JP3180414B2 - Message transmission device for mobile terminal - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a message transmitting device for transmitting a message to a mobile terminal.

[0002] In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for most of the business workers to reside in the same office and conduct business due to various reasons, such as business expansion, restrictions on the location of offices, and employment difficulties. It has become to. For this reason, the number of business workers (hereinafter, referred to as “business executors”) who do not reside in a specific office but execute a business in a customer's building or an area where many customers are present as a main activity place has increased. It is getting.

[0003] In such a business form, there is a very small chance that the manager who manages the schedule of the business executor and the business executor who actually executes the business are in the same office. Frequent contact between business practitioners is required.

[0004] However, business practitioners in such a business form are rarely in a certain place,
Since there are many occasions such as meeting with a customer, the fact is that even if a manager or a person who needs to make business contact calls a contact, it is not always possible to get in touch immediately.

A pager such as a pager is widely used as one of the communication means. However, due to the above-mentioned characteristics of the business executor, it is not always possible to immediately make a telephone call even when called by the pager. In many cases, the manager who made the call is absent when the state is reached.

[0006] As another communication method, a method of giving a business executor a portable telephone or the like to make contact is becoming widespread. However, when a manager who sends a message is in a contact time period, for example, during a meeting or a business trip There is a drawback that it is difficult to contact when there are many.

For this reason, there is a need for a message transmission method in which persons having a high probability of not being located at a certain place in the same time zone can easily communicate with each other.

[0008]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technique capable of transmitting a message even when a partner is absent, there are known techniques such as message communication, data mail (e-mail), and facsimile mail for a fixed communication network (hereinafter referred to as fixed network). There is a service called. All of these send non-voice messages, such as data or facsimile, to fixed terminals, but for those who have a limited time in a certain place, especially those who may not return to their seats all day. It is not suitable for sending a message that needs to be frequently transmitted such as a schedule, and cannot be transmitted by voice.

There is also a voice mail for sending and delivering a voice message to a fixed terminal, but it is not general yet and is unsuitable for use with a partner who has a high probability of not being in a certain place. . There is also a message service that sends a message by specifying the time, but since this service must be used by the terminal of the subscriber who has registered for this service, for example, It is not suitable for the purpose of transmitting a message from a location to a specific person.

[0010] In addition to the above, there is a voice mail box service suitable for making contact between persons who are not in a fixed place in the fixed network. This service allows a person who has accessed a voice mailbox to write and listen to voice mail using the voice mailbox number occupied by a person who has previously registered for this service as a key. There is a drawback, however, that if the recipient of the message does not have access to the voice mailbox, it is not known whether or not the voice mail has been written.

[0011] As described above, in order to directly transmit a message to a person who is not in a fixed place, there is no satisfactory service in the fixed network. Therefore, a mobile communication network (hereinafter, referred to as a mobile network). ) Except to use.

In the paging service, which is one of the conventional technologies in mobile communication, a message recipient who frequently has a meeting with a customer or the like receives a call and is not immediately contacted, but is contacted later. When the sender of the message is absent, the purpose cannot be achieved.

[0013] Therefore, in order to transmit a message in a timely manner in the prior art, a message receiver is provided with a mobile terminal such as a portable telephone having a characteristic that communication can be performed at any time and anywhere. Although this method is most suitable, this method is not perfect in a place where it is difficult for the sender of the message to contact at the time when the message should be contacted, such as a case where the message sender is often at a meeting or a business trip. In addition, if a message is transmitted periodically, there is a problem that communication cost becomes high.

[0014]

In the prior art, there has been no method for reliably and timely transmitting a message between a message sender and a message recipient who have a high probability of not being located at a fixed location with respect to each other.

An object of the present invention is to enable a message to be transmitted to a mobile terminal at an arbitrary time from an arbitrary subscriber of a fixed network or a mobile network.

[0016]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a message transmitting device, 2 is a fixed network or mobile network subscriber who is a message sender,
Reference numeral 3 denotes a mobile terminal serving as a message receiver, and reference numeral 4 denotes, from a fixed network or mobile network subscriber 2, message form information indicating whether a message to be transmitted is voice or data, and movement of a message transmission destination. Message reception processing means 5 for receiving message transmission information including the body terminal number, message transmission time, and message is a message storage means for storing the message transmission information received from the message reception processing means 4 according to the message form information.

