JPH0715556A - Line selection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a line selection device selecting automatically a communications route at a minimum communication cost by setting automatically the communications route in response to a distance between a destination terminal equipment and a management equipment managing the destination terminal equipment, thereby preventing communication cost due to the use of a useless line. CONSTITUTION:A routing decision section 13 discriminates the presence of a management equipment managing a destination terminal equipment and calculates a distance from the management equipment to the destination terminal equipment, compares the distance up to the destination terminal equipment to be a calculated with a border line distance set optionally, and sets a communications route relaying the management equipment when the destination terminal equipment distance is shorter than the border line distance and sets a communications route connecting directly to the destination terminal equipment when longer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a line selection device such as a facsimile adapter which is interposed between a facsimile terminal and a line (exchange) to execute a line selection process, and in particular, can reduce communication costs. Regarding the line selection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a facsimile adapter which is interposed between a facsimile terminal and a line to expand a communication function has been widely used, and this facsimile adapter uses, for example, a dial number sent from a facsimile terminal. It is possible to select a communication line (communication route) by user's setting, such as directly calling to the destination terminal or converting to a predetermined number and calling to, for example, the facsimile storing and switching apparatus.

As a conventional facsimile adapter of this type, for example, JP-A-4-213253 and JP-A-4-21353 are available.
There is one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 70041, etc., and whether to judge the dial number input from the connected facsimile terminal and convert it as necessary, use it as it is, or dial another system, etc. The various operation specifications of the above have been decided according to the user's desire.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional line selecting device, when the facsimile mail system using the storage device is used, the whole country is divided into areas and the mail is sent to each area. Device (hereinafter F
MS: a facsimile mail system device) is arranged, and communication between FMSs constitutes a network connected by a high-speed digital line (digital leased line) or ISDN (digital public line). In order to reduce communication costs when servicing facsimile terminals (several hundreds to several thousands) nationwide with such a network,
In the past, a communication route had to be set in advance in a line selection device such as a facsimile adapter. This has been a burden on the user because the user or the like has to individually set it in consideration of the line usage fee and the like.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 considers that the communication time and the charge are determined according to the distance in the charge table in the public line PSTN, and the management device for managing the destination terminal and this destination terminal. By automatically setting the communication route according to the distance to (corresponding to the FMS), it is possible to prevent the communication cost from being generated by using a useless line and automatically set the communication route with the minimum communication cost. It is intended to provide a line selection device for selecting. By the way, in the public line PSTN, 160 km is one border line, and the fee is fixed above 160 km. Therefore, if relaying is performed when transmitting to a place more than 160 km away, the charges for FMS input time and FMS relay time are wasted.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the cost performance is improved when the extension is used when there is a private network (extension number). The purpose is to do. Further, according to the invention of claim 3, when using a private network (tall line), if it is used nationwide, many trunks are required for relaying the leased line. Therefore, if the trunks 3 to 4 are used, the transmission quality is poor. In consideration of the fact that it becomes impossible to perform facsimile communication, it is possible to reduce the number of trunks to 1 to 2 by using the area management FMS and improve the communication quality of the extension even if the extension has an extension number. The purpose is to provide a device.

Next, according to the invention described in claim 3, the communication quality is improved by using the FMS for the private network and the area management. However, even the private network has a high quality line and the number of trunks is small. Even if the number is small, the FMS relay is performed, so the time and fee for the FMS relay are wasted. Therefore, the invention according to claim 4 ensures communication quality by providing a reference value for the number of trunks of the private network and selecting a route so that all destinations satisfying the standard value are transmitted by the private network. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a line selection device that can further improve transfer efficiency and reduce communication costs.

Next, when the own station and the destination terminal are in the same FMS management area, they are relayed by FMS, and the route from the own station to the FMS or from the FMS to the destination is followed. Was wasted. Therefore,
The invention according to claim 5 is an FMS in which the own station and the destination terminal are the same.
An object of the present invention is to provide a line selection device capable of selecting a route for improving transfer efficiency by directly transmitting from its own station to a destination terminal when it is in a management area and reducing communication cost.

Next, as described for the purpose of the invention according to claim 1, in the charge table of the public line PSTN, the charge becomes fixed when the border line distance is exceeded. For this reason, when the own station exceeds the borderline distance between the FMS managing the own station and the borderline, if the FMS relay is performed, the time and fee are wasted. Therefore, the invention according to claim 6 provides a route for improving transfer efficiency by directly transmitting from the own station to the destination terminal when the own station exceeds the borderline distance with the FMS managing the own station. It is an object of the present invention to provide a line selection device that can be selected and reduce communication costs.

Next, when the distance from the FMS that manages both the own station and the destination terminal is not far beyond the borderline distance but is sufficiently far, when the FMS relay is performed, the FM from the own station is transmitted.
The charge for PSTN from S or FMS to the destination terminal is about (a high price, which is less than the charge for the borderline distance) × 2, which wastes communication time and communication cost.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 7 provides a borderline distance for the sum of the distances from the FMS that manages each of the own station and the destination terminal, and if it exceeds the borderline distance, it is directly transmitted from the own station to the destination terminal. By doing so, it is an object of the present invention to provide a line selection device that can select a route that improves transfer efficiency and reduce communication costs. Next, the FMS managing the own station and the destination terminal are adjacent to each other, and the distance between the own station and the destination terminal is equal to or close to the distance between the own station and the own station management FMS or the distance between the destination terminal and the destination terminal management FMS. There are cases. In such a case, when the FMS relay is performed, the route from the own station to the FMS or the route from the FMS to the destination is followed, which wastes communication time and communication cost.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 8, when the FMS managing the own station and the destination terminal are adjacent to each other, the route which improves the transfer efficiency is selected by directly transmitting from the own station to the destination terminal. An object of the present invention is to provide a line selection device that can reduce communication costs. next,
When the billing is determined and the route is selected depending on the size of a certain borderline distance, an error may occur in the optimum route calculation in the vicinity of the borderline depending on the combination of the distances of the own station side / destination terminal side. It also depends on not including the charges between FMS.

