JPH08335965A - Communication aid system, communication aid method, information storage device and terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a communication aid system by which the state of an optional person being a reception object with respect to communication is aided so that a transmission desiring person takes consideration. CONSTITUTION: The communication aid method is aided for the communication system consisting of a storage device 100, plural terminal equipments 102 interconnected via a communication network 101 and a communication terminal equipment 115. Each terminal equipment 102 acquires a signal representing a busy communication terminal when the connected communication terminal equipment is busy. The storage device 100 receives and stores information denoting the busy state of the specific communication terminal equipment and the transmission request of the address of a communication terminal equipment connecting to other terminal equipment is received from any terminal equipment. Whether or not the address of the communication terminal equipment being the object of a received transmission request is busy is checked by retrieving the information representing the busy communication terminal equipment and when the address of the communication terminal equipment is busy, the information denoting the busy state is sent to the terminal equipment of an address transmission request source.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to communication for assisting a person who wants to send a message, when communicating via a communication network, so that any person who can be a recipient can consider the situation in which the person is placed. Support system and support method,
In addition, the present invention relates to an information storage device and a terminal used therefor. For example, the present invention relates to a communication support system that can be used in conjunction with a contact display system and a destination display system in an office of a large number of people.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various communication media are currently available for communication. These communication media are roughly classified into two types: immediate media represented by telephones and video conferencing systems, and non-immediate media represented by fax and electronic mail. The two have been developed by accepting the advantages and disadvantages of each other, and have been accepted by users.

On the other hand, for example, in the case of a telephone that has no choice but to pick up when it rings, the recipient who is suddenly interrupted is forced to interrupt the work up to that point. Further, in a large room office where a large number of people gather in one room, if the sender does not have the intended party, a third party will be forced to make a proxy response.

As a method for solving this, there is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-244920, "Telephone transfer method and apparatus". In this, the inventor links an electronic schedule book called a calendar database with a transfer telephone number, and informs a caller by telephone of a planned location and a telephone number on the calendar database.

[0005]

By the way, in general, the communication medium is designed centering on the originator and the originator has the initiative in interrupting the receiver and forcing a substitute response for the third party. It is due to that. In other words, when A tries to contact B, A
Only the sender, Mr. A, has the option to use which of the several types of communication media between B and B to contact when. Currently, the recipient, Mr. B, must accept the selection result.

Until now, various communication media have been developed aiming at “faster, more accurate, and larger amount”. In recent years, new communication media have been created with the catchphrase "anytime, anywhere, with anyone". However, this catch phrase itself indicates that the recipient's convenience is ignored, and the demand for an answering machine function even for a mobile phone is a direct expression of dissatisfaction with this.

[0007] Here, the telephone is taken as a familiar and prominent example. However, it should be noted that this problem is widespread and common, regardless of whether the communication medium is an immediate system or a non-immediate system. For example, in the case of e-mail, even people who often use e-mail can't access it for a few days while on a business trip, so it is convenient for someone who put it on an answering machine to hear it from the business trip destination. There is also the possibility that the sender's message may be hidden if the person who has an e-mail address does not use it much and only reads the fax.

Originally, it is natural to think that communication cannot be established unless the circumstances (time, place, method, etc.) of each other match. If you are in front of you, you can decide whether it is okay to talk to you now, or write down a note and hand it over. In telecommunications via communication media, it is generally difficult to know the information for making this determination when accessing the communication media.

Here is the point of focus. That is, the caller may wish to be contacted by what communication medium, who, and when they want to contact (or may not want to be contacted at that time). It is thought that comfortable telecommunications can be carried out with each other if the information such as "I don't know" can be known. This requires the implementation of tools that help users provide such information when they want it. To that end, it is necessary to organize and re-capture the design of communication media from the perspective of the recipient. However, it is not realistic to create a completely new communication medium. A system based on the idea of completely replacing the existing system would be very difficult to overcome the critical mass barrier of the accepting user. Rather, it is necessary to utilize the existing communication media and use the tools that support the above-mentioned support in using the communication media.

So far, the discussion regarding the convenience of the recipient has been
It's late at night, so stop calling, make a call and ask if it's okay to talk, then talk about your business. However, these belong to so-called manners. Apart from this, when properly using various communication media, a tool should be developed in consideration of how to handle the convenience of the recipient technically.

