JP2001197531A - Key telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a key telephone system that conducts a variety of services by using abundant information without increasing the scale of a system configuration. SOLUTION: After transmitting a plurality of sets of destination information in a server 3 to a key telephone set 2A, and the key telephone set 2A of a caller transmits an external line transmission request reaching a destination to a master unit 1 in response to operation information denoting an external line call from the key telephone set 2A. A function processing means 12A of the master unit 1 uses a telephone line 10 to make an external line call to the destination telephone number designated by the request and connects a speech path between the external line call and the caller key telephone set 2A in a prescribed timing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key telephone system, and more particularly to a key telephone system in which information stored in a server connected to a main unit is used by a key telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a key telephone system comprises a main unit connected to a telephone line and one or more key telephones connected to the main unit. Key phones detect key operations and handset status,
By transmitting these operation information to the main unit, the main unit performs various functions based on the operation information from the key telephone, thereby realizing various functions such as external calls to telephone lines and internal calls to other key telephones. It is something to do. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in offices and the like in which a key telephone and a personal computer are used in combination, an information processing terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a PC terminal) such as a personal computer is connected to a main device to provide advanced functions. CTI (Comp
Uter Telephony Integration
n) The system is becoming popular.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional CTI system. The main unit 91 is connected to a telephone line 90, and each of the key telephones 93A to 93N is connected to an extension transmission line 92.
Is connected to the main device 91 via the. Each of the key telephones 93A to 93N is associated with a corresponding one of PC terminals 97A to 97N.
A to 97N are connected to a server 95 via a LAN line 96. The main device 91 and the server 95 are connected via a data communication path 94, and exchange various kinds of information as needed.

[0004] In the server 95, personal information such as a name and work place is registered as a database in correspondence with the telephone number of the other party. In each of the PC terminals 97A to 97N, L
A list of database information of the server 95 connected via the AN line 96 can be displayed on the screen and searched, and a call can be made to the searched destination. For example, the PC terminal 97
When a call operation is performed to a destination selected from the list displayed on the screen in A, the server 95 extracts the destination telephone number from the database and requests the main device 91 to make a call. In response, main device 91 performs external line transmission processing based on the telephone number of the other party as if a transmission operation was performed by key telephone 93A installed in association with PC terminal 97A.

When a caller's telephone number is notified from the telephone line 90 when an outside line is received, the main device 91 notifies the server 95 of the caller's telephone number. The server 95 searches the database on the basis of the notified caller telephone number, and stores the obtained personal information on the caller in the PC terminal associated with the external telephone call, for example, the key telephone 93A. 97A is displayed on the screen.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional key telephone system, each key telephone 9
3A to 93N, PC terminals 97A to 97N need to be provided in association with each other.
To 97N need to be connected to the server 95 via the LAN line 96. Therefore, even a small-scale button telephone system having a relatively small number of telephone lines and key telephones requires such a configuration, which increases the overall configuration of the system and, of course, reduces the cost of the system itself. And the work load required for management and maintenance also increased. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a key telephone system capable of performing various services using abundant information without increasing the scale of the system configuration.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a key telephone system according to the present invention comprises a main unit connected to a telephone line and a main unit connected to a main unit via a data communication path. An information processing terminal having a storage unit for storing information, and one or more key telephones connected to the main device via an extension transmission line and having a screen display unit for displaying various information; The control unit displays a list of the plurality of destination information transmitted from the information processing terminal on the screen display unit, and transmits operation information indicating an operation of determining any one of the destination information as the outside line destination, After the destination information is transmitted to the key telephone by the telephone corresponding means of the processing terminal, when the operation information indicating the outside line transmission from the key telephone is received, the external line transmission from the source key telephone to the destination is performed. The request is transmitted to the main unit, and the function processing unit of the main unit transmits an external line to the destination telephone number designated in response to the external line transmission request from the telephone corresponding unit, and the external line outgoing call is transmitted at a predetermined timing. This is to connect a call path with a caller button telephone.

[0008] As the operation mode of the key telephone, a TEL mode in which information generated and transmitted by the main device is displayed on a screen display unit and operated, and information transmitted from the information processing terminal via the main device is displayed on the screen display unit. CTI to display and operate
Control may be performed so as to operate in any one of the modes, and operation may be performed in the CTI mode to display destination information and transmit operation information indicating a destination determination operation.

[0009] Regarding the connection timing of the call path with the caller key telephone, the function processing means connects the call path between the main unit and the caller key telephone in response to an outside line call request from the information processing terminal. Alternatively, an outside line may be transmitted using a telephone line. In addition, in response to an outside line transmission request from the information processing terminal, it is determined whether or not a call can be made using a telephone line, and if a call can be made, a call path between the telephone line and the source button telephone is connected. An outside line may be transmitted using a telephone line.

