JPH1042077A - Facsimile communication attendant service equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile communication attendant service equipment which receives service information accurately from a telephone exchange installation without any operation by a facsimile equipment communication party. SOLUTION: Whether or not an incoming call requests an immediate charge notice service is discriminated by referencing a database 8. When the discrimination is affirmative, a FAX signal analysis discrimination section 3 discriminates whether or not the incoming call is a facsimile signal and monitors the call till the communication is finished when the call is the facsimile signal. When the communication is finished, a charge calculation section 9 calculates a communication charge and a FAX reply section 5 generates facsimile information. Then a caller terminal equipment is called back and the facsimile information is sent to the caller terminal equipment. As a result, the caller terminal equipment can receive information relating to the communication charge by using the facsimile equipment. Or consulting information may be added to the charge information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile communication supplementary service apparatus, and more particularly, to a facsimile communication supplementary service which allows a user of a facsimile apparatus to easily and accurately receive a service relating to facsimile communication provided from a telephone exchange facility. Related to service equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transmitting side of facsimile communication confirms whether or not a document has been sent to a partner by using a communication management report and an error report of a facsimile terminal. The communication charge is managed by counting the communication time by a timer of the facsimile terminal and calculating the communication charge by using a charge table of the terminal itself.

[0003] On the other hand, there is an automatic real-time charge notification service for international telephone calls that immediately notifies a user of an international telephone charge after a call. This service can be enjoyed by the user inputting a predetermined prefix number before a normal telephone number.
Upon receiving the telephone number prefixed with the prefix number, the telephone exchange facility calls back the user after the end of the call, and notifies the user of the call time (minutes) and the call charge by voice.

[0004]

In the conventional system for confirming communication and managing communication charges by using the conventional communication management report and error report, it is possible to know the success or failure of communication as a result of communication. In such a case, there was a problem that the reason was not known. For example, since the receiving side is a personal computer, there is a problem that even if the facsimile communication becomes unsuccessful due to an inadequate call speed or a difference in signal level setting, this cannot be known. Further, since the facsimile terminal has a communication charge table, there is a problem that it is not possible to sufficiently cope with a complicated charge system in recent years. In particular, international calls have a complicated fee system that varies depending on the destination country, region, time of use, etc., making it difficult for users to provide communication fees with satisfactory accuracy. Was.

In the above-mentioned automatic immediate charge notification service, since the service is performed by voice, the sender of the facsimile communication manually switches the line from the facsimile terminal to the telephone after finishing the transmission of the facsimile terminal. There is a problem that the user has to wait for the notice of the charge from the telephone exchange facility, and the operation is troublesome. In addition, there is a problem that if the user makes a mistake in the operation, he or she may miss the communication fee. Furthermore, if the user does not know how to operate, there is a problem that the service cannot be received even though the telephone exchange facility notifies the user of the fee.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to automatically determine whether a calling terminal is a telephone or a facsimile by a switching facility. An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile communication supplementary service device which can accurately receive service information from a telephone exchange facility without performing any operation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile communication supplementary service device that can reduce the labor of the operator of the telephone exchange facility.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, when an incoming call is received, whether or not the caller is qualified to receive an immediate charge notification service is referred to by referring to a database. Means for determining whether the call is from a qualified person, and a means for temporarily storing the telephone number of the calling terminal,
Determining whether the signal on the communication path corresponding to the incoming call is a facsimile signal, and if the signal is a facsimile signal,
Means for monitoring and analyzing a signal to be communicated; charge calculating means for calculating and calculating a communication charge after facsimile communication is completed; means for creating the communication charge as facsimile information; And a means for transmitting facsimile information of the communication fee to the transmitting terminal. Further, when an abnormality occurs, it is characterized in that consulting information for solving the abnormality is added together with the notification of the communication fee.

According to the present invention, when the originating terminal is a facsimile machine, the immediate fee notification service is performed by facsimile information, so that the operator of the originating terminal can receive the fee notification without performing any operation. Can be. Therefore, the calling terminal can easily and accurately receive the charge notification. Further, when an error occurs in facsimile communication, information for solving the problem can be obtained.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a switching facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a call path switch unit 1 is a known exchange of a communication carrier. When a call is received from a calling terminal such as a facsimile machine or a telephone, the contents of a dial number are identified and an outgoing line is set. Capture and set up a communication line with the receiving terminal. A register 2 provided in the communication path switch unit 1 has a function of storing the terminal number of the calling side in order to call back the calling side terminal at the time of charge notification or notification of the result of facsimile communication. Facsimile (FA
X) The signal analysis / judgment unit 3 monitors the communication line and identifies whether the signal sent from the calling terminal is an audible signal or a facsimile signal. If the signal is a facsimile signal, monitoring is continued until communication ends, and communication information is collected from the procedure of facsimile communication. The details of the FAX signal analysis / determination unit 3 will be described later with reference to FIG.

