JP2016184852A - Relay device, relay method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the accuracy when determining whether or not it is a troublesome telephone.SOLUTION: An authentication unit 120 identifies the strength of authentication for the user of a calling terminal 201, based on the information about the user of a called terminal 202 acquired by an acquisition unit 117. The higher the strength of authentication, the severer the conditions for permitting telephone conversation of the user of the calling terminal 201. In other words, the party capable of telephone conversation with the user of the called terminal 202 is limited. Authentication is performed using a different authentication method by changing the strength of authentication for the user on the calling side, based on the information about that user such as the attributes or location of the user of the called side terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for determining whether or not a nuisance call.

  There are technologies to prevent so-called nuisance calls for the purpose of mischief, sales, fraud, and the like. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is checked whether or not the telephone number of the calling terminal is registered in the relay device, and if not registered, voiceprint authentication is executed for the voice of the user of the calling terminal. It is disclosed.

JP2011-119953A

  According to the mechanism described in Document 1, when the relay device determines that the call is a nuisance call, the user of the callee terminal is made aware of the fact that the call was made to the nuisance call by not receiving the call to the callee terminal. It is possible to block unwanted calls. In such a mechanism, it is important to improve the accuracy of the determination, but it may not be sufficient as the determination accuracy only by identifying and determining the hardware itself of the transmission side terminal.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy when determining whether or not the call is a nuisance call.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an acquisition unit that acquires information about a user of a receiving terminal when there is a voice communication connection request from the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal; A relay device comprising: an authentication unit that performs authentication processing for a user of a caller terminal by using an authentication method that differs according to the information acquired by: and a connection control unit that processes the connection request according to an authentication result by the authentication unit I will provide a.

  The authentication unit specifies the strength of authentication for the user of the originating terminal based on the acquired information, and the authentication process is performed by an authentication method in which conditions for permitting the voice communication are severer as the authentication strength is higher. You may make it perform.

  Based on the acquired information, the authentication unit performs the authentication process by changing a database to be used out of a first database containing telephone numbers and a second database containing information on human voice. Also good.

  The information may include information related to a user attribute of the receiving terminal.

  The information may include information related to a schedule of the user of the receiving terminal.

  The information may include information related to the location of the user of the receiving terminal.

  The information may include sensing information for a user of the receiving terminal.

  A registration unit that performs a registration process for the first database or the second database based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit and the contents of voice communication of the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal is provided. Good.

  Further, the present invention provides a step of acquiring information related to a user of the receiving terminal when there is a request for connection of voice communication from the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal, and authentication different depending on the acquired information There is provided a relay method including a step of performing an authentication process for a user of a caller terminal by a method and a step of processing the connection request according to a result of the authentication process.

  Further, the present invention provides a step of acquiring information related to a user of the receiving terminal when the computer has a connection request for voice communication from the transmitting terminal to the receiving terminal, and according to the acquired information There is provided a program for executing an authentication process for a user of a caller terminal using different authentication methods and a step of processing the connection request according to a result of the authentication process.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to improve the precision at the time of determining whether it is a nuisance call.

The conceptual diagram showing the structure of a communication system. The figure which shows operation | movement of the relay apparatus when not changing authentication strength. The figure which shows operation | movement of the relay apparatus in the case of changing authentication strength. The figure which shows operation | movement of the relay apparatus in the case of changing authentication strength. The figure which shows operation | movement of the relay apparatus in the case of changing authentication strength. The figure which shows operation | movement of the relay apparatus in the case of changing authentication strength.

(1) Configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing the configuration of a communication system 800 according to this embodiment. The communication system 800 includes a relay device 100, a transmission side terminal 201, and a reception side terminal 202. The transmission side terminal 201 and the reception side terminal 202 are terminals having a call function such as a fixed telephone, a mobile phone, a mobile communication terminal, or a personal computer. These terminals are assigned telephone numbers for calling the terminals. The terminal uses this telephone number to call the terminal that is the other party and establishes a communication line via the relay device 100. The users of the terminals communicate with each other through this call line.

  The voice communication unit 211 of the caller terminal 201 includes hardware and software for performing voice communication with a partner terminal via the relay device 100 such as a microphone, a speaker, a voice processing circuit, and software related to a call. The input unit 212 of the transmission side terminal 201 is a mechanism for inputting user instructions such as a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a dial, and a button. The sending terminal 201 and the receiving terminal 202 may have the same function as functions other than voice communication, or may have different functions. Although both the caller terminal 201 and the callee terminal 202 can be either a caller or a callee for voice communication, it is assumed here that the caller terminal 201 is the caller and the callee terminal 202 is the callee.

