WO1996007263A1

WO1996007263A1 - Method for downloading sound fragments from an audio database into a telephone peripheral device via the telephone line

Info

Publication number: WO1996007263A1
Application number: PCT/NL1995/000286
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jacobus Cornelis Bijl; Jacobus Johannes Hubertus Hendrikus Jongen; Hendrik Willem Keijzer; Johannes Cornelis Josephus Smeets
Original assignee: Grid Telecom Systems B.V.
Priority date: 1994-08-30
Filing date: 1995-08-29
Publication date: 1996-03-07
Also published as: NL9401398A; EP0779004A1; AU3266395A

Abstract

Method for loading sounds, sound fragments and/or messages from an audio database via a telephone line into a telephone peripheral device, and telephone peripheral device in which the method is applied. After receiving a ready-to-receive signal transmitted by the telephone peripheral device, the audio database sends a coded synchronization signal, followed by the sound, sound fragment and/or message to be recorded in the telephone peripheral device. The telephone peripheral device determines the duration of the recording on the basis of the coding included in the synchronization signal, and starts the recording directly after the end of the synchronization signal.

Description

METHOD FOR DOWNLOADING SOUND FRAGMENTS FROM AN AUDIO DATABASE INTO A TELEPHONE PERIPHERAL DEVICE VIA THE TELEPHONE LINE.

The invention relates to a method for remotely loading sounds and/or sound fragments via a telephone line into telephone peripheral equipment.

The invention also relates to telephone peripheral devices in which the abovementioned method is applied. The literature discloses telephone peripheral devices which may or may not be fitted in telephone sets and/or combined with other telephone peripheral equipment, the user having the option to record therein, for various purposes, a sound, a sound fragment and/or a spoken message. Thus the user can him/herself record the outgoing message in an answering machine, and there are call signalling systems, with which the user can him/herself record the call sound to be reproduced in the case of a telephone call.

It is also known that some users have difficulty in recording their own spoken messages and/or recording, themselves, sounds or sound fragments. For use in answering machines which involve the outgoing message being stored on a magnetic tape, often in the form of a musicassette, prerecorded musicassettes are commercially available with various kinds of sounds and/or messages. Telephone peripheral devices providing the option of sounds being recorded in an electronic memory are usually, for the purpose of recording sounds, provided solely with a microphone. If the user wishes to record a small piece of music, the microphone or alternatively the entire device which incorporates the microphone must be held in front of the loudspeaker of an audio system and simultaneously both the audio system and the telephone peripheral device have to be operated. Synchronization of the recording will scarcely enter the picture, and indeed the results, generally speaking, are deplorable. The object of the invention is to provide a solution for the abovementioned problems by loading sounds which have been laid down in an audio database made available remotely, into the memory of the telephone peripheral device via the telephone line.

The audio database may include sounds, sound fragments or fixed messages. An alternative, however, is for the user him/herself having the audio database compose a sound fragment and having it recorded in the telephone peripheral device. A possible application is an outgoing message for an answering machine which the user him/herself speaks into the audio database via the telephone line, whereupon the computer which controls the audio database combines this message with a musical fragment chosen by the user. In the process, the computer ensures correct synchronization of the chosen musical fragment and the message spoken by the user into the device. The message thus obtained including background music is then loaded into the answering machine via the telephone line. To enable the user to make a choice from the offered range of sounds, sound fragments and/or fixed messages or to compose sound fragments him/herself, the user interface of the audio database is designed as a voice-response system. After a telephone connection to the audio database has been set up, the user hears a spoken menu. By means of pressing the keys of the telephone set or by dialling a digit the user makes a choice, for example with respect to the type of music, classical or pop. By successive choices from successive menus an ultimate selection can be made. After the definitive choice, the user first hears the chosen sound, sound fragment and/or message and he/she can then decide whether or not to load it into the telephone peripheral device.

The invention provides a method for loading sounds, sound fragments and/or messages via the telephone line into the memory of a telephone peripheral device, characterized in that after a telephone connection has been set up between the telephone peripheral device and the audio database, the audio database sends a synchronization signal in the form of a tone of a specific duration, frequency and amplitude, followed by the sound, sound fragment and/or message to be recorded in the telephone peripheral device, while the telephone peripheral device starts the recording as soon as the end of the synchronization signal is detected and stops the recording after a specific time.

If the sounds, sound fragments and/or messages are not all of the same duration, there are various options for passing the duration of the recording from the audio database to the telephone peripheral device. Two of these options will be discussed hereinafter.