Therefore, according to the invention of claim 9, the FMS is transmitted from the own station, the FMS is transmitted from the FMS on the station side, and the FMS is transmitted to the destination side.
To the destination terminal and the standard fee for direct transmission from the own station to the destination terminal are calculated and compared to improve the accuracy of selecting a route that improves transfer efficiency,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a line selection device that can reduce communication costs.

Next, the line selecting apparatus according to the inventions of claims 1 to 9 is for automatically selecting a route without the user's awareness. For example, the route is specified at the time of maintenance. This is inconvenient when trying to send. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a line selection device capable of improving maintainability by providing means for designating whether or not to automatically perform route selection.

[0015]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to achieve the above object, in the line selection device for setting a communication route to the destination terminal based on a dial number of the destination terminal input from the communication terminal between the communication terminal and the communication line, the destination terminal A management device presence / absence determining unit that determines the presence or absence of a management device that manages the management device; and a destination terminal-side distance calculation unit that calculates the distance from the management device to the destination terminal when it is determined that there is a management device, A comparison unit that compares the destination terminal side distance with an arbitrarily set borderline distance, and if the comparison result shows that the destination terminal side distance is shorter than the borderline distance, a communication route that relays the management device is set, and if it is longer. And a communication route setting unit that sets a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 2 is the line selection device according to claim 1, wherein an extension number presence / absence determining unit for determining the presence / absence of an extension number of the destination terminal is provided, A communication route for directly connecting to a destination terminal having a number is set by the communication route setting unit. In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 3 is the line selection device according to claim 2, wherein the presence / absence of an extension terminal management device for determining the presence / absence of a management device managing the destination terminal by an extension number A determination unit is provided, and when it is determined that there is an extension terminal management device, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route for relaying the extension terminal management device to the destination terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 4 determines the number of trunks to the destination terminal of the extension exchange managed by the extension terminal management device in the line selection device according to claim 3. A trunk number determination unit is provided,
According to the number of trunks, the communication route setting unit sets either a communication route for directly connecting to a destination terminal having an extension number or a communication route for relaying an extension terminal management device. .

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 5 is, in the line selection device according to claim 1, whether or not the management device managing the destination terminal is the same as the management device managing the own terminal. An identity determination unit that determines whether or not the communication device is the same, and when the management devices are the same, the communication route that is directly connected to the destination terminal is set by the communication route setting unit.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 6 is, in the line selection device according to claim 5, a self-terminal side for calculating a distance between the self-terminal and a management device for managing the self-terminal. A distance calculation unit and a second comparison unit that compares the distance between the own terminal side and the arbitrarily set second borderline distance are provided, and the own terminal side calculation is performed from the second borderline distance based on the comparison result. When the distance is short, a communication route for relaying between the own terminal management device and the destination terminal management device is set, and when the distance is long, the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set by the communication route setting unit.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 7 is, in the line selecting device according to claim 6, for calculating a sum of the distance between the own terminal side and the destination terminal side. And a third comparison unit that compares the summed distance with an arbitrarily set third borderline distance, and if the summed distance is shorter than the third borderline distance according to the comparison result, A communication route for relaying between the self-terminal management device and the destination terminal management device is set, and if the communication route is long, a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set by the communication route setting unit.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 8 is the line selecting device according to claim 7, wherein an inter-terminal distance calculating section for calculating the distance between the own terminal and the destination terminal is provided. When the inter-terminal distance is shorter than either the self-terminal side distance or the destination terminal side distance, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route directly connected to the destination terminal.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 9 is, in the line selecting device according to claim 8, for calculating a distance between the management devices of the own terminal and the management device of the destination terminal. And a relay charge calculation unit that calculates a charge for relaying the management device based on the management device distance, the destination terminal side distance, and the own terminal side distance, and the direct communication based on the terminal distance. A direct communication charge calculation unit for calculating a charge and a charge comparison unit for comparing the direct communication charge with the relay charge are provided, and a communication route having a lower charge than the comparison result is set by the communication route setting unit. Characterize.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 10 selects whether or not to use the function of the communication route setting unit in the line selection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. It is characterized in that it is provided with a selection unit.

[0024]

According to the present invention having the above structure, the management device presence / absence determining unit determines the presence / absence of a management device for managing the destination terminal, and when it is determined that the management device is present, the destination terminal side distance is determined. The calculating unit calculates the distance from the management device to the destination terminal, and the comparing unit compares the calculated destination terminal side distance with the arbitrarily set border line distance, and the communication route setting unit determines the border line distance based on the comparison result. When the distance on the destination terminal side is shorter than the line distance, a communication route for relaying the management device is set, and when the distance is longer, a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set.

Further, in the invention according to claim 2 having the above-mentioned structure, the presence / absence of the extension number of the destination terminal is determined by the extension number presence / absence determining unit, and the communication route setting unit for the destination terminal having the extension number. Sets a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal. In the invention according to claim 3 having the above configuration, the extension terminal management device presence / absence determining unit determines whether or not there is a management device that manages the destination terminal by the extension number, and it is determined that there is an extension terminal management device. In this case, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route for relaying the extension terminal management device to the destination terminal.

