JPH01243654A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve service for the user of telephone, etc., by notifying automatically in what state a call is by voice by introducing a speech synthesis technique to an exchange device. CONSTITUTION:Telephone sets 1 are given previously call signs 'T1'-'Tn' respectively, and individuals to use the telephone set are given the different call signs 'P1'-'Pm'. Necessary information is given to the exchange device by using the call sign of the individual at the time of the announcing of the name of a callee, and by inputting the personal identification code of a caller from the telephone set 1 at the time of the announcing of the name of the caller, and by inputting the degree of urgency by the telephone set 1 at the time of the notification of the urgency of the call. Then, the necessary information is notified to the user by editing end synthesizing these kinds of the information into an output voice by the speech synthesis technique in the exchange device or a terminal equipment, and by outputting it during the silent time of a call signal. Thus, the service for the user can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Application of the Invention) The present invention relates to a method for notifying a called party, etc. in a communication system, particularly in a communication system such as a telephone system, in which a specific called party must respond. Relates to means for notifying users of information regarding calls.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional telephone systems, each telephone is assigned an individual calling number (call code), and the caller calls the other party's telephone by dialing this number. However, in general, it is rather rare for an individual to own their own telephone.1 Usually, a person near the called telephone answers the call, asks the caller who he or she wants to talk to, and then calls the called person. It was common to be replaced by

In other words, even though the caller wants to call the called party individually, the caller first rings the called telephone, waits for a response, and once the other party answers, announces the called party and asks for a replacement. A two-step calling method was used.

Furthermore, from the perspective of the called party, when a call arrives,
There is some information that is useful to know before answering, such as who is calling and whether it is an emergency call when the call is busy, but in conventional telephone systems, such information is not disclosed at all before answering. The caller was not informed.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention aims to improve services for users by, for example, announcing call-related information such as the name of the called party, the name of the calling party, and the urgency of the call, etc., by voice during the ringing time. be.

[Summary of the invention]

When announcing the called party's name, a call code is given to the individual; when announcing the calling party's name, a magnetic card, etc. is used to announce the calling party's identification code (ID code).
If the urgency of the call is to be announced by inputting it from the calling terminal device (for example, a telephone), the necessary information is given to the switching device by inputting the degree of urgency by pressing a button on the calling terminal device (for example, a telephone). , this information is processed within the switching equipment or terminal equipment using speech synthesis techniques such as waveform synthesis, parameter synthesis, or rule synthesis.

The system attempts to convey necessary information to the user by editing and synthesizing the voice to be output and outputting it, for example, during the silent time of a call signal.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An example in which the called party's name is notified will be described. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a telephone exchange showing one embodiment of the present invention.
It is assumed that a call code (number) of "n" is given.

Individuals using telephones have a separate call code (number) “P1”.
', . . . "P-" is given. However, all phones.

This does not mean that all users must be given a call code (number), but the call code (number) may be determined depending on how the system is operated.

Assume now that the system shown in FIG. 1 is a private branch exchange system, and for the sake of simplicity, all telephones and users are given numbers, and m)n. Ti to Tn are conventional telephone numbers given to extension telephones, and if you call with these numbers, it will be a station call that calls only with a ringing signal as before. mP1 to Pm are numbers given to individual users. Register in advance which phone to call from, here.
m) n, so individuals calling from the same telephone may be more than 2 Å apart. When the caller calls the called party using the personal calling number P~, the call is made by connecting to the telephone that has that number registered, but the exchange recognizes the called party from the number P-, so for example: Make a call like (see Figure 2)
.

Leanne...“I'm calling oO.Salene...
That is, by announcing the name of the called party during the silent time of the conventional bell ringing signal, it is possible to notify to whom the call is directed. Therefore, two Å on the same phone
Even if any of the above numbers are registered, you can find out who called in the past while you are making a call.

In 22, there were two types of numbers: T~ and P-, but for example,
If you want to call a certain department or person, and you don't mind who answers, use the number T-, and if you want to talk to a specific individual, use the number P~.If you want to make all calls to individuals, use the number T-. There is no need to provide the number T-.

The operation of the system will be explained below using diagrams. First, a description will be given of an embodiment in which analog voice information is converted by an exchange and sent to a telephone.

