NZ272198A

NZ272198A - Voice mail exchange: all calls to unanswered subscriber routed to speech store following first instance

Info

Publication number: NZ272198A
Application number: NZ27219895A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Arpad Hegedus
Original assignee: Alcatel Australia
Priority date: 1994-06-01
Filing date: 1995-05-23
Publication date: 1997-02-24
Also published as: AU700503B2; CA2150619A1; AU2017895A; EP0685956A3; EP0685956A2

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> 272198 • (oriiy n-t^s): CpacifScation Filed: .:-..MCM1.h)£0. ] ruciication Da?©: 23..X£A.$?!L ll'.O. Jvvfn^l Ho: NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION " VOICE MAIL ARRANGEMENT " WE, ALCATEL AUSTRALIA LIMITED, oo° <=°3 3^3) A Company of the State of New South Wales, of 280 Botany Road, Alexandria, New South Wales, 2015, Australia, hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 272198 This invention relates to a telephone exchange with speech storage equipment, which is connected to the calling subscriber if ringing takes place by the calling subscriber and the called subscriber does not answer the call after a predetermined time, and also relates to a procedure for storing voice messages in such an exchange, in which speech storage equipment is capable of storing voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber on his request. Telephone exchanges with speech storage equipment are already known 10 and are mostly described in technical terminology as voice mail devices. The known devices have the disadvantage in that each new call is first passed to the subscribers' station and then is connected afterwards to the speech storage equipment only if the subscriber's handset has not been picked up within a predetermined time. For the most part, other people in the room at the same time 15 find this bothersome. In addition, the preset period of time passes by uselessly before the call is transferred It is am object of the present invention to eliminate this disadvantage, in particular to keep the waiting period until access to the speech storage equipment as short as possible. 20 According to the invention, there is provided a telephone exchange with speech store equipment which, if ringing takes place by the calling subscriber and the called subscriber does not answer the call, is connected to the calling subscriber 272 19 after a predetermined time, whereby the speech store equipment is abler to store voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber on his request, wherein the telephone exchange includes switching means which will also connect all further calls for the called subscriber to the speech store equipment as soon as one switchover of the called subscriber to the speech store equipment has been carried out. Preferably, the switching means connect all further incoming calls for the called subscriber again with that subscriber's telephone after the activation procedure has occurred at the called subscriber's station, for example by picking up the handset. Another preferable embodiment of the invention provides that the switching means connect all further incoming calls for the called subscriber again with that subscriber's telephone only after the interrogation request has been initiated by the called subscriber. This measure avoids switch-over to the called subscriber also then occurring, if that subscriber's telephone was being used by a third party or if the called subscriber is in fact making an outgoing call, though is not ready to speak for an incoming call. In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, an embodiment thereof will now be described in relation to the single figure of the drawing. At the telephone exchange 1, subscriber terminal equipment is connected via the ports a...z. In this example, the ports a...w are provided for connection of telephones 2, 3 arid voice mail equipment is connected to the ports x, y and z. Therefore 3 voice mail devices can be engaged simultaneously. The telephone exchange 1 contains a coupling panel 4 via which the terminal equipment 2,3 7 are connected to each other in a known way, and is controlled by a control program 5. Subscriber 2 now calls, for example, subscriber 3, who is not however ready to speak at the moment. After a predetermined call time has gone by, an automatic switch-over of voice communication to the voice mail device 7 occurs via the control program 5 in a known way. If the call of subscriber 2 is now diverted to the voice mail device 7, then the typical communication exchange for voice mail equipment takes place. The voice mail equipment is represented to subscriber 2 by means of a stored message and invites the latter to record his message for subscriber 3. This process as a rule is ended by subscriber 2 hanging up or by a predetermined recording time coming to an end. After completing the conversation of the calling subscriber 2 with the voice mail equipment 7 of the called subscriber 3, the voice mail equipment for the called subscriber according to the invention remains activated. Each additional incoming call is now automatically passed on to the voice mail equipment until the called subscriber 3 actually picks up his telephone, for example. The control program 5 now recognises that subscriber 3 is again ready to speak and again switches all further incoming call for subscriber 3 directly through to subscriber 3. 2k. tar—* \f?, ■ n Deactivation of the voice mail equipment also can only occur through the interrogation request by subscriber 3. In this way, deactivation by a third party, who is using the telephone of subscriber 3, is prevented. If a message is left for subscriber 3 in the voice mail equipment, then c signal device 8, for example a light-emitting diode, is activated in the subscriber's equipment of subscriber 3, the said signal device 8 indicating to the subscriber on his return that a message is waiting for him in the voice mail equipment. </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> 272198 What we claim is:

1. A telephone exchange with speech store equipment which, if ringing takes place by the calling subscriber and the called subscriber does not answer the call, is 5 connected to the calling subscriber after a predetermined time, whereby the speech store equipment is abler to store voice messages arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber on his request, wherein the telephone exchange includes switching means which will also connect all further calls for the called subscriber to the speech store equipment as soon 10 as one switch-over of the called subscriber to the speech store equipment has been carried out.

2. A telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1, whereir. the switching means will connect again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber to the called subscriber's subset, after the activation procedure has been executed at the called 15 subscriber's subset, e.g., by picking up the telephone handset.

3. A telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switching means will connect again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber to his subset, after the interrogation request has been initiated by the called subscriber.

4. A method of storing voice messages in a telephone exchange having speech 20 store equipment which is connected to the calling subscriber after a predetermined time, if ringing takes place by the calling subscriber and the called subscriber does not answer the call, whereby the speech store equipment is able to store voice messages 272 :C arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for the called subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber on his request, wherein all further calls for the called subscriber will also be connected to the speech store equipment, as soon as one switch-over of the called subscriber to the speech store equipment has been carried out.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein all further calls arriving for the called subscriber will be connected again to the called subscriber's subset after the activation procedure has been executed at the called subscriber's subset, e.g. by picking up the telephone handset.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein all further calls arriving for the called subscriber will be connected again to his subset after the interrogation request has been initiated by the called subscriber. n 7 n - -C. / C. ;

7. A telephone exchange and method substantially as herein described with reference to the Figure of the drawing. ALCATEL AUSTRALIA LIMITED B. O'Connor Authorized Agent P5/1 /I 703 </div>