EP1070420A1

EP1070420A1 - Procedure to step by step make a call in a public communications network

Info

Publication number: EP1070420A1
Application number: EP99917280A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lars Devallius
Original assignee: Telia AB
Current assignee: Telia Co AB
Priority date: 1998-03-28
Filing date: 1999-03-26
Publication date: 2001-01-24
Also published as: SE9801124D0; WO1999051016A1; SE520424C2; NO20004731L; EE200000562A; NO20004731D0; SE9801124L

Abstract

Procedure to call, in a communications network, and a general communications system where a first subscriber or user intends to communicate with one or more subscribers or users in said system. The first subscriber or user in said system calls a second subscriber, or user, at which the call is set up to an interface towards a second subscriber or user. The interface allows that the call is set up towards the second subscriber or user for direct communication, or that the first subscriber or user, by means of the voice routes the call further, via an interface which is dedicated for the second subscriber, and the to that belonging call function, to a third subscriber's, or user's, interface which is dedicated for him/her, at which the routing is repeated an unspecified number of times, depending on which communication/information one wants. When the calling party wants to talk with a person who belongs to the subscription in question, he/she says, for instance, 'Lars Svensson' and the telephone will ring at 'Lars Svenssons'. When the calling party, who might be one of Lars Svensson pupils, says 'message from pupil', the to the communications computer located speech recognition device identifies this expression and derives the message from the message device and forwards it to the announcing machine which forwards the message to the calling party. In the cases when the calling party wants to deliver a message, to 'Lars Svensson', he says, for instance, 'please deliver message from pupil' and the message is recorded according to known technology in the message device.

Description

PROCEDURE TO STEP BY STEP MAKE A CALL IN A PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

TECHNICAL FIELD Procedure to make a call in a communications network where a first subscriber or user intends to communicate with one or more subscribers or users in said system. Communications systems according to this procedure consist of the fixed network PSTN and the mobile network and the Internet and to this network connected telephone equipment which can consist of any type of telephone which allows that a call can be established towards a subscriber's dedicated communications computer.

PRIOR ART

In the present situation there is possibility to, from a first subscriber, call a second subscriber, and at the second subscriber receive a message of the type: If you want to speak with the exchange, please dial 1; if you want to speak with a seller, please dial 2; if you want to speak with the workshop, please dial 3, etc. This then is a call which has been connected to a local exchange, which then in known way routes the call to suitable person. In certain local systems there also is the possibility to pronounce a specific word or a specific sentense to avoid dialling/keying. This local system, however, is constructed in such a way that the existing alternatives are limited in that sense that one only can make these choices at predefined and preprogrammed alternatives. Further, one will at the call only reach an exchange which handles these alternatives .

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

One aim of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the previous known technology and create a procedure where it is possible to from one subscriber call another subscriber and from this subscriber call further to another subscriber etc.

Another aim with the invention is to create a procedure and general structure which allows that one can receive information via the voice from other subscribers and from sources (further subscribers) which they in their turn have selected to introduce on their interface which meets a calling subscriber. Further, the invention also solves the problem of orientating oneself in the network which allows that one under an initial number can derive unlimited information.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

The technical solution is described in what is specified in the patent claims.

ADVANTAGES

By the present invention the public communications network is improved in such a way that it is possible to receive information in voice form from a voice interface, via an ordinary telephone, and that it is possible to step by step call other subscribers to again receive voice information from its voice interface. The procdedure means that one only need to have the use of a telephone to execute the procedure. This means that the cost price for subscriber equipment may be low. Further, the procedure implies that one uses the voice to oritentate oneself between different communication computers which contain information, and taht one will have a very simple procedure to access information.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a solution in principle of the invention. Figure 2 shows a part of the invention according to Figure 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In Figure 1 is shown a public communications network 1 and equipment 2 and 5a-e which cooperates with said network.

A subscriber who establishes a connection towards the network uses for instance ordinary telephone equipment such as fixed telephone, mobile telephone, or Internet telephone. The public communications network consists of the fixed network PSTN and the mobile network GSM/NMT and the Internet .

The set up to said network is made by connecting said telephone equipment directly to the network or via a communications computer 5a-e (not shown in the Figure) . The network consists of conventional telecommunications equipment and a specific communications computer 3 which includes a calling device 4, which includes functions to from this make calls to other subscribers. This device is located to a node in the network .

Further, the communications computer includes, which is shown in Figure 2, a speech recognititon device 7, and a message device 8 and an announcing machine 9. These devices can be located to the computer or be cooperating with this . The communications computer 5a-e is located to a subscriber's, or at any user's, of the network. It is possible to reprogram from the user side, so that each user who has that type of computer has possibility to make changes in it in a known way.

