JPH04294667A - Multi-medium terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the user to specify accurately object opposite personal information being an object among plural sets of personal information to be retrieved in a short time and to simplify the automatic dialing using a subscriber line number included in the personal information by using a telephone directory database as a multi-medium and outputting a motion picture, a still picture, voice and video information and document information or the like included in the retrieved personal information simultaneously. CONSTITUTION:When personal information including code information coincident with code information entered by the user is obtained as a result of retrieval, an MPU 1 gives a command of changing the input from a telephone directory database 3 to picture information and voice information to selection circuits 4,5, then the picture information and the voice information included in the obtained person information are decoded by a picture decoding circuit 9 and a voice decoding circuit 11, the decoded picture information is synthesized with character information and code information included in the above person information subject to character processing by a character generator 17 at a VRAM 16, the result is outputted from a monitor 15 and the decoded voice information is outputted through a speaker 13.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multimedia terminal having a telephone directory function to which multimedia database technology is applied.

0002

[Prior Art] The conventional telephone directory function allows a user to register information such as the name and address of the other party and the subscriber's line number as a set of personal information in a telephone directory database before making a call. At this time, a plurality of pieces of personal information are read out at random from the telephone directory database, and the user selects the other party's name, address, etc. from the displayed list of personal information, relying on the character information he or she remembers. Automatically sends calls by identifying the intended recipient and selecting their personal information from a personal information list.

[0003] For example, ISDN, which is an international standard communication network,
(Integrated Services Digi
talNetwork) and is capable of simultaneous interpretation of voice and data.
When making a call to the other party using the telephone directory function of the SDN compound terminal, use the keyboard to enter the name of the other party in the telephone directory database in advance.
Register your subscriber line number, address, workplace, etc. To make a call, the user clicks on the "telephone book" icon with the mouse connected to the multifunction terminal, and multiple pieces of registered personal information are displayed on the display.

[0004] Next, by carefully checking the name, address, etc. contained in the displayed plural pieces of personal information, the personal information of the intended recipient is specified. Once the personal information of the target person has been identified, select the personal information by clicking on it with the mouse. As a result, an automatic call is made using the subscriber line number included in the personal information. In this way, in order to identify the target person's personal information from multiple pieces of searched personal information, it is necessary to use only the character information such as the name and address of the person that the user remembers.
Users had to carefully check the text information such as names and addresses contained in the multiple pieces of personal information displayed.

[0005] By the way, the demand for information communication services
from individual services such as telephone, data communication, and fax, to multimedia (voice, signals, symbols, characters, still images,
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of services that combine video, video, etc. for a wide variety of uses, and there is an increasing demand for integrated services to integrate a wide variety of sophisticated services under one network system.
The development and construction of SDN is progressing in countries around the world.

[0006] In 1988, Japan and other developed countries began operating narrowband ISDN services that provide a 64Kbps or 1.5Mbps user/network interface.
155.52Mbps or 622.08Mbps based on US Transfer Mode) technology
Wideband I provides high-speed user-to-network interfaces
SDN technology development is being advanced at major research institutions around the world, led by CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone).

[0007] In narrowband ISDN, voice and data (characters +
However, with broadband ISDN, it will be possible to simultaneously interpret video (audio + video) and data at the same quality as today's televisions, and multimedia terminals will become mainstream. Along with this, narrowband IS
DN enables multimedia database technology that mainly uses characters, symbols, and still images, but even wider bandwidth I
It is believed that multimedia database technology that includes video media will further develop in SDN.

On the other hand, "Presentation method and audience's memorization level" (Stand Up and Be H
eard”, BRONER, IEEE Trans.E
W.S., Dec. 1964), information that appeals to both the visual and auditory senses has a greater memory capacity than information that appeals only to the visual sense or information that appeals only to the auditory sense.

[0009] Therefore, the telephone directory function of a multimedia terminal that communicates using multimedia such as video and data cannot be searched using only text information for identifying the other party, such as the name and address of the other party, as in the past. Instead of identifying the target person's personal information from multiple pieces of personal information, we use multi-database technology to collect not only textual information for identifying the other party, but also image and audio information that has a larger memory capacity. That is, there is a need for a telephone directory function that uses visual and auditory information to more quickly and accurately identify the personal information of the other party.

0010

[Problem to be solved by the invention] As described above, ISD
When making a call to the other party using the telephone directory function from a digital telephone terminal such as an N-complex terminal, conventional technology uses a telephone directory database in which the name, subscriber number, address, etc. of the other party is registered as personal information. - It was necessary to sequentially call up a plurality of pieces of personal information from a source, confirm the personal information using only character/symbol data, and identify the personal information of the intended recipient. For this reason, when one's memory of the other party's name, address, etc. is ambiguous, it is difficult to quickly and accurately identify the desired individual's personal information from a vast amount of databases.

[0011] This invention converts a telephone directory database into multimedia, and displays moving images and images contained in searched personal information.
By simultaneously outputting still images, audio, video information (video + audio), document information, etc., users can quickly and easily find the desired personal information of the other party from among multiple pieces of personal information searched. Provides a multimedia terminal that enables accurate identification, and furthermore, allows a user to automatically make a call using the subscriber line number included in the personal information by simply selecting the specified personal information in a simple manner. The purpose is to

0012

Means for Solving the Invention The multimedia terminal of the present invention includes a set of multimedia information for visually or aurally identifying a communication partner, a subscriber line number, and code information related to the communication partner. Phonebook data as information
A registration update means for updating registration in the database; a search means for searching for multiple pieces of personal information by searching the telephone directory database using the code information as a key; It consists of presentation means for presenting multimedia information corresponding to personal information.

[0013] In the multimedia terminal of the present invention, multimedia information for visually or aurally identifying a communication partner, a subscriber line number, and code information related to this communication partner are registered as a set of personal information. A telephone directory database, a search means for searching a plurality of pieces of personal information by searching the telephone book database using the above code information as a key, and a plurality of pieces of personal information searched by this search means. The system is comprised of an instructing means for instructing one piece of personal information from the instructing means, and a calling means for automatically making a call using the subscriber line number included in the personal information specified by the instructing means.

[0014]

[Operation] This invention stores multimedia information for identifying a communication partner visually or audibly, a subscriber line number, and code information related to the communication partner as a set of personal information in a telephone directory database. By updating the registration and searching the telephone directory database using the code information as a key, multiple pieces of personal information are searched and multimedia information corresponding to the searched personal information is presented. This is what I did.

[0015] According to the present invention, multimedia information for visually or aurally identifying a communication partner, a subscriber line number, and code information related to this communication partner are stored in a telephone directory database as a set of personal information. By searching the telephone directory database using the above code information as a key, multiple pieces of personal information can be searched, and one piece of personal information can be retrieved from among the searched pieces of personal information. The system automatically makes a call using the subscriber line number included in the designated personal information.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a TV phone terminal which is an embodiment of a multimedia terminal to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a main control circuit (MPU) 1 is an ISDN
It is connected to the network via an ISDN interface circuit 2. This MPU 1 transmits call control signals according to CCITT recommendation Q. In addition to controlling call connections by transmitting and receiving calls to and from a network-side exchange (not shown) according to the call control procedures specified in G.931, registration updates and searches are made to the telephone directory database 3 that stores multimedia information. It also controls the output of image and audio information via the selection circuits 4 and 5.

Instructions for updating and searching the telephone directory database 3 are given by the user using the keyboard 7 connected to the MPU 1. In addition, the selection circuits 4 and 5 are connected to the MPU1
The output selection command from the
It controls whether audio information or image/audio information from the telephone directory database 3 is output.

