JPH0591208A - Information collection equipment by voice induction and distribution equipment using facsimile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain thoughtful service matching with a demand of the user by collecting sufficiently the information from the user. CONSTITUTION:A telephone set 11 of the user 10 is connected to a personal computer 22 via a line controller 21. The computer 22 extracts a question item from a question item storage section 23a and reads voice data corresponding thereto from a voice data storage section 24a and sends the data to the telephone set 11. An answer of the user 10 is stored in a reply data storage section 23b. A succeeding question item is extracted in response to the reply. When all questions are finished, the distribution data matching with the condition of the reply data are retrieved from a distribution data storage section 24b and sent to a facsimile equipment 12 via a facsimile equipment 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a voice-guided information collecting device, and a delivery device using a facsimile using the information collecting device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various services using public lines have been developed. In particular, services for supplying various data by voice through telephone lines have made remarkable progress in the last few years. In addition, there is also provided a service of providing a user with a map, a timetable, TV program information, etc. by voice or facsimile based on a telephone order.

[0003]

However, the conventional services using the public line are all focused on the purpose of providing the information prepared by the service provider side to the user side. There is a problem that it lacks the function of collecting information from the personnel. That is, since the user lacks a function of collecting information about what kind of service the user wants, the service that the user truly wants cannot be provided appropriately. For this reason, users may not be able to receive the necessary services,
Inconvenience such as receiving unnecessary services occurs, and it is not possible to provide detailed services that meet the demands of users.

Therefore, the present invention uses a voice-guided information collecting device and a facsimile capable of sufficiently collecting information from the user side and performing a fine-tuned service that meets the demand of the user. An object is to provide a distribution device.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] (1) The first invention of the present application relates to a line control device for controlling a telephone line from a user and a user assembled in a hierarchical structure in an information collecting device by voice guidance. A question item storage unit that stores question items, a voice data storage unit that stores voice data corresponding to the question items, an answer data storage unit that stores user response data to the question items, and a question in the question item storage unit The voice data corresponding to the matter is retrieved from the voice data storage unit, the retrieved voice data is transmitted to the user via the line control device, the response data from the user is received, and this response data is stored in the response data. And a computer that determines the next question item based on this answer data.

(2) A second invention of the present application is, in a distribution device using a facsimile, a line control device for controlling a telephone line from a user, and a question for storing question items for the user assembled in a hierarchical structure. An item storage section,
A voice data storage unit that stores voice data corresponding to a question, a response data storage unit that stores user's response data to the question, and distribution data to be delivered to the user corresponding to the response data A distribution data storage unit,
Facsimile for delivering delivery data to users,
The voice data corresponding to the question in the question storage unit is searched from the voice data storage unit, the searched voice data is transmitted to the user via the line control device, and the response data from the user is received, The answer data is saved in the answer data storage unit, the next question item is determined based on this answer data, and the delivery data corresponding to the answer data saved in the answer data storage unit is searched from the delivery data storage unit, And a computer for delivering the retrieved delivery data to the user via a facsimile.

[0007]

[Operation] (1) According to the information collection device by voice guidance according to the first aspect of the present invention, a question item having a hierarchical structure is prepared in the question item storage unit, and the question item is voiced to the user. Presented as data. The answers to the presented questions are saved as answer data. The computer can select the next question based on this answer data, so that the question that matches the user's request will always be selected from the question having a hierarchical structure. It will be possible to collect sufficient information from users.

(2) A distribution device using a facsimile machine according to the second invention of the present application is based on the information collected by the information collecting apparatus by voice guidance according to the first invention described above.
Facsimile information can be provided as a medium according to user demand.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments.

