JP2521151B2 - Additional communication device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention uses an additional communication method, which is one of the communication methods for effectively utilizing limited communication equipment and increasing communication efficiency, to change terminals from information centers to terminals. The present invention relates to an additional communication device that sends various kinds of information to a device.

[Conventional technology]

Recently, as seen in the example of off-talk (NTT service name), various information is sent from the information center through the telephone station by communication with lower priority than the telephone communication between terminals (hereinafter referred to as additional communication). The emergence of service systems that deliver to telephones that are not making telephone communications (that is, not making telephone calls) has emerged.

In other words, this system can be said to be a kind of cable broadcasting in which the information provider sends information such as voice to the user's house by utilizing the idle time of the telephone line.

According to this, effective utilization of limited communication equipment can be achieved,
Communication efficiency increases.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, this system is a broadcasting format in which information is transmitted from the center unilaterally, so that the user can only listen to information that happens to occur while the line is idle, and the degree of freedom in information selection is high. small.

In addition, an interrupt occurs during the additional communication and is interrupted,
After that, when restarting, there is a drawback that the continuity of information is not guaranteed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to enable interactive additional communication and ensure the continuity of information even when the communication is interrupted or restarted. To provide an additional communication device.

[Means for solving the problem]

The supplementary communication device of the present invention is provided with means for transmitting a supplementary communication request signal and a supplementary communication end signal in the terminal device, and the exchange is responsive to the supplementary communication request signal for supplementary communication between the information center and the terminal device. Means for forming a line and releasing the additional communication line in response to the additional communication end signal; means for storing the additional communication display data and thereby displaying whether or not additional communication is in progress; and the additional communication. Means for setting the additional communication display data as being in the additional communication in response to the request signal and for clearing the additional communication display data in the additional communication in response to the additional communication end signal;
Means are provided for generating an information transmission start command in response to the additional communication display data being displayed during additional communication, and for generating an information transmission end command when the additional communication display data is not displayed during additional communication. The information center is provided with means for starting the transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the information transmission start command and ending the transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the information transmission end command. Enables interactive additional communication.

Further, when a telephone communication request signal from another terminal is received while the additional communication display data is displayed on the exchange, the additional communication line is released and the telephone communication between the terminals is performed. A means for forming a line and releasing the telephone communication line when receiving a telephone communication end signal from the other terminal while the additional communication display data indicates that the additional communication is in progress, and forming the additional communication line. When the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress, an interrupt start signal is generated when the telephone communication request signal from the other terminal is received, and the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress. Means for generating an interrupt end signal when a telephone communication end signal from the other terminal is received while the terminal is in operation, and the information center sends a temporary interruption signal in response to the interrupt start signal. In response to the suspended and an interrupt end signal transmission of additional communication information signals after is characterized in that a means for starting the transmission of additional communication information signals after sending the resume signal from the point of interruption.

[Action]

According to the present invention, the exchange notifies the information center of the additional communication request signal and the additional communication end signal from the terminal side, whereby the information center operates, so that interactive communication becomes possible. , The degree of freedom in information selection is improved.

If a telephone communication interruption occurs during the additional communication, the information center suspends the transmission of the additional communication information signal at the start of the interruption, waits for the end of the telephone communication, and then transmits the additional communication information signal. Since it is restarted from the point of interruption, continuity of information can be secured.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of an additional communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a time chart of the additional communication operation.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 is an information center, 9 is a transmission line, 10 is an exchange, 11 is a transmission line, 12 is a terminal, and additional communication information signals from the information center 8 are the transmission line 9 and the exchange.
10 and is transmitted to the terminal 12 through the communication line 15 formed from the transmission line 11.

An additional communication signal transmission unit 13 is attached to the terminal 12. The additional communication signal transmitting unit 13 generates an additional communication request signal and an additional communication end signal (hereinafter, when both are collectively referred to as an additional communication signal). When additional communication is to be performed, this additional communication signal is issued. When the communication signal transmitting unit 13 generates an additional communication request signal and ends the additional communication, the additional communication signal transmitting unit 13 generates an additional communication end signal. These additional communication signals are transmitted to the exchange 10 through the transmission line 11.

Reference numeral 17 is another terminal, and a telephone communication request signal, a telephone communication information signal and a telephone communication end signal from this terminal 17 are transmitted to the exchange 10 through a transmission line 18. The "telephone communication" referred to here is defined as including not only a call that is an exchange of voice signals but also a communication with a non-telephone terminal such as a facsimile communication.

The basic function of the exchange 10 is to first receive a telephone communication request signal (specifically, a dial signal such as dial pulse or MF) in the telephone communication signal receiving unit 103, receive the notification, and then exchange control unit. 102 constitutes a telephone communication line. Further, the telephone communication signal receiving unit 103 receives a telephone communication end signal (specifically, hook information of the terminal), and upon receiving the notification, the exchange control unit 102 releases the telephone communication line. .

The exchange 10 is further provided with an additional communication signal receiving section 14, an additional communication display section 16 and an interrupt notification section 19.

First, the additional communication display unit 16 holds additional communication display data indicating whether additional communication is in progress.

The additional communication signal receiving unit 14 receives the additional communication signal,
It serves to inform the exchange control unit 102.

When the exchange control unit 102 knows that the additional communication request signal has been received,
The fact that additional communication is in progress is set in the additional communication display section 16 and at the same time, the additional communication line 15 is constructed. When the exchange control unit 102 knows that the additional communication end signal has been received, it clears the display during additional communication of the additional communication display unit 16 and at the same time,
The additional communication line 15 is released.

When the display of the additional communication display unit 16 changes during the additional communication, the notification signal transmission unit 104 notifies the information center 8 of that fact as an information transmission start command, and also notifies the additional communication display unit 16 of the same.
When the display of No. is not in the additional communication, the fact is notified to the information center 8 as an information transmission end command.

When the exchange control unit 102 receives the notification of the telephone communication request signal from the terminal device 17 while the additional communication display unit 16 displays that additional communication is in progress, the exchange control unit 102 instructs the interrupt notification unit 19 to transmit the interrupt start signal. It has a function of instructing and releasing the additional communication line 15 to configure the telephone communication line 20 between the terminals 12 and 17, and the terminal is displayed when the additional communication display unit 16 indicates that additional communication is in progress. When the telephone communication end signal is received from the machine 17, the telephone communication line 20 is released and the additional communication line 15
It also has a function of reconfiguring and generating an interrupt end signal.

The interrupt start / end signal is transmitted to the information center 8 through the notification signal transmission unit 104.

The information center 8 includes an information bank 81 and a transmission / reception control unit 82.
Are provided.

The transmission / reception control unit 82 reads out predetermined information from the information bank 81 in response to the information transmission start command from the exchange 10, sends it to the additional communication line 15 as an additional communication information signal, and finishes sending the information from the exchange 10. The transmission of the additional communication information signal is ended in response to the command.

Further, the transmission / reception control unit 82 interrupts the transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the interrupt start signal from the exchange 10, stops the signal transmission after transmitting the temporary interruption signal, and responds to the interrupt end signal. It also has a function of starting the transmission of the additional communication information signal from the interruption point after transmitting the restart signal.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

To start the additional communication, first, the additional communication signal transmitting / receiving unit 13 sends the additional communication request signal a to the transmission line 11. Then, this signal is received by the additional communication signal receiving unit 14 of the exchange 10, the additional communication line 15 is configured by the exchange control unit 102, and the additional communication display signal b of the additional communication display unit 16 is set as being in the additional communication. The notification signal transmission unit 104
To generate an information transmission start command. As a result, the transmission / reception control unit 82 of the information center 8 reads out the predetermined information from the information bank 81 and starts transmitting it as the additional communication information signal c to the line 15.

Thereafter, this additional communication can be continued unless any request for telephone communication is generated.

During this additional communication, when the telephone communication request signal d is generated from the terminal device 17, this is received by the receiving unit 103 of the exchange 10, and the exchange control unit 102 firstly receives the interrupt notification unit 19
To send an interrupt start signal e. Then, the transmission / reception control unit 82 of the information center 8 suspends the transmission of the additional communication information signal c, suspends the transmission of the signal after transmitting the temporary suspension signal f, and waits for the end of the interrupt communication. Thus, when the transmission of the temporary interruption signal f is completed,
The exchange control unit 102 releases the additional communication line 15 to form the telephone communication line 20. As a result, the terminal device 17 can perform telephone communication with the terminal device 12. g is the telephone communication information signal.

Eventually, when the telephone communication end signal h is issued from the terminal device 17, the exchange control unit 102 releases the telephone communication line 20 to reconfigure the additional communication line 15, and the interrupt notification unit 19
Generates an interrupt end signal i.

When the transmission / reception control unit 82 of the information center 8 receives the interrupt end signal i, it first sends the restart signal j and then starts sending the additional communication information signal k after the interruption point.

Then, when the additional communication is to be ended, the additional communication signal transmitting section 13 sends the additional communication end signal 1. Then, the exchange control unit 102 knows this via the receiving unit 14,
The communication line 15 is released and the additional communication is terminated.

As described above, according to this embodiment, interactive additional communication is possible, and the information bank 81 of the information center 8 is available.
In advance, various information is prepared, the information selection function is added to the additional communication signal transmitting unit 13, the additional communication request signal is generated by including the selected information, and the notification signal transmitting unit 104 The user can obtain the desired information by instructing the selection contents by the information transmission start command (1) and allowing the transmission / reception control unit 82 to follow the instruction.

Further, even if this additional communication is interrupted by an interrupt in the middle of the process, the additional communication is continuously resumed from the interrupted portion of the information after the interrupt, so that the continuity of the information is ensured.

Further, since the information center 8 is adapted to send out a temporary interruption signal and a restart signal at the time of this interruption / resumption, these signals are sent to the terminal side as control signals for pause and recording restart of the recorder. As a result, it is possible to reproduce the same communication information as when there was no interruption in the middle and no interruption occurred.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the exchange notifies the information center of the additional communication request signal and the additional communication end signal from the terminal side, whereby the information center operates, so that the interactive operation is possible. Communication becomes possible, and the degree of freedom in selecting information is improved.

If a telephone communication interruption occurs during the additional communication, the information center suspends the transmission of the additional communication information signal at the start of the interruption, waits for the end of the telephone communication, and then transmits the additional communication information signal. Since it is restarted from the point of interruption, continuity of information can be secured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an additional communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a time chart showing the operation of the same, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional additional communication device. 8 ... Information center, 9,11,18 ... Transmission line, 10 ... Switch, 12,17 ... Terminal, 13 ... Additional communication signal transmission section, 14
…… Additional communication signal receiver, 15 …… Additional communication line, 16 ……
Additional communication display section, 19 …… Interrupt notification section, 20 …… Telephone communication line.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An information center to a terminal is connected to various terminals through the communication line by additional communication having a lower priority than telephone communication between one terminal and another terminal by controlling an exchange that controls exchange of the communication line. An additional communication device for transmitting information, wherein the one terminal is provided with means for sending an additional communication request signal and an additional communication end signal, and the exchange is responsive to the additional communication request signal. A means for forming an additional communication line between the information center and the one terminal and releasing the additional communication line in response to the additional communication end signal, and storing additional communication display data, thereby performing additional communication. Means for displaying whether or not there is an additional communication request signal, setting the additional communication display data as being in the additional communication in response to the additional communication request signal, and setting the additional communication in response to the additional communication end signal. Means for clearing the display during the additional communication by the display data, and an information transmission start command is generated in response to the display of the additional communication display data being in the additional communication, and the display of the additional communication display data is added. A means for generating an information transmission end command when communication is no longer in progress, and a means for generating an additional communication line when receiving a telephone communication request signal from the other terminal while the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress. A telephone communication end signal from the other terminal when it is released to form a telephone communication line between the one terminal and the other terminal and the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress. Means for releasing the telephone communication line to form the additional communication line, and receiving a telephone communication request signal from the other terminal when the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress. And means for generating an interrupt start signal and generating an interrupt end signal when the telephone communication end signal is received from the other terminal while the additional communication display data indicates that additional communication is in progress. A means for starting transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the information transmission start command and ending transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the information transmission end command; Means for interrupting the transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the start signal and for starting the transmission of the additional communication information signal in response to the interrupt end signal are provided. Additional communication device.