JP2005142958A - Terminal connection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal connection apparatus capable of providing a more inexpensive voice communication service by means of a standard telephone terminal by using an IP network, and to provide a program therefor. <P>SOLUTION: Terminal adaptors 61 to 6i arranged between the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i and a communication network NW are newly provided with an IMPP communication control function. Thus, the voice chat communication is realized via an IMPP server 5 between the standard telephone terminals and IMPP terminals in accordance with origination/termination of the standard telephone terminals by the new IMPP communication control function. In addition, call termination transfer from the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j to the standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k or its opposite direction, relay transfer from the IMPP terminals to the standard telephone terminals or the VoIP terminals, message recording and its reproduction and a remote operation from an external administrator to a terminal adaptor, etc. are executed in the terminal adaptors. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal connection device such as a terminal adapter (TA) or a router for connecting a user terminal and a network, for example, and particularly enables voice communication by a standard telephone terminal via an IP (Internet Protocol) network. The present invention relates to a terminal connection device.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various communication services have been provided along with the widespread use of IP networks. Among them, services that enable voice communication using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology have attracted attention. This type of service can be broadly classified into two types depending on the service form.

  In the first mode, switching offices of subscriber telephone networks in each region are connected by a relay network consisting of an IP network, and an audio signal is converted to IP and transmitted on the relay network. use. This service form is called an IP relay telephone service.

  On the other hand, in the second mode, voice signals are converted to IP at the user's home. For example, a general standard telephone terminal is connected to a VoIP gateway to convert voice signals to IP, or VoIP software is used in a personal computer. The voice signal is converted to IP. Then, the IP audio signal is transmitted to a partner communication terminal having the same configuration via a broadband line such as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) or a dedicated line (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). .)

Nikkei Communication Network Encyclopedia Nikkei Business Publications, March 31, 2003

  However, the voice communication service using the VoIP technology is provided by a service provider or an Internet connection provider called Internet Service Provider (ISP), whichever service form described above is used. In order to do so, registration for use by these companies is required. In general, call charges are charged for hours, or even if the call charges themselves are free, a fixed charge is charged on the premise of registration for use with the Internet connection service. For this reason, although it is cheaper than the voice communication service by circuit switching, the communication cost is still necessary, especially for large users such as schools and business operators, the burden of the communication cost is large, and the cheaper voice communication service Offering is anxious.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal connection apparatus that can provide a more inexpensive voice communication service using a standard telephone terminal using an IP network. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention has a communication network including a subscriber telephone network and connected to an IMPP (Instant Massaging and Presence Protocol) server, and a subscriber telephone number assigned from the subscriber telephone network. A terminal connection device arranged between the standard telephone terminal is provided with first storage means and first call control means. The first storage means stores, for each partner communication terminal assumed as a connection destination, list information including information representing a correspondence relationship between the subscriber telephone number assigned to the partner communication terminal and the IMPP individual identification information. . When the first call control means receives a call request including the destination subscriber telephone number from the standard telephone terminal, the call origination standard telephone terminal is based on the list information stored in the first storage means. And a call control procedure for enabling voice chat communication via the IMPP server between the caller and the other party communication terminal.

  Specifically, the following control procedure is executed by the first transmission control means. That is, first, it is determined whether or not the destination subscriber telephone number included in the outgoing call request is registered in the list information stored in the first storage means, and if it is registered, it corresponds to the subscriber number. The IMPP individual identification information is searched from the list information, and a session establishment request is made to the destination communication terminal via the IMPP server based on the searched IMPP individual identification information. When the session is established, next, a voice chat communication request is transmitted to the destination communication terminal via the IMPP server, and a voice chat is received from the response arriving from the destination communication terminal in response to this voice chat request. Determine whether communication is possible. Then, when voice chat communication is possible, a ringing tone is selectively transmitted to the above-mentioned standard telephone terminal of the caller, and when the voice chat communication is impossible, the other party's communication is performed. A communication link for voice chat communication is established when an approval notification for voice chat communication arrives from the terminal.

  Therefore, according to the first invention, voice communication by the voice chat communication service provided by the IMPP server can be performed between the standard telephone terminal and the partner communication terminal in response to the call from the standard telephone terminal. For this reason, it becomes possible to provide a voice communication service that is even cheaper than the case of using VoIP to a subscriber of a standard telephone terminal.

  Further, when a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) server is further connected to the communication network, the terminal connection device further includes a call request type identifying means, a protocol selecting means, and a second call control means. Provide. Then, when a call request including a special number is received from a standard telephone terminal, the above identification is made as to whether the call request requests the use of the IMPP server or the VoIP server based on the received special number. Identify by means. As a result of the identification, if the call request requests use of the IMPP server, the first call control means executes a call control procedure for enabling voice chat communication via the IMPP server. To do. On the other hand, when the call request requests use of the VoIP server, the second call control means uses the VoIP server between the caller standard telephone terminal and the callee communication terminal. The outgoing call control procedure for enabling VoIP voice communication is executed.

  With this configuration, voice chat communication by IMPP and voice communication by VoIP are automatically identified based on a special number that comes with a call request from a standard telephone terminal, and each call control procedure is executed. The Therefore, the subscriber of the standard telephone terminal can selectively use voice chat communication by IMPP and voice communication by VoIP by inputting a special number corresponding to the desired call type at the time of outgoing call.

  If a special number is not input at the time of outgoing call, the terminal connection apparatus determines that this outgoing call request is a normal telephone call, and executes outgoing call processing for the subscriber telephone network. Therefore, according to the terminal connection apparatus of the present invention, the subscriber of the standard telephone terminal can arbitrarily perform normal telephone communication using the circuit switching function of the subscriber telephone network, voice chat communication by IMPP, and voice communication by VoIP. It becomes possible to select and use.

  On the other hand, in the second invention, the terminal connection device is provided with second storage means and incoming call control means. The second storage means stores, for each partner communication terminal assumed as a connection destination, list information including information indicating a correspondence relationship between the subscriber telephone number assigned to the partner communication terminal and the IMPP individual identification information. The Then, when an incoming call request is received from the caller counterpart communication terminal via the IMPP server, the call incoming control means and the caller counterpart communication terminal based on the list information stored in the second storage means An incoming call control procedure for enabling voice chat communication with an incoming standard telephone terminal via an IMPP server is executed.

  Specifically, the following control procedure is executed in the incoming call control means. That is, first, a session establishment request is received from the caller partner communication terminal via the IMPP server, and a session is established in response to the received session establishment request. Next, after establishment of the session, a voice chat communication request is received from the caller partner communication terminal via the IMPP server, and the caller IMPP individual identification information included in the received voice chat communication request Whether or not voice chat communication is possible is determined based on the list information stored in the second storage means. If it is determined that voice chat communication is possible as a result of this determination, voice chat communication reception processing is performed on the caller communication terminal, and a call signal is generated and sent to the standard telephone terminal of the destination. When the standard telephone terminal responds to the call signal transmission, a communication link for voice chat communication is established with the caller partner communication terminal.

  Therefore, according to the second invention, when an incoming call request arrives from the caller partner communication terminal via the IMPP server, the voice by the voice chat service provided by the IMPP server between the standard telephone terminal and the partner communication terminal. Communication is possible. For this reason, it becomes possible to provide a voice communication service that is even cheaper than the case of using VoIP to a subscriber of a standard telephone terminal.

Further, the terminal connection apparatus according to the first or second invention is characterized by having the following various additional functions.
The first additional function includes third storage means for storing transfer setting information including information indicating presence / absence of incoming call transfer and a transfer destination, and the third storage when the incoming request is received from the terminal of the transmission source. Whether or not the incoming call transfer is necessary is determined based on the transfer setting information stored in the means. When it is determined that the incoming call transfer is necessary, the transfer control means executes the incoming call transfer control for transferring the incoming call request to the transfer destination terminal according to the information indicating the transfer destination included in the transfer setting information. To do.