In the case of the first option, to which claim 2 relates, the actual duration of the recording is determined by the reception by the telephone peripheral device of a second synchronization signal which is emitted by the audio database after the transmission of the sound fragment. Preferably, this signal is a tone of a specific duration, frequency and amplitude which is chosen in such a way, that it is improbable that it will occur in the sound fragment. The second synchronization signal is in the first instance also recorded by the telephone peripheral device. After the end of the second synchronization signal is detected, the telephone peripheral device determines what the duration was of the actual recording and puts an end-of-sound marker in the memory at the location where the recording should have stopped. If the sound was recorded on a magnetic tape, the tape is rewound for a fixed length and an end-of-sound marker is written to the tape.

With the second option, to which claims 3 and 4 relate, the duration of the recording is determined by a binary coding included in the previously sent synchron¬ ization signal. The synchronization signal may preferably comprise one or more DTMF signals at the end of which the recording starts. The DTMF signals indicate the duration of the recording. The synchronization signal may, however, also be a modem signal from which the telephone set is able to determine, after demodulation, the duration of the recording. The loss (of the carrier wave) of the modem signal determines the start of the recording. If a modem signal is used as a synchronization signal, in principle all kinds of forms of modulation, whether or not they are known from the literature, of digital signals on telephone lines can be used. Preferably, the method is implemented in such a way between audio database and telephone peripheral device that the audio database does not send the synchronization signal, the sound, the sound fragment and/or the message and possibly the second synchronization signal until the telephone peripheral device has sent a ready-to-receive signal. After emitting the ready-to-receive signal, the telephone peripheral device is "listening out" for a limited time, a few seconds, for a synchronization signal. If the synchronization signal arrives within the set time, the recording takes place. If the synchronization signal comes too late, no recording takes place. All this serves to prevent the detection, during a normal telephone conversation, of a synchronization signal and any inadvertent recording taking place. The ready-to-receive signal is preferably a DTMF signal with a binary coding 0000, 1101, 1110 or 1111. These DTMF signals cannot, as a rule, be generated by the user him/herself by means of pressing a key.

In the case of call-signalling equipment, where each call can be represented by a different sound fragment, it may be of interest to load more than one sound fragment in one connection.

In that case, the synchronization signal can be coded in such a way that, in addition to the duration of the sound fragment, an indication is also present which shows that a following sound fragment is still to be sent. After the recording of the first sound fragment, the telephone peripheral device automatically sends a ready-to- receive signal, whereupon the audio database sends out the next synchronization signal and the associated sound fragment and so on.

The invention also relates to telephone peripheral devices in which the abovementioned method for loading sounds, sound fragments and/or messages from an audio database via the telephone line is applied.

Preferably, such a telephone peripheral device is provided with a push button by means of which the user can issue a command to the telephone peripheral device to send a ready-to-receive signal, whereupon the telephone peri¬ pheral device "listens out" for a synchronization signal and, after receiving it, starts a recording for a fixed duration, for a duration determined by two synchronization signals or for a duration coded in the synchronization signal.

Preferably, during "listening out" for the synchronization signal and during the recording of the sound fragment at least the microtelephone of the telephone peripheral device is switched off. Thus the probability of errors in the reception of the synchronization signal is reduced and it is not possible for ambient sounds to be included in the memory, during the recording, via the microtelephone.

Preferably, the telephone peripheral device is provided with a push button by means of which the user can issue a command to the device to dial a telephone number held permanently in the memory of the device, said telephone number being the number of the audio database.

The method according to the invention and a number of examples of telephone peripheral devices in which the method is applied will be explained hereinafter with reference to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a timing diagram of an embodiment of the method, where the telephone peripheral device automatically dials the telephone number of the audio database, the user chooses sound fragments on the basis of menus, and whereupon the selected sound fragments are loaded into the memory of the telephone peripheral device;

Figure 2 shows an example of a wire-free telephone in which the method is applied for loading call signals;

Figure 3 shows an example of a call signal generator coupled to a normal telephone set;

Figure 4 shows an example of an answering machine in which the method is applied for loading the outgoing message .

In the timing diagram according to Figure 1, the vertical lines successively represent, from left to right, the user, the telephone peripheral device, the public telephone exchange and the audio database. Between the vertical lines, arrows indicate the interactions or the exchanged signals. The time sequence, from top to bottom, is as follows:

I the user takes the receiver off the hook; 2 the current loop to the public exchange is closed;

3 the public exchange sends the dialling tone;

4 the user presses the rapid-dialling button for the audio database;

5 the telephone peripheral device dials the number of the audio database;

6 the public exchange rings the audio database;

7 the audio database answers the call;

8 the audio database sends a spoken menu;

9 the user presses a numeric key; 10 the telephone peripheral device sends the corres¬ ponding digit;

II the user presses the record button;

12 the telephone peripheral device switches off the microtelephone, sends the ready-to-receive signal and listens out for the synchronization signal;

13 the audio database sends a synchronization signal which contains, in coded form, the duration of the sound fragment and the indication that another sound fragment will follow thereafter; 14 the telephone peripheral device starts the recording;

15 the audio database sends the sound fragment;

16 the audio database sends a synchronization signal which contains, in coded form, the duration of the sound fragment, now without the indication that another sound fragment will follow thereafter;

17 the telephone peripheral device switches the micro¬ telephone back on;

18 the telephone connection is broken by the user.

