KR100369982B1 - System for Internet phone service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an Internet phone service system.

The present invention provides user management means for providing a user interface via the Internet, assigning a telephone number to a subscriber, and managing user information; An address translation server that manages a table for translating a user's telephone number and an IP address, updates an IP address of a logged in user, and provides a corresponding IP address when a telephone number is input; An Internet phone gateway connected to a public telephone network or the Internet and receiving an IP address from an address translation server when a phone number is received when a call is set up and relaying the connection to the corresponding IP address; Missed call processing server that notifies the recipient is not available through the Internet phone gateway and provides a menu for delivering a message to the missed recipient; And a unified messaging server for delivering a voice message or a short message selected by the missed sender to the receiver.

Therefore, according to the present invention, after assigning a phone number similar to a regular phone to an Internet phone terminal such as a PC, the phone-to-PC or PC-to-PC method can be accessed using the phone number. Can be. It is also possible to record voice and text messages when the Internet phone user is absent, and call forwarding is also possible.

Description

Internet phone service system {System for Internet phone service}

The present invention relates to an Internet phone, and more particularly, to an Internet phone service system for facilitating connection by assigning an ordinary phone number to an Internet phone user.

In general, the Internet phone service is a service that enables voice calls using a global communication infrastructure called the Internet instead of the existing public telephone network (PSTN). Conventional public switched telephone network (PSTN) is a circuit-switched network that provides static switching and provides fixed bandwidth of 64Kbps, ensuring call quality. However, the Internet is a packet-switched network that performs dynamic routing and provides best-effort service, so it is difficult to guarantee call quality. Nevertheless, internet phones are widely used because they can make long distance calls at low prices and create various types of services.

Internet phone service is classified into PC-to-PC, PC-to-phone, Phone-to-PC, and phone-to-phone. can do. Two users who want to talk in PC-to-PC method use the internet-enabled multimedia computer as the terminal of Internet phone. These computers may be connected on a LAN or connected to a telephone line to use the Internet through an ISP. In the codec and software of the sending PC, the sampling, compression, and packetization of the audio signal occurs, and the received audio signal is reproduced through the sound card of the receiving PC.

In the PC-to-phone method, the PC is first connected to the Internet phone gateway, and the gateway is informed of the other party's phone number, and the gateway interprets it and the other party's phone through the existing public telephone network (PSTN). Connect to

In the phone-to-PC method, the existing public telephone network subscriber accesses the Internet phone gateway and provides the gateway with information about the other party to which the Internet phone gateway connects to the PC through the Internet. To be able.

The phone-to-phone method is a method for making a call during an existing telephone period through the Internet. A user connected to a public telephone network connects to a nearby gateway using an existing telephone, and then authenticates and charges a user. Enter the phone number of the other party after going through the sender verification process. The sending gateway then packetizes the other party's telephone number and sends it to the gateway closest to the receiving party via the Internet. The receiving gateway converts the packet back to the general telephone number and sends a call to the other party through the general telephone network. After the connection setup is completed between the two users, the voice data is coded at the gateway and transmitted through the Internet, and the other gateway decodes it, reproduces it as a voice signal, and sends it to the telephone network.

However, such a conventional Internet phone service has a problem in that it is inconvenient to connect because it needs to know the IP address of the other party in order to access the Internet phone user using a regular phone or a PC. In other words, in the conventional Internet phone service, a phone number can be dialed from a PC or a telephone to a general telephone, but in order to dial from a PC to a PC or a telephone to a PC, an Internet phone subscriber first connects to a service provider server to access information. There is a problem that the dialing is available only if you have provided or informed the other party's own IP address.

In addition, when the PC-receiving Internet phone service user is not in a reception standby state, the caller cannot connect with the receiver, which causes a problem in that the telephone connection probability is very low.

The present invention provides an Internet phone service system that facilitates access by assigning a phone number to an Internet phone user in order to solve the above problems, and enables message recording and call forwarding when the Internet phone user is absent. The purpose is.

