JP2000278408A - Access hold monitoring method for dial-up connection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a user from being charged wastefully by monitoring the hold of access between a terminal and a service provider with an exchange and performing a notice for calling decision on disconnection or continuation from the exchange to the terminal, when the access is held continuously for a prescribed threshold time. SOLUTION: Data are exchanged (M14, M25 and M33) between a data terminal T2 and a service provider SP1. During this data exchange, an exchange EX1 resets a measured hold time, namely, resets the hold time, starts remeasurement and resets a response wait timing (M25). While the data terminal T2 is under access holding (M15), the exchange EX1 continuously counts the hold time and when allowable hold time is over (M26), the confirmation request of whether that connection is to be cut or to be continued is transmitted to the data terminal T2, and the monitor of response wait timing corresponding to this request is started (M27). The user returns the response for either continuation or disconnection, from the terminal T2 to the exchange EX1 (M16).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for monitoring access suspension in dial-up connection, and more particularly to a technique for preventing unnecessary connection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
Is a data terminal T2 in a conventional dial-up connection.
(Source), exchange EX1 and service provider SP1
5 is a flowchart showing various processes in the processing of FIG. Conventionally, as shown in this figure, when a user starts a dial-up connection from the data terminal T2 (step S11), the exchange EX1 receives the number of the access point AP1 from the data terminal T2 (step S21), and the service provider Call SP1 (step S22). On the other hand, the service provider SP1 confirms the user name and password (step S31), and if the authentication is OK, starts measuring the connection time (step S32), and the exchange EX1 starts charging (step S23) and logs in. Is completed (step S12).

[0003] The user transmits and receives data between the data terminal T2 and the service provider SP1 via the exchange EX1 (steps S13, S24, S33). At this time, even when the user suspends (interrupts) the access (step S14), the exchange EX1 continues to charge (step S2).
5) The service provider SP1 also continues to measure the connection time (step S34).

[0004] Here, when a voice call and connection to the service provider SP1 are performed by one subscriber line, the voice call may be in a silence state. Unless there is a disconnection request from the side, the line cannot be disconnected. However, there are cases in which the user does not notice the line hold after connecting to the service provider, and the time is wasted for the user.

[0005] In this state, when the user who has noticed that the connection state is established starts dial-up disconnection processing from the data terminal T2 (step S15), the exchange EX1 is started.
Releases the line (step S26) and ends the charging (step S27). Further, the service provider SP1 releases the connection of the data terminal T2 (step S35), and ends the measurement of the connection time (step S36).

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a method for monitoring access suspension in a dial-up connection in which a user is not charged unnecessarily.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, as a first means, access switching between a terminal and a service provider is monitored by an exchange, and when a predetermined threshold time elapses. When the access hold is continued over a period of time, a means is employed in which the exchange gives a notification to the terminal to prompt the terminal to determine whether to disconnect or continue.

[0008] As a second means, in the first means, if no response to the notification is received from the terminal until a predetermined response waiting time, the exchange switches between the terminal and the service provider. A method of forcibly disconnecting the up connection is employed.

As a third means, in the first or second means, means for setting one or both of a threshold time and a response waiting time from a terminal to an exchange by a command is adopted.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method for monitoring access suspension in a dial-up connection according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a dial-up connection system to which the present embodiment is applied. As shown in this figure, the user operates a voice call terminal T1.
And a data terminal T2. The voice communication terminal T1 and the data terminal T2 are connected via the subscriber line L1 to the exchange EX1.
And the exchange EX1 is connected to the service provider SP1 via the access point AP1. The basic functions of these components are well known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

Next, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, a case where the data terminal T2 makes a dial-up connection to the service provider SP1 will be described in detail.

In this case, the user starts dial-up (log-in) using the data terminal T2 (step M11). At this time, when the user determines that it is necessary, the user can specify the allowable hold time and the allowable response waiting timing value. With the start of this dial-up, the exchange EX1 receives the number (telephone number) of the access point AP1 (step M21), turns on the data transmission / reception flag corresponding to the subscriber line, and allows the user to set the allowable hold time and the allowable response waiting timing. If a value is specified, the specified value is set (step M21). When there is no designation of the permissible hold time and the permissible response wait timing value, the exchange EX1 sets the initial value stored by itself.

Then, the exchange EX1 calls the service provider SP1 via the access point AP1 (step M22). The service provider SP1 checks the user name and password of the data terminal T2 (step M3).
1) If the authentication is OK, measurement of the connection time is started (step M32). In the case of this authentication OK, the exchange EX
1 starts the charging start and measurement of the hold time (step M23), and the data terminal T2 completes the login (step M12).

