JPH1168968A - A telephone exchange system that allows users to set service control information - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a telephone exchange system that allows a user to freely update service control information on the telephone exchange system. SOLUTION: In a telecommunications carrier side telephone exchange system having a call connection part and a service control part, service control information for each user who controls a service control part of the telecommunications carrier side telephone exchange system is stored in a user telephone equipment. It is a telephone exchange system that can be obtained from. The telecommunications carrier-side telephone exchange system is IN, and the telecommunications carrier and the user each have an IW server, and are transmitted and received via the CTI protocol via the Internet.
Furthermore, in order to obtain customer information, IW
A response processing unit is provided in the server, and a voice response device is provided in the IN facility.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interconnection system between an IN (Intelligent Network) in a telephone exchange system and telephone equipment having CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) on a user side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, telephone exchanges have provided various communication services. Recently, however, telephone exchange systems have been constructed as INs in order to flexibly and quickly respond to advanced and diverse network services. ing. IN
Is Q.1 of ITU-T. This is a network connection architecture recommended in the 1200 series. FIG.
It is the model figure which compared network and IN of the conventional telephone exchange system notionally. In FIG. 6, the telephone 4,
A call connection unit 11 and a service control unit 12 are shown. The service control unit 12 controls the plurality of call connection units 11 which are digital exchanges, so that the service can be flexibly and quickly responded to. The conventional network and IN differ from each other in that the service control function is independent of the exchange and centralized.

A conventional telephone exchange system of a network aims at efficiently providing a one-to-one communication service. To provide a service call control function in each exchange, addition and change of functions are complicated. However, there was a limit to the advancement of services. IN has solved this problem by forming a hierarchical structure by leaving the basic call connection function of communication to the exchange and leaving the function of providing complex services to a dedicated information processing device. . It is possible to centralize service control functions required for realizing, maintaining and operating network services, control, monitor / test, and manage call connection units, and flexibly respond to the introduction of advanced network services. Further, the call connection unit and the service control unit are connected via a common line signaling network that transfers only control data. Therefore, only minimal control data is exchanged when necessary, the independence of each functional unit is maintained, and the degree of freedom for adding / changing functional units is increased.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration diagram of a conventional IN. FIG. 7 shows a Service Switching Functio (SSF).
n) or a call control unit 11 called CCF (Call Control Function) for performing only basic connection of a line;
A service control unit SCF (Service Control Function) 12 for instructing a service to the call control unit 11, and a database SDF (Servic
e Database Function) 13 and an SMF (Service Management Function) that performs maintenance of the service control program executed by the SCF and data maintenance management of the SDF.
14 are represented. Normally, the setting of service control information, which is an exchange condition for each user of the service control unit 12, is performed from a specific terminal in the communication carrier equipment.

[0005] The effect of making the telephone exchange system into the IN configuration is that the user can freely update a sophisticated and diverse network as needed, and the telecommunications carrier has an advanced network that meets the needs of the user. Network services can be realized flexibly and quickly.

[0006] On the other hand, regarding equipment on the user side, CT
2. Description of the Related Art A high-performance information processing apparatus represented by I technology and a telephone facility are being advanced to have higher functions. The CTI is a system that integrates a computer and a telephone, and the interface between the PBX and the CTI is E
CMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association)
n) CSTA (Computer Supported Telecom)
munications Applications) is the only industry standard.
At present, TSAPI (Telephony Server), which is a CSTA-compliant Novell NetWare telephone service API
vices Application Programming Interface) and TAPI (Telephony Appli) from Microsoft and Intel.
cation Programming Interface). The user can easily obtain such a CTI, and can independently construct a complicated telephone exchange system using a private branch exchange or the like.

[0007]

However, in the telephone exchange system using IN as described above, there are some inconveniences. For a telecommunications carrier, a database having service control information must be provided in the data management facility. If the service control information is frequently updated, the user must update the service control information of the communication carrier each time, which is troublesome. Further, when the service control information is based on highly confidential customer information or the like,
For a user, there is a security problem in storing such information in a facility in a communication carrier.

[0008] On the other hand, telephone equipment using an information terminal device on the user side has realized complicated call connection control easily and at low cost by making full use of the above-mentioned CTI technology. As described above, the complicated service of the conventional telephone exchange system has been individually constructed by the communication carrier and the user.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a new telephone exchange system which allows a user to freely update service control information on the telephone exchange system and simplifies the equipment configuration of a telecommunications carrier. With the goal.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a telephone exchange system having a call connection unit and a service control unit, which is used for controlling the service control unit of the telephone exchange system on the communication carrier side. This is a telephone exchange system capable of acquiring service control information for each user from telephone equipment on the user side. This allows the user to freely update the service control information, and eliminates the need for the communication carrier to have facilities for managing the service control information for each user.