A series of these controls is performed by software stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 6 connected to the MPU 1. The ISDN interface circuit 2 follows the basic interface channel structure specified in CCITT Recommendation 1.430, and has two information channels (B channels) with a transmission rate of 64 Kbps and 16
In addition to multiplexing and transmitting one control channel (D channel) with a transmission rate of kbps, CCITT Recommendation Q
．． This implements the frame transmission control function specified in G.921 on the D channel.

The two B channels are multiplexed and separated in the ISDN interface circuit 2, for example,
The transmission direction of the 1 channel is connected to the image encoding circuit 8, the reception direction is connected to the image decoding circuit 9 via the selection circuit 4, and the transmission direction of the B2 channel is connected to the audio encoding circuit 10.
The receiving direction is connected to the audio decoding circuit 11 via the selection circuit 5.

The image communication system includes an image encoding circuit 8, a small television camera 14 connected thereto for capturing images, and an image decoding circuit 9 connected to the image decoding circuit 9 via a VRAM 16. A color monitor 15 is provided. The video signal from the television camera 14 is processed in an image encoding circuit 8 according to CCITT Recommendation H. 26
The bandwidth is compressed to the frame structure specified by 1, and the 64k
It is digitally encoded into a bps signal.

The digitally encoded video signal is transmitted to the image communication system of the other party's TV phone terminal (not shown) via the B1 channel. The video signal from the other party's TV telephone terminal, digitally encoded at 64 kbps, is decoded by the image decoding circuit 9 and sent to the character generating circuit 17.
The MPU is converted into a character by the character generation circuit 17 on the VRAM 16 connected to the MPU 1 via the
The character information from 1, for example, the character information for identifying the other party included in the telephone directory database 3, is combined with the character information, and then output from the monitor 15.

[0023] Also, the voice communication path system includes a voice encoding circuit 10.
, a microphone 12 connected thereto, and an audio decoding circuit 1
1 and a speaker 13 connected thereto. The analog audio signal from the microphone 12 is processed by the audio encoding circuit 10 using the μ-Low PCM encoding method.
The signal is encoded into a 64 kbps digital signal and transmitted to the voice channel system of the other party's TV phone terminal via the B2 channel. The other party's TV encoded using the μ-Low PCM method
The audio signal from the telephone terminal is decoded into an analog audio signal by the audio decoding circuit 11 and outputted through the speaker 13.

The telephone directory database 3 contains image information and voice information of the other party for a certain period of time, the subscriber line number of the other party, document information for identifying the other party entered from the keyboard 7, and names and addresses. It is composed of multiple pieces of personal information including code information related to the other party.

The telephone directory database 3 has a function of registering specific personal information in the telephone directory database 3;
Any registered personal information can be stored in the telephone directory database 3.
A function to delete any of image information, audio information, text information, or code information included in any personal information in the telephone directory database 3, a function to delete any of the image information, audio information, character information, or code information included in the telephone directory database 3 A function to change any of the image information, audio information, document information, code information, or subscriber line number included in any personal information in the telephone directory database 3 using the code information as a key. A function to call up specific personal information by searching code information included in personal information, and a function to search document information included in personal information in the telephone directory database 3 using character/symbol information as a key. A function to call up specific personal information, a function to change the search direction in the telephone directory database 3, a function to change the search method such as changing the search key, and a function to call up specific personal information from the telephone directory database 3. The image information and document information included in the information are stored in the VRAM16.
basic functions such as a function to synthesize the above information and output it from the monitor 15, output the audio information from the speaker 13, and a function to automatically make a call using the subscriber line number included in the personal information selected by the user. has been realized.

In this case, in the telephone directory database 3, as a search table 3a, the subscriber line number and voice information of the other party are stored for the code information related to the other party such as the name and address. Addresses, storage addresses for image information, and storage addresses for document information are stored. Next, the operation in the above configuration will be explained.

First, the operation of making and receiving calls in a general TV telephone terminal will be explained with reference to FIG. When the user dials the other party's phone number from the keyboard 7 when making a call, the MPU 1 inputs this and sends the CCITT recommendation Q.
．． A "call setup" signal defined in G.931 is generated. At this time, the MPU 1 stores this telephone number as the other party's subscriber line number.