Further, in the invention having the above-mentioned structure, the trunk number judging section judges the number of trunks to the destination terminal of the extension exchange managed by the extension terminal management device, and the communication route is determined according to the number of trunks. The setting unit sets either a communication route for directly connecting to a destination terminal having an extension number or a communication route for relaying an extension terminal management device.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5 having the above-mentioned configuration, the identity determining unit determines whether the management apparatus managing the destination terminal is the same as the management apparatus managing the own terminal, and the management apparatus determines In the same case, the communication route setting unit sets the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal. In the invention according to claim 6 having the above configuration, the distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the own terminal and the management device that manages the own terminal, and the distance is arbitrarily set as the own terminal side distance. The second comparison unit compares the second borderline distance with the second borderline distance, and when the communication route setting unit determines the own-terminal-side calculated distance is shorter than the second borderline distance based on the comparison result, the own-terminal management device and the destination-terminal management device. A communication route for relaying is set, and if it is long, a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set.

Further, in the invention having the above-mentioned structure, the summing distance calculating unit calculates the sum of the distance on the self-terminal side and the distance on the destination terminal side, and the summing distance is arbitrarily set. The border line distance of No. 3 is compared by the third comparing unit, and the communication route setting unit determines the third by the third comparing unit.
If the summation distance is shorter than the borderline distance of, the communication route for relaying between the own terminal management device and the destination terminal management device is set, and if the summation distance is longer, the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set.

Further, in the invention having the above structure, the distance between the self terminal and the destination terminal is calculated by the inter-terminal distance calculation unit, and the inter-terminal distance is the self terminal side distance or the destination terminal side distance. If any of the above is shorter, the communication route setting unit sets the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal. In the invention having the above structure, the inter-management-device distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the self-terminal and the management device of the destination terminal, and the inter-management-device distance, the destination-terminal-side distance, and the self-distance While the relay charge calculation unit calculates the charge for relaying the management device based on the terminal-side distance, the direct communication charge calculation unit calculates the charge for direct communication based on the inter-terminal distance, and the direct communication is calculated. The charge and the relay charge are compared by the charge comparison unit, and the communication route setting unit sets a low-charge communication route based on the comparison result.

Further, in the invention having the above structure, the selection section selects whether or not to use the function of the communication route setting section.

[0031]

EXAMPLES Each invention of the present application will be described below based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile adapter as a line selection device according to an embodiment of the invention described in any of claims 1 to 10. First, the configuration will be described.
In FIG. 1, a facsimile (F
The AX) adapter 100 is connected between the facsimile terminal 200 and a line 300 such as a public line PSTN, and sets a communication route to the destination terminal based on the dial number of the destination terminal input from the facsimile terminal 200. . The facsimile terminal 200 has a facsimile communication function according to the G3 procedure, for example.

In the FAX adapter 100, when the facsimile terminal 200 makes a call, the line control unit 11 detects the destination number and performs line connection / disconnection processing. The calling destination number capturing unit 12 obtains the destination number detected by the line control unit 11 and transfers it to the routing determination unit 13. The routing determination unit 13 determines a routing (transmission route) based on the destination number called from the facsimile terminal 200, which is input from the calling destination number acquisition unit 12. The calling / mailing processing unit 14 performs a calling process (dialing) so as to follow the routing determined by the routing determination unit 13 or if the routing is FMS.
In the case of relay, the mailing process is performed. Note that this mailing process is based on a known conventional technique. The switch section 15 is composed of, for example, a dip switch, and allows the user to select whether or not the routing determining section 13 is to be operated by the automatic routing selection processing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a network constructed by using the FAX adapter 100 of FIG.
In the figure, a network 1 is a switching network to which a local FAX adapter, a destination facsimile terminal, and an FMS are connected, for example, a subscriber telephone network (PSTN), and has the following features. -Addresses are managed by uniquely assigning numbers (telephone numbers).・ Line charges are pay-as-you-go.・ Line charges are determined by the distance between areas per unit time.・ The area is managed by the area code in the telephone number.・ If the distance between the areas exceeds a certain borderline distance, the charge per unit time is fixed. This borderline distance is 1 as of March 1993.
It is 60 km.

The network 2 is a network connected to the FMS, such as IS.
It is DN (Service Integrated Digital Network), high-speed digital line, etc., and has the following features. -It is faster than the network 1.・ The line charge per unit amount of data is lower than that of the network 1, and it is a pay-per-use or flat-rate system.

FMS-B₀~ FMS-B_i~ FMS-B
_nIs in each area B₀~ B_i~ B _nManaging FMS
(Facsimile mail system device)
B as an ID to identify the FMS of₀, B_i, B
_nIs attached. These FMS are facsimile terminals
Data is stored and relayed between FMSs via network 2.
I do. The FMS-B that manages its own station a₀A
And FMS-B that manages the destination terminal station b_iIs written as B
You

B _{01 to} b _0N , b _{i1 to} b _iN , b _{n1 to} b _nN are
A facsimile terminal connected to the network 1. In the facsimile terminal, its own station connected to the network 1 (line 300 of FIG. 1) via the FAX adapter 100 of FIG. 1 is referred to as a, and the destination terminal station is referred to as b. FIG. 3 is FIG.
FIG. 3 is a network symbol diagram showing the network of FIG. In FIG. 3, F from the own station a to the destination station b
According to the conventional technique, when performing AX transmission, a → (network 1) → A → (network 2) → B → (network 1) → b.