  Specifically, when a VoIP server is further connected to the communication network, the first storage unit is set in the third storage unit in response to an incoming request that arrives from the originating terminal via the IMPP server. Transfer setting information and second transfer setting information set in response to an incoming call request coming from a caller terminal via a subscriber telephone network or the VoIP server are stored. Then, when an incoming request arrives, it is determined whether the incoming request has arrived via the IMPP server or the subscriber telephone network or VoIP server, and the incoming request has arrived via the IMPP server If it is determined that the incoming call request is received, control is performed to transfer the incoming request to the transfer destination terminal via the subscriber telephone network or the VoIP server based on the first transfer setting information. On the other hand, if it is determined that the incoming call request has arrived via a subscriber telephone network or a VoIP server, the incoming call request is transferred to the terminal as a transfer destination via the IMPP server based on the second transfer setting information. Execute the control to transfer to.

  Therefore, by providing the first additional function, an incoming request received from the originating terminal via the IMPP server and an incoming request received via the subscriber telephone network or VoIP server are automatically transmitted to the preset transfer destination. Transferred. For this reason, for example, an incoming call request that arrives with a standard telephone terminal as the destination during absence can be transferred to a fixed communication terminal set in an office or the like outside the office or a mobile communication terminal owned by the subscriber.

  The second additional function includes fourth storage means for storing information necessary for relay transfer. When a relay transfer request message including information indicating a transfer destination is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, The necessity of relay transfer is determined based on the information stored in the fourth storage means. When it is determined that the relay transfer is necessary, the relay transfer control unit determines the communication partner terminal of the request source based on the received relay transfer request message and the information stored in the fourth storage unit. A first communication link for voice chat communication is established with the second communication link, and a second communication link for voice communication is established with the transfer destination terminal. The communication links are connected.

  Therefore, by providing the second additional function, the subscriber can make a relay transfer by calling the terminal connection device from a fixed communication terminal set in an office or the like outside the home or a mobile communication terminal owned by the subscriber himself / herself. By requesting, voice communication by voice chat can be performed with a desired terminal via the terminal connection device.

  The third additional function includes fifth storage means for storing absence recording setting information including information indicating the presence / absence of absence recording, and the fifth storage when the incoming call request comes from the caller partner communication terminal. Based on the absence recording setting information stored in the means, whether or not absence recording is possible is determined. If it is determined that the absence recording is possible, the absence recording control means establishes a communication link for voice chat communication or voice communication with the caller communication terminal, and establishes the established communication link. The voice message information arriving from the other party communication terminal of the sender is received and recorded on the recording medium.

  Therefore, by providing the third additional function, by setting the absence recording setting information in the terminal connection device as necessary, it automatically responds to an incoming request received from the other party communication terminal in the absence. The voice message information of the caller can be recorded in the terminal connection device.

  The fourth additional function includes sixth storage means for storing information necessary for reproducing the recorded voice message information, and information necessary for reproducing the voice message information is stored in the sixth storage means. When the message requesting the reproduction of the voice message information is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, the message recording / reproducing control means causes the message requesting communication partner terminal to communicate with the communication partner terminal of the reproduction request source via the IMPP server. Then, a communication link for voice chat communication is established, and the recorded voice message information is transmitted to the requesting partner communication terminal via the established communication link.

  Accordingly, by providing the fourth additional function, information necessary for the reproduction of the absence recording is set in the terminal connection device, so that the subscriber can, for example, a fixed communication terminal or subscriber set in an office or the like outside the office. By requesting the terminal connection device to reproduce the voice message information from the mobile communication terminal owned by itself, it becomes possible to reproduce and check the voice message information recorded while absent when the user is away.

  The fifth additional function includes seventh storage means for storing information necessary for remote setting of the information stored in the first to sixth storage means, and the stored information from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server. When a message requesting remote setting is received, whether or not remote setting is possible is determined based on the information stored in the seventh storage means. Then, when it is determined that the remote setting is possible, the storage stored in the first to sixth storage means by the remote setting control means according to the setting change information received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server. A process for selectively setting or changing information is executed.

  Therefore, by providing the fifth additional function, the subscriber can access each terminal connection device by accessing the terminal connection device from a fixed communication terminal set in an office or the like outside the office or a mobile communication terminal owned by the subscriber himself / herself. List information for transmission or reception stored in the means, transfer setting information, relay transfer setting information, absence recording setting information, absence recording playback setting information, etc. can be newly set, added or changed by remote control It becomes possible.

  The sixth additional function includes an eighth storage means for storing an option message input and set in advance for the subscriber of the standard telephone terminal to notify the user of the communication partner terminal. When an option message transmission request is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, the option message stored in the eighth storage means is read, and the read option message is read via the IMPP server. To the requesting partner communication terminal.

  Therefore, by providing the sixth additional function, the subscriber of the standard telephone terminal sets an option message as necessary, so that when the conversation window of the terminal connection device is opened by the partner communication terminal, the partner telephone terminal opens. An optional message can be automatically notified to the user of the communication terminal.

  In short, according to the present invention, in the terminal connection device arranged between the standard telephone terminal and the communication network, the standard telephone terminal and the other party communication in response to the outgoing call request from the standard telephone terminal or the incoming call request to the standard telephone terminal. By performing a control procedure that enables voice chat communication with a terminal via an IMPP server, a voice communication service that is even cheaper than when using VoIP is provided to a subscriber of a standard telephone terminal. A terminal connection device that can be provided can be provided.

Embodiments of a terminal connection apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system including a terminal connection device according to the present invention, and NW indicates a communication network. The communication network NW includes a computer network represented by the Internet, and a subscriber network for connecting the computer network and user terminals.

  The subscriber network includes a public telephone network, a mobile communication network, a CATV (Cable Television) network, an in-company communication network, and the like. The public telephone network is configured by, for example, a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network). Mobile communication networks include automobile / mobile communication systems, PHS (Personal Handyphone System), and wireless LAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

  The computer network uses, for example, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) as a communication protocol, and is generally called an IP network. A VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) server 4 and an IMPP (Instant Massaging and Presence Protocol) server 5 are connected to the computer network.

  The VoIP server 4 is operated by, for example, a communication provider or an Internet connection provider called ISP (Internet Service Provider), and provides a VoIP telephone communication service to a user terminal that has registered for use with the provider. For example, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is used as a VoIP telephone communication protocol. The IMPP server 5 provides an instant messaging service to a communication terminal in which an IMPP application program is installed. For example, MSN (registered trademark) messenger operated by Microsoft Corporation is known as an instant messaging service.

  On the other hand, a plurality of IMPP terminals 21 to 2j and a plurality of VoIP telephone terminals 31 to 3k can be connected to the subscriber network. The IMPP terminals 21 to 2j include, for example, a personal computer, a mobile phone, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), and have application programs for using the instant messaging service provided by the IMPP server 5. The VoIP telephone terminals 31 to 3k are built in application programs for using the VoIP telephone communication service provided by the VoIP server 4, and are constituted by, for example, a standard telephone terminal used with a personal computer or a modem. The

  By the way, a plurality of standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i are connected to the subscriber network via terminal adapters (TA) 61 to 6i as terminal connection devices, respectively. The standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i have a function of performing normal telephone communication using a circuit switching service provided by a public telephone network.