[0028] Then, the generated "call setup" signal is transmitted to the IS
IS via the D channel of DN interface circuit 2
The call status is transmitted to the DN network, and the call status changes from the "empty" state to the "calling" state. The network that receives this "call setup" signal from the calling terminal analyzes the called party number included in the "call setup" signal and identifies the called subscriber, and sends the "call setup" signal to the D channel. The TV terminal on the calling side (calling terminal) notifies the TV terminal on the calling side (calling terminal) that the information channel is available by transmitting a "call setup acceptance" signal to the calling terminal. Notify.

[0029] Upon receiving the "call setting acceptance" signal, the originating terminal changes the call state from the "calling" state to the "calling acceptance" state. The receiving terminal receives the "call setup" signal from the network and sends the "call setup" signal.
The “Transfer Capability” information included in the “Call Setup” signal is
If "subaddress" information is included, it is compared and verified with pre-stored terminal identification information. If there is a match and the information channel is available, the called terminal sends a "call setup acceptance" signal and a "paging" signal to the network via the D channel.

[0030] At this point, the receiving terminal sounds a ring tone,
The ringback tone becomes audible at the originating terminal. At this time, in the receiving terminal, if the received "call setting" signal includes "calling number" information, the MPU 1 stores this in the internal memory 1a as the other party's subscriber line number.

[0031] Then, when the user goes on-hook, a "response" signal is transmitted from the receiving terminal. These “calls”
The "response" signal is notified to the calling terminal via the network, and the calling terminal recognizes that the call state of the called terminal has transitioned from the "calling" state to the "answering" state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the calling terminal changes the state of the call from the "call notification" state to the "communication" state by receiving the "response" signal from the called terminal, and the called terminal receives the "response" signal from the called terminal. By receiving the "response confirmation" signal in response to the "response" signal from the network, the call state is transitioned from the "response" state to the "communication" state, and via the B1 channel and B2 channel of the ISDN interface circuit 2, Videophone communication using image and audio media will begin with the receiving terminal on the other party's side.

Next, the telephone directory database in this invention
The registration update operation of Step 3 will be explained. By pressing a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 during a call, the user requests the MPU 1 to "register" the telephone directory database 3. Then, in response to this request, the MPU 1 sends the image information output from the monitor 15 and the audio information output from the speaker 13 to a set of individuals along with the subscriber line number, document information, and code information. It is stored in the telephone directory database 3 as information.

Image information is taken in encoded form from the B1 channel in the ISDN interface circuit 2, and audio information is taken in encoded form from the B2 channel in the ISDN interface circuit 2, and stored in the telephone directory database 3 for a certain period of time. As the subscriber line number, the MPU 1 stores in the telephone directory database 3 the subscriber line number of the other party stored during the above-mentioned call/receive operation. When operating as a receiving terminal, if the "calling number" is not included in the "call setting" signal received from the other party, the MPU 1 displays a message on the monitor 15 prompting the other party to enter the subscriber's line number. Waiting for phone number input.

The user inputs a telephone number from the keyboard 7. Then, the MPU 1 stores this in the telephone directory database 3 as the subscriber line number of the other party. When the subscriber line number has been stored in the telephone directory database 3, the MPU 1 displays a message prompting the input of document information on the monitor 15, and waits for input of the document information.

[0036] Document information freely describes the content of the conversation with the communication partner using characters and symbols, and when the user inputs this information from the keyboard 7, the MPU 1 stores these information in the internal memory 1a of the MPU 1. At the same time, it is converted into a character in the character generation circuit 17, combined with image information from the image decoding circuit 9 on the VRAM 16, and output as an echo back to a predetermined location on the monitor 15. Thereby, the user can create document information while checking the characters and symbols that he or she has input that are displayed on the monitor 15.

When the creation of the document information is completed, the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 to store the created document information in the telephone directory database 3.
Request to PU1. In response to this request, MPU1
The document information stored in the internal memory 1a of U1 is stored in the telephone directory database 3. Once the document information is memorized,
The MPU 1 displays a message prompting the input of code information on the monitor 15, and waits for the input of the code information.

The code information includes information for identifying the communication partner, such as the communication partner's "name,""gender,""address," and "visual characteristics from the monitor 15 and auditory characteristics from the speaker 13." This is character/symbol information. Therefore, when the user inputs this from the keyboard 7, the MPU 1 stores it in the internal memory 1a of the MPU 1, just as when inputting character information.
At the same time, it is converted into a character in the character generation circuit 17, synthesized with image information from the image decoding circuit 9 on the VRAM 16, and output as an echo back to a predetermined location on the monitor 15. This allows the user to create code information while checking the characters and symbols that he or she has input that are displayed on the monitor 15.

When the creation of the code information is completed, the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 to
MP to store the code information in the telephone directory database 3.
Request U1. In response to this request, MPU1
The code information stored in the internal memory 1a of 1 is stored in the telephone directory database 3. Next, the operation of searching the telephone directory database 3 for specific personal information, which is a feature of the present invention, will be explained.

When making a call, the user presses a key on the keyboard 7 to "search" the telephone directory database 3.
is requested from MPU1. Then, the MPU 1 displays a message on the monitor 15 prompting the user to input code information for searching, and waits for the code information to be input.

[0041] The user inputs predetermined code information using the keyboard 7. Then, the MPU 1 converts this into a character in the character generation circuit 17, combines it with the image information from the image decoding circuit 9 on the VRAM 16, and outputs it as an echo back to a predetermined location on the monitor 15, and also uses this code information as a key to send a message to the telephone. The code information in each piece of personal information in the book database 3 is searched using the table 3a.

[0042] As a result of the search, if personal information including code information that matches the code information input by the user is obtained, the MPU 1 sends the input to the selection circuits 4 and 5 from the telephone directory data.
By issuing a command to convert the personal information into image information and audio information from the database 3, the image information and audio information included in the obtained personal information are decoded by the image decoding circuit 9 and the audio decoding circuit 11. and the decoded image information is VRA
In M16, the character generator 17 combines the document information and code information contained in the personal information into characters, and the result is output on the monitor 15, and the decoded audio information is output on the speaker 13. is output through. This output is repeated until the user issues an instruction from the keyboard 7 to search for the next candidate, change search conditions, end the search, or the like.

When the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7, the MPU 1 is requested to search for the next candidate. Then, using the code information specified by the user in the previous search as a key, the MPU 1 searches the telephone directory database 3 from the next personal information of the previous search result, and displays the searched personal information on the monitor 15 and the speaker. - Output from unit 13 in the same manner as above.

Furthermore, when the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 to request the MPU 1 to "change search conditions" such as changing the search direction or changing the search key, the MPU 1
The PU 1 interrupts the previous search and displays a message prompting the user to enter the search direction and search key 15.
will be displayed, and you will be waiting for new search conditions to be entered.

When the user inputs new search conditions from the keyboard 7, the MPU 1 converts them into characters in the character generation circuit 17, synthesizes them with image information from the image decoding circuit 9 on the VRAM 16, and displays them at a predetermined location on the monitor 15. In addition to outputting an echo back, subsequent searches will be executed under new search conditions.

[0046] Then, by pressing a predetermined key on the keyboard 7, the user requests the MPU 1 to "end the search." Then, MPU1 finishes the search up to that point,
Clear the search conditions and enable a new search.

[0047] From the above, the user can visually recognize the image information and document information included in the searched personal information, and the audio information can recognize the audio information more quickly and easily than the conventional telephone directory function. Since the personal information of the target party can be accurately specified and the search conditions can be changed easily and flexibly, an efficient search for the other party's personal information can be realized.

