone  11  to mutually store information acquired by the simultaneous exchange of video images  14 . 
     A videophone system comprising a plurality of videophones, including a first videophone  10  and at least one second videophone  11  having a predetermined phone number, said system further comprising a first videophone  10 , configured to perform, after issuing or receiving a call request to or from a second videophone  11  having a predetermined phone number, a simultaneous exchange of video images  14  with the second videophone  11  through an internet network  12 . The system further comprises the second videophone  11  and a data storage unit  39 , housed within the first videophone  10  and operatively connected to the same, whereby the data storage unit  39  is configured to store information acquired by the simultaneous exchange of video images  14 , information corresponding to the first videophone and a plurality of other videophones, and also store a plurality of phone numbers which identify the first videophone  10  and other videophones. The system further comprises a controller  37 , configured to establish an interconnection with the second videophone  11 , over the internet network  12 , by using the information stored in the data storage unit  39  upon issuing or receiving a call request to or from the second videophone  11  having the predetermined phone number to thereby make a subsequent phone call to the second videophone  11 . The system further comprises a wireless internet card  36 , operatively connected to said first videophone  10 , which enables the first videophone  10  to transmit and receive visual images  14  over the internet network  12  to and from the second videophone  11 , and a microprocessor  38 , operatively connected to the wireless internet card  36 ; the data storage unit  39 , and the controller  37  where said microprocessor  38  is configured to enable the simultaneous exchange of video images  14  by querying the data storage unit  39  for information about the first videophone  10  and the second videophone  11 , enable the controller  37  to establish an interconnection between the first videophone  10  and the second videophone  11 , and enable the wireless internet card  36  to transmit visual images  14  through the internet network  14  by and between the first videophone  10  and second videophone  11 . Wherein after issuing or receiving a call request to or from the at least one second videophone  11 , the first videophone  10  is configured to perform a simultaneous exchange of video images  14  with the at least one second videophone  11  through an internet network  12  and to transmit and receive image data  14  to and from at least one second videophone  11  through the internet network  12  to thereby make a phone call involving the display of the image data  14  received from the at least one second videophone  11 , and wherein where said first videophone  10  is further configured to be compatible with and connectable to a land line network  13  whereby audio communications  15  by and between the first videophone  10  and second videophone  11  are conducted over said land line network  13  and not over the internet network  12 . 
     The disclosures of the following U.S. Patents are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein: U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,506; U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,580; U.S. Patent Application No. 2007/0036154; U.S. Pat. No. 7,764,784; U.S. Pat. No. 6,980,546; U.S. Design Patent No. D556190. 
     Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Each reference cited in the present application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims. 
     The reference numbers recited in the below claims are solely for ease of examination of this patent application, and are exemplary, and are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the claims to the particular features having the corresponding reference numbers in the drawings.