If the telephone peripheral device is connected to an internal telephone exchange, the user, after the receiver has been taken off the telephone set, first dials the external line. Only after hearing the dialling tone from the public exchange will the user press the rapid- dialling button to set up the connection to the audio database.

Figure 2 shows a portable telephone system comprising a base 21, connected to the telephone network, and one or more handsets 22. In base 21 there is a memory in which a call signal is stored in the form of, for example, a sound or musical fragment. In the case of an incoming call, a radio link is established between the base 21 and the handset(s) 22. Normally, base 21 will now issue a command, via the radio link, to the handsets 22 to generate a bell signal. If the invention is used, however, the base 21 issues a command, via said radio link, to the handset(s) 22 for audio sounds which will be received via the radio link to be passed in amplified form to a loudspeaker built into the handset(s) 22. Then the base 21 sends the call signal stored in the audio memory to the handset(s) 22 via the radio link, said call signal then being reproduced loudly. The user can answer the call in the normal way. The base then ceases to send out the call signal, answers the telephone line and makes the connection of the telephone line via the radio link to handset 22.

To load new sounds into the memory of the base 21, the method of Figure 1 is employed.

Figure 3 shows a configuration of an ordinary telephone set 32 and a call signal generator 31 coupled thereto, which contains a memory for storing call signals. The call signal generator 31 is further provided with a loudspeaker and operating elements.

The call signal generator 31 can be coupled to the telephone line in parallel with the telephone set 32. This configuration has the drawback, however, that it is not possible to detect with sufficient accuracy whether the receiver has or has not been taken off the telephone set 32, as a result of which it is not possible to stop the playback of the call signal if the call is answered. Moreover it is not possible to switch off the telephone set 32 and consequently the microtelephone while new sounds are being recorded, which may result in ambient sound being recorded at the same time as the sound from the audio database.

A better method is to incorporate the call signal generator 31 in series with the telephone line. Thus the abovementioned drawbacks can be overcome.

The loading of new sounds into the memory of the call signal generator 31 takes place according to the method of Figure 1, setting up the connection to the audio database and starting the recording making use of the operating elements of the call signal generator 31, and selections of sounds from the audio database being made by means of the keys of the telephone set 32.

Figure 4 finally gives a configuration with an answering machine 41 and a telephone set 42. The advantages and drawbacks of the various ways of connecting are the same as for the configuration of Figure 3. The method for recording a new outgoing message is likewise the same as for Figure 3.

Claims

- 9 - C L A I M S

1. Method for loading sounds, sound fragments and/or messages from an audio database via a telephone line into a telephone peripheral device, characterized in that after a telephone connection has been set up between the telephone peripheral device and the audio database, the audio database sends a synchronization signal in the form of a tone of a specific duration, frequency and amplitude, followed by the sound, sound fragment and/or message to be recorded in the telephone peripheral device, while the telephone peripheral device starts the recording as soon as the end of the synchronization signal is detected and stops the recording after a specific time.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the audio database, after the transmission of the sound, sound fragment and/or message, sends a second synchronization signal in the form of a tone having a specific duration, frequency and amplitude and the telephone peripheral device stops the recording after receiving the second synchronization signal and determines the duration of the recorded sound, sound fragment and/or message by subtracting the duration of the second synchronization signal from the recording time.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the synchronization signal comprises one or more DTMF signals which indicate, in coded form, the duration of the sound recording.

4 Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the synchronization signal is a modem signal, in which the duration of the sound recording is indicated in binarily coded form.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 inclusive, characterized in that the audio database does not send the synchronization signal, the sound, the sound fragment and/or the message and possibly the second synchronization signal until the telephone peripheral device has sent a ready-to-receive signal.

6. Method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the coding of the synchronization signal includes an indication that after the recording of the sound, sound fragment and/or message following the synchronization signal, a second recording is or is not to take place.

7. Telephone peripheral device designed for recording sounds, sound fragments and/or messages, characterized in that it is designed for recording, in addition to possible other manners of recording, at least sounds, sound fragments and/or messages by applying one of the methods described in claims 1 to 6 inclusive.

8. Telephone peripheral device according to claim 7, characterized in that it is provided with a push button by means of which the user can issue a command to the telephone peripheral device to send a ready-to-receive signal.

9. Telephone peripheral device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that during "listening out" for the synchronization signal and during the recording of the sound fragment at least the microtelephone of the telephone peripheral device is switched off.

10. Telephone peripheral device according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that the telephone peripheral device is provided with means for automatically dialling, at the command of the user, the telephone number of the audio database.