6a is a voice message transmitting means for receiving the mobile terminal number and the message output from the message storage means 5 and transmitting the message as voice information to the mobile terminal 3 having the received mobile terminal number, 6b The mobile terminal number and the message output from the message storage means 5 are received, and the mobile terminal 3 having the received mobile terminal number is received.
Is a data message transmitting means for transmitting a message as data to the device.

[0019]

In FIG. 1, a subscriber 2 connects to a message transmitting apparatus 1 to transmit a message to a mobile terminal 3, and message form information indicating whether the message to be transmitted is voice or data; When message transmission information including the mobile terminal number of the mobile terminal 3 to which the message is to be transmitted, the message transmission time, and the message is input, the message reception processing unit 4 outputs the message form information and the message transmission information to the message storage unit 5. I do.

When the message storage means 5 receives the message form information and the message transmission information from the message reception processing means 4, it stores the message transmission information in accordance with the message form information. After the accumulation, the message accumulating means 5 monitors the time, and outputs the accumulated mobile terminal number and the message when the message transmission time specified in the message transmission information is reached. If yes, the message storage means 5 outputs a message to the voice message transmitting means 6a, and the voice message transmitting means 6a transmits this message to the mobile terminal 3 having the designated mobile terminal number as a voice message. When data is specified in the message form information, the message storage means 5 outputs a message to the data message transmitting means 6b, and the data message transmitting means 6b transmits the message to the mobile terminal number designated as the data message. To the mobile terminal 3 having

As described above, in FIG. 1, any subscriber 2 of the fixed network or the mobile network can transmit a message to the mobile terminal 3 by specifying an arbitrary time.
Messages can be reliably and timely communicated between message senders and message recipients that are not at a fixed location from each other. In addition, since the subscriber 2 can select a message format, the message can be transmitted in a message format which is easy for the user to use, either voice or data. Since the redundancy is low, the occupation time of the wireless line can be reduced, and as a result, the communication cost can be reduced.

[0022]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Throughout the drawings, the same symbols indicate the same objects, 1a is a mobile switching device equipped with the message transmitting device of the present invention, 21 is a fixed network, 22 is a mobile network base station, and 2a and 2b transmit messages. The subscribers 2a are subscribers of the fixed network 21 and 2b are subscribers of the mobile network. 3a and 3b are mobile terminals that receive messages, 3a is a mobile terminal that receives voice messages, 3b
Is a mobile terminal that receives data messages.

4 is a message reception processing unit, 5 is a message storage unit, 6a is a voice message transmission unit composed of a voice message transmission control unit 11 and a voice channel switching unit 12,
6b is a data message transmitting unit.

Reference numeral 7 denotes whether the mobile terminal number matches the mobile unit number when the message reception processing unit 4 receives the mobile unit number as a password from the subscriber 2 in addition to the message transmission information. Machine number verification part to do, 8
Is a message form information transfer section for transferring the message form information received from the subscriber 2 to the message storage section 5, 9a is a voice message output path, 9b is a data message output path,
Reference numeral 10 denotes a mobile subscriber file, 13 denotes a switch, 14 denotes an analog / digital converter (hereinafter, A / D converter), and 15 denotes a digital / analog converter (hereinafter, D / A converter). In addition, or is a symbol for explaining the type of information to be input, transferred, or stored.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The following operation is performed regardless of whether the sender of the message is the subscriber 2a of the fixed network 21 or the subscriber 2b of the mobile network. Since they are the same, the subscriber 2a of the fixed network 21 will be described here as the sender of the message. In addition,
Subscribers shall include public telephones.

First, the case where the form of the message to be transmitted is voice will be described. Subscriber 2a is mobile terminal 3a
When a predetermined dial is performed to transmit a voice message to the subscriber, the subscriber 2a receives a call to the mobile switching device 1a via the fixed network 21, and is connected to the message reception processing unit 4. When there is an incoming call, the message reception processing unit 4 performs a talkie guidance using a well-known means such as a talkie device (not shown) and urges the subscriber 2a to input information.

The subscriber 2a that has listened to the talk key can use, for example, a push-button dialing method, to display message form information indicating whether the message is voice or data, and “mobile terminal number of message destination + transmission time information + message”. Are sequentially input (the input information from the message sender is shown in FIG. 2), but the message reception processing unit 4 first outputs information excluding the message,
That is, the message type information, the mobile terminal number and the transmission time information are received and temporarily stored in a buffer memory (not shown), and the address of a message storage area for storing the message transmission information is indexed.

The above address is stored in the message reception processing unit 4
It is also possible to use a table in which a mobile terminal number of a mobile subscriber who has previously registered a message transmission service and an address of a message storage area are stored and indexed. The description will be made assuming that the index is made using the user file 10. Mobile subscriber file
10 stores data of all mobile subscribers. Since the address information is contained in the data, the message reception processing unit 4 uses the previously received mobile terminal number to store the subscriber file. By accessing 10, the address information of the message storage area allocated to the mobile terminal 3a can be known.

When the address information of the message storage area is obtained, the message reception processing unit 4 sends the mobile terminal number and the transmission time information stored in the buffer memory together with the address information to the message storage unit 5 via the switch 13. send. Message storage unit 5 stores the message storage area of the address designated by the address information of these information (and A ₁₎ and (mobile terminal number) (transmission time information).

Next, the message reception processing section 4 sends the message form information stored in the buffer memory via the message form information transfer section 8, and the sent message form information is stored in the address A _{1 of the} message storage section 5. Accumulated in At this point, the message reception processing unit 4 switches the switch 13 to the A / D converter 14 if voice is specified in the received message form information, and switches the A / D converter 14 to A / D if data is specified. Connect to the side that does not pass through the D converter 14. In this example, since the message form is voice, the switch 13 is switched to the A / D converter 14 side.

When the above processing is completed, the message reception processing unit 4 sends a talk key prompting the input of a message to the subscriber 2a. When the subscriber 2a sends a voice message in response to the reminder, the message reception processing unit 4 sends the voice message to the A / D converter 14 via the switch 13, converts the analog voice into a digital code, and It is stored in the message storage area of a _1. As a result, the message reception processing unit 4 ends the reception processing, and notifies the subscriber 2a that the message has been received by using the talk key.

The message storage unit 5 monitors the transmission time information of all the message storage areas at regular intervals, and compares it with the current time. When a message storage area storing transmission time information that matches the current time is detected, the message storage unit 5 transmits a control signal including the stored mobile terminal number to the voice message transmission unit 6a in the voice message transmission unit 6a. Sent to the control unit 11 to request the mobile terminal to call.

The configuration of a radio channel in mobile communication is generally composed of a plurality of communication channels and one or a small number of control channels used for calling a mobile terminal. Is transmitted via the communication channel, so that an empty channel is captured first.

Hereinafter, the connection of the mobile terminal number to the mobile terminal 3a is performed by the connection function inherent in the mobile switching device 1a. That is, the voice message transmission control unit
11 controls the voice channel switching unit 12 to capture a free channel, and then searches the mobile subscriber file 10 for a mobile terminal number and then transmits the mobile terminal 3a by indexing the mobile terminal number from a control channel (not shown). call. When the mobile terminal 3a responds, the voice channel switching unit 12 sends a response confirmation signal to the message storage unit 5. When receiving the response confirmation signal, the message storage unit 5 sends the stored message to the voice message output path 9a. This message is D /
The mobile terminal is converted to analog voice by the A converter 15 and wirelessly transmitted through the voice channel switching unit 12 and the base station 22.
Sent to 3a. If a free channel cannot be acquired when the transmission time comes, or the mobile terminal 3a does not respond, the retry is performed up to a predetermined number of times after a certain period of time.

Next, an example in which the message format is data will be described. If the message form is data, the message form information indicating that the message is data is sent from the subscriber 2a, so the message reception processing unit 4 switches the switch 13 to the A / D converter 14 as described above. Connect to the side that does not pass through to prompt the subscriber 2a to input a message. In response, the data message sent from the subscriber 2a is input to the message storage unit 5 via the switch 13,
Stored in the address A _1. Thereby, the message reception processing unit 4 ends the processing.

At the transmission time, the message storage unit 5 sends a control signal including the stored mobile terminal number to the data message transmission unit 6b. The data message can be transmitted using the above-mentioned communication channel.
Is configured to transmit using a control channel. The data message transmitting unit 6b transmits the control message to the mobile terminal 3b as in the voice message (for convenience of explanation, the mobile terminal that receives the data message uses the symbol
3b) and send the number to call the mobile terminal
When 3b responds, a response confirmation signal is returned to the message storage unit 5.

The message storage unit 5 reads the data message from the message storage area, and sends the data message to the data message transmission unit 6b via the data message output path 9b.
Send to The data message transmitting unit 6b divides the data message into the maximum information transfer units of the control channel while temporarily storing the data message, and sends out the data message on the control channel. Thereby, the data message is transmitted to the mobile terminal 3b without using the broadband communication channel.