  On the other hand, the terminal adapters 61 to 6i connect the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i to the public telephone network to enable normal telephone communication, and connect the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i to the VoIP server 4 and the IMPP server 5. These are connected to enable voice chat communication by VoIP telephone communication and IMPP, and are configured as follows, for example. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal adapters 61 to 6i. Since all the configurations of the terminal adapters 61 to 6i are the same, only the terminal adapter 61 is shown as a representative in FIG.

  That is, the terminal adapter 61 includes a telephone terminal interface (I / F) 71, a voice code decoder (CODEC) 72, a public telephone network interface (I / F) 73, and an IP network interface (I / F) 74. And a control unit 70 and a storage unit 75.

  The telephone terminal interface 71 performs interface processing related to outgoing / incoming calls such as transmission of a transmission signal, dial signal, special number, disconnection signal, transmission of an incoming signal, etc. with the standard telephone terminal 11. The voice code decoding unit 72 is constituted by, for example, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), compresses and encodes the transmission voice signal sent from the standard telephone terminal 11 from an analog signal to digital voice data, and is received from the IP network INW. The received digital voice data is decoded into a received voice signal composed of an analog signal. The public telephone network I / F 73 performs interface processing for normal telephone communication with the public telephone network SNW. The IP network I / F 74 exchanges voice packets and various control data with the IP network INW according to TCP / IP.

  The storage unit 75 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 75 is assigned with buddy list setting information, VoIP relay setting information, and its own terminal adapter 61 as setting information necessary for realizing various communication functions according to the present invention. Setting information of IMPP individual identification information (IMPP-ID) and absent mode setting information are stored. (A), (B), (C), and (D) of FIG. 3 are examples of the buddy list setting information, the VoIP relay setting information, the IMPP-ID setting information of the terminal adapter 61, and the absent mode setting information, respectively. Is shown.

  The buddy list setting information is composed of setting information regarding a plurality of communication partners expected to make a call and setting information regarding an administrator. The setting information regarding the communication partner associates the IMPP-ID of the communication partner with the special number information (Prefix) and the telephone number, and also includes a VoIP relay flag (a1), a VoIP transfer flag (a2), an answering record flag (a3), and a transmission Each message (a4) is associated with each other. The setting information regarding the administrator is obtained by associating the IMPP-ID of the administrator with the remote operation flag (a5) and the absence record flag (a6). A mail address is used for the IMPP-ID of the communication partner and the administrator. As an e-mail address, an address assigned from the IMPP server 5 is generally used, but an address assigned by an ISP or a communication carrier can also be used.

  The VoIP relay setting information is used when voice communication performed between external terminals is transferred via the terminal adapter 61. The country code (b1), the area code (b2), and the international telephone special number (Prefix) are used. In addition to (b3), a flag (b4) indicating whether the VoIP relay function is used or not and a transmission message (b5) are provided. The IMPP-ID setting information of the terminal adapter 61 includes an IMPP-ID (c1) assigned to the terminal adapter 61 and a password (c2).

  The absent mode setting information is used when an incoming request addressed to the standard telephone terminal 11 is transferred to a preset external terminal. When the caller is an IMPP terminal (D1), and other than an IMPP terminal (D2) ) And are set separately. The former (D1) is composed of a transfer flag (d11) and its transfer destination telephone number (d12), an absence record flag (d13), a transmission message (d14), and a flag (d15) indicating that nothing is done. Is done. The latter (D2) is composed of a transfer flag (d21) and its transfer destination IMPP-ID (d22), an absence record flag (d23), and a flag (d24) indicating that nothing is done.

  The control unit 70 includes a microcomputer. The control unit 70 includes a call control function, a call control function, a call transfer control function, and a relay transfer control function as control functions according to the present invention. It has a control function, an option message transmission control function, and a remote setting control function. All of these control functions are realized by executing a program in the microcomputer.

  In the call control function, when a call request is received from the standard telephone terminal 11, whether the call destination is a standard telephone terminal, a VoIP terminal, or an IMPP terminal based on the special number included in the call request. Determine. If the destination is a standard telephone terminal, the call is sent to the public telephone network SNW as it is. If the destination is a VoIP terminal, a call request is sent to the VoIP server 4 via the IP network INW. On the other hand, if the destination is an IMPP terminal, it is confirmed that there is a corresponding destination based on the buddy list setting information (A), and then the IMPP terminal 5 is connected to the destination IMPP terminal. A control procedure for establishing a communication link for enabling voice chat communication is executed.

  When an incoming call request arrives from the communication network NW, the incoming call control function determines the incoming call type from the format of the incoming call request. As a result of this determination, if the caller is a standard telephone terminal, the standard telephone terminal 11 receives the call as it is. If it is a VoIP terminal, the incoming call reception process is performed with the VoIP server 4 in place of the standard telephone terminal 11 according to SIP. Execute. On the other hand, if the source is an IMPP terminal, the presence / absence of the corresponding source is determined based on the buddy list setting information (A). If the corresponding sender is registered, a connection control procedure for enabling voice chat communication with the sender IMPP terminal via the IMPP server 5 is executed, and the sender An incoming call control procedure is executed with the standard telephone terminal 11.

  The incoming call transfer control function first determines whether the caller is a standard telephone terminal, a VoIP terminal, or an IMPP terminal when an incoming call request is received from the communication network NW with the standard telephone terminal 11 as the destination. If the result of this determination is that the source is an IMPP terminal, the transfer flag (d11) of the absent mode setting information (D1) and the transfer flag (a2) of the corresponding source terminal in the buddy list information (A) If these transfer flags (d11) and (a2) are both “on”, the incoming call is received according to the transfer destination telephone number (d12) set in advance in the absence mode setting information (D1). A processing procedure for transferring the request to the standard telephone terminal of the transfer destination is executed.

  On the other hand, when the caller is a standard telephone terminal or a VoIP terminal, the transfer flag (d21) of the absent mode setting information (D2) and the transfer flag (a2) of the corresponding caller terminal in the buddy list information (A) If these transfer flags (d21) and (a2) are both “on”, the transfer destination IMPP-ID (d22) preset in the absence mode setting information (D2) is used. Then, a processing procedure for transferring the incoming request to the destination IMPP terminal is executed.

  When the relay transfer control function receives a text message requesting relay transfer from the originating IMPP terminal, the relay transfer control function corresponds to the relay function flag (b4) and buddy list information (A) in the relay setting information (B). To determine the relay flag (a1) of the caller terminal and to enable voice chat with the caller IMPP terminal if these flags (b4) and (a1) are both “on”. The processing procedure of is executed. At the same time, in accordance with the telephone number of the relay destination designated by the source IMPP terminal, a calling process for calling the standard telephone terminal as the relay destination is executed.

  When the absence recording / playback control function receives an incoming call request, it first determines whether the caller is an IMPP terminal, another standard telephone terminal, or a VoIP terminal. If the sender is an IMPP terminal, the answering machine flag (d13) in the absence mode setting information (D1) and the answering machine flag (a3) of the corresponding sender terminal in the buddy list information (A) are set. If both of the transfer flags (d13) and (a3) are “on”, the voice message information arriving from the sender is enabled by enabling voice chat with the sender IMPP terminal. Is stored in the memory for recording messages.

  On the other hand, if the caller is a standard telephone terminal or a VoIP terminal, the answering machine flag (d23) in the absence mode setting information (D2) and the answering machine flag of the corresponding caller terminal in the buddy list information (A) If (a3) is determined, and both of the answering record flags (d23) and (a3) are “on”, a voice communication link is established with the terminal of the caller and the caller arrives from the caller The voice message information to be stored is stored in an answering memory.

  The absence recording / playback control function determines whether or not the absence recording notification flag (a7) in the buddy list information (A) is “on” after the absence recording is completed. If the message is “on”, a reproduction guidance message is transmitted to the terminal, and when a message message reproduction instruction message arrives from the terminal in response to this guidance message, the stored voice message information is read out and requested. Send to the original terminal.