  The relay device 100 is a computer operated by a communication company that operates the first communication network 901 or the second communication network 902, and includes hardware such as a processor and a connection interface, and software related to communication. The relay device 100 includes functions such as a control unit 110, an authentication unit 120, and a storage unit 130, and relays voice communication between terminals. In the example of FIG. 1, the relay device 100 relays voice communication between the transmission side terminal 201 and the reception side terminal 202. The first communication network 901 and the second communication network 902 are network facilities operated by the communication company, and are configured by a plurality of communication nodes and communication lines such as base stations and exchanges, for example. The originating terminal 201 and the terminating terminal 202 are connected to be communicable via the first communication network 901 and the second communication network 902. Note that the communication protocols used in the first communication network 901 and the second communication network 902 may be the same or different.

  The storage unit 130 is a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and implements functions as the relay device 100 such as a program necessary for the operation of the relay device 100 and information about a terminal group and its user group. Memorize the necessary information. The information stored in the storage unit 130 includes a phone book DB 131, a voiceprint DB 132, and a user DB 133, which are databases including information referred to when realizing a function for preventing so-called nuisance calls.

  The telephone directory DB 131 includes identification information (for example, a telephone number) that identifies a terminal that satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, it consists of a black list and a white list. The black list is a list of identification information of terminals that have been estimated to make a nuisance call or a terminal that is a voice communication originator that has been regarded as a nuisance call in the past. Provided by organizations such as terminal users and investigation agencies. The operator of the relay device 100 stores the provided information in the storage unit 130 as a black list of the telephone directory DB 131. The white list is a list of identification information of terminals (typically terminals used by the user's family, acquaintances, etc.) that are determined not to be a sender of annoying phone calls based on the user's declaration. is there. That is, if the identification information of the terminal that is the originator of voice communication matches the black list, the voice communication can be determined as a nuisance call, and if the identification information matches the white list, it can be determined that the voice communication is not a nuisance call. If neither list matches, it is impossible to determine whether or not the call is a nuisance call only with the telephone number.

  The voiceprint DB 132 represents characteristics of a human voice and includes information (hereinafter referred to as voiceprint data) used to identify the user. The voiceprint data includes, for example, data (spectrum graph) in which the intensity change of the spectrum of the voice waveform is contoured with frequency analysis on the voice data and frequency on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, and parameters that characterize the spectrum. The voice information is unique to each person. The registration of voiceprint data may be performed by the user himself / herself, or may be performed by a communication company based on information provided by an investigation organization or the like. Typically, the white list of the voiceprint DB 132 is prepared for each user and includes voiceprint data of acquaintances of the user. The blacklist of the voiceprint DB 132 includes voiceprint data of a voice specified by an investigation organization or the like as an agent of a nuisance call.

  The phone book DB 131 and the voiceprint DB 132 may be provided to all users of the terminals managed by the relay apparatus 100 (shared database), or may be provided for each user. When provided for each user, the telephone directory DB 131 and the voiceprint DB 132 are prepared in association with identification information of a terminal used by the user, and may be customizable. In this case, the control unit 110 outputs identification information of the terminal designated as the receiving side in the connection request for voice communication to the first authentication unit 121, and the authentication unit 120 uses a database corresponding to this identification information.

  The user DB 133 includes information (hereinafter referred to as attribute data) indicating attributes of each user (for example, age, sex, schedule, etc. of each user). The user DB 133 is prepared in association with terminal identification information used by the user. Registration of the attribute data may be performed by the user himself / herself or by a communication company. This attribute data is used to specify the strength of authentication by the authentication unit 120.

  The authentication unit 120 includes a first authentication unit 121 and a second authentication unit 122. The first authentication unit 121 collates the identification information of the calling terminal 201 with the telephone directory DB 131 and outputs the collation result (match or mismatch) to the control unit 110. The second authentication unit 122 collates the voice data feature of the user of the transmission side terminal 201 with the voiceprint DB 132 and outputs the collation result (match or mismatch) to the control unit 110.

  The control unit 110 includes a connection control unit 119, a recording unit 114, and a message providing unit 115. The message providing unit 115 stores a plurality of voice messages to be provided to the calling terminal 201 and the receiving terminal 202 or generates the voice message, and controls connection of the voice message according to a request from the connection control unit 119. Output to the unit 119. The recording unit 114 includes a voice processing processor, a memory, and the like. The recording unit 114 records the voice data of the user of the transmission side terminal 201 acquired via the first communication network 901, appropriately processes it to generate voiceprint data, and the connection control unit. It outputs to 119.

  When the authentication unit 120 receives a connection request to the receiving terminal 202 transmitted from the calling terminal 201, the authentication unit 120 specifies the strength of authentication for the user of the calling terminal. The connection control unit 119 prompts the receiving side terminal 202 to input an instruction in accordance with the result of the authentication executed by the authentication unit 120 at the above-described strength for the transmitting side terminal 201. The connection control unit 119 acquires an instruction input as a response to the connection request at the receiving terminal 202, and performs processing for the connection request based on at least one of the authentication result and the input instruction. The process for the connection request is any one of permitting the connection request (line connection), rejecting the connection request (line disconnection), and providing the voice of the user of the caller terminal 201 to the callee terminal 202. It is.

  The connection control unit 119 is realized by a communication control processor or module, and includes a first control unit 111 and a second control unit 113. The first control unit 111 performs control related to the calling-side terminal 201, and the second control unit 113 performs control related to the receiving-side terminal 202. When the first control unit 111 acquires the voice data of the voice uttered by the calling terminal 201 via the first communication network 901, the first control unit 111 outputs the voice data to the recording unit 114. Further, the first control unit 111 transmits a predetermined voice message to the caller terminal 201. The second control unit 113 includes a request unit 118 and an acquisition unit 117. The request unit 118 transmits the voice message generated by the message providing unit 115 to the receiving terminal 202, inputs an instruction to the receiving terminal 202, specifically, presses a specific key (“#”). Prompts. The obtaining unit 117 obtains an instruction that is input at the receiving terminal 202 as a response to the connection request and transmitted via the second communication network 902. The acquisition unit 117 acquires information about the user of the receiving terminal from the user DB 133 or the like.

(2) Operation (2-1) Nuisance Call Determination Operation Based on Uniform Determination Conditions First, in order to advance the understanding of the present embodiment, a basic operation at the time of determination of the nuisance call by the communication system 800 will be described. The basic operation at the time of nuisance call determination here is an operation when the communication system 800 performs nuisance call determination based on a uniform determination condition without changing the strength of authentication. In FIG. 2, when the connection control unit 119 receives a connection request designating the receiving terminal 202 from the calling terminal 201 (S300), it is roughly divided into two stages of authentication processing, that is, in the phone book DB 131 by the first authenticating unit 121. Based on the authentication process (S400 indicated by a dotted line), the authentication process based on the voiceprint DB 132 by the second authentication unit 122 (S500 indicated by a dotted line) is performed.

  First, in the first-stage authentication process S400 based on the phone book DB 131, the first authentication unit 121 determines whether the identification information of the calling terminal 201 corresponds to the white list of the phone book DB 131 (S401). When it corresponds to the white list (S401: YES), the second control unit 113 transmits a signal for calling the receiving terminal 202 (hereinafter simply referred to as “calling”; S406). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 who notices the call performs an off-hook operation by picking up the handset or operating the input unit 212 (hereinafter simply referred to as “answering a call”), the second control unit 113 sends the message MR1. It transmits to the receiving side terminal 202 (S402). This message MR1 is a voice message for notifying the user of the receiving terminal 202 that it is not a nuisance call, such as “This is a relay center. This is an incoming call from a trusted partner. . Then, the connection control unit 119 connects the communication line between the calling-side terminal 201 and the receiving-side terminal 202 so that voice communication can be performed (S701).

  On the other hand, when the white list is not applicable (S401: NO), the first authentication unit 121 compares the identification information of the calling terminal 201 with the black list of the telephone directory DB 131 (S403). In the case of corresponding to the black list, the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S407). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113 transmits a message MR2 to the receiving terminal 202 (S404). Message MR2 is, for example, “An incoming call that requires attention. Do you want to answer the call? Press“ # ”to answer, or press“ * ”to not answer. "Is a voice message for alerting the user and requesting instructions. After prompting the receiving terminal 202 to input an instruction (answer / don't answer a call) (S405), when the receiving terminal 202 accepts a user's instruction, a signal representing the instruction content is relayed. Transmit to device 100. When the acquired instruction indicates that the acquired instruction is answered (S405: Answer), the line is connected (S701), and when the instruction indicating that the instruction is not answered is acquired (S405: Disconnect), the line Is cut (S702).

