GB2287852A

GB2287852A - A telephone access system

Info

Publication number: GB2287852A
Application number: GB9405222A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Douglas Sandanasamy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-03-17
Filing date: 1994-03-17
Publication date: 1995-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-17
Also published as: WO1995025398A1; AU1821995A; GB9405222D0; GB2287852B

Abstract

A telephone access system for providing access to a temporary resident's telephone address in an internal telephone system comprising: a code store 3 containing a plurality of allocated and un-allocated access codes; a code assignor 2 for allocating an un-allocated access code from the code store to a temporary resident; a call receiver 4 for answering a telephone call from an external caller; a code detector 9 for detecting a code entered by the external caller; a comparator 10 to compare the entered code with the allocated access codes in the code store and to establish if the entered code matches an allocated code; and a switch unit 5 operable to connect the external caller to the telephone address of the temporary resident allocated the access code matching the entered code. <IMAGE>

Description

"A Telephone Access System" This invention relates to a telephone access system and more particularly to such a system for use in an hotel or the like.

Most modern hotels now provide guests with a computerised card key upon registration. The card key is generally carried by the guest throughout the stay in the hotel and this results in comparatively less contact between the guest and the reception staff as the guest is less likely to leave the card key with reception when out of the hotel. Consequently, the guest is less likely to receive messages at the reception. Hotels that have the computerised card key system leave a copy of the message at the room. There is, nevertheless, a time lag between the reception receiving a message and sending a copy to the respective room. A number of hotel switchboards work on an operating protocol that a caller will not be put through to a hotel guest until the caller can correctly spell out the guest's name for the switchboard operator.Even if the caller knows the room number of the guest, further verification is usually requested of a caller prior to being put through to the respective guest's room. If the guest is not in the room or there is no answer then the caller is eventually transferred back to the hotel switchboard operator in order to leave a message. In some cases, the caller has to be transferred to by the switchboard operator to a message desk to leave a message.

Such a system wastes time for bona fide telephone callers who need to get in touch with a particular hotel guest especially on a frequent basis.

The present invention seeks to provide a telephone access system which overcomes the above mentioned problems.

Embodiments of the invention provide additional facilities to guests such as external message retrieval and receipt of confidential facsimiles.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a telephone access system for providing access to a temporary resident's telephone address in an internal telephone system comprising: a code store containing a plurality of allocated and un-allocated access codes; a code assignor for allocating an un-allocated access code from the code store to a temporary resident; a call receiver for answering a telephone call from an external caller; a code detector for detecting a code entered by the external caller; a comparator to compare the entered code with the allocated access codes in the code store and to establish if the entered code matches an allocated code; and a switch unit operable to connect the external caller to the telephone address of the temporary resident allocated the access code matching the entered code.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a telephone access system embodying the present invention; and Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of obtaining telephone access and/or messaging in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a telephone access and messaging system 1 for use with an internal telephone system incorporating various subsystems which are described below.

When a guest initially checks into a hotel, or the like, the guest is assigned two codes, an access code and a retrieval code, the purposes of which will be discussed below.

The access code and retrieval code are generated by a code assigner unit 2 which seeks information from a code store 3 holding information on present guests and their various access and retrieval codes and on presently unallocated access codes and retrieval codes. Each new guest is provided with an un-allocated access code and an unallocated retrieval code from the code store 3 by the code assigner unit 2. The retrieval code is associated with the access code. Upon assigning an access code and a retrieval code to the guest, the code assigner unit 2 provides this information to the code store 3 which is thereby updated.

Other information concerning the guest such as start of stay, length of stay, etc., may be included in the code store 3.

When a telephone caller from outside the hotel internal telephone system places a call to the hotel, then the call is connected to a call receiver 4 which channels the call via a switch unit 5 of the telephone access and messaging system 1 to a message unit 6. The message unit 6 answers the external call by providing the caller with a message requesting the caller to select one of three alternatives. The three alternatives are selected by the caller keying a respective one of three pre-determined selection codes represented by numbers on the caller's telephone keypad (for pulse dialling phones). For example, keys "O", "1" and "2" can be used to identify one of each of the three selection codes.In a preferred embodiment, the automatic message provided by the message unit 6 of the telephone access and messaging system 1 requests an external or outside caller to key in either the selection code "0" to be put through directly to reception 7 or the switchboard operator, the selection code "1" to enter an access code to gain direct telephone access to a particular guest's room 8, or the selection code "2" to enter the access code and the retrieval code so that a guest can retrieve previously left messages when outside of the hotel.

When keyed in, the selection code actuates the switch unit 5 which routes subsequent key operations by the outside caller to respective sub-systems in response to the entered selection code.

In the first case, when the " 0" key is pressed, the switch unit 5 places the outside caller directly in contact with the reception 7. This option is required if, for example, the caller has not contacted the hotel before and therefore does not know the access code of the guest with whom the caller wishes to speak. The reception 7 or the switchboard operator can then deal directly with the outside caller and, if sufficient correct information is provided by the caller, the caller may be provided with the access code of the guest for future use by that caller who may then be put through to the guest's room 8.