1. Embodiment of Voice Guidance Information Collection Device FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a voice guidance information collection device according to the present invention. This device is used by the user 10
Has the function of collecting information on the service side on the service provider 20 side,
As shown, the line control device 21, the personal computer 22, the magnetic disk 23, and the optical disk 24 are used. The telephone 11 on the user 10 side and the line controller 21 on the service provider 20 side are connected via a telephone line T. Since the telephone line T is used to connect to the telephone 11 as described above, it is possible to connect to an unspecified number of users. The line control device 21 has a function of controlling the telephone line T connected to the user 10, transmits information from the user 10 side to the personal computer 22, and transmits information from the personal computer 22 to the user. Plays the role of transmitting to the 10 side. A magnetic disk 23 and an optical disk 24 are connected to the personal computer 22. The magnetic disk 23 is provided with a question item storage section 23a and an answer data storage section 23b, and the optical disk 24 is provided with an audio data storage section 24a.

The question item storage unit 23a stores in advance question items for the user assembled in a hierarchical structure. That is, a plurality of question items are constructed in a “tree structure”, and have a branched structure so that different question items can be taken according to the answer from the user 10. The voice data storage unit 24a stores voice data corresponding to each question. Therefore,
The personal computer 22 has a question item storage unit 23a.
By searching the voice data storage unit 24a for voice data corresponding to the question items in the above, the desired question items can be presented to the user 10 as voices. That is,
The voice data read from the voice data storage unit 24a is transmitted to the telephone line T via the line control device 21 and reproduced by the handset of the telephone 11 of the user 10. In this embodiment, a touch-tone telephone is used as the telephone 11, and the user 10 inputs the answer to the question presented as voice by using the push button of the telephone 11. The answer data of the user 10 is taken into the line control device 21 via the telephone line T and given to the personal computer 22. The personal computer 22 stores the answer data in the answer data storage unit 23b.
In the question item storage unit 2, the following question items that have been branched according to this answer data are saved in a predetermined storage location in
3a is read, and this question is presented to the user 10 again as a voice.

Through the above-described processing, the question items having the hierarchical structure constructed in the question item storage unit 23a are presented to the user 10 one after another, and the answers thereto are stored in the answer data storage unit 23b. Go on. In this way, the information from the user 10 can be collected by voice guidance.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an embodiment in which questionnaires concerning drinks are collected by the above-described information collection device by voice guidance. In this case, the service provider 2
0 is a company whose business is to collect questionnaires. First, in step S1, the user 10 makes a call to the service provider 20 (or the service provider 20 may make a call). Then, in step S2, "This is ○○
Questionnaire system. Please operate with push button. Message is reproduced from the handset of the telephone 11. Specifically, the above-mentioned message is defined as the first-level question item in the question item storage unit 23a, and the voice data corresponding to this message is the voice data storage unit 2.
4a and is presented to the user 10. In this flow chart, the part in brackets "...
"..." are individual questions, and the hierarchical structure shown in this flow chart is assembled. Also, the voice data corresponding to these is stored in the voice data storage unit 2.
4a.

In the subsequent step S3, the question for the next level is "Have you ever thought about health?"
The message "1. Yes" and "2. No" are presented. The user 10 inputs the answer to this question by pressing the push button 1 or 2. The answer from the user 10 is the telephone line T and the line control device 21.
It is given to the personal computer 22 via the and is stored in the response data storage unit 23b. Further, step S4
At the next level, as a question for the next level, the message "Are you interested in nutrients such as dietary fiber?""1.Yes""2.No" is presented. When the user 10 answers this question, in step S5,
The message “Have you ever had a drink before?”, “1. Yes” and “2. No” will be displayed. Regarding the question items up to step S4, the next question item is the same regardless of the answers, but the answer to the question item in step S5 determines the branching of the subsequent question items. That is, if the answer in step S5 is “1. Yes”, the next question is step S5.
If the answer is “2. No”, the next question is the one shown in step S10. The personal computer 22 responds to the reply from the user 10 by
The question item to be read next from the question item storage unit 23a is determined.

When the questions and answers in steps S6 to S8 (or S10 to S11) are completed in this way, all the processing is completed in step S9 (or S12). The desired questionnaire result is obtained in the response data storage unit 23b. If the questionnaire collection work is performed for a plurality of users 10 and the data in the response data storage unit 23b is finally collected, the desired questionnaire collection process is completed.