[0011] The telephone exchange system on the telecommunications carrier side is I
N, an IW (InterWorking) server is connected to the service control function unit on the communication carrier side, and an IW server is connected to the telephone equipment on the user side, and the two servers have an Internet protocol. It is preferable to transmit and receive service control information via a communication network. By transmitting and receiving service control information via the Internet, a system can be constructed at low cost. For the user side, it is possible to use an existing server connected to the Internet, and it is not necessary to provide an additional device. A data network such as a dedicated line may be provided between the two servers.

Further, the protocol of the service control information is C
Preferably it is a TI link protocol. There is no need to define new standards for the interface between the telecommunications carrier and the user, and at present the user can easily implement advanced telephone switching equipment by using the CTI technology. Because. The present invention is a system in which the CTI on the user side and the IN on the communication carrier side are interconnected.

Further, on the telecommunications carrier side, the service control unit has a voice response device for obtaining customer information, and the telecommunications carrier server has a response processing unit for obtaining customer information. Is preferred. This allows
It is possible for the customer to input customer information such as a user ID and a password, and the customer information can be notified to the telephone equipment on the user side via the IW server.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an IN facility 1 and an IW (interworking) server 5 connected to the IN facility are used as communication carrier facilities.
And a public telephone network 3 connected to the call connection unit of the IN facility. On the other hand, PBX
(Private branch exchange) 2 and telephone 4 connected to the PBX 2
And an IW server 6 connected to the PBX 2 and an information terminal device 8 and a service control information database 9 connected to the IW server 6 via a LAN. The two IW servers 5 and 6 transmit and receive each other via the Internet 7 to realize low cost. Hereinafter, in other drawings, the same object is represented by the same reference numeral.

[0016] Regarding the telecommunications carrier side equipment, IN equipment 1
Is a call connection unit SSF11 and a service control unit SCF12
And a service database SDF13,
The IW server 5 includes a connection processing unit 51 for connecting to the IN facility,
N-AP (Intelligent Network-Access Protocol)
And CTI-AP (Computer Telephony Interface-Acc
ess Protocol), a security management unit 53, and a connection information log database 54.
And an Internet connection control unit 55. The security function 53 for realizing security in a network where an unspecified number of information is exchanged, such as the Internet, and the connection information log database 54 prepared for a system down can be said to be essential functions. Further, for the telecommunications carrier, the access protocol I for the IN equipment is required.
Building an IW server that performs a protocol conversion process between the N-AP and the user's CTI link protocol is much easier than building a service control information database that can support each user.

In the user equipment, the IW server 6
It includes a CTI equipment connection control unit 61, a security management unit 63, a connection information log database 64, and a connection control processing unit 65 for connection to the Internet. The IW server 6 may be a server for the Internet that has already been independently constructed. In addition, the user already has telephone equipment and L
If there is an environment in which the AN equipment and the AN equipment are integrated by the CTI technology, it is only necessary to construct a database for storing service control information. Many of the security functions 63 and the connection information log database 64 are relatively provided in recent servers connected to the Internet.
It is not something that requires the user to construct the system.

Next, examples of services that can be provided by the present invention will be described. Here, three types of a third-party call conference call service, a call center function providing service, and a personal telephone directory service will be described.

First, a third-party call conference call service will be described as a first embodiment of the service of the present invention. The third party calling conference call service is automatically performed by notifying the user terminal IW server 6 of a third party connection request from the information terminal device 8 while the telephone 4 is in a call via the public telephone network. This service allows you to call a third party and participate in a call.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram for explaining the third party conference call service. In FIG. 2, a solid horizontal arrow indicates a route of call information via a public telephone network, and a broken horizontal arrow indicates a route of control information via the Internet. This is the same for FIGS. 3 to 5.

In FIG. 2, initially, the telephone A and the telephone B are talking (201). The connection request for calling the third parties C and D is notified from the information terminal device attached to the telephone A to the IW server on the user side (20).
2). The user side IW server sends the request to the communication carrier side I
Notify the W server, and the communication carrier side IW server notifies the IN equipment. The IN equipment calls the third parties C and D via the public telephone network using the call connection unit SSF (20
3) Connect the calls of the third parties C and D to the lines of the telephones A and B (204). When the third party call is completed, the IN facility responds to that effect to the information terminal device attached to the telephone A via the IW server (205).

Next, a call center function providing service will be described as a second embodiment of the service according to the present invention. The call center function providing service is a service provided by a communication company to a company performing a call center business such as mail order, ticket reservation / sales, and provision of various information. By providing a service control information database on the call center side, the IN facility on the communication carrier side automatically accesses the database on the call center side to acquire service control information and connects a call to a predetermined telephone number. be able to. Call center
There is no need to have sophisticated call center equipment such as a PBX and an automatic call distribution device.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for explaining the call center function providing service. First, a customer places a call via the public telephone network to a specific telephone number indicating a call center (301). The IN equipment that has detected that the call has been made to the telephone number can obtain the customer's user ID and password by using the caller number of the customer's call, an automatic voice response device, or the like. The customer can input a dial signal if the customer terminal is a telephone, or text information if the terminal is an information terminal. The call of the customer and the customer information are accessed to the service control information database on the call center side via both IW servers (30).
2). The service control information database searches information such as the current incoming call volume required for call distribution to the operator and the presence / absence of the operator, and returns the telephone number of the operator's location to the IN equipment on the communication carrier side. (303).
A call from the customer is connected to an appropriate operator A based on the obtained telephone number (304).