1 is a block diagram of an Internet phone service site according to the present invention,

2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of receiving a phone number from an Internet phone user according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating an IP management procedure when a service subscriber logs in according to the present invention;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for accessing an Internet phone using a normal telephone according to the present invention;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for connecting to another Internet phone using an Internet phone (PC) according to the present invention;

6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for connecting with a subscriber of another Internet phone operator according to the present invention;

7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for delivering a message to a missed subscriber or processing call forwarding according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

102: telephone 104: public telephone network (PSTN)

106: Internet phone (PC) 108: Internet

120: Internet phone service site 121: Internet phone management station

122: user management database 123: Internet phone gateway

124: address translation server 125: missed call processing server

126: Integrated Messaging System 127: VMS Database

128: SMS Database 129: IP Message Database

In order to achieve the above object, the method of the present invention comprises: user management means for accessing the Internet to provide an interface with a user, assigning a telephone number to a user who has applied for subscription, and managing user information; The ability to manage the table for translating the user's phone number and IP address, to update the IP address of the logged-in user, to provide the corresponding IP address when the phone number is entered, and when the recipient is absent An address translation server that performs a function of requesting missed call processing; An Internet phone gateway connected to a public telephone network or the Internet and requesting an IP address corresponding to a telephone number from the address conversion server when a telephone number is received when a call is set up, and relaying a connection to the corresponding IP address if an IP address is received; When the missed call processing request signal is received from the address translation server, a menu for notifying that the receiver is absent through the Internet phone gateway and selecting one of a voice message, a short message, and an IP message to deliver the message to the missed recipient Missed call processing server to provide; And an integrated messaging server for delivering the voice message, the short message or the IP message selected by the sender to the receiver through a menu provided by the missed call processing server. If it is set to, it can be configured to connect to the set phone number more preferably.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Internet phone service site according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, is connected to the public telephone network (PSTN: 104) and the Internet 108, the public telephone network 104 is connected to the public telephone 102, The Internet 108 is connected to PCs 106 which act as Internet phones. The Internet phone service site 120 according to the present invention includes an Internet phone management station 121, a user management database 122, an Internet phone gateway 123, an address translation server 124, a missed call processing server 125, Integrated messaging server 126, VMS DB (127), SMS DB (128), IP message DB (129) is configured to assign a phone number to the Internet phone subscribers to receive it by the phone number, Enable call forwarding or message forwarding. Here, each server of the Internet phone service site 120 may be implemented as a separate computer and connected to each other through a LAN, or may be integrated into one or several computers.

Referring to FIG. 1, the Internet Phone Management Station 121 includes a web server function capable of transmitting web pages through the Internet 108 and the HTTP protocol, and manages service subscribers. The user management DB 122 stores user management information, and updates the data when receiving an update request from the Internet phone management station 121. In other words, the user management database 122 stores user information such as the number of times of use, management information such as QoS, user contact information, occupation, etc., and can be implemented as a database system that can be accessed at a relatively low speed.

The Internet phone gateway 123 connects to the Internet 108 according to the RTP, SIP, and H.323 protocols, and connects to the public telephone network 104 in the SS7 and R2 manners to mediate connection between different networks. In addition, the Internet phone gateway 123 includes a message gateway, a signaling gateway function, and a VoIP function. When the phone number is received from the public telephone network 104 or the Internet 108, the IP phone gateway 123 receives the corresponding IP address ( Address), and upon receiving an IP address, provides the function to connect to that IP address. If the other party is absent, the sender receives a menu for the missed processing from the missed call processing server 125 and provides the sender to the sender, and performs a call forwarding or message delivery function according to the sender's selection.

The Address Translation Server (124) stores a table of telephone numbers assigned to users and IP addresses when each user logs in, and then retrieves the telephone numbers from the Internet phone gateway 123. When received, it provides an IP address to connect with the subscriber. At this time, when the subscriber is absent, the missed call processing server 125 connects the Internet phone gateway 123 to the missed call processing service. The database of the address translation server 124 uses a memory database that can be accessed quickly in order to process a quick inquiry / update of the address required by the Internet phone gateway 123.

When the missed call processing server 125 receives the information on the missed subscriber from the address translation server 124, the missed call processing server 125 provides the sender with a menu for the missed processing through the Internet phone gateway 123. In this case, when the caller attempts to make a call using the general telephone 102, the user can provide a guide voice and then select a desired procedure using the keypad of the telephone. When the caller attempts the call using the PC 106, the web page is used. Allows you to select the desired procedure from the on-screen menu. If the subscriber is set to call forwarding, the Internet phone gateway 123 forwards the call to the telephone number set by the subscriber.

Unified Messaging (UMS) server 126 is an integrated message server for delivering messages in a variety of ways, including voice as well as text, voice mailbox DB (VMS DB: 127), short message service DB (SMS DB: 128), IP message Connected with DB 129 or the like, the sender can leave a message such as voice or text when the receiver is absent (ie, logged out).

2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which an Internet phone user is assigned a phone number according to the present invention. The user who will use the Internet phone service according to the present invention accesses the Internet phone service site 120 according to the present invention and applies for subscription (S1, S2). Subsequently, the Internet phone management station 121 generates a table for the user and the telephone number to be given to the user, as shown in Table 1, in the user management database 122 and then assigns the telephone number to the user (S3, S4). .

User ID (full name) Phone number Hong Gil Dong 015-300-1234 Soon-bok Kim 015-300-5454 leh21 015-400-xxxx ..... .....

3 is a flowchart illustrating an IP management procedure when a service subscriber logs in according to the present invention.

When the service subscriber according to the present invention accesses the Internet phone service site 120 and logs in, the IP address of the table corresponding to the telephone number of the logged in subscriber and the IP address is updated to the IP address at login. (S11, S12). That is, the address translation server 124 manages a table of phone numbers and IP addresses as shown in Table 2 below, and provides a corresponding IP address when a phone number is input from the Internet phone gateway 123.

User id Phone number IP address UDP port condition Hong Gil Dong 015-300-1234 192.100.100.xxx Pa login Soon-bok Kim 015-300-5454 210.200.120.xxx Pb Missed leh21 015-400-xxxx 192.250.121.xxx Pc login .... .... ..... ..... .....

Referring to Table 2, the address translation server 124 manages a user ID (or name), a phone number, an IP address, etc. for each subscriber, and finds and provides a corresponding IP address when a phone number is input. At this time, the IP address is updated every time the login is performed. Since most individual users access the Internet through an Internet service provider (ISP) using a PC, the IP address is changed every time. Therefore, you need to update the IP address every time you log in. In addition, an item indicating a subscriber's status (eg, missed, logged in, etc.) is added to the telephone number and IP address correspondence table to be connected to the missed call processing server 125 when the user is absent, and a telephone number for call forwarding, etc. Can be added.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of accessing an Internet phone using a normal telephone according to the present invention. Referring to Fig. 4, the sender dials the telephone number (015-300-xxxx) given to the receiver using the general telephone 102. At this time, the telephone number of the receiver is a telephone number assigned to the subscriber from the Internet phone service site 120 in the above-described subscription process, and is composed of a network identification number, a station number, and an individual number. For example, in 015-300-1234, "015" is a network identification number, "300" is a station number, and "1234" is an individual number.

The exchanges of the public telephone network interpret the network identification number 015 to transmit a call to the corresponding network, and then the exchange 105 of the corresponding network translates the station number and accesses the corresponding Internet phone gateway 123. Subsequently, the Internet phone gateway 123 requests IP information from the address translation server 124 using the received phone number. The address translation server 124 queries the table as described above and notifies the IP address corresponding to the input telephone number. Accordingly, the Internet phone gateway 123 requests a connection to the corresponding IP address through the Internet 108. do. In this way, when a connection is made between the sender using the ordinary telephone 102 and the receiver using the Internet phone 106, the sender and the receiver make a call.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for connecting to another Internet phone using an Internet phone (PC) according to the present invention. 5, the Internet phone 106a dials directly to the Internet phone gateway 123 because the Internet phone 106a is connected to the Internet rather than through a public telephone network. Upon receiving the phone number, the Internet phone gateway 123 requests the corresponding IP address from the address translation server 124. When the address translation server 124 receives a phone number from the Internet phone 123, the address translation server 124 inquires a table as described above, and notifies the IP address corresponding to the input phone number. 108) to connect to the IP address. In this way, when a connection is established between a sender using a PC (Internet phone) and a receiver using another Internet phone, the sender and the receiver make a call.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for accessing a subscriber of another Internet phone operator according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the signal flow when user A 106a dials to user B 106b follows a path indicated by a dotted line, and the signal flow when user B dials to user A is a solid path. Follow. When the user A dials to the user B, the operator gateway 123a of the Internet phone A requests the IP address corresponding to the telephone number from the address translation server 124, and the address translation server 124 provides the IP address. The user B 106b is directly connected to the Internet phone B without the operator gateway 123b. On the contrary, when the user B dials to the user A, the operator gateway 123b of the Internet phone B requests the IP address corresponding to the telephone number from the address translation server 124, and the address translation server 124 sends the IP address. If so, the user A 106a is directly connected to the Internet phone A without the operator gateway 123a.

In this way, since there is no need to go through the gateway of the other party in connection with the user of another Internet phone provider, compatibility between gateways is possible, but Internet phone programs should be compatible with each other.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for delivering a message to a missed subscriber or processing call forwarding according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the phone is dialed through the public telephone network 104 using the landline phone 102 or the Internet 108 using the Internet phone 106, the Internet phone gateway 123 converts the address. When the other party is not logged in when the server 124 requests the IP address of the corresponding phone number, the call is transferred to the missed call processing server 125 and the missed call processing server 125 is transferred through the Internet phone gateway 123. In addition to notifying that the user is absent, a menu for the missed call processing is provided. When the sender listens to the missed call menu or selects the next procedure in the report, the sender's choice is taken. For example, if the sender selects the voicemail function, the Internet phone gateway 123 leaves a voice message in the voicemail database 127 through the integrated message server 126, and selects a text message through the integrated message server 126. It is stored in the short message database 128, and in the case of message transmission (e-mail, FAX, etc.) using the Internet is stored in the IP message database (129). If the user of the telephone number is set to the call forwarding function, the caller attempts to transfer the call to the telephone number left by the user and connects the sender and the receiver.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the user of the Internet phone is absent, the message can be delivered by voice mail, text service, e-mail, fax, etc. using the integrated message system.

As described above, according to the present invention, after assigning a phone number similar to a general phone to an Internet phone terminal such as a PC, the phone is also called in a phone-to-PC or PC-to-PC method. By allowing you to access numbers, you can easily connect to an Internet phone. In particular, the present invention has the advantage that it is possible to exchange information quickly by voice, text, e-mail, etc., even when the Internet phone user is absent (logout) using the integrated message system.

Claims (5)

delete An internet phone service system in which a sender can communicate with a receiver of another Internet phone terminal by using a general telephone connected to a public telephone network or an Internet phone connected to the Internet. User management means for providing an interface with a user connected to the Internet, assigning a phone number to a user who has applied for subscription, and managing user information; The ability to manage the table for translating the user's phone number and IP address, to update the IP address of the logged-in user, to provide the corresponding IP address when the phone number is entered, and when the recipient is absent An address translation server that performs a function of requesting missed call processing; An Internet phone gateway connected to a public telephone network or the Internet and requesting an IP address corresponding to a telephone number from the address conversion server when a telephone number is received when a call is set up, and relaying a connection to the corresponding IP address if an IP address is received; When the missed call processing request signal is received from the address translation server, a menu for notifying that the receiver is absent through the Internet phone gateway and selecting one of a voice message, a short message, and an IP message to deliver the message to the missed recipient Missed call processing server to provide; And And an integrated messaging server for delivering a voice message, a short message or an IP message selected by the sender to the receiver through a menu provided by the missed call processing server. delete The method of claim 2, And the Internet phone gateway connects to the set phone number if the receiver information is set to call forwarding. delete