In the alternative, the outside caller can press key "1" in order to select direct telephone access to a particular guest's room 8. This causes the switch unit 5 to route all subsequent key operations to a code detector 9. The outside caller must then key in the access code which has previously been provided to him by reception 7 or by the guest personally. The detected code which has been keyed in by the outside caller is sent by the code detector 9 to a comparator 10. The comparator 10 scans the code store 3 to determine whether the detected code is equivalent to an allocated code. If a match is discovered then the call is put through directly to the telephone in the guest's room of the guest who has been assigned that particular access code.The phone in the guest's room can then be answered by the guest without the outside caller having to go through the reception 7 to establish his credentials. If no match in the code store 3 is found then the call is diverted to the reception 7.

The third alternative occurs when the outside caller is, in fact, the guest who may be, for example, attending a meeting elsewhere but who wishes to find out whether any voice or data messages have been left at the hotel. In this case, when the guest gets through to the telephone access and messaging system 1 at the hotel, the guest should enter key "2" followed by the guest's access code and the retrieval code. Entry of the selection code "2" prompts the switch unit 5 to route all subsequent key operations to the code detector 9. If the subsequently entered code matches the combination of an allocated access code and the retrieval code allocated with that access code, then the call will be put through to the message unit 6 which, if the correct access code and associated retrieval code are entered by the guest, provides the guest with any voice messages left for that guest on the messaging system. Failure to enter the correct access code and/or retrieval code will result in the call being put through to the reception 7.

In the case where a caller is granted direct telephone access to a guest's room 8 by entering the correct access code or in the case when the caller is provided with telephone access to the guest's room 8 by the reception 7 and the guest is not in the guest's room 8, then after a pre-determined number (x) of rings of the telephone in the guest's room 8, for example, eight rings, the outside caller will be automatically passed to the message unit 6 and requested to leave a message for the guest.

As previously described, if any messages are left on the message unit 6 then the guest can either obtain these if he is outside the hotel by dialling the hotel telephone access and messaging system 1 and requesting to retrieve the messages by keying in the correct access code and retrieval code or, if the guest is in the guest's room 8, then the guest simply needs to use the phone in the room to punch in solely the retrieval code and obtain any messages left on the message unit 6 in the guest's absence.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart which illustrates the operation of the telephone access and messaging system 1 described above.

The access code can comprise any number of digits or alphanumerics. As the telephone access and messaging system is designed for ease of use by outside telephone callers then a code of four or five digits would be suitable for the access code and the retrieval code could be a two digit code.

The code assigner unit 2 can automatically select the code for a guest or, if the guest prefers, and if the code is shown as currently unassigned on the code store 3, then the guest can select a particular code such as a four digit number familiar to the guest which will be easily remembered.

In one embodiment of the telephone access and messaging system 1 the access code is the room number of the guest or a simple variation thereof.

When a guest checks out of the hotel, the code store 3 is updated to show that that guest's code is no longer assigned and is therefore free to be used by a new guest.

However, it is preferable that the code which has only recently been used is not assigned to another guest for some time and therefore the codes in the code store 3 are prioritised such that the maximum possible amount of time passes before another guest is allocated the same code. This has the advantage that a caller knowing an access code but who is unaware that a guest has left the hotel calls the hotel and inputs the direct access code, the caller can be informed by an automatic message from the message unit 6 that the guest has left the hotel.

In a variation of the embodiment of the invention described above, some rooms in the hotel can be provided with facsimiles such that a guest's business contacts would be able to send documents confidentially directly to the guest's room 8.

The telephone and messaging system 1 can be incorporated as a separate console for retro-fit connection to existing switchboards or for incorporation into new switchboards.

Whilst the above description has been concerned with a telephone access and messaging system, it is envisaged that the system can be used in other environments where a person is only temporarily resident at a particular telephone address.

Claims

1. A telephone access system for providing access to a temporary resident's telephone address in an internal telephone system comprising: a code store containing a plurality of allocated and un-allocated access codes; a code assignor for allocating an un-allocated access code from the code store to a temporary resident; a call receiver for answering a telephone call from an external caller; a code detector for detecting a code entered by the external caller; a comparator to compare the entered code with the allocated access codes in the code store and to establish if the entered code matches an allocated code; and a switch unit operable to connect the external caller to the telephone address of the temporary resident allocated the access code matching the entered code.

2. A telephone access system according to Claim 1, wherein the switch unit detects a selection code entered by the external caller and, in response to the selection code entered, switches the outside caller to the code detector or a reception.

3. A telephone access system according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the switch unit transfers the external caller to a reception if the entered code does not match an allocated code.

4. A telephone access system according to any preceding claim, wherein a messaging system is provided to record messages if a guest is unobtainable at the telephone address.

5. A telephone access system according to Claim 4, wherein the code store contains a plurality of allocated and un-allocated retrieval codes, each allocated access code being allocated a particular retrieval code.

6. A telephone access system according to Claim 5, wherein the switch unit is operable to connect the external caller to a messaging system upon entry of an allocated access code and the retrieval code allocated to that access code, the messaging system providing the external caller with any messages on the messaging system.

7. A telephone access system according to Claim 5, wherein the switch unit is operable to connect the temporary resident calling from the telephone address to a messaging system upon entry of the retrieval code allocated to the access code of the temporary resident.

8. A telephone access system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

9. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.