Patent ID: 7417980

Claim:
A telephone device having a telephone line terminal to connect with the telephone network and a voice input/output unit for a voice communication, an audio signal being transmitted/received, through said telephone line terminal and the telephone network, to/from another telephone terminal, said telephone device comprising: a first audio signal input/output terminal connected with an Internet terminal device, the Internet terminal device being connected with another Internet terminal device through the Internet, the Internet terminal device transmitting/receiving audio signals for a voice communication with the another Internet terminal device through the Internet in accordance with an Internet telephone executing command signal that is externally input to the Internet terminal device; a first control signal input/output terminal that is connected with the Internet terminal device and transmitting/receiving control signals including the Internet telephone executing command signal; a first command input system that is operated by a user to input an Internet telephone starting command to said telephone terminal; an audio signal route switching system that switches a source or a destination of the audio signal, that is received or transmitted through the voice input/output device, from the telephone line terminal to the first audio signal input/output terminal when the Internet telephone starting command is input through the first command input system, wherein the audio signal route switching system switches the source or the destination of the audio signal, that is received or transmitted through the voice input/output unit, from the audio signal input/output terminal to the telephone line terminal automatically, when the voice communication between the Internet terminal devices is terminated; and an Internet terminal device controlling system that controls said first control signal input/output terminal to output the Internet telephone executing command to the Internet terminal device so that the audio signal is transmitted/received between the Internet terminal device and another Internet terminal device.