Finally, a personal telephone directory service will be described as a third embodiment of the service according to the present invention. In the personal telephone directory service, a user who has subscribed to a service provider that provides an Internet connection service or the like registers personal telephone directory information in a database in the service provider equipment, and the communication carrier side IN equipment It is a service that automatically calls a user's desired telephone number by searching the database.

In providing this service, there are both a case where the user terminal is an information terminal device and a case where it is an existing telephone. In the case of an information terminal device, the user and the communication carrier are connected via the Internet, and information such as a user ID and a password can be obtained by a response device in the IW server. On the other hand, when an existing telephone is used, information such as a user ID and a password can be obtained by a voice response device by a dial signal of the telephone.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for providing a personal telephone directory service when the user terminal is an information terminal device. First, the user A accesses the access point of the specific communication carrier side IW server providing this service from the information terminal device via the Internet (4.
01). The IW server obtains the user ID and password of the user A and the connection destination user information, and notifies the obtained information to the database on the service provider side via the Internet (402). The database notifies the carrier's IW server of one or more telephone numbers of the desired connection destination user via the Internet (403). The IW server notifies one or more connection destination lists to the terminal of the user A via the Internet (404). The user A selects desired connection destination user information (405). The telephone is automatically transmitted from the IN facility to the telephone number of the selected connection destination user via the gateway, and communication with the user B becomes possible. At this time, the user A is connected to the Internet network, and is connected to the public telephone network of the user B via the gateway.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for providing a personal telephone directory service when the user terminal is an existing telephone terminal. First, a user A sends a specific IW from a telephone via a public telephone network to a specific communication carrier side IW providing the service.
A call is made to the telephone number of the server (501). The IW server obtains the user ID and password of the user A and the connection destination user information using the voice response device, and notifies the obtained information to the service provider side database via the Internet (502). The database notifies the telephone number of the desired connection destination user to the IN facility (503). The IN facility calls the telephone number of the connection destination user (504), and the call between the user A and the user B is completed.

In the above description, three services have been described as one embodiment of the service of the present invention. However, in various applications of the service, various changes, modifications, and changes in the technical idea and scope of the present invention are made. Omission can be easily made by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting.
The invention is limited only as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

[0029]

According to the present invention described in detail above,
The user can freely update the service control information, and there is no need for the communication carrier to have a facility for managing the service control information for each user. In addition, by transmitting and receiving the service control information via the Internet, it is possible to construct a system at low cost, and the user can use a server connected to the existing Internet. Furthermore, utilizing CTI technology, which has already become an industry standard, does not require the user to provide special equipment. In addition, since customer information such as a user ID and a password can be obtained from the customer, the customer information can be searched for a desired telephone number from the user side database.

The telephone exchange system according to the present invention, which can set service control information from the user side, has a special effect as described above, thereby providing a special effect to the communication carrier and the user. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a telephone exchange system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of a third party conference call service according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of a call center providing function service according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of the personal telephone directory service according to the present invention when the user terminal is an information terminal device.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of the personal telephone directory service according to the present invention when the user terminal is a telephone.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual model diagram showing a difference between a conventional network and IN.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional IN.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IN equipment 11 SSF, CCF, digital exchange 12 SCF, service control station 13 SDF 2 PBX, private branch exchange 3 Public telephone network 4 Telephone 5 Telecommunications carrier side IW server 51 Connection processing part with IN equipment 52 IN-AP and CTI -Protocol conversion processing unit with AP 53, 63 Security management unit 54, 64 Connection information log database 65 Connection processing unit with data network 6 User side IW server 7 Internet, dedicated line, data network 8 Information terminal device 9 Service control Information database

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroto Masaki 2-3-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo International Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A telecommunications carrier side telephone exchange system having a call connection unit and a service control unit, wherein service control information for each user who controls the service control unit of the telecommunications carrier side telephone exchange system is transmitted to a user. A telephone exchange system characterized in that the telephone exchange system can be obtained from a local telephone facility. 2. The telecommunications carrier side telephone switching system,
The telephone exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the telephone exchange system is IN. 3. A server is connected to the service control function unit on a communication carrier side, and a server is connected to the telephone equipment on a user side. A communication having an Internet protocol is provided between the two servers. 3. The telephone exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the service control information is transmitted and received via a network. 4. The protocol of the service control information,
The telephone exchange system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the telephone exchange system is a CTI link protocol. 5. The telephone exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the service control unit on the communication carrier side includes a voice response device for obtaining customer information. . 6. The telephone exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the communication carrier server includes a response processing unit for obtaining customer information.