CA2150619A1

CA2150619A1 - Telephone exchange with voice mail device

Info

Publication number: CA2150619A1
Application number: CA 2150619
Authority: CA
Inventors: Arpad Hegedus
Original assignee: Alcatel NV
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent NV
Priority date: 1994-06-01
Filing date: 1995-05-31
Publication date: 1995-12-02
Also published as: NZ272198A; AU700503B2; AU2017895A; EP0685956A3; EP0685956A2

Abstract

Telephone exchange with speech store equipment which is connected to the calling subscriber after a predetermined time if the called subscriber does not answer the call, as well as method to store such voice messages in such an exchange, whereby the speech store equipment is able to store voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber and to send them to the called subscriber on his request. The telephone exchange comprises switching means which will also connect all further calls for the called subscriber to the speech store equipment as soon as one switch-over after timeout of the called subscriber to the speech store equipment has been executed. Hence, the exchange recognizes that the called subscriber is not ready to speak and switches all further arriving calls to the speech store equipment.

Description

21Sn6I ~

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE WITH VOICE MAIL DEVICE

Technical Field The invention concerns a telephone exchange with speech storage equipment which, during a call made by the calling subscriber, connects with the latter after a predetermined time if the called subscriber does not answer the call, and a method for storing voice messages in such an exchange, wherein the voice storage is able to store voice messages received from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber upon his request.

Background of the Invention Telephone exchanges with speech storage equipment are already known and are mostly called voice-mail equipment in the profession. Such installations are very explicitly described by EP 0,087,849 and EP 0,336,524, for example. A
method and a device for storing telephone messages in a private telephone branch exchange are also known from EP
0,304,653.
The known devices have the disadvantage that each new call first reaches the subscriber station and is only connected with the voice message memory if the subscriber has not answered within a predetermined time. This is considered to be disturbing by other persons in the room at that time.
In addition, the time span before the call is connected passes without being used.

Disclosure of Invention It is the task of the present invention to eliminate this disadvantage, particularly to keep the waiting time as short as possible before access to the voice storage equipment is obtained.

- 2lso6l9 The invention fulfills this task in that the exchange contains switching means which connect all further calls intended for the called subscriber to the voice storage equipment after the called subscriber has been switched once to the voice storage equipment in a time-dependent manner.
The switching equipment also recognizes that the called subscriber is not ready to talk and switches all further incoming calls to the voice storage equipment.
Another development of the invention provides for the switching means to again connect all further incoming calls intended for the called subscriber to the subscriber'-s installation after an activation process has taken place, for example by lifting the receiver.
Another configuration of the invention provides for the switching means to again connect all further incoming calls intended for the called subscriber to the subscriber's installation only after the called subscriber makes an inquiry request. This measure also prevents the switch-over to the called subscriber from taking place when his subscriber installation is being used by a third person, or if the called subscriber makes outgoing calls, but is not answering incoming calls.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of a best mode embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.-Brief Description of the Drawinq The sole figure shows a telephone exchange connected orconnectable to both a plurality of telephones and a voice-mail installation adapted, according to the invention, to remain activated for a called subscriber after a first calling subscriber is routed thereto until the called subscriber is ready to receive messages or to talk.

21~0619 Best Mode for Carryinq Out the Invention Subscriber terminals are connected to the telephone exchange installation 1 through ports a - z. In the present example, ports a - w are provided for the connection of telephone devices 2, 3, and a voice-mail installation is connected to ports x, y and z. This allows 3 simultaneous occupations of the voice-mail installation.
The switching equipment 1 contains a coupling field 4 through which the terminals 2, 3, 7 are interconnected in the known manner, and is controlled by a control program 5.
Subscriber 2 now calls subscriber 3 for example, who is not ready to talk at that time. After a predetermined calling time has expired, the control program 5 automatically transfers the call connection to the voice-mail installation 7, in the known manner. If the call from subscriber 2 has now been transferred, the typical information exchange for a voice-mail installation takes place. The voice-mail installation introduces itself to subscriber 2 by means of stored text, and asks him to dictate his message for subscriber 3. As a rule, this process ends when subscriber 2 hangs up, or after a predetermined recording time has expired.
After the call from calling subscriber 2 to the voice-mail installation 7 of called subscriber 3 has ended, the voice-mail installation according to the invention remains activated for the called subscriber. Every further incoming call is now automatically switched to the voice-mail installation, that is so long until the called subscriber 3 for example lifts the receiver on his telephone device. The control program 5 now recognizes that subscriber 3 is ready to talk and switches all further calls intended for subscriber 3 again directly to subscriber 3.
The deactivation of the voice-mail installation can also take place only after subscriber 3 makes an inquiry request.

. 2150619 This prevents the deactivation by a third person who is using the device of subscriber 3.
If a message for subscriber 3 has been recorded by the voice-mail installation, a signal device 8, for example a light-emitting diode, may be activated in the telephone set of subscriber 3, which indicates to subscriber 3 upon his return that a message is waiting for him in the voice-mail installation.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a best mode embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Telephone exchange (1) with speech store equipment (7) which, if ringing takes place by reason of a call made by a calling subscriber (2) and the called subscriber (3) does not answer the call, is connected by switchover to the calling subscriber (2) after a predetermined time, whereby the speech store equipment (7) is able to store voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber (2) and intended for the called subscriber (3), and to send them to the called subscriber on his request, characterized in that the telephone exchange (1) comprises switching means (5, 6) which will also connect all further calls for the called subscriber (3) to the speech store equipment (7) as soon as one switchover of the called subscriber (3) to the speech store equipment (7) has been carried out.

2. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the switching means (5, 6) will connect again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) to a subset of the called subscriber, after an activation procedure has been executed at said subset of the called subscriber.

3. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 2, wherein said activation procedure comprises a picking up of a telephone handset of said subset of the called subscriber.

4. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the switching means (5, 6) will connect again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) to a subset of said called subscriber, after an interrogation request has been initiated by the called subscriber (3).

5. Method to store voice messages in a telephone exchange (1) with a speech store equipment (7) which is connected by switchover to a calling subscriber (2) after ringing, indicative of a call, takes place for a predetermined timeout period and a called subscriber (3) does not answer the call, whereby the speech store equipment (7) stores voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber (2) and intended for the called subscriber (3), and sends them to the called subscriber upon request, characterized in that all further calls for the called subscriber (3) will also be connected to the speech store equipment (7), as soon as one switchover of the called subscriber (3) to the speech store equipment (7) has been carried out.

6. Method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) will be connected again to a subset of the called subscriber after an activation procedure has been executed at the called subscriber's subset.

7. Method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) will be connected again to a subset of the called subscriber after an interrogation request has been initiated by the called subscriber (3).

8. Method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said activation procedure comprises a picking up of a telephone handset of said subset of the called subscriber.