JPH06233039A - Center device for facsimile information service - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow a user to receive required facsimile information, and to enlarge service by executing the retrieving and selecting operation of the facsimile information by the user by his own operation. CONSTITUTION:When the classification of the service to be received and a service providing side number are inputted by the dial operation of the user, a center device receives it, and a user side number and a service menu hierarchical number are requested from a voice information part 18. The user inputs the user side number, and inputs '00' at the time of requesting a service menu list, and inputs the pertinent number of two digits at the time of requesting individual facsimile information. A control circuit 21 of the center device 1 designates a file hierarchy stored in a menu data information storage area 13b in an information storage part 13, extracts one of information belonging to the hierarchy, applies it to a signal converting part 15, and transmits a corresponding facsimile signal to a communication line 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for servicing facsimile information users. The present invention relates to a facsimile information service center device capable of providing facsimile information in response to a user's request.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a facsimile service, a facsimile user calls a service providing side (center device) by inputting a number by using a predetermined facsimile data service number, and the called service providing side prepares it in advance. Only specific individual information that was present was registered in the service menu.

The form of the service number according to a general case is shown in FIG.
It shows in (b). In the case of this example, the recipient of the facsimile use information inputs the service provider number and his / her own recipient's number consecutively by the operation to become a control instruction of “where information should be sent here”. Only specific individual information prepared in advance according to the instruction was provided to the facsimile user.

[0004]

Such a conventional system is limited to a one-way information service in which a plurality of information contents cannot be selectively received by a request from the facsimile user side.

The present invention makes it possible to easily collect information in an advanced information society, and a facsimile information service center capable of easily receiving individual facsimile information by a facsimile information retrieval and selection operation from a facsimile user. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an interface circuit connected to a communication line, a voice notifying unit for transmitting a voice message to the communication line, and an interface circuit connected to the communication line. And a control circuit that controls each of the above-mentioned control units, a reception identification unit that identifies instruction information by a voice dial, an information storage unit, a signal conversion unit that converts output information of the information storage unit into a facsimile signal, and the control circuit. The circuit controls the voice notification unit according to the instruction information received by the reception identification unit to send a necessary voice message to the communication line, and selects the information stored in the information storage unit to select the information. In a center device of a facsimile information service including control means for giving to a signal conversion unit, the control circuit includes a service received by the reception identification unit. Means for designating a hierarchy (group) of the information stored in the information storage unit based on the service menu hierarchy number and one of the information belonging to the hierarchy is given to the signal conversion unit. Means and means for sending a corresponding facsimile signal from the signal conversion unit to the communication line.

There is provided a user call originating section for sending a user number to the communication line to control connection of the communication line, and the service menu hierarchy number is a user side number sent by the user to the communication line. Then, the control circuit is a multi-digit number that arrives at the communication line, and the control circuit once connects the communication line when the service menu hierarchy number is received by the reception identifying unit before the execution of the sending means. It is desirable to include means for activating the user calling / transmitting unit after opening the connection to execute connection control according to the user side number.

[0008]

When the service type to be received and the service providing side number are input by the user's dial operation, the center device notifies the user by voice of the input of the user side number and the service menu hierarchy number. . When the user inputs the user side number and the service menu hierarchy number according to this voice notification, whether the service menu hierarchy number is a request for the service menu list,
It is determined whether the request is for individual data information, and the corresponding information is transmitted to the user. When the service menu list is transmitted, the service menu hierarchy number of the individual data information required by the user is specified again from the list, so the individual data information corresponding to that number is searched and extracted and transmitted.

As a result, the facsimile information requested by the user of the facsimile information service can be easily retrieved and transmitted, and the service range can be expanded.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an interface circuit 10 connected to a communication line 2 and the interface circuit 1 are provided.
0, a voice notification unit 18 for sending a voice message to the communication line 2, a reception identification unit 17 for identifying instruction information by voice dial coming after the line connection to the communication line 2, and a system control unit 16 for controlling the system. , A user side number accumulating section 12 for accumulating a user side number, an image information data converting section 14, an information storing section 13, and a signal converting section 15 for converting output information of the information storing section 13 into a facsimile signal.
And a control circuit 21 for controlling each of the above-mentioned units, and the control circuit 21 controls the voice notification unit 18 in accordance with the instruction information received by the reception identification unit 17 and sends a necessary voice message to the communication line 2. At the same time, the user call includes a control means for selecting the information accumulated in the information storage unit 13 and giving it to the signal conversion unit 15, and further transmitting the user number to the communication line 2 to control the connection of the communication line 2. The transmission unit 11 is provided, and the control circuit 21 takes in the service menu layer number received by the reception identifying unit 17 and specifies the layer (group) of the information stored in the information storage unit 13 based on the service menu layer number. Means and means for taking out one of the information belonging to the hierarchy to the signal conversion section 15, and sending a corresponding facsimile signal from the signal conversion section 15 to the communication line 2. Prior to the execution of the means and the means for sending out, when the service identification layer number is received by the reception identifying section 17, the connection of the communication line 2 is once released, and then the user calling section 11 is activated. Means for executing connection control according to the user side number.