When the content of the communication is voice, the voice response unit 4 translates the charge information into voice, and
Is called back to the telephone number stored in, and a charge notice is sent to the calling terminal. For example, "This is xx. The charge to xxx you just used is xx minutes.
It is ○○ yen in ○ seconds. ". Facsimile (F
AX) The response unit 5 creates a text to be sent to the facsimile machine which is the originating terminal, and sends it to the telephone number stored in the register 2. This document includes, for example, a communication time, a fee, and the number of sheets transmitted when the document transmission is successfully completed. When the document transmission is completed halfway without completing the transmission, the FAX signal analysis / determination unit is used. Various communication status information obtained from 3 such as the cause of communication interruption, the number of transmissions, and consulting information for solving the cause, etc., are sent together with the charge notice as one message. The maintenance terminal 6 is a device including a switchboard and the like for updating consulting information and the like.

The control unit 7 includes the above-mentioned communication path switch unit 1, FAX signal analysis / judgment unit 3, voice response unit 4, FAX
The operation of the response unit 5 and the charge calculation unit 9 is controlled. When an incoming call is received, it is determined whether or not the caller is registered to receive the facsimile communication additional service according to the present invention by referring to the database 8 based on the caller telephone number. Here, the database 8 contains personal information of the caller, for example, information as to whether or not the user is registered to receive the facsimile communication additional service, information as to whether or not the payment has been delinquent, and rejection of receiving international calls. It stores personal information such as whether or not it is done.

The charge calculator 9 calculates a communication charge by referring to a charge table based on the location of the communication partner, the communication time, the communication time zone, and the like. For facsimile communication,
When the communication is interrupted, the calculation of the adjustment of the communication fee for the number of successfully transmitted sheets is performed. The charge file 10 stores the charge information in chronological order or by originating terminal number, information history such as the cause in the case of poor facsimile communication, and the like, for inquiries from the user to the communication carrier at a later date and issuance of a bill. Also, the result of the success / failure of the fee notification is stored.

Note that reference numerals 11a and 11b denote a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal, respectively, connected to the switching facility having the above-described configuration. These terminals are telephones, facsimile machines and the like.

Next, the configuration and operation of the FAX signal analysis / judgment unit 3 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the FAX signal analysis / determination unit 3.

In FIG. 1, a service trunk 21 converts an audio signal inputted through the communication path switch unit 1 into an audible signal sound for telephone exchange such as voice and busy tone, and the like.
Identify facsimile signal tones. Since the service trunk 21 is known as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-204652, the description is omitted.

The fax signal identification trunk 22 collects facsimile signals, monitors signal errors, and measures power. The demodulation unit 23 demodulates the coded and modulated facsimile signal input via the communication path switch unit 1. That is, each signal of the communication protocol performed at the time of facsimile communication is demodulated and notified to the facsimile signal collection unit 25. The full band power measurement unit 24 continuously measures the power of the entire band of the audio frequency signal input via the communication path switch unit 1 for a predetermined time, and determines the maximum value of the power amount,
Measure the average and minimum values. Then, these are notified to the facsimile signal collection unit 25. . The facsimile signal collection unit 25 collects the facsimile signal demodulated by the demodulation unit 23, collects a signal error result, and collects a power amount measurement result from the full band power measurement unit 24.

The facsimile communication judging section 26 uses the service trunk 21 to communicate with the call path switch section 1.
If the audio signal on the communication path input via the is identified as a data sound such as a facsimile signal sound,
The signal obtained from the facsimile signal collection unit 25 is compared with each signal of a prescribed communication protocol, and the progress of facsimile communication is monitored. Also, the communication state of facsimile communication such as noise level and communication signal level determination is analyzed.
Also, the output result of the all-band power measurement unit 24 is checked. Then, it checks whether the facsimile communication was successful or unsuccessful, and investigates the cause of the unsuccessful communication. Also, the communication time is measured. These check results and measurement results are sent to the control unit 7.

A facsimile system comprising the service trunk 21, demodulation unit 23, whole band power measurement unit 24, facsimile signal collection unit 25, and facsimile communication determination unit 26.
A large number of signal analysis / determination units 3 are provided in parallel,
The determination as to whether or not signals on a number of communication paths are facsimile signals and the monitoring of signals when the signals are facsimile signals can be performed simultaneously in parallel.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When there is an incoming call to the switching equipment of this embodiment, at step S1, the call path switch unit 1
Sets the communication line. In step S2, the control unit 7 refers to the database 8 and determines whether or not the caller has registered for the immediate fee notification service. If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S3, where the originating terminal number is temporarily recorded in the register 2. On the other hand, if the determination is negative, that is, if the database 8 has not been registered to receive the immediate charge notification service, the process proceeds to step S13, and it is determined whether the communication has ended. And
When the judgment is affirmative, the communication is terminated without performing the immediate charge notification service.

In step S4, it is determined whether or not the calling terminal is a facsimile machine. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the FAX signal analysis / judgment unit 3 monitors a signal coming and going on the communication path and monitors whether or not communication is proceeding normally. When the communication is interrupted or terminated, the process proceeds to step S6. When the determination in step S4 is negative, that is, when the originating terminal is not a facsimile terminal, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, it is determined whether the communication has been interrupted or terminated. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S7, where the communication line is disconnected. Step S
At 8, the charge calculation unit 9 calculates a communication charge. The charge calculation unit 9 calculates a charge based on the transmission start time and the end time. In the case of facsimile communication, a charge is calculated for a page for which communication was successful, and an adjustment is made such that a charge is not charged for a page for which communication failed.

In step S9, it is determined whether or not the party to whom the immediate charge notification is made, that is, the calling terminal is a facsimile machine. When this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S10, where the communication status of the communication line and the fee information are sent to the FAX response unit 5 via the control unit 7. In step S11, the fee information, the consulting information, and the like are created by the FAX response unit 5. For example, when the communication is terminated during the transmission of the document information, a method of coping with the cause is included in the consulting information. When the creation of these information is completed, the process proceeds to step S12, where the FAX response unit 5 translates the information into a facsimile signal, calls the telephone number recorded in the register 2, and transmits the created information. .

On the other hand, if the determination in step S9 is negative, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, the charge calculating unit 9 notifies the voice response unit 4 of the communication charge information obtained by the calculation via the control unit 7. The voice response unit 4 translates the fee information into voice and prepares for voice transmission. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S12, where the calling side is called back and a communication charge is notified.

[0025]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, if the originating terminal is a facsimile machine and the fact that it is an immediate charge notice is registered in the database, the immediate charge notice is sent to the facsimile machine. Since the transmission is performed with the information, the transmitting terminal can receive the notification of the required fee reliably and accurately without performing any operation other than the normal operation of transmitting the information by facsimile. Further, when an abnormality occurs in facsimile communication and communication is terminated halfway, consulting information for solving the abnormality is transmitted to the transmitting terminal by facsimile information. Can be dealt with.

Further, according to the present invention, since the immediate charge notice can be received reliably and accurately, inquiries about the charge from the user of the facsimile apparatus to the communication carrier are reduced.
Therefore, the labor of the user and the operator can be reduced. In addition, since it is possible to take measures such as not to charge a fee for a document whose transmission has not been completed in facsimile communication, it is possible to notify a user of a fee that matches a fee measure of a communication carrier.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a specific example of a facsimile signal analysis / determination unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication channel switch part, 2 ... Register, 3 ... FAX signal analysis / judgment part, 4 ... Voice response part, 5 ... FAX response part, 6
... maintenance terminal, 7 ... control unit, 8 ... database, 9 ... charge calculation unit, 10 ... charge file.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A means for judging whether or not a caller is qualified to receive an immediate charge notification service by referring to a database when an incoming call is received, and when the call is from a qualified person. Means for temporarily storing the telephone number of the calling terminal, determining whether the signal on the communication path corresponding to the incoming call is a facsimile signal, and determining whether the signal is a facsimile signal.
Means for monitoring and analyzing a signal to be communicated; charge calculating means for calculating and obtaining a communication charge after facsimile communication is completed; means for creating the communication charge as facsimile information; and the transmitting terminal according to the telephone number of the transmitting terminal Call back,
Means for transmitting the facsimile information of the communication fee to the originating terminal.