In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the calling party 'P1 makes a call from the telephone T1 and calls the called party PIl from the telephone Tn.0 When the calling party P1 raises the handset of the telephone T1, the central controller i6 is detected, and a so-called dial tone connection is performed using a program stored in the main memory W14, and a dial tone is sent to the caller P1 through a circuit not shown.0The caller P1 hears the dial tone. and dials the number "P@" of the called party Pa. When the central control unit 6 receives the called party number "Pa" (FIG. 6, 601), the central control unit 6 uses the "calling telephone registration table" stored in the storage device 4 to assign the called party number PII to the called telephone. Tn to identify the called telephone to be connected. At the same time, it is checked whether the called telephone is busy or not, and if it is confirmed that it is free, the process proceeds to the next operation (FIG. 6, 602).

In parallel with this, the central control device 6 converts the called party number Pa to the called party name 00 using the "called party number - called party name conversion table" stored in the storage device 4 (6th Figure, 6
03) In the case of rule synthesis, this conversion is essential, but in the case of waveform synthesis, parameter synthesis, etc., voice information can be obtained directly from the called party number using a voice file, so it is not necessarily necessary. do not have.

When the central control device 6 confirms that the called telephone is free, it selects the free voice call trunk 7 (FIG. 6, 604), and selects the called telephone Tn and the free channel of the free voice call trunk 7 (FIG. 6, 604). 605), and connect them (606 in FIG. 6). It goes without saying that a ringing tone is sent to the calling telephone by a circuit not shown.

The central control unit 6 converts the called party number Pa into the called party name OO, and converts the called party name from the voice information file 5 into the called party name OO.
The voice information corresponding to “o o” and the called party are called.
- Therefore, the voice information corresponding to 'I'm calling...' is extracted and edited (Figure 6, 607).
In the case of waveform synthesis, the audio information is sampled digital information such as a PCM code, or a band-compressed version of this, and in the case of parameter synthesis, the audio information is
These are the parameters analyzed by RCOR. The voice information edited in this way is transferred to the voice call trunk 7 to which the called telephone is connected (FIG. 6, 608) and stored in the memory within the trunk. In the voice paging trunk 7, the stored voice information is read out at a constant rate and at a constant rate, converted into analog voice information by a demodulator or a voice synthesizer, and alternately exchanged with the call signal in the time relationship shown in FIG. Send to telephone Tn through network 3 (Fig. 6, 609)
.

Here, the ringing signal may be a conventional electromagnetic bell alternating current or a tone ringer signal such as a single tone, melody, chime, etc., but considering that the telephone has a voice calling function, a tone ringer signal is used. It is more technically compatible. It is also possible to call only with a voice signal without using a ringing signal, but here, in order to attract the called person's attention,
This was explained by taking an example of its use in conjunction with a calling signal.

The above embodiment assumes an analog switch and describes the case where the voice call trunk converts the signal into an analog signal and sends it out. However, in the case of a digital switch, waveform synthesis is adopted and the sampling period and code are If the switching method is matched to that of the switching system, the voice call trunk 7 can use the central control unit 6.
By sequentially transmitting the received and stored voice information as digital information to specified time slots, the same effect as in the case of the analog exchange can be obtained. Here, we will roughly estimate the memory amount of the voice call trunk in the case of a digital system with 8 KHz sampling and 8 bit encoding.

Assuming that the announcement is for 4 seconds, the amount of memory required is 8KH2X8bitX4sec=256Kb i
t, one 256KRAM is sufficient, and it is sufficient for practical use.

Next, the operation on the telephone side will be briefly explained.

As shown in Fig. 3, the telephone is equipped with an amplifier 1-16, a speaker 1-17, and a ring signal detection device 1-18. It is always connected to the railway line as shown in the figure. The gain of the amplifier 1-16 is kept low enough to keep it in the off-state so that noise from the line cannot be heard from the speaker 1-17. When a calling signal is sent from the route, the calling signal detection device 1-18 detects it. For example, if the call signal is 16H2, 75VAC,
While the calling signal in Fig. 2 is continuing, the amplifier 1-1 in Fig. 3
6 is kept in the off state, and the ringing signal rings a bell using a circuit not shown. In Figure 2, when one ringing of the ringing signal is completed, the ringing signal detection device! 1-18 is amplifier 1-
The gain of 16 is increased to a predetermined level, and the subsequently sent person's name announcement signal is amplified and broadcast from the speaker 1-17. When the ringing signal detection device 1-18 detects the next ringing signal, it turns off the amplifier 1-16 again, increases the gain at the end of the ringing signal, and responds (operation of hook switch H8) or abandons the amplifier 1-16 midway. Repeat until (no ringing signal is made for a certain period of time).

If the ringing signal is a tone ringer, the ringing signal detection device 1
-18 increases the gain of amplifier 1-16 at the same time as the ringing signal is detected, and both the ringing signal and the announcement signal are output from speaker 1.
Broadcast from -17.

As described above, by using a telephone set as shown in FIG. 3, information regarding a call can be broadcast by voice during a call in response to the operation of the above-mentioned exchange.

As a second embodiment, an example will be described in which voice information is transferred to a telephone in the form of digital data, the telephone stores this information, converts it into voice using a voice synthesizer, and broadcasts the voice information.

As an example of a telephone used in this case, FIG. 4 shows an external view, and FIG. 5 shows a configuration diagram. The connection between the phones is the first
As in the embodiment, it is assumed that calling party P4 makes a call using telephone T1 and calls called party P- from telephone Tn.

When the handset of the telephone T0 is raised, the telephone control device 1-13 in FIG. 5 detects this (not shown) and sends a calling signal to the exchange via the line interface 1-12.

In the case of this phone, for calls.

Assume that it is connected to an exchange using two pairs of data cables. In the switching system shown in FIG. After confirming the sound, dial the called party number P■.

The called party number P■ is input using the pushbutton dial 1-2 in FIG. 5, and is received by the telephone controller 1-13 via the input/output interface 1-11. Telephone control device 1-
13 transfers the number Pa in the form of digital data to the exchange through the line interface 1-12. In the exchange, the central control unit 6 receives this through the telephone interface 2 (Fig. 7, 701), and converts it to the called party number P- using the "called party number - called party name conversion table" stored in the storage device 4. to the called party name O○ (Fig. 7, 7
02), Next, the obtained called party name "QQ" is converted into corresponding voice information, for example, parameters that have been analyzed and stored in advance, using the voice information file 5, and it is confirmed that the called party is being called. For example, the voice parameters corresponding to "I'm calling..." are extracted from the voice information file 5 and edited to announce both parties (7th step).
703), and in parallel with this, the central control unit 6 selects the memory device! from the addressee number Pa! ! 4 “
It identifies that the called telephone is Tn using the "calling telephone registration table", and further checks whether the called telephone Tn is in use, and if it is free, moves to the next operation (704 in Fig. 7). ), that is, the voice information edited to announce the called party's name is transferred by the central controller 6 to the telephone 1 in the form of digital data via the telephone interface 2. The telephone control device 1-13 receives this through the interface 1-12 and stores it in the storage device 1-14.The telephone control device 1-13 sends out a calling signal and an announcement signal in the time relationship shown in FIG. First, the speech synthesizer 1
-15 to send out a calling signal. Speech synthesis device 1-
15 synthesizes the calling signal for a certain period of time according to the instructions, transfers it to the amplifier 1-16, where the amplifier 1-16 amplifies it to a predetermined size and broadcasts it by opening the speaker 1-17. When it is time to send out the announcement signal shown in FIG. 2, the telephone control device 1-13 reads out the previously stored announcement signal from the storage device 1-14, transfers it to the voice synthesis device 1-15, and instructs it to make an announcement. Speech synthesis device 1-15
synthesizes the original sound from the received announcement signal, that is, the parameters of the announcement sound, amplifies it with the amplifier 1-16, and broadcasts it from the speaker 1-17. People around the called telephone Tn learn of the incoming call from the first ringing signal, and then hear the broadcast "I'm calling Mr. OO" and know that the called party is Pll.