Although the information collecting apparatus by voice guidance according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment for collecting and collecting questionnaires, the present invention can be used for various other purposes. For example, it could be used as an ordering system between customers and distributors. In this case, the customer can place an order directly to the computer of the distributor based on the voice guidance.

2. Embodiment of Distribution Device Using Facsimile The above-described embodiment has only a function of collecting information from the user 10 side to the service provider 20 side, that is, a one-way information transmission function. On the other hand, the embodiment described here has a bidirectional information transmission function, and is characterized in that the information is transmitted from the service provider 20 side to the user 10 side by using a facsimile. is there. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a distribution apparatus using this facsimile. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a distribution data storage section 24b is further provided in the optical disk 24, and a facsimile 25 for distribution is added. Is. User 1
The 0 side also needs the facsimile 12 to receive the distribution.

The operation of the first half of this apparatus is the same as the operation of the information gathering apparatus by voice guidance described above. That is, the question items having the hierarchical structure prepared in the question item storage unit 23a are presented to the user 10 one after another and the answer data to the questions are collected. This device is characterized in that the personal computer 22 searches the distribution data storage section 24b for distribution data based on the response data and sends the searched distribution data to the telephone line T via the facsimile 25 in the latter half of the operation. There is a point to do. The user 10 side receives this distribution data by the facsimile 12.

By using such a bidirectional information transmission function, a detailed information providing service for the user 10 can be provided. That is, the service agent 20
On the side, a large number of distribution data are previously stored in the distribution data storage unit 24.
It is prepared as a database in b. By presenting various questions to the user 10 and obtaining answers, the user 1
The information desired by 0 can be analyzed in detail and the delivery data most suitable for the user 10 can be transmitted from the facsimile 25.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an embodiment in which an information providing service relating to a golf course is provided by the delivery device using the above-mentioned facsimile. First, in step S1, the user 10 calls the service provider 20. Then, in step S2, "This is ○○
It is a golf course search service. Please operate with push button. Message is reproduced from the handset of the telephone 11. In the subsequent step S3, as a question for the next level, "1. Hokkaido""2.Tohoku" follows the message "Please select your desired area."
"3. Kanto""4.Chubu""5.Kansai""6.Shikoku"
The message "7. Kyushu" is presented. User 10
Presses the push buttons 1 to 7 to input the answer to this question. User 10's answer is
It is given to the personal computer 22 via the telephone line T and the line control device 21, and the answer data storage unit 23b
Stored in. The branching of subsequent questions is determined by this answer data. For example, the user 10 may select “3.
When "Kanto" is answered, the next question regarding Kanto is presented in step S4 as shown in the figure. That is, following the message "Please select your desired prefecture", followed by "1. Ibaraki""2.Gunma""3.
The messages "Tochigi", "4. Saitama", "5. Chiba", "6. Tokyo", "7. Kanagawa" are presented. The user 10 inputs the answer to this question by pressing the push buttons 1 to 7 again. Here, when the user 10 answers "5. Chiba", the charge category of the golf course in Chiba is presented in step S5 as shown in the figure. That is, following the message "Please select your desired weekday visitor fee.", Followed by "15,000 yen or less", "2.500 to 10000", "3.10000 to 15000".
A message of "4.15000 yen or more" is presented. The user 10 inputs an answer by pressing the push buttons 1 to 4. In this example, “2.50 to 10,000” is answered.

When all the above-mentioned questions are completed, the message "Please enter your facsimile number." Is presented as the next question in step S6, and in step S7 the user 10 facsimiles. Enter 12 phone numbers. Through the above process, the service provider 20 has obtained all necessary information. That is, it is possible to identify that the information required by the user 10 is information on a golf course in Chiba prefecture in the Kanto area, and a weekday visitor fee is 5,000 to 10,000 yen. This means that the twelve phone numbers could be specified. Therefore, the personal computer 22 searches the distribution data storage unit 24b for information about the golf course that meets the above-mentioned conditions, reads this information, and distributes it to the facsimile 12 via the facsimile 25. If information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, maps, facilities, etc. for each golf course is prepared in the distribution data storage unit 24b as a database, the user 10 can use the facsimile 12 to play golf that meets the desired conditions. You can get these information about the place.