  The remote setting control function determines whether or not the remote operation flag (a6) in the buddy list information (A) is “on” when a text message requesting remote setting is received from the administrator. If it is “on”, processing for correcting the corresponding setting information is executed according to the command content of the message received from the administrator, and the setting information corrected after the correction is notified to the administrator.

  The option message transmission control function is used when a session establishment request arrives from the IMPP terminal, when it is determined that relay transfer is possible, when it is determined that remote setting is possible, and when it is determined that absence recording / playback is possible. The previously stored notification message (a4), relay transfer guidance message, remote setting guidance message, and absence recording / playback message are read out and transmitted to the requesting IMPP terminal.

Next, the operation of the terminal adapters 61 to 6i configured as described above will be described by dividing them into a plurality of assumed operation modes.
(1) Making calls from standard telephone terminals
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a system operation when a call is made from a standard telephone terminal to an external terminal, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure and control contents of the terminal adapter in this case.

Suppose now that the standard telephone terminal 11 makes a call to the IMPP terminal 2j. At this time, the standard telephone terminal 11 sends a special number (Prefix) “##” indicating that the call is directed to the IMPP terminal and a destination telephone number.
When the terminal adapter 61 receives the outgoing call request from the standard telephone terminal 11 in step S4a, the terminal adapter 61 determines the type of the incoming call destination in step S4b based on the received special number. That is, it is determined whether the destination is a standard telephone terminal, a VoIP terminal, or an IMPP terminal. As a result of this determination, if the destination is a standard telephone terminal, the call is sent to the public telephone network SNW as it is. If the destination is a VoIP terminal, the call is made to the VoIP server 4 based on the SIP-ID stored in advance. Send a call request.

On the other hand, when the special number (Prefix) “##” arrives from the standard telephone terminal 11 as described above, it is determined that the destination is an IMPP terminal. Then, control for transmitting to the IMPP terminal is executed as follows.
That is, the terminal adapter 61 first determines whether or not the destination telephone number is registered in the buddy list setting information (A) in step S4c. If registered, the process proceeds to step S4d, where the IMPP-ID of the corresponding destination is read out from the buddy list setting information (A), and the destination IMPP terminal 2j is read based on this IMPP-ID. In response to this, a session establishment request is transmitted as shown in FIG. If the destination telephone number is not registered in the buddy list setting information (A), a busy tone (BT: Busy Tone) is generated and sent to the caller standard telephone terminal 11 in step S4m.

  In response to the session establishment request, when the destination IMPP terminal 2j establishes a session and returns a response to that effect, the terminal adapter 61 determines in step S4e that the session has been successfully established. In step S4f, a voice chat request is transmitted to the destination IMPP terminal 2j as shown in FIG. In response to this voice chat request, when the destination IMPP terminal 2j performs voice chat acceptance processing and returns a response (ACK: Acknowledge), the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S4g to step S4h, and the sender's standard telephone A ringing tone (RBT: Ring Back Tone) is transmitted to the terminal 11.

  In this state, it is assumed that the user performs a voice chat acceptance operation at the destination IMPP terminal 2j. If it does so, the terminal adapter 61 will transfer to step S4j from step S4i, will perform the process for starting a voice chat here, and if this start process is complete | finished, it will transfer to a voice chat communication process from step S4k. In addition, when the above session is not successfully established, when a response (ACK) to the voice chat request is not returned, or when the destination user does not accept the voice chat even if ACK is returned In step S4m, a busy tone (BT: Busy Tone) is generated and sent to the standard telephone terminal 11 that is the transmission source.

In voice chat communication, an analog transmission signal transmitted from the standard telephone terminal 11 is encoded by the encoding / decoding unit 72 and then converted into transmission data in a format defined by IMPP by the control unit 70. The converted transmission data is transmitted from the IP network I / F 74 via the IMPP server 5 to the destination IMPP terminal 2j. On the other hand, transmission data transmitted from the IMPP terminal 2 j is received by the IP network I / F 74 via the IMPP server 5. Then, after being decoded into an analog reception signal by the control unit 70 and the encoding / decoding unit 72, it is transmitted from the telephone I / F 71 to the standard telephone terminal 11.
In the voice chat communication termination process, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the terminal adapter 61 sends and receives a disconnection request and a disconnection confirmation between the destination IMPP terminal 2j and the source standard telephone terminal 11, respectively. Is done.

(2) Incoming calls to standard telephone terminals
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a system operation when receiving an incoming call to a standard telephone terminal in response to a call from an external terminal, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure and control contents of the terminal adapter in this case.
Suppose now that an outgoing operation is performed at the IMPP terminal 2j with the standard telephone terminal 11 as the destination. Then, a session establishment request is first sent from the IMPP terminal 2j to the standard telephone terminal 11 as shown in FIG. The terminal adapter 61 monitors the arrival of a session establishment request in step S6a in the standby state. In this state, when a session establishment request is received, the terminal adapter 61 establishes the requested session in step S6b, and sends a response to the originating IMPP terminal 2j that the session has been established.

  Subsequently, the terminal adapter 61 monitors the arrival of a voice chat request in step S6c. When a voice chat request is received from the originating IMPP terminal 2j in this state, the buddy list setting information (A) or the like is received in step S6d. It is determined whether or not voice chat communication is possible. If the result of this determination is that voice chat communication is possible, the process proceeds to step S4e, where voice chat acceptance processing is performed, and then a ringing signal is generated in step S6f to receive the standard telephone terminal 11 as the destination. To send. Accordingly, the standard telephone terminal 11 performs an incoming call notification operation using a ringing tone, a melody, or the like, and notifies the user of the occurrence of the incoming call. When the IMPP terminal 2j requests text chat using text data or video chat using video data, a message indicating that only voice chat can be used is returned to the originating IMPP terminal 2j. .

  If the standard telephone terminal 11 is provided with a telephone number display function, the telephone number corresponding to the originating IMPP terminal 2j is read from the buddy list setting information (A) in step S6g when the incoming call notification is made, The read telephone number is sent as display data to the standard telephone terminal 11 that is the destination and displayed. Further, when the standard telephone terminal 11 has a character display function, the IMPP-ID of the originating IMPP terminal 2j set in the buddy list setting information (A), the outgoing call set separately in the telephone directory, etc. The user's name or nickname may be read out, and the read character information may be sent as display data to the standard telephone terminal 11 that is the destination and displayed.

  Now, assume that the user of the standard telephone terminal 11 performs an incoming call response operation, that is, an off-hook operation, while the incoming call notification is being performed. Then, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S6h to step S6i, and executes processing for starting voice chat communication with the originating IMPP terminal 2j. Then, when it is confirmed in step S6j that the start process has been completed and voice chat communication has become possible, the process proceeds to voice chat communication. On the other hand, if it is not possible to shift to voice chat communication, the terminal adapter 61 generates a busy tone (BT: Busy Tone) in step S6m, and the generated busy tone is used as the destination standard telephone terminal 11. Send to.

  In the voice chat communication, the format conversion between the analog voice signal and the voice data for IMPP transmission is performed in the terminal adapter 61 as in the case of (1) outgoing call control described above. In addition, the voice chat communication termination process is performed in accordance with an on-hook signal output from the standard telephone terminal 11 as shown in FIG. 6, for example, when the terminal adapter 61 makes a disconnect request and disconnection with the originating IMPP terminal 2j. This is done by giving and receiving confirmation.

(3) Call forwarding (when the source is an IMPP terminal)
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a system operation when an incoming call from an IMPP terminal addressed to a standard telephone terminal is transferred to a VoIP terminal, and FIG. 9 is a control procedure and control contents (first incoming call transfer) in the terminal adapter in this case It is a flowchart which shows control.

  When performing call transfer, the user of the standard telephone terminal 11 sets the transfer flag (a2) of the caller terminal to be transferred in the buddy list setting information (A) in the terminal adapter 61 to “on”. The transfer flag (d11) of the absent mode setting information (D1) is set to “on”, and the transfer destination telephone number (d12) is input and set. The transfer flag and the transfer destination telephone number can be set from a standard telephone terminal or an administrator, but can also be set by connecting a personal computer to the terminal adapter 61.

  In this state, it is assumed that an incoming call addressed to the standard telephone terminal 11 arrives from the IMPP terminal 2j, and the terminal adapter 61 receives an IMPP voice chat request during the incoming call procedure. Then, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S8a to step S8b, where it is first set in the transfer flag (a2) of the corresponding caller in the buddy list setting information (A) and the absent mode setting information (D1). Based on the transfer flag (d11), it is determined whether the incoming call can be transferred.

  If the call transfer is possible as a result of this determination, the voice chat request is accepted in step S8c, a response to that effect is returned to the originating IMPP terminal, and the absence mode setting information (D1) is set in step S8d. A VoIP connection request is transmitted to the transferred VoIP terminal (for example, 31). In step S8e, a text message indicating “transfer processing in progress” is generated, and this text message is sent as display data to the originating IMPP terminal 2j. Therefore, the user of the originating IMPP terminal 2j can know that the incoming call is being transferred from the displayed text message.

  Assume that the user performs a response operation at the transfer destination VoIP terminal 31 in response to the VoIP connection request. Then, a response to the effect that the VoIP connection is successful is returned from the transfer destination VoIP terminal 31 to the terminal adapter 61. On the other hand, the terminal adapter 61 monitors whether or not the VoIP connection is successful in step S8f. When a response is returned from the forwarding VoIP terminal 31 in this state, the process proceeds to step S8g, where a communication link for IMPP voice chat communication with the originating IMPP terminal 2j, and the transfer are transferred. A communication link for VoIP communication with the previous VoIP terminal 31 is connected to enable voice transfer communication between the terminals 2j and 31 thereafter. In this voice transfer communication process, protocol conversion of voice data between IMPP and VoIP is performed.

  In step S8i, S8i, for example, the terminal adapter 61 sends a disconnection request and a disconnection confirmation between the originating IMPP terminal 2j and the forwarding VoIP terminal 31, respectively, as shown in FIG. It is done by giving and receiving. In step S8f, if a response indicating that the VoIP connection is successful is not returned from the transfer destination VoIP terminal 31, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S8j to generate a connection failure message. The generated connection failure message is transmitted to the source IMPP terminal 2j.

(4) Call forwarding (when the caller is not an IMPP terminal)
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a system operation when an incoming call addressed to a standard telephone terminal is transferred from a terminal other than the IMPP terminal (for example, a VoIP terminal) to the IMPP terminal. FIG. 11 is a control procedure in the terminal adapter in this case. And a control content (second incoming call transfer control).

  When performing call transfer, the user of the standard telephone terminal 11 sets the transfer flag (a2) of the caller terminal to be transferred to call in the buddy list setting information (A) in the terminal adapter 61 to “on”. Further, the transfer flag (d21) of the absent mode setting information (D2) is set to “on”, and the transfer destination IMPP-ID (d22) is input and set. The transfer flag and the transfer destination telephone number can also be set from the standard telephone terminal or the administrator as in the case of transferring the incoming call from the (3) IMPP terminal. It is also possible to connect a personal computer to the terminal adapter 61.

  In this state, it is assumed that an incoming call addressed to the standard telephone terminal 11 arrives from the VoIP terminal 3k, and the terminal adapter 61 receives a voice call request from the VoIP terminal 3k during the incoming call procedure. Then, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S10a to step S10b, where first, the transfer flag (a2) of the corresponding caller in the buddy list setting information (A) and the absent mode setting information (D2) are set. Based on the transfer flag (d21), it is determined whether the incoming call can be transferred. If the result of this determination is that incoming call transfer is possible, in step S10c, a voice chat request is transmitted to the IMPP terminal 21 set as the transfer destination in the absence mode setting information (D2). At this time, a signal for connection processing (Proceeding) is transmitted to the originating VoIP terminal 3k.

  Assume that a response indicating that voice chat is connected is returned from the IMPP terminal 21 as a transfer destination in response to the IMPP voice chat request. At this time, the terminal adapter 61 monitors whether or not the IMPP voice chat has succeeded in step S10d. When a response is returned from the transfer destination IMPP terminal 21, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S10e and moves to the originating VoIP terminal 3k. The voice communication link connection process is executed. In step S10f, the voice communication link for VoIP communication with the caller VoIP terminal 3k and the communication link for voice chat communication with the transfer destination IMPP terminal 21 are connected. Thereafter, voice transfer communication between both terminals 3k and 21 is enabled. In this voice transfer communication process, protocol conversion of voice data between IMPP and VoIP is performed.

  In step S10g and S10h, for example, the terminal adapter 61 sends a disconnection request and a disconnection confirmation between the originating VoIP terminal 3k and the forwarding destination IMPP terminal 21 in steps S10g and S10h, respectively. It is done by giving and receiving. In step S10d, if a response indicating that the voice chat connection is successful is not returned from the destination IMPP terminal 21, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S10i and generates a disconnection request here. This generated disconnection request is transmitted to the originating VoIP terminal 3k.

(5) Relay transfer
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a system operation when relaying an incoming request from an IMPP terminal to another terminal, for example, a standard telephone terminal, and FIG. 13 shows a control procedure and control contents in the terminal adapter in this case. It is a flowchart.

  When relay transfer is enabled, the user sets the relay transfer flag (a1) of the caller terminal to be VoIP relay transfer in the buddy list setting information (A) to “on” in the terminal adapter 61, and A flag (b4) indicating whether or not the VoIP relay function is used in the VoIP relay setting information (B) is set to “on”, and an arbitrary transmission message is input and set. The transfer flag and the transmission message can be set from a standard telephone terminal or an administrator, but may be set by connecting a personal computer to the terminal adapter 61.

  The terminal adapter 61 monitors the arrival of the text message from the IMPP terminal in step S12a. In this state, when a text message arrives from the IMPP terminal (for example, 21) as shown in FIG. 12, first, in step S12b, the relay transfer flag (a1) in the buddy list setting information (A) and the setting of the VoIP relay are set. Based on the VoIP relay function flag (b4) in the information (B), it is determined whether or not relay transfer is possible. If the result of this determination is that relay transfer is possible, it is then determined in step S12c whether or not the transfer destination specified by the text message is a standard telephone terminal. If the transfer destination is a standard telephone terminal, the process proceeds to step S12d to transmit a voice chat request to the originating IMPP terminal 21. If it is determined that relay transfer is not possible, or if it is determined that the transfer destination is other than the standard telephone terminal even if relay transfer is possible, the process proceeds to another process.

  When a response to the effect that the voice chat has been established is returned from the originating IMPP terminal 21 in response to the voice chat request, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S12e to step S12f, where the transfer destination, for example, the standard telephone terminal 1i. A voice call request is transmitted to. Further, during the call period of the transfer destination terminal, a text message indicating the status of the connection operation is transmitted to the call source IMPP terminal 21 in step S12g. The contents of the text message indicating the status of this connection operation are, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, such as “subscribing telephone connection in progress” to “calling in progress” and “connection”. It changes according to the status of connection operation.

