Generally speaking, upon receiving an incoming call, a portable terminal, such as a cellular telephone, outputs a ring tone or vibrates to inform the user of the incoming call. This ring tone, however, is feeble, so the terminal in effect fails to notify the user of the call arrival state if, for example, the user is indoors away from the portable terminal. In addition, in the case of a mechanism for causing vibration to inform the user of the incoming call, the user fails to notice the call unless the mechanism remains in contact with the user.
In addition, a reporting device has been developed that includes an LED to be mounted at the top of an antenna provided on a portable terminal so that a response signal (an electromagnetic wave) emitted by the terminal upon receiving an incoming call is used to light the LED in order to optically inform the user of the incoming call. A problem with this reporting device is that the incoming call notifying signal displayed by the LED is so unstable that it lights for only a short period of time during which the portable terminal is emitting the response signal.
As described above, a problem of the conventional portable terminal is that the user fails to notice an incoming call in a timely manner if the user is indoors away from the portable terminal or if the user separates the terminal from his or her body. The conventional reporting means also lacks an element of fun, so an interesting incoming call reporting means is desired.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds