GB2318251A

GB2318251A - Automatic multi-tune telephone music on-hold sound unit

Info

Publication number: GB2318251A
Application number: GB9720882A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graziano Giovanni Ravizza; Gabriele Pisaneschi; Stefano Sala
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-10-11
Filing date: 1997-10-01
Publication date: 1998-04-15
Also published as: GB9720882D0

Abstract

A sound unit providing tunes/messages to calls before they are connected to a switchboard 10 or to calls on-hold, has a variety of musical pieces and/or messages that can be automatically selected, either at random or according to the time of day and time of year. A driver 1 for a medium 2 containing a plurality of recorded musical pieces and/or messages is connected on one side to the switchboard or responder 10 and on the other side to a microprocessor 4. The medium 2, for example a compact disc (CD), may have a first track comprising a time list of the correlation between the different days of the year and the tunes/messages. The microprocessor 4 having a program 5, reads the current date information from a system clock 3 and commands the driver 1 to read the first track of the medium 2. The appropriate tune and/or message is then selected. Pieces of music or messages may also have a "force" or probability of selection according to particular periods of time, so that in certain periods, certain pieces may be selected more frequently than others with the same time key. Suitable forms of medium include compact discs (CD), magneto-optical compact discs (CD-MO), recordable compact discs (CD-R) or digital versatile discs (DVD).

Description

"MULTI-TUNE TELEPHONE MUSIC ON-HOLD SOUND UNIT " DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a multi-tune music on-hold telephone sound unit for use on telephone switchboards and responders.

By telephone music on-hold sound unit we mean those devices that respond with a piece of music to incoming telephone calls before they are connected to the switchboard (responder), or those on hold waiting to be put through to the extension required.

The music on-hold systems used hitherto are: (a) musical chimes, which are a standard facility in the majority of switchboards, in which a piece of music is played using a very simple synthesized sound and is repeated every 15-30 seconds; (b) sampled musical holds in which, in general, a single piece of music is recorded on a solid state memory and repeated every 32 or 64 seconds, and an on-hold message can be recorded with the music. In some versions the piece of music can be transferred from a cassette or CD to a rewritable memory, in which case the maximum duration is about 4 minutes, hence a limited number of pieces can be unloaded in sequence; (c) sampled multi-tune music on-hold, in which it is possible to select one of the pieces (generally 4-5) by means of a manual switch. The piece, once selected, remains unchanged until a new one is selected, and is repeated over a period of a few tens of seconds.

These systems have the drawback of being boring because the piece of music and any message are repeated identically in a short period of time and indefinitely for the entire life of the product, and in most cases the quality of sound reproduction is poor.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the above drawbacks.

In particular, an object of the invention is to overcome the repetitiveness of the reproduction of the musical pieces and messages in the systems on the market.

These and other objects are achieved by a music on-hold sound unit for installation on telephone switchboards, according to the invention, which has the characteristics listed in claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

Basically, the unit according to the invention, offers a system in which a variety of musical pieces and messages are chosen and reproduced automatically without any intervention by the user. These pieces are advantageously reproduced with a pre-established time key.

Further characteristics of the invention will be made clearer by the detailed description that follows, referring to a purely exemplary and therefore nonlimiting embodiment thereof, illustrated in the appended drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram of the telephone music on-hold sound unit according to the invention.

With reference to this figure, means for reproducing the sound recorded on a special medium, which in the preferred embodiment consist of a standard driver (CD driver) 1, with a compact disk (CD) 2 inside, are connected on one side to an external socket of a switchboard or responder (10), on the other to a microprocessor 4. This is in turn connected to a system clock (timekeeper) 3, powered by a lithium battery 6.

The microprocessor 4, through a program 5 with which it is equipped, reads the current date from a system clock (timekeeper) 3 and sends the CD driver 1 the commands to read the first track of the CD 2 in which is recorded a time list of the correlations between the different days of the year and the musical pieces (about 80) recorded digitally on the remaining tracks of the CD 2. Once the piece linked to the current day has been found, it is sent to the switchboard as the piece to be played while the call is on hold.

In the time list, therefore, the correlations between the different days of the year and the pieces recorded on the CD 2 are indicated, for example, in the Christmas period music particularly suitable for the Christmas holidays will be proposed. The presence of a timekeeper 3 ensures that even for holidays that can fall on different dates, such as Easter for example, the correlation between pieces related to the holiday is made at the correct time.

On days which do not mark any special occasion tunes chosen at random among the pieces with a generic time correlation recorded on the CD 2 will be played.

The time key related to the pieces to be played provides for each piece to have a "force" that differs in the different periods of the year, as well as during the course of the day. Therefore, all the pieces that have the time key compatible with the current day and hour can theoretically be selected at any time, but in fact, on the basis of the "force" assigned to them, certain pieces are reproduced with a high frequency in some periods, whilst in other periods the same pieces are not selected because they are "overriden" by others. Not only the pieces of music but also the call on-hold messages themselves are related to the time key, there being different messages according to the time of year or the time of day.

What is described makes clear the advantages of the multi-tune music on-hold sound unit according to the invention in which no outside intervention is necessary to change the piece to be reproduced.

According to this embodiment a length of time of eight years, for example, is covered, this being the expected life of the lithium battery 6 that powers the system clock 3.

Although specific reference has been made in the above described embodiment to a generic compact disc (CD), it is clear that the same functions can be obtained with a magneto-optical compact disk (CD-MO), with a recordable compact disk (CD-R), with a digital versatile disk (DVD) and the like.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described and illustrated above, but also comprises, for example, the case in which the pieces are not linked to a time key and are performed in a random sequence.

Claims

1. A telephone music on-hold sound unit for installation on telephone switchboards or responders (10), comprising a medium (2) with a plurality of musical pieces and/or messages recorded, a driver (1) for said medium (2) connected on one side to said switchboard or responder (10), and on the other to a microprocessor (4) which, according to pre-established program (5), selects the pieces and/or messages to reproduce.

2. A sound unit, according to claim 1, characterized in that said recorded medium (2) is a compact disk (CD) and said driver (1) is a CD-driver.

3. A sound unit, according to claim 1, characterized in that said medium (2) is a magneto-optical compact disc (CD-MO), a recordable compact disc (CD-R), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or the like.

4. A sound unit according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it also comprises a system clock (time keeper) (3), that is read by said microprocessor (4) which selects musical pieces and/or messages on said medium (2) according to a pre-established time key.

5. A sound unit according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one track is recorded on said medium (2) containing the correlations (time list) between the different days of the year and the pieces recorded on said medium, this track being read in advance by means of commands from the microprocessor (4) for selection of the pieces.

6. A sound unit according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said time key assigns to each piece recorded on said medium (2) a different "force", understood as the probability of selection according to the particular periods of time.

7. A sound unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said pieces recorded on said medium (2) are reproduced in random order.

8. A medium with a plurality of musical pieces and/or messages recorded combined with a driver (1) for use in a a sound unit according to any of the preceding claims.

9. A medium according to claim 8, characterized in that it consists of a compact disc (CD), a magneto-optical compact disc (CD-MO), a recordable compact disc (CD-R), a digital versatile disc (DVD) or the like.

10. A medium according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises at least one track containing a time correlation (time list) between the different days of the year and the pieces and/or messages recorded on the medium itself.

11. A telephone music-on-hold sound unit for installation on telephone switchboards or transponders, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

12. A medium with recorded musical pieces and/or messages, in combination with a driver for a sound unit, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.