A subscriber or user who intends to call a user in the public communications network, which consists of the fixed network PSTN, mobile GSM/NM -network or the Internet, makes use of his/her ordinary communications equipment in usual way by means of the keypad of the telephone, or according to a voice calling procdeure, to a certain subscriber.

After that the call has been initiated, the system connects the calling party to an interface which is located to a communications computer somewhere in said communications network. The communications computer then delivers, via one in the communications computer located announcing machine, voice message via a voice menu about which alternatives that are available. The alternatives there are generally:

A) External voice links .

B) General message handling. C) Connect the call so that I can speak with somebody with this number.

When the calling party receives information from, for instance, the communications computer 5a via the home voice menu of the type "External voice link to weather" , the calling party knows that this subscriber has a programmmed link to another user's communications computer 5d, and then the calling party can, for instance, say "Please, give me information about the weather" , this will be recognised in the speech recognition device 7, at which the speech signal is transformed to digital signals and the call is routed via the call function 6a in the subscriber's computer 5a further to the second user's computer 5d, at which the calling party can orientate himself/herself on the home voice menu which this user has created for his/her activity. The calling party then can on this home voice menu find a voice link which for instance describes the weather of the locality where the calling party is, and at execution of the link is given, via the announcing machine in the communications computer 5d, voice message about this. The calling party then has, via own programming, connected himself/herself to the communications computer 5a which is dedicated to him/her and programmed this voice link. The calling party consequently only pronounces the name or the sentence for the voice link, and the network then connects him/her to right place. When a subscriber does not have a communications computer of his/her own, he/she has possibility to, via a telecommunications operator, utilize a communications computer which is located in the network and then will have an own dedicated place in a computer where he/she can create his/her own home voice menu with own links. The above described procedure then will function in an analogous way.

The network then will make use of the call function which is in the communications computer, or cooperates with the communications computer.

In the cases the calling party wants to deliver a message to "Lars Svensson" via the home voice menu, he for instance says "please deliver a message" , and the message is recorded according to known technology in the message order .

The invention is of course not limited to the above specified embodiment but may be subject to modifications within the frame of the idea of invention illustrated in the following patent claims.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Procedure to call in a communications network where a first subscriber or user intends to communicate with one or more subscribers or users in said system, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the first subscriber or user in said system calls a second subscriber or user, at which the call is set up to an interface towards a second subscriber or user which allows either that the call is set up towards the second subscriber or user for direct communication, or that the first subscriber or user, by means of the voice, routes the call further, via the interface which is dedicated for the second subscriber, and the with that connected call function, to a third subscriber's or user's interface which is dedicated for him/her, at which the routing is repeated an unspecified number of times, depending on which communication/ information one want to receive.

2. Procedure according to patent claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the interface consists of a device which via certain voice links transfer information to, or from, the calling party, and voice links which activate a calling device which calls other subscribers.

3. Procedure according to patent claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the subscriber or user uses the voice in a natural way for making voice call and specifies name or number of the subscriber he/she intends to communicate with.

4. Procedure according to patent claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the interface consists of a dedicated place in a telecommunications computer with functions to, from this computer, call other subscribers or users in said system.

5. Communications system consisting of the fixed network PSTN and the mobile network and also the Internet and to this network connected telephone equipment which can consist of any type of telephone (2) which allows that a call can be set up towards a subscriber's dedicated communications computer (3, 5a-e) , c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a first subscriber's, or user's, dedicated communications computer (3, 5a-e) establishes a call to a second subscriber's or user's dedicated communications computer .

6. Communications system according to patent claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the dedicated communications computer includes a calling device which can be activated by the voice.

7. Communications system according to patent claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the dedicated communications computer includes speech recognition equipment, to transform speech signals to digital signals, and an announcing machine which can deliver voice messages to a calling subscriber.

8. Communications system according to patent claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the dedicated communications computer is located to an operator's communications network.

9. Communications system according to patent claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the dedicated communications computer is located at the subscriber's.

10. Communications according to patent claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a subscriber's call forms an unlimited chain of communications computers which handles and delivers information to the calling party.

11. Procedure to call, in a communications network, where a first subscriber, or user, intends to communicate with one or more subscribers, or users, in said system, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the set up first is made from a first user in said system to a second user in said system, and next set up is made from the second user to the third user, at which routing orders are given by the first user during the whole sequence of set ups, until the first user selects to finish the call .