JP2009218855A - Telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify a predetermined telephone of a schedule even when a user is separated from a personal computer which performs the setting of the schedule. <P>SOLUTION: A telephone system stores a plurality of client terminals 20 being the personal computers with IP telephones and a plurality of mobile terminals 30, etc., in an IP exchange network 10. Each client terminal 20 includes: a schedule management part for previously registering and managing the action plan of the user and the telephone number of contact in the case of absence; a state monitoring part for monitoring the state of an input operation by the user and determining the presence or absence of the user; and a speech part for outputting a message to be announced to the user as a sound signal. The presence or absence of the user is determined at the time of the registered action plan. In the case of absence, a telephone set with the telephone number of the contact is called, so as to notify the telephone set of the message by sound. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a telephone system that uses a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “personal computer”) as an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone, and more particularly to a schedule notification function using the telephone.

  IP phone with presence function that integrates the software of IP phone into a personal computer and uses the handset, headset, etc. as a telephone and the schedule management function of the user of the soft phone. The telephone system using is actively adopted for enterprises. Presence is a word that means that the user “exists” in front of a personal computer, for example. By linking with the schedule management function, “present”, “meeting”, “going out” The user's situation such as “on vacation” can be transmitted to the other party as presence information.

  Based on this presence information, you can call the other party directly if you are present, send a message if you are in a meeting, and make a mobile phone call if you are out of the office. Work can be carried out efficiently, such as eliminating the need for correction and saving time for writing message memos.

  In Patent Document 1 below, each client is connected to an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) server that provides a call control service to a plurality of personal computers with IP telephone functions (hereinafter referred to as “client terminals”) connected to an IP exchange network. A telephone system is described in which a function for holding and providing the presence information of the terminal is added, and each client terminal is configured to update the presence information in the SIP server when the state changes.

JP 2007-184755 A

  However, in the telephone system, it is possible to notify others of their specific schedule by presence information, but when the person who set the schedule is away from the personal computer at that time, There was a problem that I could not grasp my schedule.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone system capable of notifying a schedule to a telephone specified in advance even when the user is away from a personal computer for which a schedule has been set.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone system in which a plurality of telephones including a computer with a telephone function are connected to each other by a communication network with an exchange function. Schedule management means for pre-registering and managing the telephone number of the contact at the time, and status monitoring for determining whether the user is present or absent by monitoring the status of the input operation by the user And a speech means for outputting a message to be transmitted to the user as an audio signal, and determines whether or not the user is present at the registered scheduled time of action. It is characterized in that the telephone of the telephone number of the contact is called and the message is transmitted by voice.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone system in which a plurality of telephones including a computer with a telephone function are connected to each other by a communication network with an exchange function. Schedule management means for registering and managing in advance, status monitoring means for determining whether the user is present or absent by monitoring the status of the input operation by the user, and for the user An application server having a speech means for outputting a message to be communicated as an audio signal, and determining whether or not the user is present at the registered scheduled action time; The telephone number of the telephone number is called and the message is transmitted by voice.

  In the present invention, an action schedule of a user of a computer with a telephone function is registered, and if the user is absent at the scheduled time, a message is transmitted by voice to a telephone of a registered contact. Thus, even when the user is away from the personal computer for which the schedule is set, the schedule can be notified to the telephone designated in advance.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following description of the preferred embodiment is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are for explanation only, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a telephone system showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
This telephone system includes an IP switching network 10, a plurality of client terminals 20 and mobile terminals 30 connected thereto, a call control service for the plurality of client terminals 20 and mobile terminals 30 connected to the IP switching network 10, and the like. It is comprised by the SIP server 40 which performs.

  The IP exchange network 10 is a telephone exchange network based on the Internet, and the client terminal 20 is obtained by incorporating an IP telephone function and a schedule management function into a general-purpose personal computer as will be described later. The mobile terminal 30 is a normal mobile terminal represented by a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) or a mobile phone.

  The SIP server 40 is a server that implements call control and presence information service using SIP, which is a call control protocol used in Internet telephones applying VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). It consists of a SIP database 43. Note that VoIP is a technology for transmitting and receiving voice data using the Internet, intranet, etc., and SIP is a one-to-one communication such as a telephone or instant messenger or a set of communication between multiple participants. And a complete application layer signaling protocol.

  The call control unit 41 controls outgoing and incoming calls, and the presence unit 42 manages presence information of each client terminal 20 and provides the information to other client terminals 20 upon request. It is. The SIP database 43 is a storage unit for storing login information, registrants, presence information, and the like of each client terminal 20.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the client terminal 20 in FIG.
As described above, the client terminal 20 incorporates hardware and software for use as an IP telephone in addition to hardware and software for realizing functions as a normal personal computer. In FIG. 2, only the part related to the IP telephone function and the schedule management function is shown.

  The client terminal 20 includes a softphone module and a schedule management module. The softphone module includes a call control unit 21, a presence unit 22, and an inter-module interface 23. The schedule management module includes an inter-module interface 24, a schedule management unit 25, a state management unit 26, and a text speech unit 27. .

  The call control unit 21 is used for general telephone calls such as making / receiving calls, exchanging voices, and disconnecting calls with other client terminals 20, mobile terminals 30, and SIP servers 40 via the IP switching network 10. Control is performed.

  The presence unit 22 has a function of monitoring the login state of the client terminal 20 itself and the user's leaving state, and notifying the SIP server 40 of the state when a change is detected. The presence unit 22 also has a function of acquiring presence information of other client terminals 20 from the SIP server 40.

  The inter-module interfaces 23 and 24 are used for communication between the softphone module and the schedule management module using inter-process communication. It has a function to receive return values from modules.

  The schedule management unit 25 has a calendar for registering an action schedule of a user of the personal computer, and a function that is also installed in a general personal computer such as displaying an alarm at a scheduled time registered in the calendar. It is. The schedule management unit 25 may, for example, “conference from 9:00 to 11:00 on March 1, the place is the first meeting room”, “going out from 13:00 to 16:00 on March 2, contact telephone 090-xxxxxxxx”. , And a function of holding and managing a schedule such as “March 3 vacation” and a contact telephone number when possible.

  The state management unit 26 monitors the activation of the screen saver and the screen lock of the personal computer, and monitors that the input operation from the mouse and the keyboard is interrupted for a certain period of time, so that the personal computer user is away. Is to judge. Further, the state management unit 26 has a function of connecting to another client terminal using a network protocol such as TCP / IP and acquiring the state information of the client terminal.

  The text speech unit 27 reads out the sentence by voice by converting the data described in the text document into an analog voice signal. For example, the text speech unit 27 has a function of outputting the contents of “conference from 9:00 to 11:00 on March 1st, the place is the first conference room” registered in the schedule management unit 25 by voice. The output audio signal is transmitted to the telephone of the connection partner through the same path as the audio signal from the handset which is the hardware of the IP telephone.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the schedule management module in FIG. Hereinafter, a schedule notification operation by telephone, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the schedule management module of the client terminal 20 is in the operating state, in step S1 of FIG. This may be a method of comparing the registered contents of the schedule management unit 25 with the current time at a fixed period, or may set a timer in advance and wait for the generation of an interrupt signal. When the scheduled time is reached, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S2, the state management unit 26 determines whether the user of the personal computer is present or away. If it is determined that the user is present, the process proceeds to step S7. If it is determined that the user is away, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the inter-module interface 24 acquires a contact address for the schedule registered in the schedule management unit 25, and sends an outgoing event including the telephone number of the contact address to the inter-module interface 23 on the softphone module side. Send. As a result, the call control unit 21 of the softphone module makes a call to the contact telephone number via the SIP server 40. Then, it progresses to step S4 and the response from the telephone of a contact is monitored.

  If it is confirmed in step S4 that the call is established, the process proceeds to step S6. If the telephone of the contact does not answer or the incoming call is rejected and the call is not established, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, the inter-module interface 24 performs a predetermined number of re-transmissions after a predetermined time. If the call is not established even after the specified number of re-calls, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S6, in response to establishment of the call, the text speech unit 27 is activated, and the schedule contents registered in the schedule management unit 25 and the data of the time are converted into analog audio signals. The generated voice signal is transmitted to the telephone of the connection partner through the same path as the voice signal from the handset of the IP telephone. As a result, the schedule contents and the time are output by voice to a telephone such as a mobile terminal designated as a contact address. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, the presence information is updated regardless of the success or failure of the voice notification, and the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, it is determined whether or not the next schedule is registered in the schedule management unit 25. If it is registered, the process returns to step S1 and the processes of steps S1 to S7 are repeated. If the next schedule is not registered, the operation of the schedule management module ends.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the telephone system of FIG. Hereinafter, a schedule notification sequence in the telephone system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The schedule management unit 25 of the schedule management module makes a call request to the inter-module interface 24 at the time of the registered schedule. As a result, the inter-module interface 24 transmits an event to the inter-module interface 23 of the softphone module.

  The inter-module interface 23 makes a call request to the call control unit 21 based on the event received from the inter-module interface 24. The call control unit 21 transmits a call request to the SIP server 40, and the SIP server 40 transmits the call request to the mobile terminal 30 specified as the contact address.

  When the mobile terminal 30 responds in accordance with the call origination request, a response signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal 30 to the SIP server 40, and further, a response signal is transmitted from the SIP server 40 to the call control unit 21 of the client terminal 20 that is the call source.

  The call control unit 21 outputs a response notification to the inter-module interface 23 according to the response signal. As a result, the inter-module interface 23 transmits an event to the inter-module interface 24 of the schedule management module.

  The inter-module interface 24 makes a voice notification request to the text speech unit 27 based on the event received from the inter-module interface 23. The text speech unit 27 acquires the schedule content from the schedule management unit 25, converts the content into a voice signal, and outputs the voice signal to the telephone voice path. As a result, the schedule content is transmitted to the mobile terminal 30 as a contact address in a voice state.

  When the mobile terminal 30 disconnects the call, a disconnection signal is transmitted to the originating client terminal 20 via the SIP 40, and the operation of the text speech unit 27 is stopped.

  As described above, in the telephone system according to the first embodiment, the state management unit 26 that manages whether the user is present or absent is provided in the personal computer with the IP telephone function, and the contents of the schedule are converted into voice. A text speech unit 27 for transmitting by telephone is provided. Thus, if the schedule is registered, there is an advantage that the schedule contents and the like can be notified to the mobile phone or the like even when the user is away from the desk.

  In the first embodiment, each client terminal 20 includes a respective schedule management module, registers the user's schedule in the schedule management unit 25, and conveys the schedule by voice to the contact phone when the user leaves the desk. It was. For this reason, it cannot be applied to a personal computer that does not perform schedule management, and further, there is a restriction that the scope of application is limited, for example, a text speech unit 27 is required in addition to the schedule management unit 25.

  The telephone system according to the second embodiment can be used by a personal computer having only a simple softphone function by making the schedule management and text speech functions independent as an application server.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a telephone system showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Elements common to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by common reference numerals.

  The telephone system includes an Internet communication network 50, a plurality of client terminals 60 and mobile terminals 30 connected thereto, a SIP server 40, and an application server 70.

  The Internet communication network 50 is a general packet communication network using a TCP / IP protocol. The client terminal 60 is a general-purpose personal computer in which an IP telephone function is incorporated, and as the IP telephone function, for example, what corresponds to the softphone module in FIG. 2 is sufficient.

  The application server 70 includes a schedule management unit 71, a dialer service unit 72, a text speech unit 73, and a state management unit 74.

  The schedule management unit 71 has a calendar for centrally managing the schedules of users of the client terminals 60, and notifies the client terminals and the like corresponding to the scheduled time registered in the calendar. The schedule management unit 71 manages the same information as the schedule management unit 25 of the client terminal 20 in the first embodiment.

  The dialer service unit 72 controls connection with the SIP server 40, the client terminal 60, and the like via the Internet communication network 50.

  Similar to the text speech unit 27 of the client terminal 20 in the first embodiment, the text speech unit 73 reads out the text by converting the data described in the text document into an analog audio signal. .

  The state management unit 74 acquires and manages presence information of each client terminal via the Internet communication network 50. The other mobile terminals 30 and the SIP server 40 are as described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the telephone system of FIG. Hereinafter, a schedule notification sequence in the telephone system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The schedule management unit 71 of the application server 70 waits until the registered scheduled time, and when the scheduled time comes, the presence of the client terminal 60 corresponding to the presence unit 42 (or the status management unit 74) of the SIP server 40 is detected. Confirm.

  When the presence of the user of the corresponding client terminal 60 is confirmed by the response from the presence unit 42 (or the state management unit 74), the schedule management unit 71 shifts to a standby state until the next scheduled time. When the presence of the user of the corresponding client terminal 60 cannot be confirmed, the telephone number of the contacted mobile terminal 30 or the like preset in the schedule management unit 71 is acquired and the dialer service unit 72 is called.

  The called dialer service unit 72 makes a call request for the telephone number of the contact to the call control unit 41 of the SIP server 40. Thereby, the call control unit 41 makes a call to the contacted mobile terminal 30 or the like. If the telephone of the contact does not answer or the incoming call is rejected and the call is not established, the call control unit 41 notifies the dialer service unit 72 to that effect. In this case, the dialer service unit 72 performs a re-transmission for a specified number of times after a predetermined time. If a call is not established even after a specified number of re-calls, the call request is canceled.

  When there is a response from the contacted mobile terminal 30 or the like, a notification to that effect is sent to the dialer service unit 72 via the call control unit 41, and the dialer service unit 72 sends a schedule management unit to the text speech unit 73. The voice notification request is output so that the schedule contents registered in 71 and the data of the time are converted into voice and notified.

  Thereby, the schedule content and the time of the user of the corresponding client terminal 60 are converted into an analog audio signal. The generated voice signal is transmitted to a telephone such as the mobile terminal 30 of the connection partner through the same route as the voice signal of the IP phone. Therefore, the schedule contents and the time are output by voice to a telephone such as a mobile terminal designated as a contact address.

  When the mobile terminal 30 disconnects the call, a disconnect signal is transmitted to the application server 70 via the SIP server 40, and the operation of the text speech unit 73 is stopped.

  As described above, the telephone system according to the second embodiment collectively manages the presence information of the plurality of client terminals 60. When the user of the client terminal 60 is absent, the telephone system of the designated contact is voiced. And an application server 70 for transmitting the schedule. As a result, even if the user of the client terminal 60 does not have a schedule management function or a text speech function, if the user schedule is registered in the application server 70, the schedule contents can be stored in the mobile phone or the like even when the user is away from the desk. There is an advantage that it can be known.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various deformation | transformation is possible. Examples of this modification include the following.
(A) The schedule managers 25 and 71 check the presence at the registered scheduled time. However, the schedule management units 25 and 71 check the presence by arbitrarily setting a time before the scheduled time. May be.
(B) When the presence of a user of the corresponding client terminal 60 is confirmed, the schedule management unit 71 is configured not to notify the client terminal 60 of the schedule. May be registered, and notification may be performed as desired.
(C) In the text speech units 27 and 73, the text data is converted into an audio signal, but an audio signal recorded in advance may be selected and output based on the data.
(D) The contact phone for notifying the schedule when the user is absent is not limited to the mobile terminal 30. You may make it notify to the other client terminals 20 and 60. FIG.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic block diagram of the telephone system which shows Example 1 of this invention. It is a system block diagram of the client terminal 20 in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the schedule management module in FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of the telephone system of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the telephone system which shows Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of the telephone system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 IP switching network 20,60 Client terminal 21,41 Call control part 22,42 Presence part 23,24 Inter-module interface 25,71 Schedule management part 26,74 State management part 27,73 Text speech part 30 Mobile terminal 40 SIP server 43 SIP database 50 Internet communication network 70 Application server 72 Dialer service section

Claims (2)

A telephone system for connecting a plurality of telephone sets including a computer with a telephone function to each other by a communication network with an exchange function,
The computer with the telephone function is:
A schedule management means for pre-registering and managing the user's action schedule and the telephone number of the contact at the time of absence;
State monitoring means for determining whether the user is present or absent by monitoring the status of the input operation by the user;
Speech means for outputting a message to be transmitted to the user as an audio signal,
It is configured to determine whether or not the user is present at the registered scheduled action time, and call the telephone of the contact phone number when the user is absent to convey the message by voice A telephone system characterized by that. In a telephone system in which a plurality of telephones including a computer with a telephone function are connected to each other by a communication network with an exchange function,
Schedule management means for pre-registering and managing the user's action schedule and telephone number of the contact person when absent, and monitoring the status of the input operation by the user. An application server having state monitoring means for determining whether the user is seated or absent and a speech means for outputting a message to be transmitted to the user as an audio signal;
It is configured to determine whether or not the user is present at the registered scheduled action time, and call the telephone of the contact phone number when the user is absent to convey the message by voice A telephone system characterized by that.

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