JP2002517954A - Programmable automatic start communication service - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The communication stations (23, 21) activate services from communication service providers (21, 32) to be remotely connected. The communication station is user-programmable (126, 129) and can automatically invoke any desired service (75) with its communication service provider at any desired time (73).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to connecting to a general telephone network, and more particularly, to the programmable automatic access of remote communication stations to telephone network services. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a conventional telephone network, various subscriber services provided by a central exchange (also referred to as a switch or a switch) of the telephone network are routinely provided. Conventional services provided by the general telephone service (POTS) include, for example, speed dial, automatic alarm call, answering machine service, call waiting, call diversion protectio.
n), busy call transfer, designated list call transfer, no-response call transfer, unconditional call transfer, absence, outgoing call restriction, selective designated call, unconditional selective call, and three-way call. Conventional ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) services include, for example, an incoming call notification service and an incoming call restriction service.

Activating a communication service, such as the service from a remote central office connected to the telephone network mentioned above, has existed conventionally. However, in this conventional method, the user of the remote station must be able to operate the remote station when starting a desired service. In other words, when a specific service is activated at a specific date and time, the user must be able to operate the remote communication station at the specific date and time in order to activate a desired service.

Another conventional method uses a remote communication station to program the date and time and the desired service into a telephone switch or switch providing the service. This switch automatically activates the service at the programmed date and time. The programming of such a telephone switch has the disadvantage that the telephone switch logic is unnecessarily complicated, especially when pre-programming for invoking a plurality of different services for a plurality of types of remote stations is required. Also, the network capacity must be used to connect to remote stations to optimize the switch function during each programming.

[0004] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional method by providing programmable automatic activation of telephone network services from a remote communication station connected to a network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an embodiment of a personal intelligent network (PIN) according to the invention. The personal intelligent network circuit of FIG. 1 can be configured in a communication station, for example, in a telephone, or in a wall jack that communicates with a station that communicates with a telephone exchange.

FIG. 2 shows a personal intelligent network installed in the communication station 23, and FIG. 3 shows a personal intelligent network arranged in the wall jack 33. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 25 indicates a conventional communication network (wired or wireless) connecting the exchange 21 and the remote station 23.
In FIG. 3, reference numerals 35 and 37 are provided via the wall jack 33 itself.
1 shows a conventional communication network connecting an exchange 32 and a remote station 31.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the illustrated personal intelligent network includes an information storage device 13, for example, a memory device, which is programmed with the desired telephone network service and its activation date and time. . Information storage device 1
3 is a data input 17, an address input 19, an I / O control input 14, and a data output 1.
Contains one.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an entry format in the information storage device 13. These entries are stored at respective addressable locations of the information storage device 13 specified by the address from the address input 19 and constitute the data input from the data input 17. As shown in FIG. 4, a typical entry includes a service section, a time section, and a date section. The service unit includes a character sequence encoding format required for a key input object to activate a service provided by the remote telephone exchange (for example, 21 in FIG. 2). The date section of the entry in FIG. 4 includes data indicating the date in the service to be activated, and the time section of the entry in FIG. 4 includes data indicating the time in the service to be activated.

FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the format of the entry shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the service portion of the entry contains the encoded characters to be keyed in to initiate a call transfer to another desired destination station. The remaining entries in FIG. 5 show the call transfer service started at 8:00 am (time section) on July 16, 1998 (date section).

Referring to FIG. 1 again, the time sorter 15 is connected to the information storage device 13. The time sorter operates to sort the entries in the information storage device 13 in chronological order according to the date and time of the service in each entry to be activated. The time sorter 15 includes an input 12 and is closely connected to an addressable entry in the information storage device 13 so that it can be accessed.

The decoder 18 of FIG. 1 receives user input at 116. The user input at 116 may be a conventional signal generated by a user operation of a keypad button at the communication station. As will be described in greater detail below, user input at 116 can be personalized from a local user operating the keypad of a station associated with the personal intelligent network of FIG. 1 or from another station located remotely. It can be received from a user accessing the intelligent network.
The selector 115 can be a local user input 126 or a remote user input 11
8 is output to a user input 116 of the decoder 18.