Here, the communication charges of the networks 1 and 2 will be described as follows. Δx, Δy, Δz: Variables representing distances, P (Δx): reference charge for Δx of network 1 (eg PSTN), I (Δx): reference charge for Δx of network 2 (eg ISDN). The borderline distance 1 is defined as follows. ∀a>
For 0, ∃Δx exists, and when P (Δx) = P (Δx + a) is satisfied, Min (Δx) is set as the borderline distance 1.

The borderline distance 2 is defined as follows. For ∀Δx and ∀Δy, there is ∃Δz, and Δz = Δx + Δy P (border line distance 1) ≦ P (Δx) + P (Δ
When y) is satisfied, Min (Δz) is set as the borderline distance 2.

For example, in the charge system shown in FIG. 16 (b), borderline distance 1 = 160 km + ε: (+
A little more than ε) ・ Border line distance 2 = 210km ∵) P (160 + ε) = 320 yen If Δz = 210, P (160) + P (50) = 230 + 120 = 350> P (160 + ε) P (100) + P (110) = 180 + 230 = 410> P (160 + ε) ... If Δz = 200, P (100) + P (100) = 180 + 180 = 360> P (160 + ε) P (160) + P (40) = 230 + 80 = 310 <P (160 + ε) ... NG Here, the configuration according to the invention of claim 1 will be described.

1 to 3, when the dial number of the destination terminal station b is input from the facsimile terminal 200 as the own station a, the routing determination unit 13 functions as the management device presence / absence determination unit of the present embodiment, and the destination is the destination. It is determined whether or not there is a management device that manages the terminal station b, that is, FMS-B _i = B. At this time, when it is determined that FMS-B _i = B,
The routing determination unit 13 as the destination terminal side distance calculation unit of this embodiment calculates the distance from this FMS-B _i = B to the destination terminal station b. Next, the routing determination unit 13 as the comparison unit of the present embodiment compares the calculated destination terminal side distance with the arbitrarily set border line distance (here, the border line distance 1). Based on this comparison result, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit of the present embodiment sets the communication route for relaying FMS-B _i = B when the destination terminal side distance is shorter than the borderline distance 1, and when it is long. Sets a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal station b.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention described in claim 1, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a destination station number management table according to the invention described in any one of claims 1, 5, 7-9. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process according to the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 8. Since the FAX transmission is performed from the own station a, the user sends the facsimile terminal 20 shown in FIG.
When dialing from 0 to the destination terminal station b, it is passed to the line control unit 11. The line control unit 11 does not immediately send the destination number to the line 300, but the calling destination number fetching unit 12 fetches the destination number (step S1).

The routing determining unit 13 receives the destination number information that the user tried to call from the calling destination number capturing unit 12, and determines whether or not the routing (communication route) should be automatically changed. For this purpose, first, the FMS-B _i that manages the destination of the matching area code is searched by searching the destination area management table of FIG. 5 using the area code of the destination number (the area code of the destination terminal station b) as a key. = B and the distance (| B−b |) between the destination terminal station b are obtained.

This | Bb | is compared with a preset border line distance 1 (for example, 180 km) (step S5). As a result, if | B−b | ≦ borderline distance 1 (= 180 km), FA by FMS relay
Send X. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a → A →
The calling / mailing processing unit 14 executes the relay communication procedure so as to take the route of B → b, and the FAX transmission by the FMS relay is performed through the line control unit 11 (step S
12).

On the other hand, | B-b |
> If the borderline distance is 1 (= 180 km), FAX transmission is performed by calling with the destination number specified by the facsimile terminal 200 unchanged. That is, a → b shown in FIG.
Calling / Mailing Processing Unit 14
Performs a calling process through the line control unit 11 (step S
13).

As described above, in this embodiment, NTT
Destination terminal station b and destination FMS-
A border line is provided in the distance between B _i = B, and a destination FMS-B _i = B is directly dialed to a distant destination terminal station b exceeding the border line distance of 1 without relaying the destination FMS-B _i = B. The total communication cost can be reduced, the communication efficiency can be improved, and the optimum communication cost can be set.

The invention according to claim 2 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determining unit 13 serves as an extension number presence / absence determining unit of the present embodiment and determines the presence / absence of an extension number of the destination terminal station b. Based on this determination, the routing determining unit 13 as the communication route setting unit for the destination terminal station b having the extension number
Sets a communication route for directly connecting the own station a and the destination terminal station b.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention described in claim 2, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an extension number management table according to the invention described in any of claims 2 to 3. Further, the operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 1. Following the processing of step S1 of FIG. 6, the extension number management table of FIG. 8 is searched using the number of the destination terminal station b as a key, and the key matches (there is an extension) or there is no match. It is determined whether there is no extension) (step S2). As a result, if there is an extension, the call is made directly to the destination terminal station b with the extension number searched for, and F
AX transmission is performed (step S11).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that there is no extension number corresponding to the destination, the process proceeds to step S5,
The processing according to the invention of claim 1 as described above is performed.
As described above, in the present embodiment, since the extension destination b connected to the private line by the private network is directly connected without relaying the FMS such as A and B, the usage amount of the private line can be increased. Therefore, the cost per communication can be reduced. That is, since the fee for using the private line by the private network is a fixed cost, the cost per communication can be lowered by increasing the usage amount, and the cost performance and cost reduction can be obtained by using the dedicated number.