When the log-in is completed in this way, the user sets the allowable hold time and the allowable response wait timing value using the command from the data terminal T2 to the exchange EX1.
(Step M13). In response to this request, the exchange EX1 sets the permissible hold time and the permissible response wait timing value to itself (step M24). After this,
Data transmission / reception is performed between the data terminal T2 and the service provider SP1 (steps M14, M25, M33).

The exchange EX1 resets the measurement suspension time during the transmission and reception of the data, that is, resets the suspension time to start re-measurement, and resets the response waiting timing (step M25). When the data terminal T2 is in the access hold (access suspension) (step M15), the exchange EX1 continues to count the hold time,
When the allowable hold time is exceeded (step M26), a confirmation request is sent to the data terminal T2 as to whether the connection is to be disconnected or continued, and monitoring of the response waiting timing for this request is started (step M27).

The user who has received the confirmation request sends a response indicating whether to continue or disconnect from the data terminal T2 to the exchange E.
Reply to X1 (step M16). In response to the response from the user (step M201), the exchange EX1 resets the hold time measurement in the case of the continuation instruction (step M2).
5) In the case of a disconnection instruction, a line release process is performed (step M202).

On the other hand, if no continuation / disconnection response is returned from the data terminal T2, the exchange EX1 waits until the allowable response waiting timing value (step M28). If a timeout occurs in response waiting (step M29), the line release is forcibly started (step M202). Exchanger EX1
Stops the hold time measurement when the line is released, turns off the data transmission / reception flag corresponding to the line, and ends the charging (step M203).

On the other hand, when the data terminal T2 transmits a disconnection instruction to the exchange EX1 (step M1).
7), and proceed to dial-up cutting processing (step M1)
8) Logoff (step M19). As a result, the service provider SP1 releases the connection of the data terminal T2 (step M35), and ends the measurement of the connection time (step M36).

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that, in this figure, the same processes as those of the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, at the start of the dial-up connection in the data terminal T2, the allowable retry value of the hold time monitoring routine is specified in addition to the allowable hold time and the allowable response wait timing (step M11a). On the other hand, the exchange EX1 sets the permissible retry value designated by the user to itself (step M22a). Then, even after the login is completed (step M12), the data terminal T2 transmits an allowable retry value to the exchange EX1 by a command (step M13a), and can set the allowable retry value to the exchange EX1 (step M24a).

Then, when the response waiting timing times out (step M29), the exchange EX1 determines whether or not an allowable retry is over (step M204).
When the retry is possible, the hold time monitoring is retried (step M25), and when the retry is over, the processing shifts to the disconnection processing. The present embodiment is a method of fail-safe confirmation on the assumption that the disconnection / continuation instruction response from the data terminal T2 is delayed.

[0023]

As described above, the access suspension monitoring method for dial-up connection according to the present invention has the following effects.

(1) Monitoring the access suspension between the terminal and the service provider by the exchange, and when the access suspension continues for a predetermined threshold time, the exchange judges the terminal to disconnect or continue. Since the prompting notification is performed, it is possible to prevent the user from being charged an extra charge without knowing. Further, unnecessary line connection is suppressed, so that a subscriber line and a connection line with a provider can be efficiently operated.

(2) If no response to the notification is received from the terminal before a predetermined response waiting time, the exchange forcibly disconnects the dial-up connection between the terminal and the service provider. If the response is delayed or absent, the line can be disconnected under the initiative of the exchange.

(3) Since one or both of the threshold time and the response waiting time are set from the terminal to the exchange by a command, the convenience of the service for monitoring access suspension by the exchange is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a dial-up connection system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a conventional dial-up connection process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 T2 Data terminal EX1 Switch SP1 Service provider AP1 Access point

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5K024 AA00 BB04 BB06 CC09 DD01 DD02 EE06 GG01 GG05 HH04 5K051 AA04 BB02 CC02 DD01 EE01 EE02 EE06 FF02 HH13 HH15 HH26 KK01 5K101 KK02 MM04 NN07 NN18 NN18 NN03 NN03 NN18

Claims (3)

[Claims] An exchange monitors an access suspension between a terminal and a service provider, and when the access suspension continues for a predetermined threshold time, prompts the exchange to determine the disconnection or the continuation of the terminal from the terminal. A method of monitoring access suspension in dial-up connection, wherein a notification is performed. 2. When a response to the notification is not received from the terminal until a predetermined response waiting time, the exchange sets:
2. The access suspension monitoring method for dial-up connection according to claim 1, wherein the dial-up connection between the terminal and the service provider is forcibly disconnected. 3. The access hold monitoring method in dial-up connection according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the threshold time and the response wait time are set from the terminal to the exchange by a command.