JPH0337347B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to telephone devices.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, as a handset for a button telephone device, in addition to a normal handset connected via a pair of talking lines and a pair of signal lines (transmission lines), two-wire telephones with only a talking line have been used. Sometimes connected and used.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

It may be convenient if a public telephone such as a pink public telephone can be connected and used as such a two-wire (2W) handset. However, in that case, if the main device does not have a billing circuit, the pink public telephone etc.
It cannot store coins.

Furthermore, even if a billing line is accommodated, if transformer coupling is performed at the outside line interface section, the telephone cannot function as a public telephone. On the other hand, in a system in which the external line extends directly to the two-wire handset, the coin storage operation is performed independently of the system, but the storage operation cannot be controlled from the main device.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides an interface means for connecting a two-wire telephone and an outside line in an alternating current manner, a means for transmitting a self-employed billing signal, and a self-employed billing signal sending means for transmitting a self-employed billing signal based on a dial signal from the two-wire telephone or a periodic billing signal arriving at the outside line. The control means for determining the charging signal period and controlling the self-employed charging signal sending means is provided.

[Effect]

When a billing line is accommodated, the control circuit determines a private billing signal period based on the billing signal that arrives periodically, controls the private billing signal sending means based on the period, and controls the private billing signal transmission means to A private billing signal is sent to a telephone set. Even if a billing line is not accommodated, the number of ground seconds corresponding to the dialed destination is determined from the dial signal sent from the two-wire telephone via the telephone line, and the self-employed billing signal period is determined accordingly. Controls the billing signal sending means.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 indicates the main device. This main device 1
External lines 2 (2 _{1 to 2 o ), such as central office lines from the central office or telephone lines from a private branch exchange, are connected to the terminals L (L 1 to L o} ) via central line terminals L (L ₁ to L _o ), and connectors
Key telephones (handsets) 4 (4 ₁ to 4 _n ) are connected via CN (CN ₁ to CN _n ) and lines 3 (3 ₁ to 3 _n ) each consisting of one pair of speech lines and signal lines. , and the outside lines 2 ₁ to 2 _o are connected to the call path switch 1 via the outside line interface 11 (11 ₁ to 11 _o ), respectively.
Connected to 2. On the other hand, the communication path switch 12
and the lines 3 ₁ to 3 _n from each handset 4 ₁ to 4 _n are connected via the telephone interface 13 (13 ₁ to 13 _n ), and are connected to analog switches or relay contacts in the communication path switch 12 . Exchange connections are made using crosspoints.

In addition, the outside line interfaces 11 ₁ to 11 _o are
It has functions such as detecting incoming calls, forming a DC loop for outside lines, placing calls on hold, and making dial calls using pulse signals or DTMF signals, and connections between outside lines and extension lines are made via transformer coupling. Further, the communication path switch 12 has an exchange connection function between the outside lines 2 ₁ to 2 _o and the handsets 4 ₁ to 4 _n and between the handsets 4 ₁ to 4 _n . Also, telephone interface 13 ₁ ~
13 _n supplies power for communication to the handsets 4 ₁ to 4 _n via communication lines, transmits and receives data signals via signals, supplies power for control, and the like.

Furthermore, the main device 1 includes a processor unit 14 such as a well-known microprocessor, a fixed memory (ROM) 15 and a variable memory (RAM) 1.
A control unit consisting of 6 and a fixed memory 15 is provided.
The processor unit 14 executes a program stored in advance while accessing the variable memory 16 as appropriate, thereby controlling each section.

On the other hand, in each of the slave units 4 ₁ to 4 _n , a communication circuit 42 is connected to the communication line 41A. Further, the signal line 41B is connected via a transmission circuit 43 to a processor unit 44, which is similar to the control section of the main device 1, but smaller in scale, and a fixed memory 45A.
A control section consisting of a variable memory 45B is connected, and it emits an incoming ring tone in response to a control signal sent from the main device 1 via the transmission circuit 43, and also controls the sound in the keyboard 46 in accordance with a control signal from the main device. Controls lighting, turning off, and blinking of each indicator light, and transmits operation data indicating these conditions to the main device 1 via the transmission circuit 43 in response to the operation of each button on the keyboard 46 and the operation of the switch HS. do.

