Television-telephone apparatus having a message-keeping function and an automatic response transmission function

Claim 2

A television telephone apparatus, comprising: response message transmitting means for automatically commencing a response communication to a partner communication apparatus in response to a call received from the partner communication apparatus to send a response message from said television telephone apparatus to the partner communication apparatus; storage means for storing an image message transmitted from the partner communication apparatus in response to the response communication transmitted from the television telephone apparatus to the partner communication apparatus by said response message transmitting means; and request signal transmitting means for transmitting to the partner communication apparatus an image frame update request signal to identify an encoding mode used for encoding the image message; wherein said storage means stores the image message from the partner communication apparatus when the encoding mode, identified by the partner communication apparatus after transmission of the image frame update request signal by said request signal transmitting means, is identified as being a predetermined mode.

Claim 3

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoding mode comprises a first encoding mode in which encoding is conducted on the basis of a difference between frames and a second encoding mode in which encoding is conducted on the basis of intra-frame data.

Claim 4

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said request signal transmitting means requests the partner communication apparatus to update the encoding mode to said second encoding mode.

Claim 5

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores a voice message transmitted from the partner communication apparatus.

Claim 6

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising communication time administration means for determining when a time of recording of the voice message in said storage means exceeds a predetermined time.

Claim 7

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting a predetermined image message back to the partner communication apparatus when said communication time administration means has determined that the time of storage of the voice message has exceeded said predetermined time.

Claim 8

A television telephone apparatus, comprising: response message transmitting means for automatically commencing a response communication to a partner communication apparatus in response to a call received from the partner communication apparatus, and for transmitting a response message to the partner communication apparatus; storage means for storing an image message data and voice message data transmitted from the partner communication apparatus in response to the response communication transmitted from said television telephone apparatus to the partner communication apparatus by the response message transmitting means; request signal transmitting means for transmitting to the partner communication apparatus an image frame update request signal to identify an encoding mode used for encoding the image message; wherein said storage means stores the image message from the partner communication apparatus when the encoding mode, identified by the partner communication apparatus after transmission of the image frame update request signal by said request signal transmitting means, is identified as being a predetermined mode; communication time administration means for administrating the time for storage of the voice message data sent from the partner communication apparatus; and image message transmitting means for transmitting to the partner communication apparatus an image message in response to a signal from said communication time administration means.

Claim 9

A television telephone apparatus, comprising: response message transmitting means for automatically commencing a response communication to a partner communication apparatus in response to a call received from the partner communication apparatus, and for transmitting a response message to the partner communication apparatus; storage means for storing an image message data and voice message data transmitted from the partner communication apparatus in response to the response communication transmitted from said television telephone apparatus to the partner communication apparatus by the response message transmitting means; request signal transmitting means for transmitting to the partner communication apparatus an image frame update request signal to identify an encoding mode used for encoding the image message; wherein said storage means stores the image message from the partner communication apparatus when the encoding mode, identified by the partner communication apparatus after transmission of the image frame update request signal by said request signal transmitting means, is identified as being a predetermined mode; communication time administration means for administrating the time for storage of the voice message data sent from the partner communication apparatus; and image message transmitting means for transmitting to the partner communication apparatus an image message in response to a signal from said communication time administration means.

Claim 10

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said image message transmitting means transmits to the partner communication apparatus an image message indicating expiration of a predetermined time for storage of the voice message data when said communication administration means determines that the time for storage of the voice message data exceeds the predetermined time.

Claim 11

A television telephone apparatus having an automatic transmission function for automatically commencing a response communication to a partner communication apparatus in response to a call received from the partner communication apparatus to transmit an encoded image message, said television telephone apparatus comprising: a first memory for storing, on a frame basis, an image message to be transmitted to a partner communication apparatus; a second memory for storing preset still image message data; writing means for writing, in an automatic transmitting mode of said apparatus, the preset still image message data stored in said second memory into said first memory; and transmitting means for transmitting the still image message data written in said first memory from said second memory by said writing means as a response communication to the partner communication apparatus.

Claim 12

A television telephone apparatus having an automatic transmission function for automatically commencing a response communication to a partner communication apparatus in response to a call received from the partner communication apparatus to transmit an encoded image message, said television telephone apparatus comprising: a first memory for storing, on a frame basis, an image message to be transmitted to a partner communication apparatus; a second memory for storing preset still image message data; writing means for writing, in an automatic transmitting mode of said apparatus, the preset still image message data stored in said second memory into said first memory; and transmitting means for transmitting the still image message data written in said first memory from said second memory by said writing means as a response communication to the partner communication apparatus.

Claim 13

An image receiving apparatus for use in an image communication system which transmits and receives image information after compression using an intra-frame encoding mode and an inter-frame encoding mode, said apparatus comprising: storage means for storing compressed image data received from a partner communication apparatus; reading means for reading compressed image data from said storage means; decoding means for decoding the compressed image data read from said storage means by said reading means and producing a restored image signal; detecting means for detecting, within the compressed image data read from said storage means, a frame in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded; and control means for controlling an output reproduced from the restored image signal produced by said decoding means in accordance with a detection output of said detecting means.

Claim 14

An image receiving apparatus for use in an image communication system which transmits and receives image information after compression using an intra-frame encoding mode and an inter-frame encoding mode, said apparatus comprising: storage means for storing compressed image data received from a partner communication apparatus; reading means for reading compressed image data from said storage means; decoding means for decoding the compressed image data read from said storage means by said reading means and producing a restored image signal; detecting means for detecting, within the compressed image data read from said storage means, a frame in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded; and control means for controlling an output reproduced from the restored image signal produced by said decoding means in accordance with a detection output of said detecting means.

Claim 15

An image receiving apparatus for use in an image communication system which transmits and receives image information after compression using an intra-frame encoding mode and an inter-frame encoding mode, said apparatus comprising: storage means for storing compressed image data received from a partner communication apparatus; detecting means for detecting, within the received image data, a frame in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded; and control means for deleting, in accordance with an output of said detecting means, image data received before the frame of the received image data in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded as detected by said detecting means.

Claim 16

An image receiving apparatus for use in an image communication system which transmits and receives image information after compression using an intra-frame encoding mode and an inter-frame encoding mode, said apparatus comprising: storage means for storing compressed image data received from a partner communication apparatus; detecting means for detecting, within the received image data, a frame in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded; and control means for deleting, in accordance with an output of said detecting means, image data received before the frame of the received image data in which the compressed image data has been fully intra-encoded as detected by said detecting means.

Claim 17

An image transmitting apparatus, comprising: γ correction means for effecting γ correction of an image; transmitting means for transmitting an image output from said γ correction means to a partner communication apparatus; control information receiving means for receiving γ correction control information from the partner communication apparatus, the correction control information including information on the amount of γ correction required to be performed by said image transmitting apparatus; and control means for controlling said γ correction means in accordance with the γ correction control information received by said control information receiving means.

Claim 18

An image transmitting apparatus, comprising: γ correction means for effecting γ correction of an image; transmitting means for transmitting an image output from said γ correction means to a partner communication apparatus; control information receiving means for receiving γ correction control information from the partner communication apparatus, the correction control information including information on the amount of γ correction required to be performed by said image transmitting apparatus; and control means for controlling said γ correction means in accordance with the γ correction control information received by said control information receiving means.

Claim 19

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image encoding means for encoding the response communication in one of a plurality of encoding modes.

Claim 20

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: storage means for storing a voice message transmitted from the partner communication apparatus, said storage means storing the voice message to correspond to the image message from the received call.

Claim 21

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: storage means for storing compressed image data received from the partner communication apparatus; a decoding means for decoding the compressed image data read from said storage means to produce a restored image signal; and display means for displaying an image corresponding to the restored image signal from said decoding means.

Claim 22

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: storage means for storing voice message data transmitted from the partner communication apparatus, said storage means storing the voice message data to correspond to image data from the received call.

Claim 23

A television telephone apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising: communication time administration means for timing the voice message data received from the partner communication apparatus; and an image message transmitting means for transmitting an image message to the partner communication apparatus when said communication time administration means determines that the time for storage of the received voice message data exceeds a predetermined time.