Next, an embodiment in a case where it is necessary to prevent an unspecified number of subscribers from using the message transmission function will be described. In this case, the device number of the mobile terminal to which the message is sent is used as the password.However, the only operation different from the operation described above in the case of using the password is the operation of verifying the device number. Only the operation of verifying the machine number will be described.

When a password is used, the data of each mobile subscriber in the mobile subscriber file 10 includes the machine number of the mobile terminal, and the subscriber 2a operates the message reception processing unit of the message transmitting device 1. 4, when the connection is made, the device number is added to the above-mentioned message form information and message transmission information, and for example, instead of "mobile terminal number + transmission time information", "mobile terminal number + device number + transmission time information"
Enter When receiving the mobile terminal number and the machine number, the message reception processing unit 4 accesses the subscriber file 10 and indexes the address information and the machine number of the message storage area from the mobile terminal number.

When the machine number is indexed, the machine number verification unit 7 of the message reception processing unit 4 compares the received machine number with the received machine number. A talk key indicating "message cannot be transmitted" is sent to the caller (subscriber 2a in this case), and the process ends. As described above, message transmission by an unspecified number of subscribers is restricted.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 shows only one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Needless to say.

For example, since some of the components shown in FIG. 2 can utilize the basic functions of the mobile switching device 1a, one of the components can be used in accordance with the configuration of the mobile switching device. The parts may be separated or merged. Also, depending on the mobile switching system, the mobile subscriber file 10 may be installed in the mobile network instead of being installed for each mobile switching device. The configuration of accessing the subscriber file does not change the effect of the present invention.

In the above description, the mobile terminal number is sent from the message reception processing unit 4 to the message storage unit 5 and stored in the message storage unit 5, but each message storage area of the message storage unit 5 is moved. Since the mobile terminal number is assigned to each mobile terminal, if the address is specified, the message storage unit 5 can identify the mobile terminal number without receiving the mobile terminal number from the message reception processing unit 4. It is possible. For this reason, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the transfer of the mobile terminal number from the message reception processing unit 4 is omitted, but it is apparent that the effect of the present invention is not changed by this.

Further, in the above, the data message is transferred using the control channel, but it is also possible to transfer the message using the communication channel as described above. However, it is clear that the essence of the present invention does not change regardless of which one is used.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A mobile terminal that receives a message can be registered as a service target, and a fixed time or any subscriber of the mobile network can send a message to a mobile terminal that has registered the service by specifying a transmission time. It becomes possible. For this reason, it is possible to reliably exchange a message between a message sender and a message receiver who are not in a certain place in the same time zone.

Further, since either the voice or the data can be selected as the form of the message by designating the sender of the message, the message can be transmitted in a form that is easy for the user to use. Further, since data messages generally have lower information redundancy than voice, even if a communication channel is used, the occupation time of the wireless line can be reduced, and communication costs for users can be reduced. It becomes possible. In particular, when data is transmitted on the control channel, the use efficiency of the wireless channel can be further improved, thereby contributing to the improvement of the efficiency of the short-circuited wireless line and the effect of reducing costs on both the service provider side and the user side. Having.

As described above, the present invention enhances the utility of communication by enabling efficient transmission and reception of messages between persons having a high probability of not being located at a fixed location, thereby improving the service quality of mobile communication. It greatly contributes to the efficiency of wireless lines and the reduction of communication costs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Message transmission apparatus 2 Subscriber 3 Mobile terminal 4 Message reception processing means 5 Message storage means 6a Voice message transmission means 6b Data message transmission means

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI H04Q 7/12 (56) References JP-A-4-249260 (JP, A) JP-A-63-131764 (JP, A) JP-A-5 −22427 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04B ^7/ 24-7/26 H04Q ⁷ /04-7/38 H04M 3/42 H04Q 3/78

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed network or mobile network subscriber sends message format information indicating whether a message to be transmitted is voice or data, a mobile terminal number of a message destination, a message transmission time, and a message. Message reception processing means for receiving message transmission information including: message storage information for storing the message transmission information received from the message reception processing means in accordance with message form information; output from the message storage means at the message transmission time Voice message transmitting means for receiving the mobile terminal number and the message, and transmitting the message as voice information to the mobile terminal having the mobile terminal number; output from the message storage means at the message transmission time Receiving the mobile terminal number and the message Message transmitting device for the mobile terminal, characterized in that a data message transmission means for transmitting to the mobile terminal the message as data with said mobile terminal number.