Note that the transmission circuit 43 has a power supply separation function,
The power supplied from the main device 1 side via the signal line 41B is extracted, stabilized, and then supplied as local power V to each section that requires it.

In addition, in this embodiment, the specified handset 4 ₁ connected to the connector CN ₁ , that is, in the accommodation position "1" is a button telephone with a display, and has a multi-digit number (16 in this embodiment).
digit) is provided with a dot matrix type display 47,
Settings of various operational data that define the basic operation of the system are performed on this slave unit ₄₁ while looking at the display on the display 47.

In the above configuration, the main device 1 transmits and receives data to and from each of the slave devices 4 ₁ to 4 _n at regular intervals. Therefore, when off-hook is performed in any slave device, this operation data is received by the processor unit 14. The same applies to key input operations on the keyboard 46, and the processor unit 14 controls the call path switch 12 in accordance with the operations of the outside line button, extension line button, dial button, etc.
Make an exchange connection. At the same time, if you make an outside call,
The selected outside line interface 11 is controlled to make a dial call, and if the call is an extension call, an extension ring tone is emitted via the processor unit 44 of the slave unit on the other party's side, and the caller receives a response from the other party. If you do so, you will be in a talking state.

Further, incoming calls from the outside lines 2 ₁ to 2 _o are detected by the outside line interfaces 11 ₁ to 11 _o , and in response to this, the processor unit 14 connects the outside lines via the processor unit 44 of each handset 4 ₁ to 4 _n . Emit an incoming ringtone. If any handset responds with an off-hook, this causes the processor unit 14 to
controls the call path switch 12 and completes the call path.

Here, in addition to the handset 4, a pink public telephone 5 is connected to the main device 1 of this embodiment via a line 6 consisting of a pair of communication lines and a connector _CN0 . Track 6 from pink public telephone 5
is connected to the communication path switch 12 via a two-wire telephone interface 17, and is connected to the communication path switch 12 in the same manner as the other slave units 4. The two-wire telephone interface 17 is under the control of the processor unit 14, and the dial destination information dialed at the pink public telephone 5 is taken in by the processor unit 14.

In addition, the main device 1 of this embodiment includes a charging unit 18.
Under the control of the processor unit 14, a polarity reversal signal similar to the billing signal is sent to the pink public telephone 5 via the two-wire telephone interface 17 as a private billing signal unique to this system. It has become something to be sent out.

Next, the billing process for the pink public telephone 5, which is a two-wire telephone, will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG. This billing process is executed in response to an outside call request from the pink public telephone 5.

In FIG. 2, the processor unit 14 is
After acquiring an outside line (step 101), whether or not charging is necessary is determined depending on whether the destination is registered as a destination that requires charging or a destination that does not require charging (step 102). In the example of the present invention, by performing a predetermined key input operation from the specified handset ₄₁ described above, it is possible to register in advance only a specific dial destination as one that requires charging or, conversely, as one that is unnecessary. The content registered in the predetermined area is compared with the dial destination detected from the telephone line 6 to determine whether or not charging is necessary.

As a result, if it is determined that charging is necessary, the processor unit 14 determines the period of the private charging signal according to the number of ground seconds corresponding to the dial destination, and uses a predetermined area of the RAM 16 to set it. Set the cycle to the billing timer (step
103).

In this state, if a polarization signal indicating a called party response is received from the outside line (step 104), the processor unit 14 starts the billing timer (step 105), and the billing unit 18 sends out a private billing signal. (Step 106). If the billing timer times up (step 107), it is restarted (step 105) and a private billing signal is sent out (step 106).

In this way, while the call is intermittent, a private billing signal is periodically sent to the pink public telephone 5,
Coins are stored. If the call is terminated (steps 108, 109, 110), this billing process ends immediately.

The self-employed billing signal cycle may be set to the number of ground seconds identified from the dial destination information, or may be set to an appropriate value in consideration of discounts and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the invention. The main device 1 of this embodiment has each external line 2 ₁
〜2 _o , charging signal detection circuit 19 (19 ₁ 〜1
_9o ), which makes it possible to detect periodic billing signals arriving on outside lines. Each detection circuit 19 is constituted by a unidirectional current detection circuit equipped with a photocoupler consisting of a light emitting diode connected to only one of a pair of external line terminals and a phototransistor, and detects signals arriving at the telephone line. Depending on which side of the external line terminal is set as the positive terminal, the photocoupler is turned on or off, and outputs of different levels are sent to the processor unit 14.

Next, the billing process for the two-wire telephone in this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, outside line acquisition control (step 201),
The processor unit 14 waits for the called party to respond (step 202), starts a first charging timer provided using a predetermined area of the RAM 16 (step 203), and starts a pink public charger from the charging unit 18 (step 203). Send a self-employed billing signal to the telephone 5 (step
204).

Next, when the charging signal from the outside line is received (step 205), the processor unit 14
(step 206), determines the self-employed charging signal cycle _T2 based on the measured value _T1 , and sets that value in a second charging timer also provided using a predetermined area of the RAM 16. (Step 207). In this embodiment, T ₂ is x% of T ₁ .
Note that x is optional; setting it larger than 100 will result in a discount, and setting it smaller will result in a premium charge.

Subsequently, the processor unit 14 starts the second billing timer (step 208) and sends out a private billing signal (step 209). From then on, each time the second billing timer times up (step
210) and restart it (step 28),
A self-employed billing signal is sent (step 209). If the call is terminated (steps 211, 212, 213), this billing process ends immediately.

In this embodiment as well, similarly to the first embodiment,
Needless to say, it is also possible to register in advance dial destinations that require charging or dial destinations that do not require charging, and charge only those that are determined to require charging according to the contents. .

Further, in each embodiment, a so-called soft timer is used as the billing timer, but an independent timer circuit may also be used. In connection with this, in each of the embodiments described above, the billing unit 8 receives a timing signal from the processor unit 14 and sends out a polarity reversal signal.
When a signal for setting or selecting the self-employed billing signal cycle is sent in step 4, the system autonomously responds to this by
A configuration may also be adopted in which a self-employed billing signal of the relevant period is sent out.

Further, in each embodiment, for example, specific slave device 4 ₁
By performing a more specific key input, it is also possible to stop the billing operation, interrupt a predetermined charge, or set or change the discount rate.

In any case, the pink public telephone 5 is required to be connected in an alternating current manner, rather than in a direct current manner, and to be controlled by the processor unit 14. The control method is arbitrary.

Further, although the pink public telephone 5 is connected after the call path switch 12, it may be connected to the corresponding outside line before the telephone line switch 12.

The above explanation has been given using an example in which a pink public telephone is connected, but other coin storage type or card type public telephones may be used. Furthermore, in addition to public telephones, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case where a telephone with a charging function that performs charging operation and display of charges, such as a charge display type or a management card type, is connected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, there is provided an interface means for connecting a two-wire telephone and an outside line in an alternating current manner, a self-employed billing signal sending means, and a control means, and in the control means, the By determining the cycle of the private billing signal based on the dialing signal or the periodic billing signal that arrives on the outside line and controlling the private billing signal sending means, public telephones and other two-wire telephones with billing functions can be converted into pushbutton telephones. It is possible to incorporate this into the system of the device to perform billing operations, and to control the billing operations, such as whether or not billing is necessary and the billing cycle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining its operation, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The figure is a flowchart for explaining the operation. 1...Main device, 5...Pink public telephone, 6...
...Line consisting of speech lines, 14...Processor unit, 17...2-wire telephone interface,
18... Charging unit, 19... Charging signal detection circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A two-wire telephone is connected to the main device via a pair of communication lines, and a dialing signal sent from the two-wire telephone is detected and connected to the telephone line of the two-wire telephone. In the telephone device that performs the connection, an interface means for AC-connecting the two-wire telephone and the captured outside line, a setting storage means for setting and storing whether or not a charge-type telephone is connected as a two-wire telephone, and during a call. self-employed billing signal sending means for transmitting a self-employed billing signal to the two-wire telephone set via said telephone line; and a self-employed billing signal based on a dial signal detected from said telephone line or a periodic billing signal arriving at an outside line; billing cycle signal determining means for determining a cycle; and transmitting a private billing signal from the private billing signal sending means based on the signal cycle determined when the setting storage means stores a setting indicating that a billing telephone is connected. A telephone device comprising a control means for controlling the telephone device.