  When an incoming call response operation is performed in the standard telephone terminal 1i as the transfer destination by the voice call request, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S12h to step S12i, where the terminal adapter 61 communicates with the originating IMPP terminal 21. A communication link for IMPP voice chat communication and a communication link between the standard telephone terminal 1i as a transfer destination are connected, and voice transfer communication is performed thereafter. Therefore, after that, it becomes possible to perform voice communication between the IMPP terminal 21 that is the transmission source and the standard telephone terminal 1i that is the relay transfer destination by using the terminal adapter 61 as if it is an IMPP server.

  On the other hand, in the voice communication termination process, in steps S12i and S12j, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the terminal adapter 61 makes a disconnection request and a relay telephone call destination IMPP terminal 21 and a relay transfer destination standard telephone terminal 1i, respectively. This is done by sending and receiving a disconnect confirmation. If a response indicating that the voice chat connection is successful is not returned from the source IMPP terminal 21, or if the connection with the standard telephone terminal 1i as the transfer destination is not established, the terminal adapter 61 is relayed as it is. The transfer connection operation is terminated. At this time, a notification message indicating that the connection has not been made and the reason may be transmitted to the originating IMPP terminal 21.

(6) Absence recording
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the procedure and contents of absence recording control in the terminal adapter 61.
When the terminal adapter 61 is to make an absence recording, the user sets the answering terminal flag (a3) of the calling party terminal to be the absence recording in the buddy list setting information (A) to “on” in the terminal adapter 61. Further, the absence records flags (d13) and (d23) of the absent mode setting information (D1) and (D2) are set to “on”, and an arbitrary transmission message (d14) is input and set. The setting of the answering machine flag and the setting of the transmission message can be performed from a standard telephone terminal or an administrator, but may be performed by connecting a personal computer to the terminal adapter 61.

  When receiving the incoming request in step S14a, the terminal adapter 61 first determines in step S14b whether the caller is an IMPP terminal or another terminal. As a result of this determination, assume that the source terminal is now an IMPP terminal, for example. In this case, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S14c, where the recorded message flag (a3) in the buddy list setting information (A) and the recorded message flags (absence mode setting information (D1), (D2)) ( Based on d13) and (d23), it is determined whether or not absence recording is possible. If the result of this determination is that absence recording is possible, processing for voice chat communication with the originating IMPP terminal is executed.

  When voice chat communication becomes possible, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S14d to step S14f, and transmits a recording guidance announcement for prompting the calling user to record the message message to the originating IMPP terminal. When the source user inputs a voice message message in response to the recording guidance announcement, the terminal adapter 61 stores the input voice message message in the absence recording memory in step 14g. This absence recording operation is terminated when one preset absence recording time elapses or the end of the voice chat communication is detected in step S14h.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the source is a standard telephone terminal or a VoIP terminal. In this case, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S14i, where the recorded message flag (a3) in the buddy list setting information (A) and the recorded message flags (absence mode setting information (D1), (D2)) ( Based on d13) and (d23), it is determined whether or not absence recording is possible. If the result of this determination is that absence recording is possible, connection processing for performing voice communication with the standard telephone terminal or VoIP terminal of the caller is executed.

  When voice communication is possible with the caller terminal, the terminal adapter 61 shifts from step S14j to step S14k, and sends a recording guidance announcement for prompting the caller to record the message message. Send to. When the source user inputs a voice message message in response to the recording guidance announcement, the terminal adapter 61 stores the input voice message message in the absence recording memory in step 14m. This absence recording operation is terminated when one preset absence recording time elapses or the end of the voice chat communication is detected in step S14n.

  Thus, when the user of the standard telephone terminal 11 is absent, the buddy list setting information (A) and the absence mode setting information (D1) and (D2) are set to “on” in advance. As a result, the terminal adapter 61 can record the message of the sender user.

(7) Playing back recorded message messages
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an absence recording / playback control procedure and control contents in the terminal adapter 61.
It is assumed that, for example, a text message has arrived from the administrator to the terminal adapter 61 in the state where the absence recording is performed. In this case, the terminal adapter 6 first confirms in step S15a whether or not the originating administrator is an administrator whose IMPP-ID (a5) is registered in the buddy list setting information (A). Based on the notification (a7), the presence / absence of a message message to be reproduced is determined. When it is confirmed that these answering / recording playback conditions are satisfied, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds to step S15b, where an instant message of playback guidance is generated and transmitted to the administrator of the sender.

  Now, it is assumed that the administrator user inputs a command command to immediately reproduce the message message in accordance with the reproduction guidance. Then, after receiving the command command in step S15c, the terminal adapter 61 determines in step S15d whether the content of the received command command is a request for reproduction of absence recording. If it is requested to reproduce the absence recording, a voice chat request is transmitted to the originating administrator in step S15e.

  In response to this voice chat request, when the originating administrator can perform voice chat communication, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S15f to step S15g. In step S15g, the corresponding message message is read from the absence recording memory, and the read message message is transmitted to the originating administrator. When the reproduction of all message messages to be reproduced is completed and the end of the voice chat communication is detected in step S15h, the standby state is restored.

  It is assumed that the administrator user inputs a command other than the playback of the absence recording to the playback guidance. In this case, the terminal adapter 61 shifts to processing other than the absence recording playback according to the input command. In addition, if the administrator of the transmission source does not become in a state where voice chat communication can be performed within a certain time after a voice chat request, the system returns to the standby state.

(8) Remote setting for terminal adapter
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a control procedure and control contents when the administrator remotely sets various setting information to the terminal adapter.
It is assumed that, for example, a text message has arrived from the administrator to the terminal adapter 61 in the state where the absence recording is performed. In this case, the terminal adapter 6 first moves from step S13a to step S13b, and in this step S13b, is the sender administrator registered in the buddy list setting information (A) with the IMPP-ID (a5)? And whether or not remote operation is possible is determined based on the remote operation flag (a6).

  As a result of these determinations, if it is confirmed that the sender is an administrator having the remote operation qualification, the terminal adapter 61 subsequently proceeds to step S16c, where the instruction coming from the sender administrator is for correction. It is determined whether or not there is an instruction prepared in advance as an instruction. If present in the correction command prepared in advance, in step S13d, the buddy list information (A), the relay setting information (B), the IMPP-ID setting information (C) of the terminal adapter 61, according to the above command, Alternatively, the corresponding part of the absent mode setting information (D) is corrected.

  When the correction of the corresponding portion is completed, the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step S13e to step S13f, and here transmits the correction result of the setting information to the administrator. If it is determined in step S13b that the administrator is not qualified for remote operation, the process proceeds to another process. If it is determined that the instruction coming from the administrator does not exist in the instruction prepared in advance as the correction instruction, the process returns to the standby state without performing the correction process.

(9) Option message transmission control
The terminal adapter has a function of transmitting various option messages such as an opening message to a communication partner terminal using a conversation window provided in the IMPP server at the time of outgoing / incoming calls. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the option message transmission control procedure and control contents.

  For example, when a request for opening a session arrives from the IMPP terminal as shown in FIG. 6 (FIG. 6), the terminal adapter 61 proceeds from step 16a to step S16b. It is determined whether or not the transmission message a4 is registered in association with the corresponding IMPP-ID in the buddy list setting information (A). If the transmission message a4 is registered, the transmission message a4 is read out in step S16c, and the read message is transmitted as an instant message to the originating IMPP terminal.

  On the other hand, as described in the above (5) relay transfer, when the text message requesting the relay transfer is received from the IMPP terminal (FIG. 12), the terminal adapter 61 sends the buddy list setting information (A) in step S16d. The relay transfer flag (a1) in the middle and the VoIP relay function flag (b4) in the VoIP relay setting information (B) determine whether relay transfer is possible. If relay transfer is possible, the terminal adapter 61 generates a relay transfer guide message in step S16e, and transmits the generated guide message to the requesting IMPP terminal as an instant message.

The relay transfer guidance message includes the setting contents of the VoIP relay setting information (B) as shown in (A1) of FIG. For example, in the case of the setting information shown in FIG. 3, the message is as follows.
“The VoIP relay can be used.
The country code for VoIPAdaptor@XXX.co.jp is “81”
The area code is “045” and the international prefix is “010”.
Transmission message (b5) ... "

  Further, as described in (8) Remote setting for terminal adapter, when a text message requesting remote setting of setting information is received from the administrator, the terminal adapter 61 sets the buddy list in step S16f. It is determined whether or not the information (A) is the same as the administrator whose IMPP-ID (a5) is registered, and whether or not remote operation is possible is determined based on the remote operation flag (a6). As a result of the determination, if the originating administrator is the same as the registered administrator and the remote operation flag (a6) is set to “on”, the terminal adapter 61 sends a remote setting guidance message in step S16g. The generated guidance message is transmitted as an instant message to the requesting administrator.

As the remote setting guidance message, for example, as shown in (B1) of FIG.
“Robustor@○○○.com, you are the administrator
The terminal adapter can be operated remotely.
Press “M” to see the menu. "
Is sent.

  Further, as described in the above (7) Reproduction of recorded message, when the terminal adapter 61 receives a text message requesting the reproduction of the absence recording from the administrator, the terminal adapter 61 receives the buddy in step S16h. It is determined whether or not the list setting information (A) is the same as the administrator whose IMPP-ID (a5) is registered, and the presence or absence of a message message to be reproduced is determined based on the absence record flag (a7). judge. As a result of the determination, if the originating administrator is the same as the registered administrator and the absence record flag (a7) is set to “on”, the terminal adapter 61 performs the absence recording / playback in step S16i. A guidance message is generated, and the generated guidance message is transmitted as an instant message to the requesting administrator.

As an absence recording / playback guidance message, for example, as shown in (C1) of FIG.
“Three message messages are saved.
To listen to the message, press “V” enter. "
Is sent.

In the case of (4) incoming call transfer, the terminal adapter 61 transfers the transfer flag (a2) of the corresponding caller in the buddy list setting information (A) and the transfer flag set in the absent mode setting information (D1) ( Based on d11), whether or not the incoming call transfer is possible is determined. If the incoming call transfer is possible as a result of this determination, for example, as shown in (A2) of FIG.
"Sent message (a4)
Your voice call request will be forwarded.
Send message (d14) "
Is sent.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the communication adapter function by IMPP and its control function are newly provided in the terminal adapters 61 to 6i respectively disposed between the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i and the communication network NW. Yes. The new IMPP control interface and control function enables voice chat communication between the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i and the IMPP terminal via the IMPP server 5 when the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i make and receive calls. To do. At the same time, incoming call transfer from the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j to the standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k, incoming call transfer from the standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k to the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j, and from the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j Relay transfer to standard telephone terminal or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k, absence recording and reproduction realized by setting absence mode, remote operation of setting information from external administrator to terminal adapters 61 to 6i, etc. This is executed in 61 to 6i.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, the IMPP server 5 is connected between the standard telephone terminals 11-1i and the IMPP terminals 21-3j in response to outgoing calls from the standard telephone terminals 11-1i or incoming calls to the standard telephone terminals 11-1i. Voice communication by the provided voice chat communication service becomes possible. For this reason, it is possible to provide a voice communication service that is cheaper than the case of using VoIP to the users of the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i.

  In addition, when making a call from the standard telephone terminals 11 to 1i, the destination is the standard telephone terminal, the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j, or the VoIP terminals 31 to 3k based on the prefix indicating the call type. Are identified, and the transmission control procedure corresponding to each is executed. Therefore, the user of the standard telephone terminal can make a call to any of the standard telephone terminal, the IMPP terminal, and the VoIP terminal by inputting a prefix corresponding to the desired call type at the time of outgoing call.

  Further, incoming call transfer from the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j to the standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k, incoming call transfer from the standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k to the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j, and standard telephone calls from the IMPP terminals 21 to 2j The terminal adapters 61 to 6i collectively perform additional control functions such as relay transfer to the terminal or VoIP terminals 31 to 3k, absence recording and playback, and remote control of setting information from the external administrator to the terminal adapters 61 to 6i. Can be implemented.

  In particular, the relay transfer is very convenient because the terminal adapter 61 is used as if it were an IMPP server and enables voice communication between the IMPP terminal and other standard telephone terminals or VoIP terminals. is there. In addition, the remote operation function enables a remote registration of various setting information from a previously registered administrator to the terminal adapter. Therefore, a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) can be used as an administrator. By using it, you can add and change various terminal adapter settings information from anywhere at any time, which is extremely useful.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the terminal adapter 61 may be provided with an automatic logon function. That is, when power is turned on in the terminal adapter, processing for logging on to the IMPP server from the terminal adapter is executed. In this way, the terminal adapter 61 can be set in a state in which an incoming call from the IMPP terminal can be made without the user of the standard telephone terminal performing a manual logon operation.

  Further, when the voice chat communication connection fails, a message to that effect may be generated and transmitted to the caller, callee, or transfer destination. Furthermore, instead of transmitting a busy tone to a standard telephone terminal, a voice message may be generated and transmitted.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the terminal adapter has been described as an example of the terminal connection device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other functions such as a router or personal computer may be provided with the function of the terminal connection apparatus according to the present invention, and the function of the terminal connection apparatus according to the present invention may be included in a standard telephone terminal. It is also possible to configure to add.

  In addition, programs that implement various control functions such as incoming calls, outgoing calls, incoming call transfers, relay transfers, absence recording and playback, and remote setting of setting information used in terminal adapters are installed in terminal connection devices such as terminal adapters. However, it is also possible to provide the program in a state of being stored in a recording medium or via a communication network.

  In addition, the system configuration, the type of VoIP terminal and the IMPP terminal and the configuration thereof, and the type of the IMPP server may be any type. Further, the configuration of the terminal connection device and the incoming call, outgoing call, incoming call transfer, relay transfer, and absence recording by the terminal connection device Also, various control procedures such as reproduction, remote setting of setting information, control contents, contents of option messages, and the like can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the terminal adapter of the system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the various setting information memorize | stored in the terminal adapter shown in FIG. The operation | movement sequence diagram of a system in the case of transmitting from a standard telephone terminal to an IPMM terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter in the case of transmitting from a standard telephone terminal to an IPMM terminal. The operation | movement sequence diagram of a system in the case of an incoming call from an IMPP terminal to a standard telephone terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter in the case of receiving a call from an IMPP terminal to a standard telephone terminal. The operation | movement sequence diagram of a system in the case of transferring the incoming call from an IMPP terminal to a VoIP terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter in the case of transferring the incoming call from an IMPP terminal to a VoIP terminal. The operation | movement sequence diagram of a system in the case of transferring the incoming call from a VoIP terminal to an IMPP terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter when the incoming call from a VoIP terminal is transferred to an IMPP terminal. The operation | movement sequence diagram of a system in the case of relay-transferring the incoming call from an IMPP terminal to a standard telephone terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter in the case of relay-transferring the incoming call from an IMPP terminal to a standard telephone terminal. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content of a terminal adapter when the memory | storage information of a terminal adapter is set remotely from an administrator. The flowchart which shows the absence recording control procedure and control content in a terminal adapter. The flowchart which shows the absence recording playback control procedure and control content in a terminal adapter. The flowchart which shows the option message transmission control procedure and control content in a terminal adapter. The figure which shows an example of the various notifications and guidance message transmitted toward a terminal from a terminal adapter.