  If neither the white list nor the black list is applicable (S403: NO), in other words, if the phone book DB 131 alone cannot determine whether it is a nuisance call, the process proceeds to the second-stage authentication process S500 based on the voiceprint DB 132. . The connection control unit 119 transmits the message MT1 to the caller terminal 201 (S501). The message MT1 is, for example, “I'm just taking a call right now. For voice authentication, please talk about your name, etc. for a few seconds. I ’ll connect you once authentication is complete. This is a voice message for obtaining the approval of voice authentication for the user on the calling side, such as “the information of the spoken voice is registered in the center”. This process also has the effect of giving a psychological warning when the user of the sending terminal 201 is a nuisance.

  When the connection control unit 119 acquires the voice uttered by the user of the transmission side terminal 201, the connection control unit 119 stores the voice as digital data (S 502) and delivers it to the authentication unit 120. The first authentication unit 121 processes voice data as necessary to generate voiceprint data, and collates it with the whitelist of the voiceprint DB 132 (S503). If they match, the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S504). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the connection control unit 119 transmits a message MR3 (S505) and connects the line (S701). The message MR3 is a voice message notifying that it is not a nuisance call, such as “There is a call from a person who has registered a voice as an acquaintance.

  On the other hand, when it does not correspond to the white list of the voiceprint DB 132 (S503; NO), the second authentication unit 122 collates the voiceprint data with the blacklist of the voiceprint DB 132 (S506). When it corresponds to the black list (S506; YES), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S507). When the user of the called terminal 202 answers the phone, the second control unit 113 transmits a message MR4 (S508). Message MR4 is, for example, “An incoming call that requires attention. Do you want to answer the call? Press“ # ”to answer, or press“ * ”to not answer. "Is a voice message that prompts the user for attention and requests an instruction. The second control unit 113 executes either connection of the line (S701) or disconnection of the line (S702) based on the user instruction content acquired from the receiving terminal 202 (S509).

  If it does not correspond to the black list of the voiceprint DB 132 (S506: NO), in other words, if the conclusion of whether or not it is a nuisance call even after performing voiceprint authentication, the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S601). ) When the user answers the phone, the message MR5 is transmitted (S602). The message MR5 is, for example, “The machine made a nuisance call but it was not judged. Can you answer the call?“ # ”To answer the call,“ * ”key to answer the call, If you want to hear the voice of, please press "1" respectively. The voice message prompts the user to select one of three options, such as answering the call, not answering the call, and holding the determination and listening to the other party's voice. Here, when “1” is pressed (S603: playback), the second control unit 113 sends a message MR6 (for example, “the voice of the caller recorded from now on. The voice message such as “#” when answering the call and “*” key when not answering ”is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S604), and then the second control unit 113 is recorded. The voice is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202. This voice is reproduced at the receiving terminal 202 (S605). The user who has heard this voice determines whether or not the user is a nuisance person from the content of the story, the tone of the voice, etc., and inputs an instruction. When the second control unit 113 acquires this instruction, line connection (S701) or line disconnection (S702) is performed according to the instruction. The second control unit 113 connects the line (S701) when the acquired instruction indicates that the telephone is answered (S603: Answer), and acquires the instruction that the telephone does not answer (S603: disconnect). ), The line is disconnected (S702).

(2-2) Nuisance Call Determination Operation Based on Different Judgment Conditions Depending on Receiving Side User Next, referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the communication system 800 is based on different judgment conditions depending on the receiving side user. An operation when performing a nuisance call determination will be described. 3 to 6, the same processes as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 3, when the first authentication unit 121 receives a connection request designating the receiving terminal 202 from the calling terminal 201 (S300), the acquisition unit 117 of the connection control unit 119 obtains information about the user of the receiving terminal 202. get. The information regarding the user of the receiving terminal 202 is, for example, the user's attributes (age, gender, schedule) and the user's position. The acquisition unit 133 acquires attribute data stored in the user DB 133 for user attributes, and acquires a user position by performing so-called position registration database reference, base station positioning, or the like. The location registration is a process for making a so-called simultaneous call in the second communication network 902, and the location of the user of the receiving terminal 202 can be known by specifying this location registration area. Base station positioning is positioning based on the position of a cell in which each base station included in the second communication network 902 can wirelessly communicate. Since these positioning techniques are already well known, detailed description is omitted.

