JPH047143B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a communication system, particularly a method for notifying a called party in a communication system such as a telephone system in which a specific called party must respond. Relates to means for notifying users of information regarding calls.

[Conventional technology]

In traditional telephone systems, each telephone is assigned an individual calling number (call code).
The caller was calling the other party's phone by dialing this number. However, in general, it is rather rare for individuals to own their own telephones, and a person who is near the called telephone usually answers the caller, asks the caller who he/she wishes to talk to, and then calls the called person. It was normal to replace it with

In other words, even though the caller wants to call the called party personally, the caller first rings the called telephone, waits for a response, and when the other party answers, announces the called party and asks for a replacement. , used a two-step calling method.

Furthermore, from the callee's perspective, there are several useful pieces of information to know before answering, such as when the call came in, who it was from, and whether it was an emergency call if the call was busy. However, in conventional telephone systems, such information is not known to the called party before answering.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention aims to improve services for users by, for example, announcing call-related information such as the name of the called party, the name of the calling party, and the urgency of the call, etc., by voice during the ringing time. be.

[Summary of the invention]

When announcing the called party's name, a call code is given to the individual; when announcing the calling party's name, a magnetic card, etc. is used to transmit the identification code (ID code) of the calling party to the calling terminal. (e.g., a telephone), if the degree of urgency of the call is to be announced, inputting the degree of urgency by pressing a button on the calling terminal device (e.g., a telephone) gives the necessary information to the switching device; This information is edited and synthesized into the voice to be output using voice synthesis technology such as waveform synthesis, parameter synthesis, or rule synthesis within the switching equipment or terminal device, and this information is output during the silent time of a call signal, for example. By outputting the information, it is intended to convey necessary information to the user.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An example in which the called party's name is notified will be described. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a telephone exchange showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which telephones 1 are given call codes (numbers) “T ₁ ”, . . . “T _o ”, respectively. shall be. Individuals using telephones are given separate call codes (numbers) "P ₁ ", . . . "P _n ". However, this does not mean that all telephones and all users must be given a call code (number); the call code (number) may be determined depending on the method of operating the system.

Assume now that the system shown in FIG. 1 is a private branch exchange system, and for the sake of simplicity, all telephones and users are given numbers, and m>n. T ₁
~T _o is a conventional telephone number given to an extension telephone, and if you call from this telephone, it will be a station call that only sends a ringing signal as before. _P1
~ _Pn is a number given to the individual user, and the phone from which the call is to be made is registered in advance. here,
Since m>n, there may be two or more individuals calling from the same telephone. When the caller calls the called party using the personal calling number P~, the call is made by connecting to the telephone to which that number is registered, but the exchange recognizes the called party from the number P~, so for example, Make a call like this (see Figure 2).

Lean..."I'm calling Mr. ___." Lean...In other words, the caller is notified by announcing the name of the called party during the silent period of the traditional bell ringing signal. can. Therefore, even if the numbers of two or more people are registered on the same telephone, it is possible to know who called the previous caller during a call.

Here, there are two types of numbers: T~ and P~,
For example, if you want to call a certain department or person,
If you don't mind anyone answering, call the number T~, and if you want to talk to a specific person, call the number P~; if you want to make all calls to individuals, you don't have to set the number T~. Also good.

The operation of the system will be explained below using diagrams. First, a description will be given of an embodiment in which analog voice information is converted by an exchange and sent to a telephone.

In FIG. 1, it is assumed that a calling party P ₁ makes a call from a telephone T ₁ and calls a called party P _n from a telephone T _o . When caller P ₁ lifts the handset of telephone T ₁ ,
The central control unit 6 detects this, and according to the program stored in the main storage device 4, a so-called dial tone connection is performed, and a dial tone is sent to the calling party _P1 by a circuit not shown. When the calling party P ₁ hears the dial tone, he dials the number "P _n " of the called party P _n . When the central control unit 6 receives the called party number “P _n ” (FIG. 6, 601), the central control unit 6 uses the “calling telephone registration table” stored in the storage device 4 to input the called party number P _n as the called party number. Converts the calling telephone to T _o and identifies the called telephone to be connected. At the same time, it is checked whether the called telephone is busy or not, and if it is confirmed that it is free, the process proceeds to the next operation (FIG. 6, 602).