[0010] In addition, in response to an outside line calling request from the information processing terminal, dialing is performed from the telephone line, and when it is notified from the telephone line that the other party is calling, the telephone line and the caller key telephone are connected. May be connected, and in response to an outgoing call request from the information processing terminal, dialing is performed from the telephone line, and when a response from the other party is notified from the telephone line, the telephone line is connected. And a call path between the caller and the caller button telephone.

With respect to the connection result obtained by making an outgoing call using the telephone line, a connection confirmation indicating the connection result is notified from the function processing means to the information processing terminal, and display information indicating the connection result included in the connection confirmation is displayed. May be generated and notified to the calling key telephone, and the display information received by the key telephone may be displayed on the screen display unit.

[0012]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a key telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a key telephone system includes a main device 1 connected to a telephone line 10, a key telephone 2 (2A to 2N) connected to the main device 1 via an extension transmission line 20, and a connection to the main device 1. And a server (information processing terminal) 3 having a database for storing various information. Hereinafter, a key telephone system in which a plurality of telephone lines 10 are connected and a plurality of key telephones 2 are connected will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to a single key telephone.

In the main unit 1, reference numeral 11 denotes an external I / F for controlling the termination of the telephone line 10, reference numeral 13 denotes an internal I / F for transmitting data to and from each key telephone connected via an internal transmission line 20, and 12 Is an external line I / F section 11 and an internal line I / F section 13
, A main control unit for performing various function processing,
Is a main storage unit that stores information necessary for processing in the main control unit 12, and 15 is a communication I / F unit that is connected to the main control unit 12 and performs data communication with the server 3 via the data communication path 30. As the extension transmission line 20 and the data communication line 30, a wired transmission line or a wireless transmission line may be used, respectively.

The server 3 is composed of an information processing terminal such as a personal computer, 31 is a communication I / F unit for performing data communication with the main unit 1 via the data communication path 30, 33 is composed of a hard disk device, etc. (Accumulation unit) 32 in which various kinds of information are stored, retrieves desired information from the database 33 in response to a request from the main device 1,
Server control unit for transmitting via communication I / F unit 31;
Denotes a server storage unit that stores information necessary for processing in the server control unit 32.

The key telephones 2 (2A to 2N) have the same configuration. In these key telephones 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a transmission I / F unit for performing data transmission with the main device 1 via the extension transmission line 20, and 23 decodes audio information received by the transmission I / F unit 21 into an audio signal. Handset H
S and a speaker SP, an audio processing unit that encodes an audio signal input from the handset HS into audio information and outputs it to the transmission I / F unit, and 24 is an operation input unit that detects various key operations and hook states is there.

A transmission 22 transmits operation information detected by the operation input unit 24 to the main unit 1 via the transmission I / F unit 21 and transmits the operation information from the main unit 1 received by the transmission I / F unit 21. A slave unit control unit that controls each circuit unit of the key telephone set based on the control information, 25 is a control memory that stores various types of information necessary for control processing in the slave unit control unit 22, and 27 is a dot that displays various types of information using characters and patterns. A screen display unit such as an LCD for displaying in a matrix is shown, 26A is a TEL screen memory for storing information to be displayed in the TEL mode, and 26B is a CTI screen memory for storing information to be displayed in the CTI mode.

In the present invention, the key telephone 2 is provided with two operation modes, a TEL mode and a CTI mode, and each of the key telephones operates individually in one of the modes. The TEL mode is a mode in which information generated by the main device 1 is displayed on the screen display unit 27 of the key telephone, similarly to a key telephone in a conventional key telephone system. On the other hand, in the CTI mode, the server 3
Is a mode in which information stored in the database 33 is displayed on the screen display unit 27. In particular, in the CTI mode, various kinds of information are directly exchanged between the server 3 and the key telephone 2.

As described above, the main unit 1 is connected to the key telephone 2.
In addition to the TEL mode for displaying and transmitting information transmitted from the server 3 on the screen display unit 27, a CTI mode for displaying and operating information transmitted from the server 3 via the main device 1 on the screen display unit 27 is provided. Therefore, various information possessed by the server 3 can be displayed on the screen of the key telephone 2 directly. Therefore, unlike the conventional system, it is not necessary to provide an information processing terminal for each key telephone, and various services using abundant information can be performed without increasing the scale of the system configuration.

The information displayed on the screen display unit 27 differs between the TEL mode and the CTI mode.
Has a TEL mode screen memory 26A as a screen memory for storing information to be displayed in each operation mode.
And a CTI mode screen memory 26B. The handset control unit 22 of the key telephone 2 is provided with a display management unit 22A that reads information from a screen memory according to its own operation mode and displays the information on the screen display unit 27. As described above, different screen memories are provided corresponding to the respective operation modes, and information displayed in each operation mode is individually managed. The burden can be reduced.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of a key arrangement of the key telephone. Immediately below the screen display unit 27, a cursor displayed on the screen display unit 27 is moved as a group of screen operation keys 24A. Arrow keys, a confirmation key for confirming input of a choice of a cursor position, a table of contents key for displaying various contents, and a telephone directory key for displaying a telephone directory. Below that, a telephone function key group 2
4B, an external line key for selectively capturing a telephone line,
Extension key for extension calls, monitor key for speaker reception,
A redial key for redial transmission and a speed key for speed dial transmission are arranged. A dial key 24C for inputting a dial number is arranged below the dial key 24C.

Either the information from the main unit 1 or the information from the server 3 is displayed on the screen display section 27 of the key telephone 2 in accordance with the operation mode. Manipulate. Therefore, the operation on the key telephone 2 also needs to be transmitted to the transmission source of the displayed information in a predetermined format including the information required by the transmission source. Remote control unit 2 of key telephone 2
2 is provided with an operation information generating means 22B for converting the operation input detected by the operation input unit 24 according to its own operation mode and transmitting it in a predetermined format.

The screen operation key group 24A and the dial keys 24C shown in FIG. 2 are used not only in the TEL mode but also in the CTI mode. Therefore, the operation information on these keys is transmitted to the main device 1 in the case of the TEL mode,
In the case of the CTI mode, it is necessary to transmit to the server 3. At this time, these keys are operated in substantially the same manner in any mode, but the operation input is converted into operation information corresponding to each mode by the operation information generating means 22B.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of correspondence between operations in each operation mode and operation information. Each operation information includes a command and detailed data. The command indicates the content of each operation, and those having the same operation meaning are assigned to the same command. The detailed data is information for finer classification in the same command. In the operation information generating means 22B, a screen operation key group 24A
And the dial key 24C are converted into different operation information in the TEL mode and the CTI mode. For example, the arrow key “←” is used for the command “0” in the TEL mode.
2 ”+ detailed data“ 00 ”. In the CTI mode, even the same key operation is converted into different operation information based on the display content of the screen display unit 27, or a plurality of key operations are converted into one operation information.

The operation mode of the key telephone 2 depends on the main unit 1
It is switched by a mode switching instruction from. Main device 1
The main control unit 12 individually manages the operation mode of each key telephone 2. Here, the operation mode of each key telephone 2 is registered and managed corresponding to the telephone ID (telephone identification information) of each key telephone. When a predetermined operation is performed on the key telephone 2, a change in the state of the telephone line 10, or in response to an instruction from the server 3, an instruction to switch the operation mode is given to the corresponding key telephone 2. Update the registration status of the mode. The handset control unit 22 of the key telephone 2 switches its own operation mode according to these mode switching instructions.

As described above, the main control unit 12 of the main device 1 instructs the key telephone 2 to switch the operation mode based on the operation information transmitted from the key telephone 2 and the change in the state of the telephone line 10. The operation mode of the key telephone is stored and managed, and the slave unit controller 2 of the key telephone 2 is stored.
In step 2, since the operation mode is changed based on the instruction from the main control unit 12, when it is determined that the information stored in the database 33 of the server 3 needs to be displayed on the key telephone 2, The operation mode of each key telephone 2 can be switched and controlled from the main device 1, and information from the server 3 can be displayed on the key telephone 2 flexibly and efficiently according to various functions.

The main control section 12 of the main device 1 is provided with a function processing means 12A and a data transfer means 12B.
The function processing unit 12A executes various function processes including functions of a general key telephone device. The function processing includes, for example, an exchange control processing such as an outgoing call or an incoming call response performed in response to an operation on the key telephone 2 or a request from the server 3, and various function setting processing such as speed dial registration and key assignment registration. is there. In the data transfer unit 12 </ b> B, various information is directly exchanged between the server 3 and the key telephone 2. Such information includes, for example, C
The function processing unit 12A of the main device 1 needs to process information transmitted from the server 3 to the predetermined key telephone 2 in the TI mode, a request for transmission of desired information from the key telephone 2 to the server 3 and various processing requests. Without information.

The server control section 32 of the server 3 is provided with telephone correspondence means 32A. In the telephone correspondence means 32A, in response to various processing requests transmitted from the key telephone 2 via the data transfer means 12B of the main device 1,
The requested processing is performed based on the information stored in the database 33 and the server storage unit 34. As this processing, for example, a telephone directory function for searching for various information such as a telephone number from a destination name, a calling process to a destination selected by the telephone directory function, and the like are performed.

Next, the operation of the key telephone will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a slave unit control process in the slave unit control unit 22 of the key telephone. The slave unit control unit 22 controls the control memory 2 according to the start of power supply.
Then, the control information stored in the control unit 5 and the various circuit units are initialized (step 50), and the process proceeds to the event loop processing composed of steps 51 to 62. First, transmission I /
The data transmission / reception with the main device 1 is instructed to the F unit 21, and the transmission of the transmission data generated in the previous event loop processing and the reception of new reception data are performed (step 51).

[0029] Of the data received by the transmission I / F unit 21, audio information is output to the audio processing unit 23, and control information and display information are taken into the slave unit control unit 22. The slave unit control unit 22 analyzes the later-described commands and detailed data constituting the received data and updates various control information in the control memory 25 (step 52). In the received data analysis process, if the received data is a mode switching instruction, the mode switching process of FIG. 5A is performed. Here, it is determined whether or not the received mode switching instruction instructs switching to the CTI mode (step 6).
3) When switching to the CTI mode is instructed (step 63: YES), mode information indicating its own operation mode in the control memory 25 is set in the CTI (step 6).
4) When switching to the TEL mode is instructed (step 63: NO), the mode information is set to TEL (step 65).

In the received data analysis processing, if the received data is display information, the display management means 22A
As a result, the display information receiving process of FIG. 5B is performed. Here, it is determined whether or not the received display information is from the main device 1 (step 66). If the received display information is from the main device 1 (step 66: YES), the display information is stored in the TEL screen memory. 26A (step 67), and if it is display information from the server 3 (step 66:
NO), the display information is stored in the CTI screen memory 26B (step 68).

The display information from the main unit 1 is composed of general character data indicating display characters and designs. The display information from the server 3 is, as shown in FIG.
(Hypertext Markup Language)
e) and SGML (Standard Generali)
multimedia information such as image information and audio information is read from the file data included in the display information as necessary, and is displayed together with the character information. Voice output. Thus, in the display management means 22A of the key telephone 2,
In the CTI mode, information configured in the markup description language is displayed, so that a high-level expression can be made with a key telephone, and the user interface is greatly improved.

In step 52 of FIG. 4, such received data analysis processing is performed to obtain various control information in the control memory 25, the TEL screen memory 26A or the CTI screen memory 2.
After updating the display information in 6B, based on various kinds of control information in the control memory 25, LED drive control is performed (step 53), and voice input / output control to the voice processing unit 23 is performed (step 54). Also, the display management means 22
A, it is determined whether the operation mode of the own device is the TEL mode (step 55). If the operation mode is the TEL mode (step 55: YES), the display information in the TEL screen memory 26A is displayed on the screen display unit 27 (step 55). Step 56), CTI
In the case of the mode (step 55: NO), display information in the CTI screen memory 26B is displayed on the screen display unit 27, and an audio signal is output from the audio processing unit 23 as necessary (step 57).

Next, in the slave unit control unit 22, the operation input unit 2
Then, various key operations and hook states are fetched from Step 4 (Step 58), and the operation information generating means 22B generates operation information according to the own operation mode. Operation information generating means 2
In 2B, it is determined whether or not itself is in the TEL mode (step 59), and if it is in the TEL mode (step 59: YE).
S), operation information is generated by referring to the TEL mode column of FIG. 3 described above with respect to the command and the detailed data corresponding to the fetched operation (step 60), and in the case of the CTI mode (step 59: NO), A command and detailed data corresponding to the operation are generated according to the display contents (step 61).

In this way, various operations detected by the operation input unit 24 are converted into corresponding operation information, and transmission data including commands and detailed data is generated (step 62). Then, returning to step 51, the next event loop processing is started, and the data transmission I / F
It is transmitted from the unit 21 to the main device 1. Although the respective processes in the event loop process have been described as being performed in the processing order shown in FIG. 4, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an external interrupt or a timer interrupt to the slave unit control unit 22 may be performed. Each processing may be performed as necessary or periodically as a trigger.

Next, the operation of the data transfer means 12B in the main control section 12 of the main device 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of information exchanged between the main device 1, the key telephone 2, and the server 3. FIG. 7 (a)
An example of the format of information exchanged between the main device 1 and the key telephone 2 is shown.
A and detailed data 28B. The command 28A indicates the content of the instruction (or request) indicated by the information, similarly to the operation information of FIG. 3, and the detailed data 28B indicates the detailed content of the command.

FIG. 7B shows a format example of information exchanged between the main device 1 and the server 3.
A telephone ID 28C is added to the format of FIG. Since information is exchanged between the main device 1 and the key telephone 2 using the respective extension transmission lines 20, there is no need to specify the transmission destination or the reception destination of the information. On the other hand, since information is exchanged between the main apparatus 1 and the server 3 using the common data communication path 30, it is necessary to specify a transmission destination or a reception destination of the information. Is performed by the data transfer unit 12B of the main control unit 12.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a data transfer process relating to information received from the key telephone. In the data transfer means 12B of the main control unit 12, the key telephone 2
, First, a command is obtained from the received data (step 70), and based on the type information, it is determined whether the information is for use by the function processing unit 12A of the main device 1 (step 70). 71). If the received data is information to be used by the function processing unit 12A (step 71: YES), the received data is fetched and analyzed (step 72), and the corresponding function processing is performed by the function processing unit 12A. Execute (step 73).
If the information is not information to be used by the function processing means 12A (step 71: NO), the keypad telephone 2 which is the transmission source is added to the received data as shown in FIG.
Is added (step 74) and transmitted to the server 3 (step 75).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a data transfer process relating to information received from the server. Main control unit 1
When the information is received from the server 3, the second data transfer unit 12B first obtains a command from the received data (step 80), and uses the information in the function processing unit 12A of the main device 1 based on the type information. It is determined whether or not it is for the purpose (step 81).

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the structure of information transmitted from the server. As shown in FIG. 7B, the information is composed of commands, telephone IDs, and detailed data. For example, the information instructing the display of the telephone directory list includes a command “40” corresponding to the instruction, a telephone ID indicating a transmission destination of the information, and detailed data indicating actual telephone directory list data. If the received data is information to be used by the function processing unit 12A (step 81: YES), the received data is fetched and analyzed (step 82), and the corresponding function processing is performed by the function processing unit 1A.
Execute at 2A (step 83).

When transmission data to the key telephone 2 is newly generated by the function processing in the function processing means 12A (step 84: YES), the transmission buffer of each transmission buffer provided in the extension I / F unit 13 is stored. The transmission data is stored in the transmission buffer corresponding to the telephone ID of the key telephone 2 (step 87). As a result, the transmission data is read from the transmission buffer and transmitted to the extension transmission line 20 to which the key telephone 2 of the transmission destination is connected (step 88). If no new transmission data has been generated (step 84: NO), the process ends.
On the other hand, if the received information is not the information to be used by the function processing unit 12A (step 81: NO), FIG.
As shown in (a), the telephone ID is obtained from the received data.
Is deleted (step 74), and the process proceeds to step 87.
As a result, the received data is transferred to key telephone 2 corresponding to the telephone ID.

As described above, the main device 1 is provided with the data transfer means 1
2B, the operation information from the key telephone is transferred to the server 3 as necessary, and the information from the server 3 is transferred to the corresponding key telephone 2. It is not necessary to take in all the information and perform the analysis processing, thereby reducing the processing load on the main control unit 12, transmitting a large amount of data from the server 3 to the key telephone 2 at a higher speed, and waiting for abundant information in a short time. The time can be displayed on the key telephone 2.

Further, the data transfer means 12B determines whether or not the transfer of the information is necessary based on the command indicating the content of the received information. Therefore, the information transmitted from the key telephone 2 or the server 3 includes It is not necessary to separately include transfer destination information for designating the transfer destination of the information, and it is possible to determine whether transfer is necessary without increasing the capacity of the exchanged information. Further, in the data transfer means 12B, the telephone ID is added or the telephone ID is deleted according to the transmission source of the received data, and the data is transmitted to the corresponding extension transmission line.
The information of each key telephone 2 can be mixed and communicated between the main device 1 and the server 3 without increasing the amount of information exchanged with the key telephone.

Next, the operation of the entire key telephone system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a telephone directory transmission operation performed from the key telephone using the database of the server. First, when the telephone directory key is pressed on the key telephone 2A operating in the TEL mode (step 100), this operation is detected by the operation input unit 24, and corresponding operation information is generated by the operation information generation unit 22B. Is transmitted from the transmission I / F unit 21 to the main device 1 via the extension transmission line 20 (step 101).

In the main unit 1, the extension I / F unit 13 receives this operation information, and the data transfer unit 12B determines whether or not the information is used by the function processing unit 12A based on the command. Here, since the information is used by the function processing unit 12A, the operation information is fetched and the function processing unit 12A
To execute the phonebook function. First, a telephone directory display request for requesting transmission of telephone directory list data addressed to the key telephone 2A is transmitted to the server 3 via the communication I / F unit 15 and the data communication path 30 (step 102).

Before or after this, the main control unit 12A registers that the key telephone 2A has shifted to the CTI mode, and the extension I / F unit 13 transmits the CTI mode to the key telephone 2A via the extension transmission line 20. Then, a CTI mode instruction for instructing a switch to is transmitted (step 103).
The key telephone 2A receives the CTI mode instruction via the transmission I / F unit 21 at time T1, and switches its own operation mode from the TEL mode to the CTI mode.