  The authentication unit 120 specifies the strength of authentication performed on the user of the caller terminal 201 based on the information about the user of the callee terminal 202 acquired by the acquisition unit 117. The higher the strength of the authentication, the stricter the conditions for permitting a call to the user of the caller terminal 201, that is, the other party that can talk to the user of the callee terminal 202 is restricted. For example, when the user on the receiving side is old (for example, 65 years old or older) and is near a financial institution or ATM, the strength of authentication is increased because the possibility of fraud such as money transfer is high. In addition, when the called user is neither a senior nor a minor (for example, 20 to 60 years old), it is determined that it is a leisure time when the date and time of outgoing call are compared with the schedule of the called user. (For example, after 19:00 on weekdays and after holidays), the authentication strength is set to medium. Also, if the receiving user is neither aged nor underage (for example, 20-60 years old), it is determined that the time of outgoing call is the time when the business is engaged when compared with the receiving user's schedule In the case of being performed (for example, until 19:00 on weekdays), the degree of authentication is lowered. The authentication unit 120 proceeds to different authentication processes as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 based on the specified authentication strength (S302).

(2-2-1) When Authentication Strength is High When Authentication Strength is High (S302 in FIG. 3: High), in FIG. 4, the first authentication unit 121 indicates that the identification information of the calling terminal 201 is white in the phone book DB 131. It is determined whether it corresponds to the list (S401). If applicable (S401: YES), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S406). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113, for example, reads “This is a relay center. This is an incoming call from a trusted partner. A message MR1 for notifying that it is not a nuisance call is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S402). Then, the connection control unit 119 connects the line between the caller terminal 201 and the callee terminal 202, and enables voice communication with each other (S701).

  When the white list is not applicable (S401: NO), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S407). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113, for example, “Inserts requiring attention. Do you want to answer the call?“ # ”Key to answer the call,“ * ”key to answer the call. Please press. ”Or the like is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S404). After prompting the receiving terminal 202 to input an instruction (answer / don't answer a call) (S405), when the receiving terminal 202 accepts a user's instruction, a signal representing the instruction content is relayed. Transmit to device 100. When the acquired instruction indicates that the acquired instruction is answered (S405: Answer), the line is connected (S701), and when the instruction indicating that the instruction is not answered is acquired (S405: Disconnect), the line Is cut (S702).

(2-2-2) When the Authentication Strength is Medium When the authentication strength is medium (S302 in FIG. 3: middle), in FIG. 5, the first authentication unit 121 indicates that the identification information of the calling-side terminal 201 is telephone. It is determined whether it corresponds to the white list of the book DB 131 (S401). If applicable, the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S406). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113, for example, reads “This is a relay center. This is an incoming call from a trusted partner. A message MR1 for notifying that it is not a nuisance call is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S402). Then, the connection control unit 119 connects a line between the caller terminal 201 and the callee terminal 202, and enables voice communication with each other (S701).

  When the white list is not applicable (S401: NO), the connection control unit 119, for example, “I am just taking a call now. For voice authentication, please speak a suitable word for a few seconds. "Please wait for a while as we will connect. The information of the spoken voice will be registered in the center" message MT1 for obtaining the consent of voice authentication to the user of the calling party It transmits to the transmission side terminal 201 (S501).

  When the connection control unit 119 acquires the voice uttered by the user of the transmission side terminal 201, the connection control unit 119 stores the voice as digital data (S 502) and delivers it to the authentication unit 120. The first authentication unit 121 processes voice data as necessary to generate voiceprint data, and collates it with the whitelist of the voiceprint DB 132 (S503). If they match (S503: YES), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S504). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the connection control unit 119 sends a message MR3 notifying that the call is not a nuisance call, such as “There is a call from a person who has registered a voice as an acquaintance. Is transmitted (S505), and the line is connected (S701).

  On the other hand, when it does not correspond to the white list of the voiceprint DB 132 (S503; NO), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S601). When the user answers the phone, the second control unit 113, for example, “While the machine made a nuisance call but did not make a decision. Do you want to answer the call? If not, press the “*” key, and press “1” to hear the other party's voice. The message MR5 that prompts the user to select one of the three options, such as answering the call, not answering the call, and holding the determination and listening to the voice of the other party is transmitted (S602). Here, when “1” is pressed (S603: playback), the second control unit 113, for example, “sends the voice of the caller recorded from now on. When listening to the voice and answering this call If “#” is not displayed, press the “*” key. ”Or the like is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S604), the second control unit 113 transmits the recorded voice to the receiving terminal 202. This voice is reproduced at the receiving terminal 202 (S605). The user who has heard this voice determines whether or not the user is a nuisance person from the content of the story, the tone of the voice, etc., and inputs an instruction. When the second control unit 113 acquires this instruction, line connection (S701) or line disconnection (S702) is performed according to the instruction. The second control unit 113 connects the line (S701) when the acquired instruction indicates that the telephone is answered (S603: Answer), and acquires the instruction that the telephone does not answer (S603: disconnect). ), The line is disconnected (S702).