The above example deals with the case of notifying the called party's name, but it can also be applied to the case of notifying the calling party's name. In other words, a telephone user is assumed to have a personal identification code (ID code) or an identification card (card) that stores a person's name code, and uses a telephone with an ID card reading function as shown in Figure 4. shall be sent. In FIG. 4, a caller inserts his or her ID card 1-3 into an ID card reader 1-4 and then picks up the handset 1-1. In FIG. 5, when the ID card 1-3 is inserted into the ID card reader 1-4 (FIG. 8, 801), the ID card reader 1-4 is
The ID code is read from the D card 1-3, and the read code is transferred and stored in the storage device 1-14 through the input/output interface 1-11 under the control of the telephone controller 1-13 (802 in FIG. 8).

Next, when the handset 1-1 is lifted (803 in FIG. 8), the telephone controller 1-13 detects this using a circuit not shown (804 in FIG. 8), and first stores it in the storage device 1-14. The caller's ID code is read out and transferred along with the calling information to the exchange through route interface 1-12 (
8, 805), in the exchange, the central controller E6 of FIG. 1 receives this through the telephone interface 2,
While the ID code is stored in the storage device 4,
A dial tone connection is made according to the calling information, the called party number is dialed, and the ID code is sent at the same time as the conversion in Figure 6, 603 or Figure 7, 702, or in place of this conversion when there is no called party announcement. By converting the caller's name into a caller's name and editing the announcement content accordingly, it is possible to announce one caller's name in the same manner as explained in FIGS. 6 and 7. The ID code is your personal number Pi.
~Pa may be used as is, or it may be a different number.If it is a different number, two types of conversion tables for converting those shown in Fig. 6, 603j and Fig. 7, 702 can be provided. good.

The above is a case where the calling party's name and the called party's name are announced during a call, but it is also possible to announce information about the call other than one name, such as the urgency of the call, or to announce an emergency from the speaker during a call. or contact me.

It is also possible to notify of call waiting. In addition, although the above embodiments are cases in which an announcement is made to the called party, it is also possible to inform the caller of the call status, such as whether the called party is busy, the line is busy, absent, or refusal to answer. It is possible. In this case, the announcement may be made from the handset of the telephone.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained in detail in the examples below, by introducing voice synthesis technology into switching equipment, it becomes possible to automatically notify the status of a call by voice, thereby making it easier to use telephones, etc. It has the effect of significantly improving efficiency.

Particularly, the present invention enables the desired called party to answer directly by announcing the called party's name from the called telephone, and unlike the conventional method, when someone answers, it is possible to tell who is calling. Compared to the method of confirming with the calling party and then switching to the desired called party, this method can significantly improve efficiency in an office, etc., and significantly enhances the value of a communication system in office automation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a telephone exchange showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a time chart showing an example of the time relationship between a ringing signal and a voice announcement signal, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of a telephone that makes a voice announcement. FIG. 4 is an external view showing an example of a telephone equipped with a caller ID code input function; FIG. 5 is an example of the configuration of the telephone shown in FIG. 4; FIG. An example of a flowchart showing the relevant parts of the operation of the exchange when announcing the called party's name; FIG. 7 is an example of an operation flowchart of the exchange and telephone when the same function as in FIG. 6 is realized by a different operation method; FIG. 8 shows an example of a flowchart of the operation of the telephone when entering a caller ID code. Explanation of symbols 1...Telephone 1-1...
・・・・・・Transmitter 1-2・・・・・・・・・Push button dial 1-3・Fist・Fist・Card 1-4 Life・・・・・・・
...ID card reader 1-5...
Electric key, lamp board 1-6... Electric key, lamp board 1-7... Display device 1-9.
・・・・・・・・・Transmitter 1-10・・・・・・・・・Receiver 1-16...
・・・・・・・・・Amplifier 1-17・・・・・・・・・・
・Speaker H8-・・・・・・・・・・・・Hook switch base To <J Figure 2 Section 3/-t5 Section 4/-5 Section 50 Section 6 Figure 7 Fig. δ

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The switching device is equipped with a sound information generating means, which receives a dial signal from a calling terminal and performs call connection processing, and at the same time drives the sound information generating means to generate a call related to a call different from a normal calling signal. A communication system characterized by transmitting information as incoming call display information of a receiving terminal device.