The invention according to claim 3 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 serves as an extension terminal management device presence / absence determination unit of this embodiment and determines whether or not there is a management device that manages the destination terminal station b by an extension number, that is, FMS-B _i = B. . When it is determined by this determination that FMS-B _i = B is present, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit sends the FMS-Bi to the destination terminal station b.
Set a communication route for relaying B _i = B.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the routing according to the invention of claim 3. The operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment of the invention according to claim 2. Following the process of step S2 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the FMS-ID is present / absent in the “FMS-ID managing the destination terminal station b” item in the extension number management table of FIG. 8 (step S3). ). As a result, FMS-I
If there is D, after performing FMS relay, the destination is managed by FMS-B _i = B to B
X is transmitted (step S10). This is shown as the route for destination station b'in FIG.

On the other hand, in step S3, the FMS-I
If there is no D, FAX transmission using the extension number is performed (step S11). This is shown as the route for destination station destination b in FIG. When the extension number is constructed with a combination of leased lines, multiple trunks (relay stations) will pass through at long distances, and if the number of trunks increases, the communication quality of the line will deteriorate and facsimile communication will not be possible. However, in this embodiment, the FMS
By relaying and communicating at a nearby place with a dedicated line, it becomes possible to service without lowering communication cost and communication quality.

The invention according to claim 4 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 serves as a trunk number determination unit of the present embodiment and is a destination terminal station b of an extension exchange (PBX shown in FIG. 10) managed by FMS-B _i = B which is an extension terminal management device. To determine the number of trunks. Depending on the number of trunks determined by this determination, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit determines whether the communication route is a direct connection to the destination terminal station b having the extension number (route for b ′ in FIG. 10) or FMS−. B _i = communication route for relaying B (see FIG. 1)
0) b).

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the routing according to the invention of claim 4. Further, the operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 3. Following the processing of step S3 in FIG. 6, when the extension terminal station b is managed by FMS-B _i = B,
In the extension number management table of FIG. 8, the number of trunks of the extension is obtained in the item "number of trunks" and compared with a preset reference value for good line quality (step S4). As a result, when the number of trunks of the extension to the destination is less than the reference value, the line quality is good even if the extension is used, and therefore FAX transmission by the extension number is performed (step S11). This is shown as the route for destination b'in FIG.

On the other hand, if the number of extension trunks to the destination is equal to or larger than the reference value in step S4, the line quality may not be good if an extension is used. Therefore, after performing FMS relay, the extension trunk FAX transmission is performed by extension from the place where the number is reduced (step S10). this is,
It is shown as a route for destination b in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, the number of trunks of extension numbers is determined and the communication route is managed according to the number of trunks.
Communication quality can be managed more quantitatively, communication cost can be reduced, and communication efficiency can be improved.

The invention according to claim 5 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 serves as the identity determination unit according to the present exemplary embodiment, and the management device FMS-B _i = that manages the destination terminal station b.
It is determined whether or not B is the same as the management device FMS-B ₀ = A that manages its own terminal a. If the management devices are the same (A = B) from this determination, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit sets the communication route directly connected to the destination terminal station b.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 5. Further, the operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 1. Subsequent to the processing of step S5 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the “FMS-ID managing the destination” in the destination station number management table of FIG. 5 is the same as or different from that of the own station A (step S6). As a result, if they are the same, the destination number is transmitted as it is and the FAX transmission is performed (step S13). That is, by taking the route as shown in a → b of FIG. 11, it is possible to save the time and communication charges from being taken by the conventional route of a → A → b.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S6 is different, FAX transmission by FMS relaying is performed as usual (step S12). As described above, in this embodiment, since the destination terminal station b managed by the same FMS as the own station a is directly dialed, the communication cost can be reduced and the communication efficiency can be improved.

The invention according to claim 6 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determining unit 13 serves as the self-terminal-side distance calculating unit of the present embodiment and manages the self-terminal a and the self-terminal F.
The distance from MS-B ₀ = A, that is, | A−a | is calculated. Next, the routing determination unit 13 serves as a second comparison unit of the present embodiment, and compares the own terminal side distance | A-a | with the arbitrarily set second border line distance. In addition,
In this embodiment, the second borderline distance is set to the same value as the borderline distance 1 (= 180 km) described above. Based on this comparison result, the routing determining unit 13 as the communication route setting unit, if the calculated distance | A−a | on the terminal side is shorter than the borderline distance 1, the terminal management apparatus FMS: A and the destination terminal management apparatus FMS: A communication route for relaying B is set, and if it is long, a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal b is set.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 is a diagram showing the routing according to the invention of claim 6, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the own station number management table according to the invention of any of claims 6-9. Further, the operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 5. Following the process of step S6 of FIG. 6, in the own station number management table of FIG. 13, the FMS managing the own station a and the own station:
A distance | A−a | with A is obtained and compared with a preset border line distance 1 (= 180 km) (step S7). As a result, if | A−a | ≦ borderline distance 1, FAX transmission by FMS relay is performed (step S12). That is, a → A → B shown in FIG.
→ It is the route of b.

On the other hand, | A-a |
> If the border line distance is 1, the FAX number is transmitted by calling the destination number as it is (step S13). That is, it is the route shown in FIG. As described above, in this embodiment, a border line is provided at the distance | A−a | between the FMS: A that manages the own station a and the own station using the charge table of the network, and the own station and the FMS: A are set. When the distance | Aa | between the border lines exceeds the border line, the communication cost can be reduced and the communication efficiency can be improved by directly dialing.