Next, as a result of the search, the monitor 15 and speaker
Regarding the operation when the user selects the personal information of the other party specified from among the multiple pieces of personal information sequentially output from F13 and makes an automatic call using the subscriber line number included in the selected personal information. explain. While the retrieved personal information is being output from the monitor 15 and speaker 13, the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 to notify the MPU 1 of the selection of the personal information being output. Based on this notification, the MPU 1 generates a "call setup" signal using the subscriber number included in the personal information being output,
This "call setting" signal is transmitted to the ISDN interface circuit 2.
Automatic calling is realized by sending the call to the ISDN network via the ISDN network.

As mentioned above, the code information related to the other party is registered and updated in the multimedia compatible telephone directory database as a set of personal information along with video information, character/symbol information, and subscriber line number. Therefore, the user can quickly and accurately search the telephone directory database using the code information. This makes it possible to easily search for the personal information of the desired party from the telephone directory database even if there are a large number of registered entries.

[0050] In addition, it is possible to identify the other party by visually viewing moving images, still images, or text/symbol data (facial image, facial expression, habits of speaking, etc. of the other party) included in the plurality of pieces of personal information retrieved. information and, if necessary, information to identify the other party by hearing the other party's voice, surrounding noise, music, etc. (conversation content) can be output to the user in real time. It becomes possible to accurately identify the personal information of the target person in a short time. Furthermore, by simply selecting the personal information specified by the user in a simple manner, an automatic call can be made using the subscriber line number included in the personal information, making it easy to make a call to the other party.

[0051] Therefore, when a telephone directory database is searched using, for example, a ``surname'' as code information related to the other party, and a large amount of personal information is obtained, it is possible to search for code information related to the other party, such as when the ``first name'' of the intended recipient is unknown. Even in such cases, if you remember the characteristics of the video information from the previous call, such as the other party's facial expressions and speaking style, you can quickly and accurately identify the other party and make a call.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the telephone directory database
Code information related to the other party, such as the name and address, was used as a key when searching for the address 3. However, the user is required to enter character/symbol information via the keyboard 7, and use this character/symbol information as a key to make a call. The personal information may be retrieved by searching for document information included in the personal information in the book database 3.

[0053] Also, when registering and updating personal information, by applying image analysis and recognition technology, "round face" and "
By extracting characteristics of the other party's face image such as "square face", "fair skin", "dark skin", etc., and applying voice analysis and recognition technology, it is possible to detect "high voice", "low voice", "noisy"
, by extracting characteristics of the other party's speaking style, such as "silence", and storing the other party's facial image not just as image data, and the other party's voice not just as voice data, but as "knowledge". By converting the telephone directory database 3 into a knowledge base, when searching for personal information of the other party, "facts" such as the characteristics of the other party's face image and the characteristics of the way of speaking can be used in the form of text and symbol information. The user may input information from the keyboard 7, and based on this input, the personal information of the other party may be obtained from the knowledge base of the telephone directory.

[0054] Furthermore, the user can input characters or ``facts'' for specifying the search key or the other party from the keyboard 7.
Instead of inputting in the form of symbolic information, the user inputs voice from the microphone 12 and the MPU 1 recognizes the voice, thereby matching the data with the telephone directory database 3 or the telephone directory knowledge base. It may also be possible to convert the information into a more specific form to search for the other party's personal information.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, a method is shown in which the searched personal information is repeatedly output until the user instructs the user to search for the next candidate, change the search conditions, or terminate the search using the keyboard 7. However, a timer may be provided to output the retrieved personal information for a certain period of time, and the personal information may be repeatedly output until the timer expires. With this method, it is possible to search and identify the other party's personal information more simply and efficiently.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the user inputs the document information and code information when updating personal information registration using the keyboard 7, but the MPU 1 inputs these by voice using the microphone 12. By voice recognition, this may be converted into a form consistent with the data in the telephone directory database 3, thereby realizing registration updates and searches in the telephone directory database 3.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the user presses a predetermined key on the keyboard 7 to search for the next candidate, change the search conditions, terminate the search, and specify personal information. In the above case, the user dials a predetermined number (special number) or moves the cursor on the monitor 15 using a mouse connected to the terminal, and dials the predetermined number displayed on the monitor 15. The above instructions may be realized by selecting an instruction item.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the telephone directory database
When the set of personal information in step 3 consists of the other party's image information and audio information, the other party's subscriber line number, document information input from the keyboard 7, and code information related to the other party such as name and address. However, the structure of the telephone directory database 3 is not limited to this, and includes image information of the other party, subscriber line number and code information, voice information of the other party, subscriber line number and code information. , the other party's image information, voice information, subscriber line number and code information, document information and the other party's subscriber line number and code information, or the other party's subscriber line number and code information, etc., or any other combination of the information. Also good.

Furthermore, the storage format may be such that image media, audio media, and document media are stored in separate storage media, or may be stored in the same storage medium. . Furthermore, the subscriber number may be considered to be the same as a personal number in future personal communications.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, registration and updating of the telephone directory database 3 during communication was described, but registration and updating of the telephone directory database 3 are limited to during communication. Instead, image and voice information of the other party is temporarily stored in the TV phone terminal along with the subscriber's line number during communication, and document information and code information related to the other party such as name and address are used after communication. Alternatively, the personal information may be entered by a person and registered and updated in the telephone directory database 3 as a set of personal information together with the stored image information, voice information, and subscriber line number of the other party.

Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes the case where a multimedia terminal to which the present invention is applied is connected to a narrowband ISDN, the network to which the multimedia terminal can be connected is limited to this. Instead, it may be a future broadband ISDN that adapts ATM technology. In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof.

[0062]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
In addition to textual information related to the other party such as the name, subscriber line number, and address, the user also records the other party's image, the contents of communication with the other party, visual information such as documents, and the other party's voice,
Since the other party is identified by auditory information such as surrounding noise, even if you do not remember the other party's name, subscriber line number, address, etc. accurately, image information and audio information are used to identify the other party. If any of the document information remains in memory, it is possible to efficiently and accurately identify the person's personal information from a huge telephone directory database. Since a call can be automatically made to the other party using the subscriber line number included in the personal information, it is possible to make a call to the other party extremely quickly and accurately.

Furthermore, according to the multimedia terminal of the present invention, even a visually impaired person can identify the desired personal information of the other party based on the other party's voice. Compared to the conventional telephone directory function that specifies information, the scope of service provided will be greatly expanded.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a TV phone terminal in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence for explaining general call/receive operations of the TV phone terminal in FIG. 1;

[Figure 3] Presentation for explaining the effects of this invention
A diagram showing the relationship between the presentation method and the audience's memorization level.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Main control circuit, 1a... Internal memory, 2... ISDN interface circuit, 3... Telephone directory database, 3a... Table, 4, 5... Selection circuit, 6... ROM, 7... Keyboard, 8... Image code image decoding circuit, 9... image decoding circuit, 10...
Audio encoding circuit, 11... Audio decoding circuit, 12... Microphone, 13... Speaker, 14... Television camera, 15... Monitor, 16... VRAM, 17... Character generation circuit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Multimedia information for visually or aurally identifying a communication partner, a subscriber line number, and code information related to the communication partner are registered and updated in a telephone directory database as a set of personal information. and a search means for searching for a plurality of pieces of personal information by searching the telephone directory database using the code information as a key.
A multimedia terminal comprising: presentation means for presenting multimedia information corresponding to the personal information retrieved by the search means. [Claim 2] A telephone directory database in which multimedia information for identifying a communication partner visually or audibly, a subscriber line number, and code information related to the communication partner are registered as a set of personal information. a search means for searching a plurality of pieces of personal information by searching the telephone directory database using the code information as a key; 1. A multimedia terminal comprising: an instruction means for specifying personal information; and a calling means for automatically making a call using a subscriber line number included in the personal information specified by the instruction means.