(2-2-3) When Authentication Strength is Low When Authentication Strength is Low (S302 in FIG. 3: Low), in FIG. 6, the first authentication unit 121 uses the blacklist of the phone book DB 131 to identify the identification information of the calling terminal 201. (S403). When it corresponds to a black list (S403: YES), the 2nd control part 113 calls the receiving side terminal 202 (S407). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113, for example, “Inserts requiring attention. Do you want to answer the call?“ # ”Key to answer the call,“ * ”key to answer the call. Please press. The message MR2 for alerting the user and requesting an instruction is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S402). After prompting the receiving terminal 202 to input an instruction (answer / don't answer a call) (S405), when the receiving terminal 202 accepts a user instruction, it transmits a signal representing the instruction content to the relay device 100. To do. When the acquired instruction indicates that the acquired instruction is answered (S405: Answer), the line is connected (S701), and when the instruction indicating that the instruction is not answered is acquired (S405: Disconnect), the line Is cut (S702).

  When the black list in the phone book DB 131 is not applicable (S403: NO), the connection control unit 119, for example, “You are just taking a call now. Please speak a suitable word for a few seconds to perform voice authentication. We will connect you after authentication is complete, so please wait for a while. The voice information spoken will be registered with the center. " Message MT1 is transmitted to the originating terminal 201 (S501). When the connection control unit 119 acquires the voice uttered by the user of the transmission side terminal 201, the connection control unit 119 stores the voice as digital data (S 502) and delivers it to the authentication unit 120. The second authentication unit 122 processes the voice data as necessary to generate voiceprint data, and collates it with the blacklist of the voiceprint DB 132 (S506). When it corresponds (S506: YES), the 2nd control part 113 calls the receiving side terminal 202 (S507). When the user of the receiving terminal 202 answers the call, the second control unit 113, for example, “Inserts requiring attention. Do you want to answer the call?“ # ”Key to answer the call,“ * ”key to answer the call. Please press. The message MR4 requesting the user to be instructed and requesting the instruction is transmitted (S508). The second control unit 113 executes either connection of the line (S701) or disconnection of the line (S702) based on the user instruction content acquired from the receiving terminal 202 (S509).

  When not corresponding to the black list of the voiceprint DB 132 (S506: NO), the second control unit 113 calls the receiving terminal 202 (S601). When the user answers the phone, the second control unit 113, for example, “While the machine made a nuisance call but did not make a decision. Do you want to answer the call? If not, press the “*” key, and press “1” to hear the other party's voice. The message MR5 that prompts the user to select one of the three options, such as answering the call, not answering the call, and holding the determination and listening to the voice of the other party is transmitted (S602). Here, when “1” is pressed (S603: playback), the second control unit 113 sends a message MR6 (for example, “the voice of the caller recorded from now on. The voice message such as “#” when answering the call and “*” key when not answering ”is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 (S604), and then the second control unit 113 is recorded. The voice is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202. This voice is reproduced at the receiving terminal 202 (S605). The user who has heard this voice determines whether or not the user is a nuisance person from the content of the story, the tone of the voice, etc., and inputs an instruction. When the second control unit 113 acquires this instruction, line connection (S701) or line disconnection (S702) is performed according to the instruction. The second control unit 113 connects the line (S701) when the acquired instruction indicates that the telephone is answered (S603: Answer), and acquires the instruction that the telephone does not answer (S603: disconnect). ), The line is disconnected (S702).

  In the above-described embodiment, the authentication process is performed by changing the strength of authentication for the user on the caller side based on the information on the user such as the attribute and position of the user of the callee terminal. In other words, authentication is performed using a different authentication method depending on the conditions and convenience on the receiving side, which are more detailed than before, so it is possible to improve the accuracy when determining whether or not the call is a nuisance call. .

(3) Modifications The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications are possible. In addition, you may combine the content of each following modification suitably.
In the embodiment, when there is a connection request for voice communication from the calling side terminal to the receiving side terminal, the authentication process for the user of the calling side terminal is performed by a different authentication method according to information about the user of the receiving side terminal However, the information regarding the user of the receiving terminal may be any information as long as the information is unique to the user. For example, this information may include sensing information for the user of the receiving terminal. Specifically, a sensing device that senses a user's heartbeat, sweating, pupil movement, and the like is connected to the receiving terminal 202, and the authentication unit 120 acquires and analyzes the sensing information from the receiving terminal 202, and performs predetermined processing. The degree of busyness of the user is determined based on the algorithm. When it is determined that the authentication unit 120 is busy, the authentication unit 120 considers that there is no room for answering the call and increases the strength of the authentication. To do.