The invention according to claim 7 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 serves as a summation distance calculation unit of the present embodiment, and the distance | A−a | of the own terminal side and the distance | B of the destination terminal side.
Calculate the sum with -b |. Next, the routing determination unit 1
Reference numeral 3 is a third comparison unit of this embodiment, which compares the summation distance with an arbitrarily set third border line distance (hereinafter, referred to as border line distance 2). Based on this comparison result, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit
When the summation distance is shorter than the borderline distance 2, the self-terminal management device FMS: A and the destination terminal management device FMS: B
Is set, and if it is long, a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal station b is set.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, 13 and 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 7. Further, the operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 6. Following the processing of step S7 of FIG. 6, | Bb | obtained from the destination station number management table of FIG.
And | A-a | obtained from the own station number management table of FIG.
And the borderline distance 2 which is set in advance is compared (step S8). As a result,
If A−a | + | B−b | ≦ border line distance 2,
FAX transmission by FMS relay is performed (step S1)
2). That is, the route is a → A → B → b shown in FIG.

On the other hand, | A−a |
If + | B-b |> borderline distance 2, the destination number is used as it is for FAX transmission by calling (step S1).
3). That is, it directly transmits to the destination station b through the route shown in FIG. As described above, in the present embodiment, using the charge table of the network, the distance between the self station and the FMS that manages the self station | A-a | and the distance between the destination and the FMS that manages the destination | B- A border line is provided in the sum of b |, and when the border line is exceeded, direct dialing can reduce communication costs and increase communication efficiency.

The invention according to claim 8 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 calculates the distance | ab | between the self terminal a and the destination terminal b as the inter-terminal distance calculation unit of the present embodiment. Then, when the inter-terminal distance | a-b | is shorter than the self-terminal-side distance | A-a | or the destination-terminal-side distance | B-b |, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit A communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal station b is set.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, 13, and 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 8. The operation of this embodiment will be described focusing on the points added to the embodiment of the invention according to claim 7. Although the present embodiment is close to the own station a and the destination b, each is divided into separate FMS management areas, and is effective when the own station a or the destination b is far from the FMS managing each.

Following the processing of step S8 of FIG.
In the destination station number management table of FIG. 13, the distance | ab | between the own station a and the destination b is obtained, and it is obtained from the own station number management table of FIG. , And the distance between the destination b obtained from the destination station number management table of FIG. 5 and the FMS: B that manages the destination | B-
b |) (step S9). As a result, | a-
If b |> | Aa | and | ab |> | Bb |
FAX transmission by FMS relay is performed (step S1)
2). That is, the route is a → A → B → b shown in FIG.

On the other hand, | ab |
If .ltoreq. | Aa | or | a-b | .ltoreq. | B-b |, the destination number is directly transmitted by FAX (step S).
13). That is, it directly transmits to the destination station b through the route shown in FIG. Thus, in this embodiment, the own station a
By managing the distance between the destination and the destination b, even though the own station and the destination are close, each is divided into a separate FMS management area, and the distance from the own station a or the destination b to the FMS managing each is When the distance is far, the communication cost can be reduced and the communication efficiency can be improved.

The invention according to claim 9 will be described below based on embodiments. First, the configuration will be described. 1 to 3, the routing determination unit 13 calculates the distance between the management devices of the own terminal a and the destination terminal b, that is | AB |, as the management device distance calculation unit of the present embodiment. Next, the routing determination unit 13 serves as the relay charge calculation unit of the present embodiment to determine the inter-management-device distance | AB |, the destination terminal-side distance | B-b |, and the self-terminal-side distance | A-a |. Management device FM based
S: Calculate the charge for relaying A and B. Further, the routing determination unit 13 is a direct communication charge calculation unit of this embodiment, and calculates a charge for direct communication based on the inter-terminal distance | ab |. Next, the routing determination unit 13 as the charge comparison unit of the present embodiment compares the direct communication charge with the relay charge. Based on the comparison result, the routing determination unit 13 as the communication route setting unit sets a communication route with a lower charge.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 13, 16 and 17. 16 is a diagram showing a management table according to the invention of claim 9, and FIG.
The MS management table and FIG. 7B show the line charge table. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the process according to the invention described in claim 9, and in this embodiment, the process of the part replacing steps S5 to S9 in FIG. 6 will be described.

In the embodiment according to the invention described in claims 1 to 8, when the "sent by FAX as the destination number is transmitted" to the destination b as shown in step S13 of FIG. Compared to the case of "FAX transmission by FMS relay" as shown in step S12 of 6, the transfer efficiency was improved and the communication cost was reduced. However, some of the "FMS relay" relays were omitted from the comparison of the borderline distances 1 and 2, but it was better to "call as it is" because it was in the vicinity. That is F
This is because the charges between MSs are not included.

For example, in the fee system of FIG. 16 (b),
| A-a | = 100 km, | B-a | = 100 km, |
In the case of a−b | = 300 km, “FMS relay” is performed, but in reality, “calling as is” is cheap. ∵) P (100) + P (100) = 180 + 180 = 360 yen> 320 yen = P (300) Therefore, in the present embodiment, all of these reference values are calculated and then the route can be selected more accurately. It is a thing. That is, in FIG. 17, | Bb | obtained from the destination station number management table of FIG. 5, | Aa | obtained from the own station number management table of FIG. 13, FMS of FIG.
Using | AB | obtained from the management table as a key, FIG.
By searching the line charge table in (b), "FMS
Relay standard charge "= P (| A-a |) + I (| A-
B |) + P (| B−b |) is obtained (step T1).