In parallel with this, the central controller 6 controls the storage device 4
The called party number _Pn is converted to the called party name ○○ using the "called party number-called party name conversion table" stored in the ``called party number--called party name conversion table'' (FIG. 6, 603). In the case of rule synthesis, this conversion is essential, but in the case of waveform synthesis, parameter synthesis, etc., voice information can be obtained directly from the called party number using a voice file, so it is not necessarily necessary.

When the central control device 6 confirms that the called telephone is free, it selects a free voice call trunk 7 (see FIG.
604), and selects the called telephone T _o and the free channel of the free voice call trunk 7 (Fig. 6, 60
5), connect these (606 in FIG. 6). It goes without saying that a ringing tone is sent to the calling telephone by a circuit not shown.

The central control unit 6 that converted the called party number P _n to the called party name ○○ receives voice information corresponding to the called party name "○○" from the voice information file 5 and since it is a called party call. , extract and edit the voice information corresponding to "I'm calling..." (Fig. 6, 60
7). Here, audio information means, in the case of waveform synthesis,
It is sampled digital information such as a PCM code, or a band-compressed version of this, and in the case of parameter synthesis, it is, for example, a parameter obtained by PARCOR analysis of speech. The voice information edited in this way is transferred to the voice call trunk 7 to which the called telephone is connected (FIG. 6, 608) and stored in the memory within the trunk. In the voice paging trunk 7, the stored voice information is read out at a constant rate and at a constant rate, converted into analog voice information by a demodulator or a voice synthesizer, and alternately exchanged with the call signal in the time relationship shown in FIG. It is sent to telephone T _o through network 3 (609 in Fig. 6).

Here, the ringing signal may be a conventional electromagnetic bell alternating current or a tone ringer signal such as a single tone, melody, or chime, but considering that the telephone has a voice calling function, it is better to use a tone ringer signal. has great technical affinity. Although it is also possible to make a call using only a voice signal without using a call signal, an example has been given here in which a call signal is used in combination with the call signal in order to attract the attention of the called party.

The above embodiment assumes an analog switch and describes the case where the voice call trunk converts the signal into an analog signal and sends it out. However, in the case of a digital switch, waveform synthesis is adopted and the sampling period is
If the encoding method is matched to that of the exchange, the voice call trunk 7 receives the information from the central controller 6,
By sequentially transmitting the stored voice information as digital information to specified time slots, the same effect as in the case of the analog exchange can be obtained. Here, let's roughly estimate the amount of memory for a voice call trunk in the case of a digital system with 8KHz sampling and 8bit encoding. Assuming that the announcement is for 4 seconds, the amount of memory required is 8KHz x 8bit x 4sec = 256Kbit,
One 256KRAM is sufficient and is sufficient for practical use.

Next, the operation on the telephone side will be briefly explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, the telephone includes an amplifier 1-16, a speaker 1-17, and a ring signal detection device 1-1.
8, and is always connected to the line as shown in the figure through the break contact of the hook switch contact HS, which operates when the handset is raised. The gain of the amplifier 1-16 is kept in an off state sufficiently low so that noise from the line cannot be heard from the speaker 1-17. When a calling signal is sent from the route, the calling signal detection device 1-18 detects it. When the ringing signal is, for example, 16 Hz and 75 VAC, the amplifier 1-16 in FIG. 3 is kept off while the ringing signal in FIG. 2 continues. The call signal rings a bell using a circuit not shown. In Figure 2,
When one ringing of the ringing signal is completed, the ringing signal detecting device 1-18 increases the gain of the amplifier 1-16 to a predetermined level, and the next person's name announcement signal is output from the speaker 1-17. It will be amplified and broadcast. When the ringing signal detection device 1-18 detects the next ringing signal, it turns off the amplifier 1-16 again, increases the gain at the end of the ringing signal, and responds (operation of the switch HS) or abandons the call ( Repeat until the ringing signal cannot be made for a certain period of time.)

When the calling signal is a tone ringer, the calling signal detection device 1-18 increases the gain of the amplifier 1-16 at the same time as detecting the calling signal, and broadcasts both the calling signal and the announcement signal from the speaker 1-17.

As described above, by using a telephone set as shown in FIG. 3, information regarding a call can be broadcast by voice during a call in response to the operation of the above-mentioned exchange.

As a second embodiment, an example will be described in which voice information is transferred to a telephone in the form of digital data, the telephone stores this information, and at the same time converts it into voice using a voice synthesizer and broadcasts it.

As an example of a telephone used in this case,
The figure shows an external view, and FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram. The connection between the telephones is the same as in the first embodiment, where the calling party _P1 makes a call using the telephone _T1 , and the telephone _T0 connects the called party.
Let P _n be called.

When the handset of the telephone _T1 is raised, the telephone control device 1-13 in FIG. 5 detects this (not shown),
A calling signal is sent to the exchange via the line interface 1-12. In the case of this telephone, it is assumed that it is connected to an exchange through two pairs of cables, one for voice calls and one for data. In the exchange shown in FIG. 1, the central control unit 6 detects this through the telephone interface 2, establishes a so-called dial tone connection, and causes the calling party _P1 to hear the dial tone. Caller _P1 is
After confirming the dial tone, dial the called party number P _n .

The called party number P _n is the push button dial 1- in Fig. 5.
2 and is received by the telephone controller 1-13 via the input/output interface 1-11. The telephone controller 1-13 transmits the number P _n in the form of digital data to the line interface 1-1.
2 to the exchange. In the exchange, the central control unit 6 receives this through the telephone interface 2 (701 in FIG. 7), and converts it to the called party number using the "called party number - called party name conversion table" stored in the storage device 4. Convert P _n to called party name ○○ (Fig. 7, 702). Next, the obtained called party name "○○" is converted into corresponding voice information using the voice information file 5, for example, parameters that have been analyzed and stored in advance, and since the called party is being called, For example, the voice parameters corresponding to "I'm calling..." are extracted from the voice information file 5 and edited into content that announces both (703 in FIG. 7). In parallel with this, the central control device 6 identifies the called telephone as T _o from the called party number P _n using the "calling telephone registration table" stored in the storage device 4. Furthermore, it checks whether the called telephone T _o is in use;
If it is empty, move on to the next operation (FIG. 7, 704).
That is, the central controller 6 sends voice information edited to announce the called party's name to the telephone 1 via the telephone interface 2 in the form of digital data.
Transfer to. In the telephone, the telephone controller 1 is connected to the telephone controller 1 through the line interface 1-12 in FIG.
-13 receives this and stores it in the storage device 1-14. In order to send out a calling signal and an announcement signal in the time relationship shown in FIG. 2, the telephone control device 1-13 first instructs the speech synthesizer 1-15 to send out a calling signal. The voice synthesizer 1-15 synthesizes a calling signal for a certain period of time according to the instructions and transfers it to the amplifier 1-16, which amplifies it to a predetermined size and drives the speaker 1-17. and broadcast it. The telephone control device 1-13 is
When it is time to send out the announcement signal shown in the figure, the previously stored announcement signal is read out from the storage device 1-14 and transferred to the speech synthesis device 1-15 to instruct it to make an announcement. The speech synthesizer 1-15 synthesizes original speech from the received announcement signal, that is, the parameters of the announcement speech, amplifies it with an amplifier 1-16, and broadcasts it from a speaker 1-17. called telephone
People around T _o learn of the incoming call from the first ringing signal, and then hear the broadcast of "I'm calling Mr. ○○" and know that the called party is P _n . .

The above example was for the case of notifying the called party's name, but it can also be applied to the case of notifying the calling party's name. In other words, a telephone user is assumed to have a personal identification code (ID code) or an identification card (ID card) that stores a person's name code, and to use a telephone with an ID card reading function as shown in Figure 4. shall be sent. In FIG. 4, a caller inserts his ID card 1-3 into an ID card reader 1-4 and then picks up the handset 1-1. In Figure 5, ID card 1-3 is inserted into ID card reader 1-
4 (Fig. 8, 801), the ID card reader 1-4 reads the ID code from the ID card 1-3, and the read code is sent to the telephone controller 1-3.
13 controls the input/output interface 1-1.
1 and is transferred and stored in the storage device 1-14 (802 in FIG. 8). Subsequently, when the handset 1-1 is lifted up (Fig. 8, 803), the telephone control device 1-13
is detected by a circuit not shown (Fig. 8, 80
4) The caller's ID code previously stored in the storage device 1-14 is read out and transferred along with the calling information to the exchange through the line interface 1-12 (FIG. 8, 805). In the exchange, the central control unit 6 of FIG. 1 receives this information through the telephone interface 2, and while the ID code is stored in the storage device 4, a dial tone connection is established based on the calling information. The called party number is dialed, FIG. 6, 603
Or at the same time as the conversion in 702 in Figure 7, or instead of this conversion when there is no called party announcement.
By converting the ID code into the caller's name and editing the announcement content accordingly, the 6th
The calling party's name can be announced by the same operation as explained in FIGS. In addition, you can use the personal numbers P ₁ to _{P n} as they are as ID codes, or
It may be different. In case of another number, the 6th
It is sufficient to provide two types of conversion tables for the conversion shown in FIG. 603 and FIG. 7, 702.

The above is a case where the calling party's name and the called party's name are announced during a call, but information about the call other than the name, such as the urgency of the call, can also be announced. contact or
It is also possible to notify call waiting. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an announcement is made to the called party, but the calling party may also be informed of the status of the call, such as whether the called party is busy, the line is busy, the callee is absent, or the caller refuses to answer. It is possible. In this case, the announcement may be made from the handset of the telephone.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained in detail in the examples below, by introducing speech synthesis technology into switching equipment, it becomes possible to automatically notify the status of a call by voice. It has the effect of significantly improving the utilization efficiency of.

In particular, the present invention enables the desired called party to answer directly by announcing the name of the called party from the called telephone, and unlike the conventional method, someone answers and calls someone. Compared to the method of asking the caller whether the caller is present and then switching to the desired called party, this method can significantly improve efficiency in offices, etc., and significantly enhances the value of office automation of communication systems. be.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a telephone exchange showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a time chart showing an example of the time relationship between a ringing signal and a voice announcement signal, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of a telephone that makes a voice announcement. FIG. 4 is an external view showing an example of a telephone equipped with a caller ID code input function, FIG. 5 is an example of the configuration of the telephone shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. An example of a flowchart showing the relevant parts of the operation of the exchange when announcing the calling party's name. FIG. 7 is an example of an operation flowchart of the exchange and telephone when the same function as in FIG. 6 is realized by a different operation method. , No. 8 shows an example of an operation flowchart of the telephone when inputting a caller ID code. Explanation of symbols, 1...Telephone, 1-1...Transmitter/receiver, 1-2...Push button dial, 1-3...ID card, 1-4...ID card reader, 1-5...
Electric key, lamp board, 1-6... Electric key, lamp board, 1
-7... Display device, 1-9... Transmitter, 1-10
...Handset, 1-16...Amplifier, 1-17...
Speaker, HS... switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of terminal devices, a first call code assigned to each of the plurality of terminal devices, a second call code assigned to each individual, and the second call code. It consists of a switching device equipped with a conversion table for associating terminal devices with each other, and a voice generating means for indicating an incoming call by an announcement. , the incoming call is displayed to the called terminal device using the first paging method, and when the calling party dials the second call code, the called terminal device is searched based on the conversion table and the voice A communication system characterized in that a second paging method is performed, which includes driving a generating means to generate announcement information, and transmitting the announcement information to display an incoming call to the searched called terminal device.