  Specific rules for specifying the authentication strength based on the information regarding the user of the receiving terminal 202 are not limited to the contents exemplified in the embodiment. Information regarding the attributes of the user of the receiving terminal 202 (age, gender, schedule, etc.), information regarding the position of the user, and sensing information for the user may be combined in any manner, and information other than these may be used. Also good.

The control unit 110 may update the telephone directory DB 131 or the voiceprint DB 132 in the storage unit 130 in accordance with a user operation of the receiving terminal 202. For example, when the control unit 110 inquires the user on the receiving side whether to answer the call or not, if the user performs an operation on the receiving side terminal 202 which means that the user does not answer the call, The identification information of the terminal 201 may be registered in the black list of the telephone directory DB 131. In addition, when the user answers the call once at the receiving terminal 202 but performs an operation meaning that the user is a nuisance call during or after the end of the voice communication, the control unit 110 sends the call. The identification information of the side terminal 201 is registered in the black list of the telephone directory DB 131, or the voice print data of the user on the transmission side is registered in the black list of the voice print DB 132. This is because, if there is an explicit operation of the user on the receiving side in this way, the calling side may determine that it is a nuisance.
In addition, the control unit 110 determines the phone book DB 131 or the voiceprint DB 132 in the storage unit 130 according to the information about the user of the receiving terminal 202 and the content of the voice communication performed at the transmitting terminal 201 and the receiving terminal 202. May be updated. For example, the control unit 110 is configured such that when the user on the receiving side is aged (for example, 65 years old or older) and the tone of the voice is tight in voice communication (the voice frequency is greater than a threshold value) or a predetermined word (transfer, money, etc.) ) Is detected, a warning message is transmitted to the receiving terminal 202 after the end of the voice communication, and the identification information of the calling terminal 201 is registered in the black list of the telephone directory DB 131. The voice print data of the user on the transmission side is registered in the black list of the voice print DB 132. This is because, in such a situation, it is objectively estimated that the main voice is likely to be a nuisance.

  As a method for prompting an input of an instruction from the relay device 100 to the receiving terminal 202, a notification function of the receiving terminal 202 may be used instead of or together with the voice. For example, when the receiving terminal 202 is a communication device having a data transmission function such as a portable terminal, a predetermined application for prompting an input of an instruction in a call application that is activated when an incoming call notification is received from the relay device 100 The characters and images of are displayed on the screen. Alternatively, a key or button provided on the receiving terminal 202 may be caused to emit light, a predetermined sound may be emitted, or the casing of the receiving terminal 202 may be vibrated using a vibration function.

  As a method for inputting an instruction, an input function of the receiving terminal 202 may be used instead of pressing the button or in combination with pressing the button. For example, when the receiving terminal 202 has a voice recognition function, the user pronounces a predetermined voice (such as “answer” / “do not answer”) to the receiving terminal 202 and executes voice recognition processing. The voice instruction content is specified, and the specified instruction content is converted into a control signal and transmitted to the relay apparatus 100.

  The contents that can be instructed by the user are not limited to three: answering a call, not answering a call, and temporarily suspending the contents of processing and listening to the other party's voice. For example, the user may request to provide a part of information related to the caller terminal 201 included in the relay device 100 and its owner. Further, what is requested from the user may not be a final determination as to whether to accept or reject the connection request. For example, regardless of the authentication result, the user's intention may be asked, and the relay apparatus 100 may make a final determination by comprehensively determining the authentication result and the user's intention using a predetermined algorithm. As an example, it is assumed that the authentication unit 120 calculates the authentication result with a probability (0 to 100%) instead of two choices, and the contents that can be instructed by the user are two choices (answer / do not answer the phone). Even if the user wishes to answer the call, if the possibility of the nuisance call is very high (for example, 95%), the relay device 100 disconnects the line. In this case, as a result, the intention of the user is ignored, but the risk of the user being disadvantaged or damaged when taking a call is reduced. In short, it is only necessary to make a final decision on the processing content for connection supply using both automatic determination by the machine and manual determination by the user.

  The contents and format of data registered in the database and the determination method (algorithm) described above are merely examples of the present invention. The registered contents may be any information that can be used to determine whether or not the transmitted call is a nuisance call. Regarding the determination method, for example, it is not necessary to use a white list and a black list as a set, and only one of them may be used. Further, three or more databases may be constructed for the same data type. For example, a black list, a gray list, and a white list are prepared in descending order of the probability of annoyingness. When two types of determination are performed, the order of determination is arbitrary. For example, voiceprint authentication may be performed first.

The process of notifying the receiving terminal 202 of the determination result obtained by the authentication unit 120 may be omitted. For example, when it corresponds to the white list, there is no need to call the user's attention, so the line is connected without performing notification. Conversely, if the black list has a high degree of accuracy and can be estimated to be a nuisance call without any mistake, the line may be disconnected without giving a notice because there is no benefit of asking the user for confirmation. As described above, depending on the determination result, the process for the connection request is automatically performed without asking the user to confirm the connection process. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling that the nuisance call prevention function is executed in the relay device 100. As a result, the possibility that the user may feel confused or annoyed when an instruction is requested is reduced.
Also, even if it falls under the white list, an instruction such as whether or not to answer the call may be requested from the user just in case.
For what judgment results, what kind of notifications and instruction input requests are requested, the user's wishes, convenience, blocking effect of unwanted calls to be realized as a whole system, accuracy of judgment using database, etc. It can be determined by taking into account the elements of
The system can be configured so that the burden on the user is not excessively increased by adjusting the conditions regarding how the determination result is related to how the user is involved. For example, nuisance call determination of user's own preference (whether you want to determine automatically as much as possible or whether you want to determine as much as possible) and situation (whether there are many cases where nuisance calls are related in the past) Can be reflected. That is, the nuisance call prevention function can be customized for each user.

  The device configuration, system configuration, and data configuration described in the embodiments are merely examples, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated contents. For example, between the relay device 100 and the receiving-side terminal 202, integration and transfer of the functions included in each can be arbitrarily performed. Specifically, the relay device 100 according to the embodiment, when there is a connection request for voice communication from the calling side terminal to the receiving side terminal, the acquisition unit that acquires information about the user of the receiving side terminal; An authentication unit that performs an authentication process for a user of a calling terminal with an authentication method that differs according to the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and a connection control unit that processes the connection request according to an authentication result by the authentication unit However, the receiving terminal 202 may be provided with these. That is, the function as a relay device in the receiving terminal 202 relays voice communication to the function as the communication terminal in the receiving terminal 202. In this case, when there is an incoming call (connection request) to the own terminal, the receiving terminal 202 reads (acquires) information about the user stored in the storage means of the own terminal, and according to the read information. The authentication process for the user of the caller terminal is performed with a different authentication method, and corresponding processing such as permitting or not permitting an incoming call (connection request) according to the authentication result is performed.

  The computer program executed by the control unit 110 is a recording such as a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a floppy disk (registered trademark), an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, a CD (Compact Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and a RAM. It can be provided as recorded on the medium. It is also possible to download via a network such as a mobile phone network or the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Relay apparatus, 201 Originating side terminal, 202 Incoming side terminal, 110 Control part, 120 Authentication part, 130 Storage part

Claims (10)

When there is a connection request for voice communication from the calling terminal to the receiving terminal, an acquisition unit that acquires information about the user of the receiving terminal;
An authentication unit that performs an authentication process on the user of the originating terminal with a different authentication method according to the information acquired by the acquisition unit;
And a connection control unit that processes the connection request according to an authentication result by the authentication unit. The authentication unit specifies the strength of authentication for the user of the calling-side terminal based on the acquired information, and performs the authentication process with an authentication method in which the condition for permitting the voice communication is severer as the authentication strength is higher The relay apparatus according to claim 1. Based on the acquired information, the authentication unit performs the authentication process by changing a database to be used out of a first database in which telephone numbers are recorded and a second database in which information on human voice is recorded. The relay apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information related to a user attribute of the receiving terminal. The relay apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information includes information related to a schedule of a user of the receiving terminal. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information includes information related to a location of a user of the receiving terminal. The relay apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information includes sensing information for a user of the receiving terminal. And a registration unit that performs a registration process for the first database or the second database based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit and the contents of voice communication of the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal. The relay device according to claim 3. When there is a connection request for voice communication from the calling terminal to the called terminal, obtaining information about the user of the called terminal;
Performing authentication processing for the user of the calling terminal with different authentication methods according to the acquired information;
And a step of processing the connection request according to a result of the authentication process. On the computer,
When there is a connection request for voice communication from the calling terminal to the called terminal, obtaining information about the user of the called terminal;
Performing authentication processing for the user of the calling terminal with different authentication methods according to the acquired information;
A program for executing the step of processing the connection request according to a result of the authentication process.

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