If there are a plurality of golf courses that meet the conditions of the user 10, "Go to the relevant golf courses. There are XX cases. Are you sure you want to deliver all the cases?", Etc. before step S6. It is also possible to provide the question items of (1) and deliver only the number of cases required by the user 10. In addition, when there are many choices of answers, if there is a push button response while providing the message of the choice, this answer is immediately taken in and the provision of the message of the following choice is stopped. It is preferable to do so. For example, in step S3, there are seven choices of answers from “1. Hokkaido” to “7. Kyushu”, but for example, the fourth message “4. Chubu” is provided by voice. When the push button 3 is pressed in, the answer input of "3. Kanto" is immediately taken, the processing of step S3 is ended, and the provision of the message after "5. Kansai" is stopped. preferable. Also, after providing the message “9. Kyushu”,
If there is no response after a while, it is preferable to return to the first work of step S3 again.
In addition to the above, in a specific device, various considerations for appropriately answering the user 10 will be appropriately performed.

The embodiment in which the delivery device using the facsimile according to the present invention is applied to the information providing service regarding the golf course has been described above. However, the present invention can be applied to any other information providing service. is there.

[0024]

As described above, according to the information collection apparatus by voice guidance according to the present invention, a question item having a hierarchical structure is prepared in the question item storage unit, and this question item is presented to the user as voice data. The answer to the presented question is saved as answer data, and the next question is selected based on this answer data. Questions that match your needs will always be selected,
It will be possible to collect sufficient information from users.

Further, in the distribution device using the facsimile according to the present invention, since the above-mentioned information collecting device is further provided with the distribution facility by the facsimile, the information corresponding to the demand of the user is provided by using the facsimile as a medium. Will be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an information collecting device by voice guidance according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example in which the device shown in FIG. 1 is used for collecting questionnaires regarding drinks.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a delivery device using a facsimile according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment in which the device shown in FIG. 3 is used for a golf course information providing service.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... User 11 ... Telephone 12 ... Facsimile 20 ... Service Provider 21 ... Line Control Device 22 ... Personal Computer 23 ... Magnetic Disk 23a ... Question Item Storage 23b ... Response Data Storage 24 ... Optical Disk 24a ... Voice Data Storage 24b ... Distribution data storage

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A line control device for controlling a telephone line from a user, a question item storage unit for storing a question item for the user assembled in a hierarchical structure, and voice data corresponding to the question item. A voice data storage unit, a response data storage unit that stores the user's response data to the question items, and voice data corresponding to the question items in the question item storage unit from the voice data storage unit, and the retrieved voice The data is transmitted to the user through the line control device, the response data from the user is received, the response data is stored in the response data storage unit, and the next question item is based on the response data. And a computer for determining, and an information gathering device by voice guidance, characterized by: 2. A line control device for controlling a telephone line from a user, a question item storage unit for storing a question item for the user assembled in a hierarchical structure, and voice data corresponding to the question item. A voice data storage unit, a response data storage unit that stores user response data to the question, a delivery data storage unit that stores delivery data that should be delivered to the user corresponding to the response data, and the delivery A facsimile for delivering data to the user, and a voice data corresponding to the question in the question storage unit is searched from the voice data storage unit, and the searched voice data is sent to the user via the line control device. The response data from the user is transmitted, and the response data is stored in the response data storage unit and the response data is received. The following question items are determined based on the data, the distribution data corresponding to the answer data stored in the answer data storage unit is searched from the distribution data storage unit, and the searched distribution data is sent to the user via the facsimile. A delivery device using a facsimile, characterized by comprising: