KR100673512B1 - Method for providing conference call service and internet protocol exchange system adopting the method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing a conference call service and an IP exchange system for performing the method, and more particularly, to provide a conference call service using a mixer included in the IP exchange system under the control of the IP exchange system. And an IP switch system thereof.

In a method of providing conference call service in an IP exchange system according to the present invention, a first step of processing a first call between a first telephone of a first subscriber and a second telephone of a second subscriber in a pending state, A second step of processing a second call between a third telephone of a third subscriber in a call state, an event corresponding to a conference call request from the first telephone, in the held state of the first call and the call state of the second call; A third step of receiving, a fourth step of terminating either the first call or the second call on the first telephone side, a media channel reset message including media channel information for a predetermined mixer; Transmitting to a telephone, a second telephone, and the third telephone to allow a conference call between the first telephone, the second telephone, and the third telephone via the mixer; And that is characterized.

According to the present invention, there is provided a conference call service providing method capable of providing a conference call service to a subscriber by using an IP terminal (telephone) having a minimum function without a mixer device, and an IP exchange system employing the above method. Is provided.

According to the present invention, a telephone can be provided with a conference call service at a low-cost IP terminal that does not have an additional device such as a mixer device, and allows the IP exchange system to centrally manage whether to provide conference call service. The effect can be obtained.

IP switch system, mixer, conference call service, IP terminal, channel information

Description

METHOD FOR PROVIDING CONFERENCE CALL SERVICE AND INTERNET PROTOCOL EXCHANGE SYSTEM ADOPTING THE METHOD}

1A is a diagram illustrating a conference call service provided through a conference server according to the related art.

FIG. 1B is a flowchart illustrating a call processing process between each phone performing a conference call service according to the related art.

2A is a diagram illustrating a network connection of an IP exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an IP exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a conference call service providing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a subscriber information database according to one embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform the method for providing conference call services in accordance with the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: IP switch system

201: subscriber information database 202: call processing unit

203: Interface unit 204: Conference call service control unit

205: mixer device 206: OAM

212: external user's telephone 232: subscriber's telephone

The present invention relates to a method for providing a conference call service and an IP exchange system for performing the method, and more particularly, to provide a conference call service using a mixer included in the IP exchange system under the control of the IP exchange system. And an IP switch system thereof.

1A is a diagram illustrating a conference call service provided through a conference server according to the related art.

The first telephone 111 of the first subscriber, which is the subject of the conference call, uses the specific number and connects to the conference server 130 via the exchange 120.

The conference server 130 transmits the call to the second telephone 112 of the second subscriber and the third telephone 113 of the third subscriber, which is the target of the conference call, so that the conference call between the first subscriber, the second subscriber, and the third subscriber is performed. Serves to provide.

In this case, since the exchange 120 recognizes the conference server 130 as a kind of terminal, it is difficult to control the conference call service at the exchange 120.

In addition, the conference server 130 should include an automatic response system, a mixer device for generating media channel information, and the like, to provide a conference call in the above manner. The call processing must be performed within the), and therefore, a very complicated structure is inevitable. Moreover, having such a complex conference server 130 in addition to the exchange 120 for the conference call service has been a heavy burden on the service provider.

FIG. 1B is a flowchart illustrating a call processing process between each phone performing a conference call service according to another conventional technology.

In step 101, a call is established between the first telephone 111 of the first subscriber and the second telephone 112 of the second subscriber to make a voice call between the first subscriber and the second subscriber. FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which audio data between the first telephone 111 and the second telephone 112 is transmitted and received in real time using RTP.

In step 102, the first telephone 111 sends a conference call request message to the third telephone 113 of the third subscriber to call the third subscriber. The conference call request message includes a telephone number of the third telephone 113, so that an exchange system (not shown) transmits the identified conference call request message to the third telephone 113 using the telephone number. You can relay. As such, the exchange system according to the prior art does not perform a separate control operation to provide a conference call function.

In addition, in order for the first subscriber to be provided with the conference call function, the first phone 111 must be equipped with a mixer, and then the conference call can be performed through the mixer.

The first telephone 111 transmits the media channel information of the mixer for connecting to the mixer to the second telephone 112 and the third telephone 113 (steps 103 and 104). Accordingly, the second telephone 112 and the third telephone 113 can access the mixer using the media channel information, so that the first telephone 111, the second telephone 112, and the third telephone ( A conference call between 113 is established.

However, according to the prior art as described above, the first telephone 111 of the first subscriber 111 that transmits the conference call request in each step for determining whether to provide a conference call service to a predetermined subscriber and for supporting the conference call service. Will be performed by In addition, the conference call service can be provided to the first subscriber only when the mixer is provided in the first telephone 111.

Therefore, the method of providing a conference call service according to the related art has a problem that the telephone itself must have an additional device such as a mixer to support the conference call function. Has a problem in that it is not possible to control whether or not to provide a conference call service for all subscribers.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, it is possible to provide a conference call service to the subscriber by using an IP terminal (telephone) having a minimum function, which does not have a mixer device An object of the present invention is to provide a conference call service providing method and an IP exchange system employing the above method.

It is also an object of the present invention to enable subscribers to be provided with conference call services at low cost IP terminals that do not have additional devices as in the prior art.

In addition, the present invention provides a conference call service that allows the IP exchange system to centrally manage whether to provide conference call service by providing a mixer device in the IP exchange system to control call processing between the telephones of each subscriber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an IP switch system employing the method.

In order to achieve the above object and to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the method of providing a conference call service in the IP exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention is the first telephone and the second subscriber of the first subscriber; A first step of placing a first call between two telephones in a held state, a second step of processing a second call between the first telephone and a third telephone of a third subscriber in a call state, a hold state of the first call And a third step of receiving an event corresponding to a conference call request from the first telephone in the call state of the second call and terminating any one of the first call or the second call on the first telephone side. In step 4, a media channel reset message including media channel information for a predetermined mixer is transmitted to the first telephone, the second telephone, and the third telephone, and through the mixer, the first telephone, And a fifth step of allowing conference calls between the second telephone and the third telephone.

In addition, the IP exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a subscriber information database that includes conference call service authorization information associated with a subscriber for each subscriber, a first between a first telephone of a first subscriber and a second telephone of a second subscriber. A call processing unit for processing a call on hold and processing a second call between the first telephone and a third telephone of a third subscriber in a call state, in a hold state of the first call and a call state of the second call, It is determined whether the first subscriber has a conference call service right by referring to the interface unit receiving the event corresponding to the conference call request from the first telephone and the subscriber information database, and as a result of the determination, the conference call to the first subscriber. If there is a service right, terminate either the first call or the second call on the first telephone side, Control a predetermined mixer device to obtain media channel information for the predetermined mixer, and send a media channel reset message including the media channel information to the first telephone, the second telephone, and the third telephone through the interface unit. And a conference call service control unit for controlling the transmission to allow a conference call between the first telephone, the second telephone, and the third telephone through the mixer.

In this specification, the IP exchange system is an exchange that supports Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) such as IP Internet Protocol-Private Branch Exchange (PBX), IP-Centrex, soft switch, SIP proxy server or gateway (Gateway). It may be a system.

IP-PBX is an enterprise voice communication system that provides telephony service based on IP. The IP-PBX can be classified into 1) IP-Enable, 2) Converged, and 3) All-IP. IP-Centrex is a group of subscribers' phone lines that can be managed in the same way as an internal PBX but does not require the purchase or maintenance of equipment such as a PBX.

The soft switch, referred to as a "call agent" or a "media gateway controller", refers to a software switch that provides call control and signaling to a Next Generation Network (NGN).

As used herein, the term "telephone" is used as a concept that includes all IP terminals that can communicate with an IP exchanger to support voice calls.

As used herein, the term " conference call service " refers to a service that allows the subscriber and a plurality of call counterparts to simultaneously make calls at the request of a subscriber authorized to receive the conference call service.

2A is a diagram illustrating a network connection of an IP exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the external user 210 wants to talk to the subscriber 231, the external user 210 calls a predetermined representative phone to access the IP exchange system 200 to which the telephone 232 of the subscriber 231 is connected. Enter a number to request call setup to exchange system 220. The exchange system 220 relays the call between the IP exchange system 200 identified using the representative telephone number and the telephone 212 of the external user 211 in response to the call establishment request.

When the IP exchange system 200 is equipped with an automatic response system (not shown), the automatic response system provides voice guidance so that the external user 211 can select a subscriber to call. When the external user 211 selects the subscriber 231 according to the voice guidance, the IP exchange system 200 sets up a call between the telephone 232 of the subscriber 231 and the telephone 212 of the external user 211. By controlling, the subscriber 231 and the external user 211 can make a voice call.

In addition, the IP exchange system 200 may provide a conference call service in addition to the basic service that enables voice calls between the sender and the receiver.

Hereinafter, a method for providing a conference call service according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 3. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the IP switch system according to the present embodiment in more detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a conference call service according to the present embodiment.

The IP exchange system 200 may be configured to include a subscriber information database 201, a call processing unit 202, an interface unit 203, a conference call service control unit 204, a mixer device 205, and an OAM 206. have.

The call processing unit 202 is a module for controlling a call state between the subscriber's telephone 232 and the external user's telephone 221 when a call service request such as a voice call request between an internal subscriber or an external user is input. .

The interface unit 203 is a module for relaying the connection between the IP switch system 200 and the subscriber's telephone (232, etc.).

Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) 206 refers to a group of network management functions that indicate network faults or provide performance information and have diagnostic capabilities.

Other detailed operations and detailed operations of the subscriber information database 201, the conference call service control unit 204, and the mixer device 205 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

In step 301 the IP exchange system 200 maintains a subscriber information database 201. The subscriber information database 201 includes conference call service authority information for determining whether to provide conference call service to the subscriber for each subscriber, that is, whether or not the subscriber has conference call service authority.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a subscriber information database 201 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 (a) is associated with the service group and the subscriber, Figure 4 (b) shows a data structure associated with the call service identifier for each service group. The conference call service is one of call services, and accordingly, referring to FIG. 4, it is possible to identify a call service provided to each subscriber. For example, since subscriber Song Yun-a is associated with service group B, and service group B is associated with conference call service among the call services, the IP exchange system 200 provides the conference call service right to receive conference call service from subscriber Song Yun-a. You can judge that there is.

However, the subscriber information database 201 having a data structure as shown in FIG. 4 is exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is all having a data structure generated to determine whether to provide conference call service for each subscriber. Crazy about the database.

In step 302, the call processing unit 202 of the IP exchange system 200 processes the first call between the first telephone of the first subscriber and the second telephone of the second subscriber in a held state, and in step 303 The second call between the first telephone and the third telephone of the third subscriber is handled in a call state.

In step 304, the interface unit 203 of the IP exchange system 200 receives an event corresponding to the conference call request from the first telephone, in the held state of the first call and the call state of the second call. The event may correspond to an event for a HookFlash or a conference call key input.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the IP exchange system 200 may transmit an event corresponding to the conference call request to the third phone when the second call connection request from the first phone. In this case, the information that the first subscriber wants to conference call may be stored in the IP exchange system 200.

In step 305, the conference call control unit 204 of the IP exchange system 200 determines whether to provide conference call service to the first subscriber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the conference call service control unit 204 refers to the subscriber information database 201 to determine whether the conference call service authority is granted to the first subscriber. For example, in FIG. 4, if the first subscriber is Jeong Woo Sung, the IP exchange system 200 does not provide conference call service to the first subscriber and “unable to use the conference call service” to the first subscriber. Voice guidance such as may be provided.

Further, for example, in FIG. 4, when the first subscriber is sensibility, sensibility is associated with service group A, and service group A is associated with call transfer service, assignment service, and conference call service, respectively. Each process below step 306 may be performed to provide a conference call service to one subscriber.

In step 306, the conference call service control unit 204 terminates either the first call or the second call present in the first telephone.

If the first subscriber has the conference call service right, in step 307 the conference call service control unit 204 requests the mixer device 205 to assign a mixer to the predetermined mixer from the mixer device 205. Obtain media channel information for

In step 308, the conference call service control unit 204 transmits a media channel reset message including the media channel information to the first telephone, the second telephone, and the third telephone through the interface unit 203.

As a result, the first telephone, the second telephone and the third telephone can all know the media channel information for the mixer, and the first to third telephones use the media channel information and the mixer Conference calls are enabled (step 309).

The conference call service providing method according to the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. The medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

5 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform the method for providing conference call services in accordance with the present invention.

Computer device 500 includes one or more processors 510 connected to a main memory device including random access memory (RAM) 520 and read only memory (ROM) 530. The processor 510 is also called a central processing unit (CPU). As is well known in the art, the ROM 530 serves to transfer data and instructions to the CPU unidirectionally, and the RAM 520 typically transfers data and instructions bidirectionally. Used to. RAM 520 and ROM 530 may include any suitable form of computer readable media. Mass storage 540 is bidirectionally coupled to processor 510 to provide additional data storage capability and may be any of the computer readable recording media described above. The mass storage device 540 is used to store programs, data, and the like, and is a secondary memory device such as a hard disk which is generally slower than the main memory device. Certain mass storage devices such as CD ROM 560 may be used. The processor 510 may include one or more input / output interfaces, such as video monitors, trackballs, mice, keyboards, microphones, touchscreen displays, card readers, magnetic or paper tape readers, voice or handwriting readers, joysticks, or other known computer input / output devices. 550 is connected. Finally, the processor 510 may be connected to a wired or wireless communication network through the network interface 570. Through this network connection, the procedure of the method described above can be performed. The apparatus and tools described above are well known to those skilled in the computer hardware and software arts. On the other hand, the hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations from such descriptions. This is possible.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below but also by the equivalents of the claims.

According to the present invention, there is provided a conference call service providing method capable of providing a conference call service to a subscriber by using an IP terminal (telephone) having a minimum function without a mixer device, and an IP exchange system employing the above method. Is provided.

In addition, according to the present invention, a subscriber can be provided with a conference call service at a low-cost IP terminal that does not have an additional device as in the prior art. Therefore, subscribers who want to be provided with conference call service have an advantage of only having to purchase a low-cost IP terminal.

In addition, according to the present invention, by providing a mixer device in the IP exchange system to control the call processing between the telephones of each subscriber, the conference that allows the IP exchange system to centrally manage whether to provide the conference call service A call service providing method and an IP switch system employing the method are provided. That is, according to the present invention, the IP exchange system determines whether to provide a conference call service to a predetermined subscriber.

Claims (6)

What is claimed is: 1. A method for providing conference call service in an IP exchange system connected to a plurality of phones to provide one or more call services to subscribers of the phone. A first step of placing a first call between a first telephone of a first subscriber and a second telephone of a second subscriber in a held state; A second step of processing a second call between the first telephone and a third telephone of a third subscriber in a call state; Receiving an event corresponding to a conference call request from the first telephone in the held state of the first call and the call state of the second call; A fourth step of terminating either the first call or the second call on the first telephone side; Sends a media channel reset message including media channel information for a given mixer to the first, second and third phones, through the mixer to the first, second and third phones; A fifth step of allowing conference calls between telephones; Maintaining a subscriber information database including conference call service authority information for each subscriber, which is information on whether the subscriber has conference call service authority for receiving conference call service; Determining whether the first subscriber has a conference call service right by referring to the subscriber information database; And Performing the third step and the fourth step if the first subscriber has conference call service authority as a result of the determination; Conference call service providing method comprising a. The method of claim 1, The media channel information is Requesting a predetermined mixer device to assign a mixer; And Receiving media channel information for a given mixer from the mixer device Conference call service providing method, characterized in that obtained by performing. delete The method of claim 1, And receiving a call connection request message including an identifier corresponding to the conference call request when the second call connection request from the first telephone is requested. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method of any one of claims 1, 2 and 4 is recorded. An IP exchange system connected to a plurality of telephones to provide one or more call services to subscribers of the telephones. A subscriber information database including conference call service authority information associated with a subscriber for each subscriber; Process a first call between a first telephone of a first subscriber and a second telephone of a second subscriber in a held state, and process a second call between the first telephone and a third telephone of a third subscriber in a call state; Call processing unit; An interface unit configured to receive an event corresponding to a conference call request from the first telephone in the held state of the first call and the call state of the second call; And Determine whether the first subscriber has a conference call service right by referring to the subscriber information database; If the first subscriber has the conference call service right as a result of the determination, one of the first call or the second call on the first telephone side is terminated. Control a given mixer device to obtain media channel information for the given mixer, Control to transmit a media channel reset message including the media channel information to the first phone, the second phone, and the third phone through the interface unit, thereby enabling the first phone, the second phone, and the Conference call service control to allow conference calls between third phones IP exchange system comprising a.

Images