Explanation of symbols

  NW ... communication network, INW ... IP network, SNW ... public telephone network, 11-1i ... standard telephone terminal, 21-2j ... IMPP terminal, 31-3k ... VoIP terminal, 4 ... VoIP server, 5 ... IMPP server, 61- 6i ... terminal adapter, 70 ... control unit, 71 ... telephone terminal interface, 72 ... voice code decoding unit (CODEC), 73 ... public telephone network interface, 74 ... IP network interface, 75 ... storage unit.

Claims (12)

A terminal connection device arranged between a communication network including a subscriber telephone network and connected to an IMPP (Instant Massaging and Presence Protocol) server and a standard telephone terminal having a subscriber telephone number assigned from the subscriber telephone network Because
First storage means for storing, for each counterpart communication terminal assumed as a connection destination, list information including information representing a correspondence relationship between a subscriber telephone number assigned to the counterpart communication terminal and IMPP individual identification information;
When a call request including a destination telephone number is received from the standard telephone terminal, based on the list information stored in the first storage means, the caller standard telephone terminal and the other party communication of the call destination A terminal connection apparatus comprising: a first call control unit that executes a call control procedure for enabling voice chat communication with a terminal via the IMPP server. When a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) server is further connected to the communication network,
A second call control means for executing a call control procedure for enabling VoIP voice communication via the VoIP server between a caller standard telephone terminal and a callee communication terminal;
When a call request including a special number is received from the standard telephone terminal, whether the call request requests use of the IMPP server or the VoIP server is identified based on the received special number Identification means for
As a result of identification by the identification means, if the call request requests use of the IMPP server, the first call control means is selected, while the call request requests use of the VoIP server 2. The terminal connection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a protocol selection unit that selects the second transmission control unit. The first transmission control means includes
Means for determining whether or not a destination telephone number included in the call request is registered in the list information stored in the first storage means;
If the destination subscriber telephone number is registered in the list information, the IMPP individual identification information corresponding to the subscriber number is searched from the list information, and the incoming call is received based on the searched IMPP individual identification information. Means for transmitting a session establishment request to the destination communication terminal via the IMPP server;
Means for transmitting a voice chat communication request to the destination communication terminal via the IMPP server when a session is established in response to the session establishment request;
When a response to the voice chat communication request is received from the other party communication terminal, the voice chat communication is determined based on the received response. On the other hand, if voice chat communication is impossible, means for selectively sending a busy tone to the standard telephone terminal of the caller;
3. The terminal connection device according to claim 1, further comprising means for establishing a communication link for voice chat communication when a notification of acceptance of voice chat communication is received from the destination communication terminal of the destination. . A terminal connection device arranged between a communication network including a subscriber telephone network and connected to an IMPP (Instant Massaging and Presence Protocol) server and a standard telephone terminal having a subscriber telephone number assigned from the subscriber telephone network Because
Second storage means for storing, for each partner communication terminal assumed as a connection destination, list information including information representing a correspondence relationship between a subscriber telephone number assigned to the partner communication terminal and IMPP individual identification information;
When an incoming request is received from the caller partner communication terminal via the IMPP server, based on the list information stored in the second storage means, the caller partner communication terminal and the callee standard telephone An incoming call control means for executing an incoming call control procedure for enabling voice chat communication with a terminal via the IMPP server. The incoming call control means includes:
Means for opening a session in response to the received session opening request when receiving a session opening request from the caller counterpart communication terminal via the IMPP server;
When a voice chat communication request is received from the caller partner communication terminal via the IMPP server after the session is established, the caller IMPP individual identification information included in the received voice chat request and the second Means for determining whether voice chat communication is possible based on the list information stored in the storage means;
When it is determined that voice chat communication is possible, the voice chat communication is accepted for the caller communication terminal, and a call signal is generated and sent to the standard telephone terminal of the call destination.
And a means for establishing a communication link for voice chat communication with the caller communication terminal when a standard telephone terminal responds to the call signal transmission. 4. The terminal connection device according to 4. Third storage means for storing transfer setting information including information indicating presence / absence of call transfer and transfer destination;
Means for determining whether or not the incoming call transfer is necessary based on the transfer setting information stored in the third storage means when an incoming call request arrives from the source terminal;
A transfer control means for executing incoming call transfer control for transferring the incoming call request to a terminal serving as a transfer destination in accordance with information indicating the transfer destination included in the transfer setting information when it is determined that call transfer is required; The terminal connection device according to claim 4, further comprising: When a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) server is further connected to the communication network,
The third storage means includes first transfer setting information set in response to an incoming request coming from the source terminal via the IMPP server, and the source telephone network or the VoIP from the source terminal. Storing each of the second transfer setting information set in response to the incoming call request coming through the server,
The transfer control means includes
Means for determining whether the incoming request has arrived via the IMPP server, the incoming telephone network or the VoIP server when the incoming request has arrived;
If it is determined that the incoming request has arrived via the IMPP server, the incoming request is sent to the transfer destination via the subscriber telephone network or the VoIP server based on the first transfer setting information. Means for executing control to transfer to the terminal,
If it is determined that the incoming call request has arrived via the subscriber telephone network or the VoIP server, the incoming call request is transferred to the transfer destination via the IMPP server based on the second transfer setting information. The terminal connection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a unit that executes control to transfer to the terminal. Fourth storage means for storing information necessary for relay transfer;
When a relay transfer request message including information indicating a transfer destination is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, the necessity of relay transfer is determined based on the information stored in the fourth storage means Means to
When it is determined that the relay transfer is necessary, a voice chat is performed between the requesting communication partner terminal based on the received relay transfer request message and the information stored in the fourth storage means. A first communication link for communication is established, a second communication link for voice communication is established with the transfer destination terminal, and the first and second communication links are established. 5. The terminal connection device according to claim 4, further comprising relay transfer control means for connection. Fifth storage means for storing absence recording setting information including information indicating presence / absence of absence recording;
Means for determining whether or not absence recording is possible based on the absence recording setting information stored in the fifth storage means when an incoming request is received from the caller communication terminal;
When it is determined that absence recording is possible, a communication link for voice chat communication or voice communication is established with the caller communication terminal, and the caller communication partner is established via the established communication link. 5. The terminal connection device according to claim 4, further comprising: absence recording control means for receiving voice message information coming from a communication terminal and recording the information on a recording medium. Sixth storage means for storing information necessary for reproduction of the recorded voice message information;
When a message requesting reproduction of the voice message information is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server in a state where information necessary for reproduction of the voice message information is stored in the sixth storage means, A communication link for voice chat communication is established with the requesting communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, and the recorded voice message is transmitted to the requesting partner communication terminal via the established communication link. 10. The terminal connection device according to claim 9, further comprising: an absence recording / playback control means for transmitting information. Seventh storage means for storing information necessary for remote setting of information stored in the first to sixth storage means;
Means for determining whether or not remote setting is possible based on information stored in the seventh storage means when a message requesting remote setting of stored information is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server;
When it is determined that remote setting is possible, the storage information stored in the first to sixth storage means is selectively set or set according to the setting change information received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server. The terminal connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising remote setting control means for executing processing for changing. An eighth storage means for storing an option message set in advance for the user of the standard telephone terminal to notify the user of the communication partner terminal;
When an option message transmission request is received from the communication partner terminal via the IMPP server, the option message stored in the eighth storage means is read, and the read option message is read from the IMPP server. The terminal connection device according to claim 1, further comprising: option message transmission control means for transmitting to the requesting counterpart communication terminal.

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