Next, by using the | ab | obtained from the destination station number management table of FIG. 5 as a key, the line charge table of FIG. (| A−b |) is obtained (step T2). Then, the "reference fee for FMS relay" is compared with the "reference fee for calling as it is", and the fax is transmitted by a cheap method (step T3).

As described above, in this embodiment, the FMS
By calculating the reference charges for each of the case where the transmission is performed by the relay or the case where the transmission is performed by the direct dial as it is, the route can be selected more accurately, the communication cost can be reduced, and the communication efficiency can be improved. Hereinafter, the invention of claim 10 will be described based on examples.

First, the structure will be described. In FIG. 1, the switch unit 15 is provided as a selection unit of this embodiment, and selects whether to use the function of the routing determination unit 13 as a communication route setting unit. Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing according to the invention of claim 10. First, the user selects with the switch unit 15 whether or not to operate the automatic routing selection process, and sets it in advance. As a result, FA
When the X adapter 100 starts up, or when the calling destination number capturing unit 12 receives the destination number,
The routing determination unit 13 reads the setting and determines whether to select the automatic routine or to make a call as it is (step R1). If the automatic routine is selected by the switch unit 15, FAX transmission is performed according to the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 9 (step R2). Further, if the non-automatic routine is selected by the switch unit 15, the call is made to the destination number as it is and the FA
X transmission is performed (step R3).

As described above, in this embodiment, the means for allowing the user to specify whether or not the automatic route selection according to the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is provided,
The route can be specified and transmitted, and maintainability can be improved. FIG. 19 is a network configuration diagram showing an operation example according to each invention of the present application. In the figure, the communication route is shown by attaching a number corresponding to each claim.

Although the facsimile adapter 100 is illustrated as the line selection device in the above embodiments, the line selection device according to the present invention is not limited to the line selection at the time of facsimile transmission, and for example, the line selection for telephones or personal computer communication. It is also applicable to.

[0077]

As described above, according to the line selection device of the first aspect of the present invention, the presence / absence of a management device that manages the destination terminal is determined by the management device presence / absence determining unit, and there is a management device. If it is determined, the destination terminal side distance calculation unit calculates the distance from the management device to the destination terminal, and the comparison unit compares the calculated destination terminal side distance and the arbitrarily set borderline distance, According to the comparison result, the communication route setting unit sets the communication route for relaying the management device when the destination terminal side distance is shorter than the borderline distance, and sets the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal when the distance is long. Directly dialing a destination terminal station that is farther than the borderline distance according to the charge table without relaying the destination management device. Reduction in communication cost as stem total communication efficiency up Hakare, it can be set optimum communication cost.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the presence / absence of the extension number of the destination terminal is determined by the extension number presence / absence determining unit, and the communication route is set to the destination terminal having the extension number. Since the setting unit sets the communication route directly connected to the destination terminal, it is possible to increase the usage amount of the dedicated line and reduce the cost per communication.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the extension terminal management device presence / absence determining unit determines whether or not there is a management device that manages the destination terminal by the extension number, and the extension terminal management device If it is determined that there is a communication route, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route for relaying the extension terminal management device to the destination terminal, so that the management device relays in the distant place and the dedicated place in the near place. By using the line communication, the communication cost can be reduced and the service can be provided without lowering the communication quality.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the number of trunks determining section determines the number of trunks to the destination terminal of the extension exchange managed by the extension terminal management apparatus, and determines the number of trunks according to the number of trunks. Since the communication route setting unit sets either the communication route directly connecting to the destination terminal having the extension number or the communication route relaying the extension terminal management device, the communication quality is more quantitatively managed, Communication costs can be reduced and communication efficiency can be improved.

According to the line selecting device of the present invention, the identity determining unit determines whether the management device managing the destination terminal is the same as the management device managing the own terminal, and manages the management device. When the device is the same, the communication route setting unit sets the communication route to directly connect to the destination terminal, so that the destination terminal managed by the same management device as the own station can be dialed directly, reducing the communication cost and communication. Efficiency can be improved.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the self-terminal side and the management device that manages the self-terminal. The second comparison unit compares the arbitrarily set second border line distance, and if the communication route setting unit determines that the calculated distance on the self terminal side is shorter than the second border line distance based on the comparison result, the self terminal management device. And a communication route for relaying the destination terminal management device are set, and if the communication route is directly connected to the destination terminal in the case of a long route, the distance between the own station and the management device of the own station exceeds the second border line. When dialing, you can dial directly to reduce communication costs and improve communication efficiency.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the summation distance calculation unit calculates the sum of the distance on the terminal side and the distance on the destination terminal side, and the summation distance is arbitrarily set. The third border line distance is compared with the third border line distance, and the communication route setting unit determines the third border line distance based on the comparison result.
If the summation distance is shorter than the borderline distance of, the communication route for relaying between the own terminal management device and the destination terminal management device is set, and if it is longer, the communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set. Direct dialing when crossing the border line can reduce communication costs and increase communication efficiency.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the inter-terminal distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the self terminal and the destination terminal, and the inter-terminal distance is the self terminal side distance or the destination terminal. If either side distance is shorter, the communication route setting unit sets the communication route to directly connect to the destination terminal, so that although the own station and the destination are close, each is managed in a different area by a different management device. In such a case, if the distance from the own station or the destination to the management device managing each is long, the destination can be dialed directly, and the communication cost can be reduced and the communication efficiency can be improved.

According to the line selection device of the present invention, the inter-management-device distance calculation unit calculates the distance between the self-terminal and the management device of the destination terminal, and the inter-management-device distance and the destination terminal are calculated. While the relay charge calculation unit calculates the charge for relaying the management device based on the side distance and the own terminal side distance, the direct communication charge calculation unit calculates the charge for direct communication based on the inter-terminal distance Then, the direct communication charge and the relay charge are compared by the charge comparison unit, and the communication route setting unit sets a low charge communication route from the comparison result, so that the route can be selected more accurately and the communication cost can be reduced. Communication efficiency can be improved.

According to the line selection device of the invention described in claim 10, the selection section selects whether or not to use the function of the communication route setting section. The user can specify whether or not to automatically select the route according to the invention, and the route can be specified, so that the maintainability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile adapter as a line selection device according to an embodiment of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a network configured by using the facsimile adapter of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a network symbol diagram showing the network of FIG. 2 in abbreviated form.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention described in claim 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a destination station number management table according to the invention described in any one of claims 1, 5, 7 to 9;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process according to the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 2;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an extension number management table according to the invention described in any one of claims 2 to 3.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 3;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 4;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 5;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 6;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a local station number management table according to the invention described in any one of claims 6 to 9;

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 7;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a routing according to the invention of claim 8;

16A and 16B are diagrams showing a management table according to the invention of claim 9, wherein FIG. 16A shows an FMS management table, and FIG. 16B shows a line charge table.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a process according to the invention of claim 9;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a process according to the invention of claim 10;

FIG. 19 is a network configuration diagram showing an operation example according to each invention of the present application.

[Explanation of symbols]

13 routing determination unit (management device presence / absence determination unit, destination terminal side distance calculation unit, comparison unit, communication route setting unit, extension number presence / absence determination unit, extension terminal management device presence / absence determination unit, trunk number determination unit, identity determination unit, 15 switch of own terminal side distance calculation unit, second comparison unit, summation distance calculation unit, third comparison unit, inter-terminal distance calculation unit, management device distance calculation unit, direct communication charge calculation unit, charge comparison unit) 15 switch Part (selection part) 100 Facsimile adapter (line selection device) 200 Facsimile terminal 300 Line a Own station b Destination terminal station A, B FMS (management device)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A line selection device for setting a communication route to a destination terminal based on a dial number of the destination terminal input from the communication terminal between the communication terminal and the communication line, managing the destination terminal. A management device presence / absence determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a management device, a destination terminal side distance calculation unit that calculates the distance from the management device to the destination terminal when it is determined that there is a management device, and a calculated destination terminal side A comparison unit that compares the distance with an arbitrarily set borderline distance, and if the comparison result indicates that the destination terminal-side distance is shorter than the borderline distance, a communication route that relays the management device is set; A line selection device, comprising: a communication route setting unit that sets a communication route directly connected to a terminal. 2. The line selection device according to claim 1, further comprising an extension number presence / absence determining unit for determining the presence / absence of an extension number of the destination terminal, and communicating a communication route directly connected to the destination terminal having the extension number. A line selection device characterized by being set by a route setting unit. 3. The line selection device according to claim 2, further comprising an extension terminal management device presence / absence determination unit that determines whether or not there is a management device that manages the destination terminal by an extension number, and determines that there is an extension terminal management device. A line selection device, wherein a communication route for relaying the extension terminal management device is set to the destination terminal by the communication route setting unit when the communication is set. 4. The line selection device according to claim 3, further comprising a trunk number determination unit for determining the number of trunks to the destination terminal of the extension exchange managed by the extension terminal management device, and having an extension number according to the number of trunks. A line selection device characterized in that a communication route setting unit sets either a communication route directly connected to a destination terminal or a communication route relaying an extension terminal management device. 5. The line selection device according to claim 1, further comprising an identity determination unit for determining whether or not the management device that manages the destination terminal is the same as the management device that manages the own terminal. A line selection device, wherein a communication route directly connected to the destination terminal is set by a communication route setting unit. 6. The line selection device according to claim 5, wherein a self-terminal-side distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the self-terminal and a management device that manages the self-terminal; And a second comparison unit for comparing the borderline distance of 2 with the second borderline distance. If the calculated distance is shorter than the second borderline distance by the own terminal side, the own terminal management device and the destination terminal management device are relayed. The communication route setting unit sets a communication route to be set, and if the communication route is long, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route directly connected to the destination terminal. 7. The line selection device according to claim 6, wherein a summation distance calculation unit that calculates the sum of the distance on the terminal side and the distance on the destination terminal side, and a third border arbitrarily set with the summation distance. And a third comparison unit that compares the line distance with each other. According to the comparison result, if the summation distance is shorter than the third border line distance, a communication route for relaying between the own terminal management device and the destination terminal management device is set. If it is long, the communication route setting unit sets a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal. 8. The line selection device according to claim 7, further comprising an inter-terminal distance calculation unit for calculating a distance between the self terminal and the destination terminal, the inter-terminal distance being either the self terminal side distance or the destination terminal side distance. A line selection device, wherein a communication route for directly connecting to the destination terminal is set by a communication route setting unit when the length is shorter than that. 9. The line selection device according to claim 8, wherein an inter-management-device distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between the self-terminal and the management device of the destination terminal, the inter-management-device distance, the destination-terminal-side distance, and the self-management distance. A relay charge calculation unit that calculates a charge for relaying the management device based on the terminal-side distance, a direct communication charge calculation unit that calculates a charge for direct communication based on the distance between terminals, and the direct communication charge And a charge comparison unit for comparing with the relay charge, and a communication route setting unit sets a communication route having a lower charge than the comparison result. 10. The line selection device according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit for selecting whether or not to use the function of the communication route setting unit.