The service menu hierarchy number is a multi-digit number that arrives at the communication line 2 following the user side number sent by the user to the communication line 2, and the information storage unit 13 stores the menu data information. A menu data information storage area 13b for storing and a facsimile information storage area for storing facsimile information are included.

FIG. 2A shows the structure of the service number input by the user in the embodiment of the present invention. The service type, the service provider side number, and the user in the conventional example shown in FIG. The above-mentioned service menu hierarchy number is added to the number.

The service menu hierarchy number is composed of, for example, first and tenth digits 00 to 99. As an example, a service menu list using this service menu hierarchy number is shown in FIG. Here, "00" defines the service menu hierarchy, and other numbers define individual facsimile information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a file in which facsimile information is stored in the menu data information storage area 13b in the embodiment of the present invention. When the service menu hierarchy number is designated, various kinds of facsimile information as shown in FIG. 3 at the positions where the first digit 0-9 and the tenth digit 0-9 respond are selected. When "00" is specified, the service menu list is selected.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention thus constructed will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining request and response operations performed by the facsimile user and the center device in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an operation flow of the center device in the embodiment of the present invention.

When the user inputs the service type and the service provider number shown in FIG. 2A, the center device 1 receives the service type and the service provider number,
The voice notification unit 18 requests the user to input the user side number and the service menu layer number by voice (for example, "Enter that number and then the service menu layer number").

By this voice notification, the user inputs the user side number, and subsequently inputs "00" when requesting the service menu list. When requesting individual facsimile information, enter the corresponding two-digit number. The control circuit 21 of the center device 1 that has received the user number and the service menu hierarchy number sets the information storage unit 13
By designating the file hierarchy stored in the menu data information storage area 13b in FIG. 4, one of the information belonging to that hierarchy is taken out and given to the signal conversion section 15, and the corresponding facsimile signal is sent to the communication line 2. Let

When the service menu hierarchy number designated by the user is "00", the service menu list shown in FIG. 3 is fetched and transmitted to the user, and when the service menu hierarchy number selected by the user is received. Then, the same operation is performed to send the corresponding facsimile signal to the communication line.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the conventional provision of one-way information, a facsimile user can index a large amount of individual facsimile information by himself / herself. There is an effect that the facsimile service can be further expanded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a configuration of a service number input by a user in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a configuration of a service number in a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a service menu list in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile information storage file in a menu data information storage area in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining request and response operations between a facsimile user and a center device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the center device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 center device 2 communication line 10 interface circuit 11 user calling / sending unit 12 user side number storage unit 13 information storage unit 13a facsimile information storage area 13b menu data information storage area 14 image information data conversion unit 15 signal conversion unit 16 system control Part 17 Reception identification part 18 Voice notification part 19 Information paper 20 File 21 Control circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An interface circuit connected to a communication line, a voice notification unit for sending a voice message to the communication line in the interface circuit, and identification information by voice dialing that arrives after the line is connected to the communication line. A reception identification unit, an information storage unit, a signal conversion unit that converts output information of the information storage unit into a facsimile signal, and a control circuit that controls each unit. Control means for controlling the voice notification unit according to the received instruction information to send a necessary voice message to the communication line, and for selecting information stored in the information storage unit and giving it to the signal conversion unit. In a center device of a facsimile information service including the above, the control circuit is configured so that the control circuit receives the service menu hierarchy number. Means for taking in and designating a hierarchy of information stored in the information storage section based on the service menu hierarchy number; means for taking out one of the information belonging to the hierarchy to the signal converting section; A center device for a facsimile information service, comprising: means for sending a corresponding facsimile signal to the communication line. 2. A user call originating unit for transmitting a user number to the communication line to control connection of the communication line, wherein the service menu hierarchy number is a user side which the user sends to the communication line. Is a multi-digit number arriving at the communication line subsequent to the number, and the control circuit, once the service menu hierarchy number is received by the reception identifying unit before the execution of the means for sending, 2. The center device of the facsimile information service according to claim 1, further comprising means for activating the user calling / transmitting unit to execute connection control according to the user side number after releasing the connection.