The server 3 receives the telephone directory display request via the communication I / F unit 31, and the server control unit 32A reads desired telephone directory list data from the database 33.
The communication I / F unit 3 adds the telephone ID of the key telephone 2A indicating that the information is related to the key telephone 2A.
1 to the main device 1 via the data communication path 30 (step 104). In the main device 1, the communication I / F unit 15
And the command is confirmed by the data transfer means 12B.
It is determined whether the information is used in A. In this case, since the information is not information used by the function processing unit 12A, the information is transferred to the key telephone 2A of the telephone ID added to the telephone directory list data.

Thus, the telephone directory list data is directly transferred from the server 3 to the key telephone 2A via the main device 1, and received by the key telephone 2A. The display management means 22A of the key telephone 2A determines from the command of the received data that the telephone directory list data is from the server 3 and stores it in the CTI screen memory 26B. Since the mode is the mode, the telephone directory list data stored in the CTI screen memory 26B is read and displayed on the screen display unit 27. FIG. 12 is a screen display example of telephone directory list data.

In the key telephone 2A, the cursor (see the white display portion in FIG. 12) is moved by operating the arrow keys (step 105). Operation information generating means 22B
Generates operation information indicating the arrow key operation in the CTI mode corresponding to these operations, and transmits the operation information to the main device 1 (step 106). Data transfer means 12B of main device 1
Then, based on the received command of the operation information, it is determined that the information is not used by the function processing unit 12A, and is transferred to the server 3.

Thus, the operation information is directly transferred from key telephone 2A to server 3 via main device 1.
Then, the operation information from the key telephone 2A is received by the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3, and the other party information selected by the cursor of the key telephone 2A is sequentially updated based on the operation content. Further, the updated contents are retransmitted to the key telephone 2 and the telephone directory list data with the moved cursor is displayed on the screen display unit 27 of the key telephone 2A in the same manner as described above. Key telephone 2A
Then, when the destination is determined by pressing the enter key (step 107), the operation information generating means 22B
Operation information indicating the confirmation key operation in the CTI mode is generated and transmitted to the main device 1 (step 108).

The data transfer means 12B of the main unit 1 transfers this operation information to the server 3 because it is not the information used by the function processing means 12A. In the telephone correspondence means 32A of the server 3, since the received operation information indicates the decision key operation, the telephone number of the destination selected by the key telephone 2A at that time is read from the database, and the telephone number is set as the destination. An external line transmission request including the telephone ID of the key telephone 2A is transmitted to the main device 1 (step 109).

The main unit 1 fetches an outside line transmission request from the server 3, and the function processing means 12A transmits a TEL mode instruction to the key telephone 2A designated by the request (step 110), and connects the call path. (Step 111). Thus, at time T2, key telephone 2A is switched from the CTI mode to the TEL mode, and the communication path between main device 1 and key telephone 2A is connected. Further, display data indicating that an outside line is being transmitted, which is received from the main apparatus 1 and stored in the TEL screen memory 26A prior to the TEL mode instruction, is displayed on the screen display unit 27.

Thereafter, the function processing means 12A controls the external line I / F unit 11 to perform the external line transmission operation,
Captures an outside line that can be transmitted (step 1
12) Connect to the call path with the key telephone 2A and notify the server 3 that the call path has been connected by confirming the connection (step 113). Then, a dial signal indicating the destination telephone number is transmitted to the telephone line 10 (step 114).

As described above, in response to the operation information indicating the destination determination from the key telephone 2A, the telephone correspondence means 32A of the server 3 transmits the outside line transmission request to the main unit 1 and performs the function processing of the main unit 1. Means 12A, key telephone 2
A is returned to the TEL mode, and after connecting the communication path with the main apparatus 1, an outside line is transmitted using the telephone line 10. Therefore, an information processing terminal is provided for each key telephone as in the conventional system. It is not necessary to provide a main unit with means for converting the information held by the information processing terminal and delivering the information to the key telephone, and the abundant information stored in the information processing terminal can be saved without increasing the scale of the system configuration. Various services used can be performed. In addition, after connecting the telephone path of the key telephone 2A and the main device 1, the outside line is transmitted using the telephone line 10, so that complicated control in the main device 1 and special operation in the key telephone 2A are not required. It becomes unnecessary.

Next, another example of the telephone directory transmission operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing another example of a telephone directory transmission operation from the key telephone using the database of the server. In FIG. 11 described above, a case has been described in which a call path between the main apparatus 1 and the key telephone 2A is connected, and then an outside line is transmitted using the telephone line 10. The case where the call path is connected at the time when is confirmed will be described.

The processing operations from transmitting the telephone directory list data from the server 3, displaying the data on the key telephone 2A, and deciding the desired destination are the same as those in FIG. In the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3, since the received operation information indicates the decision key operation, the key telephone 2
The telephone number of the other party selected in A is read from the database, and an outside line transmission request including the telephone ID of the key telephone 2A having the telephone number as a destination is transmitted to the main device 1 (step 109).

The function processing means 12A of the main unit 1 determines whether or not an outside line can be transmitted from the telephone line 10 (step 1).
20) If the call is possible, the telephone line 10 is captured (step 121), and a TEL mode instruction is transmitted to the key telephone 2A specified in the request (step 1).
22), a call path is connected (step 123). As a result, at time T3, the key telephone 2A
The mode is switched to the TEL mode, and the communication path between the main device 1 and the key telephone 2A is connected. Then, the function processing means 12A notifies the server 3 that the call path has been connected (step 12).
4).

In response, the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3 generates display information indicating "calling" based on the connection confirmation and transmits the display information to the key telephone 2A (step 125). On the screen display unit 27 of 2A, the message “calling” is displayed. In the function processing unit 12A, a dial signal indicating the destination telephone number is transmitted to the captured telephone line 10 (step 126).

If the outside line cannot be transmitted in step 120,
The reason is notified to the server 3 by the connection confirmation (step 127). In response to this, the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3 generates display information indicating the reason why the outgoing call is disabled based on the connection confirmation and transmits the display information to the key telephone 2A (step 128).
The reason why the transmission is not possible is displayed on the screen display unit 27 of A.

As described above, the call path is connected when it is confirmed that the call can be made from the telephone line 10. Therefore, the key telephone 2A enters the call state only when the outside line can be called. Therefore, when the outside line cannot be transmitted, the state does not shift to the call state, and the subsequent operation such as disconnection of the call path becomes unnecessary. Further, when the telephone line cannot be captured because there is no available outside line, the server 3 can easily perform the subsequent retransmission control without performing useless processing such as disconnection of the call path.

Next, another example of the telephone directory transmission operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing another example of a telephone directory transmission operation from a key telephone using a database of a server. In FIG. 11 described above, a case has been described in which, after the communication path between the main device 1 and the key telephone 2A is connected, an outside line is transmitted using the telephone line 10. A case in which a call path is connected when the start is confirmed will be described.

The processing operations from transmitting the telephone directory list data from the server 3, displaying the data on the key telephone 2A, and deciding the desired destination are the same as those in FIG. In the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3, since the received operation information indicates the decision key operation, the key telephone 2
The telephone number of the other party selected in A is read from the database, and an outside line transmission request including the telephone ID of the key telephone 2A having the telephone number as a destination is transmitted to the main device 1 (step 109).

The function processing means 12A of the main unit 1 determines whether or not outgoing calls can be made from the telephone line 10 (step 1).
20) If it is possible to make a call, the telephone line 10 is captured (step 121), and the destination telephone number is dialed out (step 130). Thereafter, when a ring back tone (RBT) indicating that a call is being made or a calling message is detected from the telephone line 10 and it is confirmed that the call has been started (step 131), a TEL mode instruction is transmitted to the key telephone 2A. (Step 13
2), a call path is connected (step 133).

Thus, at time T4, key telephone 2A is switched from the CTI mode to the TEL mode, and the communication path between main device 1 and key telephone 2A is connected. Then, by confirming the connection that the call path has been connected, the function processing means 12A notifies the server 3 (step 134). In response, the telephone corresponding means 32A of the server 3 generates display information indicating "calling" based on the connection confirmation and transmits the display information to the key telephone 2A (step 135).
A is displayed on the screen display unit 27 of "A".

If a busy tone (BT) or a busy message is detected instead of calling (step 136), the server 3 is notified of this by confirming the connection (step 137). In response, the telephone-corresponding means 12A of the server 3 generates display information indicating "other party is busy" based on the connection confirmation and transmits it to the key telephone 2A (step 138).
The screen display unit 27 of A displays that the other party is busy.

As described above, the call path is connected when it is confirmed that the call is started.
The key telephone 2A is in a call state only when it is in a call state. Therefore, even if the outside line can be transmitted, the state does not shift to the call state when the other party is busy, and subsequent operations such as disconnection of the call path become unnecessary. In addition, when performing subsequent retransmission control, the server 3 can easily perform the retransmission control without performing unnecessary processing such as disconnection of a call path. In step 131, it is possible to confirm the other party's answer instead of the call being made. In this case, the call state is set only when the other party answers, and the call state is not changed when the other party is absent. Operations such as cutting the path are not required.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, after transmitting the destination information in the information processing terminal to the key telephone,
In response to the operation information indicating the outside line transmission from the key telephone, the outside line transmission request from the source key telephone to the destination is transmitted from the information processing terminal to the main unit, and the main unit transmits the external line request specified by the request. The external line is transmitted to the destination telephone number, and the call path between the external line call and the originating key telephone is connected at a predetermined timing, so that the processing load on the information processing terminal can be increased without increasing the processing load on the main device. Various information stored in the database can be directly displayed on the screen of the key telephone, and an outside line can be transmitted to a desired destination. Therefore, unlike the conventional system, there is no need to provide an information processing terminal for each key telephone or to provide a main unit with a means for converting information possessed by the information processing terminal and delivering the information to the key telephone. Various services using abundant information can be performed without increasing the number of services.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a key telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a key arrangement of a key telephone.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of correspondence between operations in each operation mode and operation information.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a slave unit control process in the key telephone.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a mode switching process and a display information receiving process in the key telephone.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display information in a markup description language.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of information exchanged between a main device, a key telephone, and a server.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a data transfer process relating to information received from the key telephone.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a data transfer process relating to information received from a server.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of information from a server.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a telephone directory transmission operation.

FIG. 12 is a screen display example of telephone directory list data.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing another telephone directory transmission operation.

FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing another telephone directory transmission operation.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional CTI system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main apparatus, 10 ... Telephone line, 11 ... External line I / F part, 1
2 ... Main control unit, 12A ... Function processing unit, 12B ... Data transfer unit, 13 ... Extension I / F unit, 14 ... Main storage unit, 15
... Communication I / F section, 2, 2A-2N ... Key telephone, 20
... Extension transmission line, 21 ... Transmission I / F unit, 22 ... Slave unit control unit, 22A ... Display management unit, 22B ... Operation information generation unit, 23 ... Sound processing unit, 24 ... Operation input unit, 25 ... Control memory, 26A: TEL screen memory, 26B: CTI screen memory, 27: screen display unit, HS: handset, S
P: speaker, 3: server, 30: data communication path, 31
... Communication I / F section, 32 ... Server control section, 32A ... Telephone correspondence means, 33 ... Database, 34 ... Server storage section.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Goto 2-3-3 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo F-term in Tamura Electric Co., Ltd. (Reference) 5K024 AA02 AA71 BB04 CC04 DD02 FF03 GG01 GG07 5K026 CC07 EE06 FF02 FF23 GG02 GG12 HH04 LL01 5K036 AA12 BB01 DD01 JJ02 JJ07 JJ12 5K049 AA01 BB05 BB17 EE01 EE11 FF01 FF32 KK02 KK12

Claims (7)

[Claims] A main unit connected to a telephone line; an information processing terminal connected to the main unit via a data communication path and having a storage unit for storing various information; and a main unit connected via an extension transmission line. Connected to the device, comprising one or more key telephones having a screen display unit for displaying various information, the key telephone displays the destination information transmitted from the information processing terminal on the screen display unit, The information processing terminal further includes a slave unit control unit that transmits operation information indicating an operation of determining the displayed destination information as an outside line destination, after transmitting the plurality of destination information to the key telephone. And a telephone corresponding means for transmitting, when receiving operation information indicating an outside line transmission from the key telephone to the main unit, an external line transmission request from the source key telephone to the other party to the main unit. A function of making an outgoing call to the destination telephone number designated in response to an outgoing call request from the telephone corresponding means, and connecting a call path between the outgoing call and the calling button telephone at a predetermined timing. A key telephone system comprising processing means. 2. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the handset control unit of the key telephone sets a TEL mode that operates by displaying information generated and transmitted by the main device on the screen display unit. The information transmitted from the information processing terminal via the main device is displayed on the screen display unit and controlled to operate in one of the CTI modes.
A key telephone system which operates in an I mode to display the destination information and transmit operation information indicating the destination determination operation. 3. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein said function processing means connects a call path between said main device and said source key telephone in response to an outside line transmission request from said information processing terminal. A key telephone system, wherein an outside line is transmitted using the telephone line. 4. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the function processing means determines whether or not it is possible to make a call using the telephone line in response to an outside line call request from the information processing terminal, and makes a call. In such a case, a telephone path is connected between the telephone line and the originating key telephone, and an outside line is transmitted using the telephone line. 5. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the function processing unit performs dial transmission from the telephone line in response to an outside line transmission request from the information processing terminal.
A button telephone system for connecting a call path between the telephone line and the originating key telephone at a time when the telephone line notifies that the other party is calling. 6. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the function processing unit performs dial transmission from the telephone line in response to an outside line transmission request from the information processing terminal.
A key telephone system for connecting a call path between the telephone line and the originating key telephone at a point in time when the other party's response is notified from the telephone line. 7. The key telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the function processing means notifies the information processing terminal of a connection confirmation indicating a connection result obtained by making an outgoing call using the telephone line. The means generates display information indicating a connection result included in the connection confirmation, notifies the transmission source key telephone, and the slave unit control unit displays the received display information on the screen display unit. Key telephone system.