If the decoder 18 determines that the user input is just a call, the decoder 1
8 outputs a user input 116 directly to an output 114, which is connected to an input 16 of a conventional tone generator 113. Next, the tone generator 113
Access the telephone exchange to set up the desired call. Similarly, the decoder 18
However, if the user input 116 indicates a function other than originating or personal intelligent network, the decoder 18 outputs the user input 116 to the desired function 127 as shown.

When the decoder 18 indicates that the user input 116 indicates programming of an entry or entry into the memory 13, the decoder 18 outputs an optimal control signal to achieve the desired programming. The user input 116 may indicate all entries including the service part, the time part, and the date part, or the user input 116 may indicate only the time part and the date part or the date part. good.
If the user input 116 does not indicate all entries, the user input at 116 indicates a storage location within the library 106, at which location the remaining portion of the desired entry may be searched. That is, the library 106 can be pre-programmed (via the user input 116, the decoder 18, the library input 107) to include frequently used service units and / or service / time unit combinations. By doing so, the user input 116 may supply only the time and date part according to the library address of the desired service part, or only the combination of the date and time and the library address of the desired service part / time part. Good. Although the library 106 is shown separately from the information storage device 13, it should be understood that the library 106 can be part of the information storage device 13.

As described above, the library 106 can effectively omit the user input 116 when frequently used services are to be activated. For example, if the user frequently calls his / her company phone, the entire keypad sequence for invoking the calling service can be stored in the library 106, so that the user input 116
Simply designates the address of the sequence stored in the library 106 (other than indicating the entire sequence) according to the desired date and time information. If the user frequently activates a call to his or her company at a specific date and time, both the service unit for calling to the company and the time unit associated therewith can be stored in the library in advance. Only needs to specify the service / time combination stored in advance and the desired date in the service to be activated.

As an example, if the user input 116 indicates an entry in the library 106, the decoder extracts optimal address information from the user input 116 and applies this address information to the input 107 of the library 106. Further, the decoder 18 extracts time and date information from the user input 116 and outputs the information to 102. Adder 1
At 03, the time and date information from 102 is added to the service information obtained from the library 106, resulting in a complete entry at the output 104 including the service part, time part, and date part. I do. In addition, the library function is set to user input 1
If specified by 16, decoder 18 outputs a signal to selector 105 via signal path 100 and selects output 104 to connect data input 17 of information storage device 13.

If the user input 116 indicates that programming is desired and specifies all entries including the service part, time part, and date part, the decoder 118 then puts all entries on output 101. Output to the selector 10 via the control line 100.
5 to control and connect the output 101 to the data input 17 of the information storage device 13.
Select

By using each new entry to be programmed in the information storage device 13,
The decoder activates output 108 and inputs a signal to address pointer 109 to increment storage address input 19. Also, the decoder 18 has an I / O
The write control signal on the control bus 14 is input to the storage device 13 and the writing of data to the storage device location specified by the address input 19 is controlled by 17.

The time sorter 15 operates to sort the entries in the information storage device 13 in chronological order, and identifies the next entry. The time sorter 15 includes a timer 110 that monitors the elapsed time of both the date and time and the date. The time sorter 15 generates the service section of the next entry to be output from the information storage device 13 with the date and time specified by the next entry. This output 11 is connected to an input 16 of a tone generator 113. Tone generator 113 converts the coded character sequence of the service section into a corresponding tone sequence (as performed in conventional speed dialing), whereby the desired service information is used to invoke the desired service. Is output to the remote telephone exchange.

The invocation of a service as used in this specification is (1) service or (2)
Note that the cancellation of the service includes either activation. For example, one entry for a given date can make a call to the company at 9AM, and another entry for the same date can cancel the call at 6PM.

After the user has performed the desired programming on the information storage device 13, the user may request to receive confirmation that the desired programming does occur.
If the user input 116 indicates that such confirmation is required, the decoder 18 generates an I / O control output 14 (ie, read control) and an output 108, which is output by the conventional monitor configuration 112 on the processing output 123. Outputs the requested entry to If the user has programmed the entry sequence into the information storage device 13, the user input 116
Can indicate that all of the programmed entries are to be checked by the monitor 112, in which case the decoder 18 uses line 108 to determine the number of pre-programmed entries on demand. Decrement address pointer. The monitor configuration 112 may simply provide a visual display of the entry. The monitor 112 may also provide audio confirmation of the entry. In the latter case, the monitor arrangement 112 includes a speaker and a speech translator / synthesizer to generate an optimal speech representation of the entry.

The decoder 117 controls the remote access function of the personal intelligent network of FIG. When a call from a remote station is received, the decoder 117 first determines whether the personal intelligent network is to be accessed. If the remote user input 129 indicates that the personal intelligent network is not to be accessed, the decoder
As shown at 8, the incoming call is forwarded regardless of the function. If the incoming signal indicates that the personal intelligent network is to be accessed, the decoder uses output 119 to control a selector 115 that connects decoder output 118 to user input 116 of decoder 18, and decoder 117. Is
Connect remote user input 129 directly to user input 116 via signal path 118 and selector 115. Once the remote user input is connected to the user input 116 of the decoder 18 at 129, the operation of the personal intelligent network of FIG. 1 is the same as that described above with respect to the local user input 126.

If the remote user requests confirmation that the requested entry has actually been programmed into the information storage device 13, the decoder 117 uses the output 120 to activate the conventional callback circuit 121, which is Once the user is disconnected from the personal intelligent network of FIG. 1, the call back to the remote user is performed again. The entry (or its speech representation) is available at 130 from the monitor configuration 112 to the callback circuit 121,
Adds the number of callbacks. The output 125 of the callback circuit is connected to the input 16 of the tone generator 113. Then, the remote user can make a callback by the operation of the callback function 121, and an entry (or a voice expression) to be visually recognized (listened) by the remote user is provided. Once the callback to the remote user has been set, the entry (or phonetic representation)
Is provided there for use at a remote communication station.

FIG. 6 shows an operation example of the personal intelligent network of FIG. At 61, when a user input is received (see 116 of FIG. 1), at 62, the decoder 18 of FIG. 1 determines whether the personal intelligent network is to be accessed. If not, the user input is processed universally at 63 (see 114 and 127 in FIG. 1). At 62, if the personal intelligent network is to be accessed, then at 64, the decoder 18 of FIG. 1 sets the time sorter 15 to an idle state (via the control line 12 of FIG. 1), thereby doing so. The service is programmed while the service is automatically stopped by the intelligent network. Thereafter, at 65, the decoder 18 determines from the user input whether the library 106 is to be accessed. If not, at 66, the requested entry is received in its entirety from a user input including a service portion, a date portion, and a time portion. Thereafter, at 69, the entry is stored in the information storage device 13 of FIG.

If it is determined at 65 that the library 106 is to be accessed, the decoder 18 outputs a control signal 107 and obtains at 67 the requested entry portion or subgroup pre-stored in the library 106. For this purpose, a designated position in the library 106 is accessed. At 68, the requested entry is constructed by adding the entry part / group received from library 106 (see 103 in FIG. 1) to the entry part / group received from user input 116. After the requested entry has been constructed at 68, the entry is stored in the information storage device 13 at 69. Thereafter, at 601 the decoder 18 increments the address pointer 109 and at 602 determines whether the user input indicates an entry to be further stored. If it indicates an entry to be further stored, the control returns to 65 to execute the processing described above.

After all the requested entries have been stored (see 602), at 603, the decoder 18 determines whether the user input required confirmation of the programming, eg,
Judgment is made by visual display of programmed data (or synthesized speech expression). If no programming confirmation has been requested, at 609 the idle signal 12 is removed from the time sorter 15 and at 61 awaits the next user input. If a confirmation of programming was requested at 603, then at 604 the current address of 19 of FIG. 1 is stored. For example, the control output 108 of the decoder 18 can generate an address pointer 109 to temporarily store its current address. At 605, the decoder uses the control output 108 to decrement the address at 19. Next, at 606, the previously programmed entry is provided for audio / visual confirmation. Thereafter, at 607, it is determined whether additional entry confirmation has been requested. If confirmation of an additional entry is requested, control returns to 605 and the process described above is repeated. If it is determined at 607 that there is no entry to be confirmed, then at 608 the current address stored at 604 matches the address pointer output 19 with the previously stored address value (see 604). Until the address pointer 109 is incremented, it is re-established. After the current address is restored at 608, the idle signal 12 is deleted from the time sorter 15 at 609 and awaits the next user input at 61.

FIG. 7 shows an operation example of the time sorter 15 of FIG. At 70, if the idle signal 12 of FIG. 1 is not active, the time sorter proceeds to 71 and compares the date and time parts with the current date and time provided by the timer 110 of FIG. , The entries in the information storage device 13 are sorted. By this comparison, the time sorter identifies the next entry, that is, an entry having a date and time portion representing a point in time near the actual current point in time indicated by timer 110. After the next entry is identified at 71, the time sorter determines the current date and time until it compares the current date and time with the time defined by the date and time portion of the next entry. Monitor day and time. That is, the time sorter waits until the time defined by the next entry to activate the service. As shown at 74, the idle signal 12 becomes active while waiting at 73 (this is the PI
N means that programming has occurred), at 70, the time sorter:
Wait until the current programming is completed and at 71 restart the sort. When the service activation time comes (73), at 75, the time sorter 15 generates a service part of the next entry to be output from 11 from the information storage device 13. Then 7
At 7, the time sorter 15 deletes the entry from the information storage device 13. On the other hand, the time sorter 15 clears all the entries in the information storage device 13 periodically, for example, every day at midnight, or at the end of each weekend or each month.

In another embodiment, the date portion of one or more entries defines a plurality of dates. One example of an entry may include five consecutive days, or another example of an entry may include a date corresponding to five consecutive Tuesdays, and yet another entry may include " It can include a date section indicating "every day", "every working day", "every Monday", and the like. When a plurality of dates are defined in an entry, the service represented by the service section of the entry is activated at a given time on each of the specified days.

In other words, the present invention enables a remote communication station to automatically start a desired service at a desired time, and in this way, at the same time at the same time as the user's own start request, To realize a remote exchange. Advantageously, the user can pre-program this function, there is no need to have a remote station at start-up time, and there is no need to change remote exchanges or load on storage capacity.

The above-described embodiment of a personal intelligent network may be implemented, for example, by using the same type of circuitry as a conventional programmed data processor circuit used in a general purpose communication device, or other well-known logic circuits within such a communication device. Will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art using a data processor that combines

Although the details of the embodiment of the present invention have been described above, this does not limit the purpose of the present invention, and various embodiments can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates a personal intelligent network (PIN) providing programmable auto-initiated telephone network service from a remote communication station according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a telephone exchange remote from the telephone exchange and connected to a communication station including the personal intelligent network of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a wall jack connected to a telephone exchange located at a position remote from a communication station and including the personal intelligent network of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a typical entry format in the storage device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of an entry having the format of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the PIN in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the time sorter of FIG. 1;

[Procedural Amendment] Submission of translation of Article 34 Amendment of the Patent Cooperation Treaty

[Submission Date] September 8, 2000 (2000.9.8)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SL, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR , BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS , JP, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A communication device for initiating a service at a remotely connected communication service provider, comprising: an input for receiving an input signal from a user of the communication device; and an output signal for causing the communication service provider to provide a desired service. An output to the communication service provider; and an input programmable for a response to the input signal to automatically generate the output signal at a predetermined time specified for invoking the desired service. And a circuit connected between the output. 2. The circuit includes an information storage device connected to the input, wherein the information storage device is a service to be started by the remotely connected communication service provider and a start time at which the service is to be started. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication device stores information indicating the following. 3. A time sorter connected to said information storage device for accessing said information in said information storage device and sorting said services in chronological order according to its activation time. The communication device as described. 4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the time sorter includes a timer that monitors a current time and an elapsed time. 5. The information storage device includes a plurality of addressable storage locations for storing each entry, each entry including a service unit indicating a service to be activated, and a desired activation of the service to be activated. The communication device according to claim 2, further comprising: a start-up time unit indicating a time. 6. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein each of the entries includes a date section indicating a desired activation date associated with the service. 7. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the service section, the time section, and the date section of the entry are input to the input by the input signal. 8. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the service unit and the time unit of the entry are input to the input by the input signal. 9. The communication device according to claim 5, wherein the circuit includes a storage location for outputting the service unit of the entry to the information storage device in response to the user input signal. 10. The communication of claim 9, wherein the storage location provides both the service portion and the time portion of the entry to the information storage device in response to the user input signal. apparatus. 11. The entry includes a date section indicating a start date associated with the service, wherein the date section is input to the input with the input signal, and wherein the circuit includes: An adder configured to add the service unit and the time unit provided by a storage device and the date unit provided by the input signal and constitute the entry stored in the information storage device. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein 12. The time section of the entry is input to the input with the input signal, and the circuit includes the service section as an output from the storage location and the time section provided with the input signal. The communication device according to claim 9, further comprising: an adder that adds to the information storage device and forms the entry to be stored in the information storage device. 13. The entry includes a date section indicating a start date associated with the service, wherein the date section is input to the input with the user input signal, and the adder includes: The service unit to be output from the storage location and the date, month, and time provided by the input signal are added to constitute the entry to be stored in the information storage device. The communication device according to claim 12. 14. A monitor device connected to said input and said information storage device, said monitor device responding to said input signal and outputting an indication whether said information has been stored in said information storage device. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: 15. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the input includes a selector that enables the input signal to be received, either a local user input or a remote user input. 16. A method for activating a service at a communication service provider from a communication station remotely connected to the communication service provider, the method comprising: receiving an input signal from a user of the communication station at the communication station; Programming the communication station to automatically output to the communication service provider a desired time output signal to activate a desired service at the communication service provider in response to the input signal; Automatically outputting the output signal from the communication station to the communication service provider at the desired time thereafter. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the automatic output step monitors an elapsed time. 18. The communication station according to claim 16, wherein, in the programming step, information indicating a service to be started by the communication service provider and a start time at which the service is to be started is stored in the communication station. Method. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the automatic output step includes a sorting step of sorting the services in chronological order according to the activation time. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the sorting step includes an obtaining step of obtaining information on a current time. 21. A storage step for storing, in a storage device, an information entry including a service unit indicating a service to be started and a start time unit indicating a start time of a service to be started. The method according to claim 18. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving step receives the service unit and the time unit from the user with the input signal. 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the entry includes a date portion indicating a date corresponding to the service to be activated. 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the receiving step receives the service unit, the time unit, and the date unit from the user with the input signal. 25. The method according to claim 21, wherein the programming step includes an obtaining step of obtaining the service unit from a storage location in the communication station. 26. The receiving step of receiving the time section from the user with the input signal, and the programming step includes the service section obtained from the storage location and the time section received with the input signal. 26. The method of claim 25, comprising configuring the entry by adding 27. The method according to claim 21, wherein the programming step includes an obtaining step of obtaining the service unit and the time unit from a storage location in the communication station. 28. The method according to claim 28, wherein the entry includes a date section indicating a date corresponding to the service to be activated, and the receiving step includes receiving the date section from the user with the input signal, The programming step includes a configuration step of configuring the entry by adding the service section and the time section obtained from the storage location and the date section received by the input signal. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein 29. The method according to claim 18, comprising providing an indication of whether the information was stored in the storing step. 30. The receiving step includes selecting one of a local user physically present at the communication station and a remote user physically remote from the communication station, and selecting the local user and the remote user. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the input signal from a selected one of the following: