JP3745263B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a communication device having a data communication function and a call function with a server via a public network is known.
[0003]
For example, in recent years, with the spread of the Internet, a communication device with a simple configuration such as a telephone that can access a home page posted on a WWW (World Wide Web) server connected to a WAN (Wide Area Network) has appeared. I have done it.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional communication apparatus as described above, it is not easy to disconnect only the line while browsing the data in the server, and user convenience is poor.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a user-friendly communication device, a control method thereof, a control program, and a storage medium. is there.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A communication device having a data communication function with an Internet server via a public line network and a call function via the public line network,
Instruction means for instructing line connection and / or line disconnection for a call via the public line network;
Browsing means for browsing data in the Internet server via the public network;
When an input from the instruction means is detected while the browsing means is operating, the line for data communication with the Internet server via the public line network is disconnected without terminating the browsing means. Line control means,
The instructing means is an on-hook switch for connecting a line for a call via the public line.
[0012]
A line connection state for a call and a state in which the browsing means is in operation and connected for communication with the Internet server via the public line network are identifiable in different display formats. It further has a notifying means to do.
[0013]
The browsing means is operating and connected to the Internet server via the public line network, and the browsing means is operating and the line to the Internet server is connected via the public line network. The information processing apparatus further includes notification means for notifying the disconnected state in a different display format .
[0014]
A line connection state for a call via the public line network, a state in which the browsing means is operating and a line to the Internet server is connected via the public line network, and the browsing means It further comprises notification means for displaying the state in which the line with the Internet server is disconnected via the public line network in a different display format so as to be identifiable. .
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the relative arrangement of components, the display screen, and the like described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.
[0019]
(One embodiment)
<Overview>
As an embodiment of a communication apparatus according to the present invention, a telephone having a call function and an Internet access function via a public line network (such as a PSTN network or an ISDN network) will be described. Such phones include L mode (registered trademark) compatible phones, but if you try to connect to an Internet server provided by a telecommunications carrier or Internet access provider to access the Internet, you may have a dial-up connection. On the other hand, the usage fee for Internet connection is charged according to the connection time of the line as in the case of making a call. Therefore, Internet users are always connected to the Internet server (hereinafter referred to as the online status) when browsing the page on which the target information is posted or browsing or creating e-mails. If you browse with, communication charges will be increased.
[0020]
Therefore, when browsing content with a large amount of information that spans multiple pages, information in the homepage is sequentially taken into a temporary save memory (hereinafter referred to as a cache memory) in the communication device, and the user of the information is It is effective to use only the pages that you want to view after disconnecting the line with the Internet server (hereinafter referred to as the offline state) and then displaying them again for viewing or printing their contents. is there.
[0021]
In other words, while browsing the homepage etc. using the Internet, it is very effective to keep the web browser running and simply disconnect the line, but use it for the Internet disconnection instruction. Providing keys or the like separately reduces the productivity of the apparatus, and increases the number of keys, thereby reducing user convenience.
[0022]
Therefore, the telephone with a web browser function according to the present embodiment is such that a so-called on-hook key for making a call with the handset still placed further has a function of shifting to the offline mode.
[0023]
<Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a telephone with a web browser function according to the embodiment.
[0024]
In FIG. 1, 100 is a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling the entire telephone, 101 is a ROM for storing programs and data, 102 is a non-volatile storage for backup data such as personal data and a telephone book. The RAM 103 is a storage unit (DRAM) that stores CPU work data, HTML data, display data, recording data, and the like. Reference numeral 104 denotes an HTML conversion unit that analyzes HTML data received from an Internet server, separates images and text, and converts the cut data into display and recording data. Reference numeral 105 denotes a display unit for displaying received data and the status of the apparatus, 106 denotes an operation unit including a numeric keypad, 107 denotes a recording unit such as a printer for recording received images and text, and 108 connects to a public line 109. The communication unit includes a modem for communicating with the Internet server, a detector for detecting an incoming call from a public line, a dial transmitter for calling, and the like. Here, each processing unit is connected by a system bus 110. Reference numeral 110 denotes a handset that incorporates a microphone and a speaker for making a call through a public line.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the display unit 105. The display unit 105 includes a VRAM 200 for storing display data and an LCD driver 201 for outputting the contents of the VRAM 200 to the dot matrix LCD 202.
[0026]
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the storage unit 103. The storage unit 103 (DRAM) is a CPU work area used as a work of the CPU 100, an HTML data storage area for storing received HTML data, and display data for storing display data. The storage area includes a recording data storage area for storing recording data, and another data storage area for storing other data.
[0027]
Here, the operation of receiving and displaying HTML data will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a line is connected by a line connection operation.
[0028]
In this state, HTML data is received through the line 109 and the communication unit 108, and the received HTML data is stored in the HTML data storage area of the storage unit 103.
[0029]
Next, the HTML data stored in the HTML data storage area of the storage unit 103 is transferred to the HTML conversion unit 104 and converted into display data. The display data is stored in the display data area of the storage unit 103. Further, of the data stored in the display data area, data that needs to be displayed is sent to the VRAM 200 of the display unit 105, driven by the LCD driver 201, and displayed on the dot matrix LCD 202.
[0030]
By receiving and displaying HTML data in this way, it is possible to browse web page information received via the Internet server.
[0031]
FIG. 4 is a view showing an appearance of the operation unit 106 of the present apparatus. LCD 202, numeric keypad 222 for inputting a telephone number, function key 225 used for multi-input, set key 223 used as a setting input key, left / right up / down arrow keys 224 used for moving the cursor of the display unit, browsing homepage And a browser key 220 for activating an e-mail function, an on-hook key 221 for making a call or making a call while leaving the handset 110, and for disconnecting a line during a call, and forcibly terminating various operations such as facsimile communication and recording. It consists of a stop key 226 used for this.
[0032]
The on-hook key 221 has an LED (not shown) attached to the center of the key. The LED is lit while the line for the call is connected, and online browsing is in progress (the browser is activated and the line is connected). Then, the LED blinks. In other cases, for example, in the offline browsing mode (line disconnected state), the LED is turned off.
[0033]
A detailed description will be given below using the web browser control flow of FIG.
[0034]
FIG. 5A is a flowchart showing browser activation processing. In the standby state, it is determined whether there is an input of the browser key 220 shown in FIG. 4 (S501). If there is an input of the browser key, the browser application is activated (S502). In step S503, it is determined whether or not there is a connection request to the server. Here, when the user performs an operation to access a WWW server on which content is posted via an Internet server in order to browse a desired homepage, it is determined that there is a connection request from the browser application to the server, A line is connected for dial-up (S504), and the mode is shifted to the online mode. When there is no connection request to the server, the mode is shifted to the offline mode.
[0035]
FIG. 5B is a flowchart showing processing in the online mode. When the mode is shifted to the online mode, the LED attached to the center portion of the on-hook key 221 blinks (S511). During a normal call with the on-hook key operated, the LED is turned on so that the user can know whether the line is connected to use the Internet or the line is connected for a call. ing.
[0036]
Next, in step S512, it is determined whether or not a stop key is input. If the user wants to terminate the browser itself, if the stop key 226 is pressed, the process proceeds from step S512 to step S515, the browser is terminated, the LED is turned off in step S516, the line is disconnected in step S517, and the process waits. Return.
[0037]
If there is no stop key input in step S512, the process proceeds to step S513 to determine whether there is an input of the on-hook key 221 or not. If there is an input from the on-hook key 221, the process proceeds to step S514 to disconnect the line and shift to the offline mode.
[0038]
FIG. 5C is a flowchart showing processing in the offline mode. When shifting to the offline mode, first, the LED attached to the center of the on-hook key 221 is turned off (S521). Next, in step S522, when the stop key input is detected and it is determined that the stop key 226 has been input, the browser is terminated (S525), and the process returns to standby.
[0039]
If it is determined in step S522 that there is no stop key input, the process proceeds to step S523, where the user attempts to browse the desired home page, updates the page, jumps to the link destination of the page, etc., via the Internet server. It is determined whether or not an operation for accessing the WWW server posting the URL is performed. If it is determined in step S523 that there has been an operation for accessing a WWW server having Web content, it is determined in step S523 that there is a connection request from the browser application to the server, and a line connection is made in step S524, and the online mode is set. Migrate to
[0040]
As described above, in this embodiment, the line disconnection / reconnection at the time of the browser operation is performed by using the on-hook key, so that the usability of the user can be improved without increasing the number of switches.
[0041]
In addition, it is possible to easily grasp the state of the line simply by checking whether the on-hook key is lit or blinking. In the present embodiment, the browser and the line status are notified to the user by distinguishing between lighting, blinking, and extinguishing, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the status is determined by the color and shape of the light. May be notified to the user.
[0042]
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a telephone as a second embodiment of the communication apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the line is connected only when it is determined that there is a connection request to the server in the offline mode. However, in this embodiment, the input of the on-hook key is further detected in the offline mode. When an on-hook key is input, line connection is performed even when it is determined that there is no connection request to the server.
[0043]
That is, the first embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the operation in the offline mode, and the other configurations and operations are the same. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted here.
[0044]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing in the offline mode of the telephone according to the present embodiment.
[0045]
In the offline mode, first, the LED attached to the center of the on-hook key 221 is turned off (S601). Next, in step S602, it is determined whether or not the stop key 226 is input. If it is determined that the stop key 226 has been input, the process proceeds to step S605 to end the browser and return to standby.
[0046]
If there is no stop key input in step S602, the process proceeds to step S603, where the user tries to browse the desired homepage and posts content via the Internet server, such as updating the page or jumping to the link destination of the page. If an operation for accessing the current WWW server is performed on the browser, it is determined that there is a connection request from the browser to the server, the process proceeds to step S604, the line is connected, and the online mode is entered.
[0047]
If there is no connection request from the browser in step S603, the process further proceeds to step S606 to determine whether or not the on-hook key 221 has been input. If it is determined that an on-hook key has been input, the process advances to step S604 to connect a line to the access point.
[0048]
This makes it possible to switch between the online mode and the offline mode with only the on-hook key.
[0049]
(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the telephone has been described. However, the communication apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a facsimile apparatus having a facsimile communication function.
[0050]
Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or CPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.
[0051]
Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0052]
When the present invention is applied to the above-described storage medium, program code corresponding to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 or 6 is stored in the storage medium.
[0053]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user-friendly communication device, a control method thereof, a control program, and a storage medium.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a telephone according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a display unit of the telephone according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a storage unit of the telephone according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an operation unit of the telephone according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining processing relating to browser operation in the telephone according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing related to a browser operation in the telephone according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (4)

A communication device having a data communication function with an Internet server via a public line network and a call function via the public line network,
Instruction means for instructing line connection and / or line disconnection for a call via the public line network;
Browsing means for browsing data in the Internet server via the public network;
When an input from the instruction means is detected while the browsing means is operating, the line for data communication with the Internet server via the public line network is disconnected without terminating the browsing means. Line control means,
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction means is an on-hook switch for connecting a line for a call via the public line.   The line connection state for a call and the state in which the browsing means is operating and connected for communication with the Internet server via the public line network are displayed in different display formats. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying in an identifiable manner.   The browsing means is operating and connected to the Internet server via the public line network, and the browsing means is operating and the line to the Internet server is connected via the public line network. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying the disconnected state in an identifiable manner. A line connection state for a call via the public line network, a state in which the browsing means is operating and a line to the Internet server is connected via the public line network, and the browsing means It further comprises notification means for displaying the state in which the line with the Internet server is disconnected via the public line network in a different display format so as to be identifiable. The communication apparatus according to claim 1.

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