An object of the present invention is to provide a communication support system for preliminarily registering individual personal information relating to communication with respect to a user who should be connected through the communication system and inquiring the personal information prior to the communication. And a communication support method, and an information storage device and a terminal used therefor.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the communication support system according to the present invention uses (a) a communication medium desired to be used by an individual and its address to another person via a network. b) Expressing to others the use status of the communication medium desired by the individual and the address thereof, (c) Substitute when the immediate media and the address of the communication medium desired by the individual are used by other than the individual. It is characterized by expressing media and alternative addresses to others.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
When performing communication via a communication network, a communication support system is provided for supporting a person who wants to send information so that a person who wants to send can consider the situation in which an arbitrary person who may be a receiving target is placed in communication. For storing and responding to queries for stored information,
Any at least one storage device and a plurality of terminals connected to a communication network and capable of making inquiries about information stored in the storage device, the storage device being an object to be received The personal situation information storage means for storing the personal situation information, which is the information indicating the situation in which the individual is in communication, and the inquiry regarding the personal situation information about the specific individual from the above terminals are accepted and the Inquiry response means for reading out the individual situation information about the individual from the individual situation information storage means and transmitting it to the terminal of the inquiry source, the above-mentioned individual situation information is information for identifying each individual contained therein, and for each individual, The individual terminal includes personal communication means information indicating a communication means that the person desires as a receiving destination in advance, and each of the terminals indicates a specific individual as an inquiry target. Communication for receiving the input of the specific individual designation information to be transmitted and transmitting the specific individual designation information to the storage device, and a display unit for displaying the personal situation information transmitted from the storage device. A support system is provided.

The personal status information further includes usage status information indicating a current usage status of the communication means specified by each individual included in the personal communication means information, and the personal status information storage means includes the personal communication information. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which information indicating the current usage status of the communication means specified by each individual, which is included in the usage information, is collected and the usage status information is updated.

The personal condition information storage means further stores destination information of the individual as the personal condition information, and the information for identifying each individual includes information indicating an individual name, and the display means is the above-mentioned. It is possible to display the personal name, the destination information when there is a destination, and the personal communication means information from the personal status information about the inquired individual sent from the storage device.

The display means, together with personal communication means information,
It can be configured to display the usage status information.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, regarding a situation in which an arbitrary individual who can be a reception target from each terminal connected to the communication network is placed for communication. An information storage device for responding to the inquiry of the personal status information storage means for storing personal status information, which is information indicating what kind of communication-related situation an arbitrary individual who may be a receiving target has, and Inquiry responding means for accepting an inquiry about personal status information about a specific individual from each terminal, reading the personal status information about the specific individual from the personal status information storage means, and transmitting the information to the terminal that made the inquiry; The status information includes information for identifying each individual included in the situation information and personal communication means information indicating a communication means for each individual who has previously designated that the individual desires as a receiver. Information storage device which comprises bets is provided.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, an information storage device for responding to an inquiry about a situation in which an arbitrary person who can be a receiving object is placed for communication is connected via a communication network. In the terminal for making an inquiry, means for accepting the input of the specific individual specifying information for specifying the specific individual to be inquired, and transmitting the specific individual specifying information to the storage device, and There is provided a terminal comprising: a display unit that displays personal status information.

In the display means, the personal status information about the specific individual sent from the storage means includes two or more communication means for the specific individual, and an identifier indicating the priority is given to each of them. In this case, the communication means may be displayed so as to be identified. Further, the display means may be configured such that the identification display of the communication means is performed in a pseudo three-dimensional display, and a display having a lower priority has an inverted display in the depth direction.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one storage device, a plurality of terminals connected to the storage device via a communication network, and connected to the terminals via signal lines. In a communication support method in a communication system including at least one communication terminal, when any communication terminal connected to the terminal is in use, the communication terminal is in use via a signal line. The storage device receives a signal indicating that a specific communication terminal connected to each terminal is in use via the communication network, and stores the received signal. From that terminal, a transmission request of an address of a communication terminal connected to another terminal is received, and whether or not the address of the communication terminal which is the target of the received transmission request is in use is accumulated. Used by communication terminal Communication support characterized in that when the address of the communication terminal is in use, information indicating that the communication terminal is in use is transmitted to the terminal of the address transmission request source. A method is provided.

[0021]

In the present invention, a means for the sender to obtain contact means according to the convenience of the receiver is provided. That is, via the network, (a) the communication medium desired by the individual and the address thereof are stored in the storage device, and (b) the communication medium desired by the individual and the use status of the address are displayed on the terminal, c) Among the communication media desired by an individual, when the immediate media and its address are used by other than the individual, the alternative media and the alternative address are displayed on the terminal. As a result, it is possible to assist the sender in acquiring the contact means according to the convenience of the receiver. That is, the caller may wish to be contacted by what communication medium, who, and when they want to contact (or may not want to be contacted at that time). I can know the information. Also, when the communication medium of the person who is about to contact is being used by a third party, it is possible to know the information of the alternative medium and the alternative address. As a result, we have to match each other's conveniences (time, place, method, etc.) necessary to communicate,
Can communicate with each other comfortably.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the configuration of the support system of the present invention. The support system of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of terminals 102 connected to a communication network 101 and a storage device 1.
00 is applied to the communication system.

In FIG. 1, since each terminal 102 has the same function, only one terminal will be described. Terminal 102
Is a CPU 110, a memory 111, and a display device 113.
, An input device 114, and a communication interface 112, and using the communication interface 112, the communication network 101
And communication terminal 115. Also, the communication terminal 1
15 can communicate with another communication terminal 115 via the communication interface 122 and the communication network 101.
For example, it can function as a telephone.

On the other hand, the storage device 100 has a CPU 120.
And a memory 121 and a communication interface 122, and is connected to the communication network 101 using the communication interface 122. The terminal 102 and the storage device 100 can perform data communication via the communication network 101.

The storage device 100 stores personal situation information 200, which is information indicating what kind of situation a person, which may be a receiving object, is currently in communication. Therefore, the memory 121 of the storage device 100 stores the personal situation information 200 of the individual (registrant) who has registered such information. The personal situation information 200 is a personal identifier 201 that is specific personal designation information for identifying an individual, a personal name 202 of the individual, personal destination information 204 such as a conference room or another company, and personal communication means information 206. The data is composed of and. The personal communication means information 206 includes a communication means (communication medium) 207 such as a telephone, a facsimile, or an electronic mail, a media registration identifier 208 indicating the order in which the individual is easy to use when there are a plurality of communication means for the individual, The address 209 when the communication means is used. The address 209 is a communication means address 2 indicating an address when the communication means is used.
10 and a plurality of communication means addresses 210 of the individual, a priority identifier 211 indicating the order in which the individual is easy to use, and a status identifier 2 indicating the use status of the address.
12 and. The information registered in the state identifier 212 is shown in FIG. This will be described later.

The storage device 100 also functions as means for responding to an inquiry from the terminal 102 regarding the stored personal situation information 200 and means for collecting and registering the personal situation information 200. Therefore, the CPU
The 120 receives registration and update of the personal situation information 200 from each terminal 102 via the communication interface 122, and stores it in the memory 121. In addition, each terminal 1
02, the inquiry about the personal situation information 200 about the specific individual is accepted, the personal situation information 200 about the specific individual is read from the memory 121, and is transmitted to the inquiry source terminal 102 via the communication interface 122.

The terminal 102 functions as a registration receiving means that receives new registration and change of the personal situation information 200 about an individual who uses the terminal 102 and sends it to the storage device 100. Further, the terminal 102 accepts the input of the personal identifier 201 that designates the specific individual to be inquired,
It also functions as a means for transmitting the personal identifier 201 to the storage device 100 via the communication network 101 and a display means for receiving the personal situation information 200 sent from the storage device 100 and displaying the information contained therein. .

The input device 114 of the terminal 102 is an input device such as a mouse. With this, registration of personal situation information,
Accept various inputs such as changes and inquiries. Display device 113
Is a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display generally used as a display of a computer, and the personal identifier 201 or the like can be designated by using a graphical user interface. Further, the display device 113 can display the personal situation information 200 read in the memory 111 of the terminal 102.

The terminal 102 has a communication interface 112.
It also has a function as a means for transmitting and receiving various kinds of information, for example, personal situation information 200 to and from the storage device 100, which is connected to the communication network 101 via the. For example, the information for new registration, the information for change, the information for inquiry, etc. regarding the personal situation information 200 input from the input device 114 is transmitted to the storage device 100, or the storage device 100.
The personal situation information 200 sent from is received. The communication terminal 115 is connected to the communication interface 112 of the terminal 102 via the signal line 116, and records the used / unused state of the communication terminal 115 in the memory 111. In addition, the communication terminal 115 is, as described above, the other communication terminal 115.
Can communicate with.

In the above-mentioned structure, the support system of this embodiment can access the storage device 100 from each terminal 102 via the communication network 101 to obtain personal status information of any registered individual. It is possible to inquire about the usage status of the communication terminal 115 desired by the individual as a recipient. In addition, it is also possible to know the destination of the specific individual.

Information other than the personal situation information 200 stored in the storage device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As such information, for example, the communication network 10
There is information about the communication terminal 115 that can be used in No. 1.
That is, the type of communication terminal connected to the communication network 101,
The configuration information of the communication device including the assigned address and the like is registered and managed in advance in the storage device 100.

Terminal management device table 2 shown in FIG.
A table 20 manages information indicating what type of communication terminal each terminal 102 is connected to and information indicating the usage status of those communication terminals. The information managed by the table 220 includes a terminal number 221, a communication device indicator 222, and used / unused information 222a. In the communication device indicator 222, all communication devices connected to a certain terminal registered in the terminal number 221 are registered in combination with the device name and the number. This information is registered in advance when the terminal user connects the communication terminal to the terminal. The use / non-use information 222a includes
For each communication terminal, for example, telephone # 001, facsimile # 001, etc., "1" is registered when in use and "0" is registered when not in use.

Communication address table 2 shown in FIG. 2 (b)
Reference numeral 23 is a table for managing information indicating which communication device is connected to the communication address, and is composed of an address 224 and a communication device indicator 225. If there are plural communication device labels for one address, it indicates that the addresses are shared. This information is registered when the communication address is set in the communication device in advance.

User terminal table 2 shown in FIG. 2 (c)
Reference numeral 26 is a table for managing information indicating which terminal the specific individual who is the registrant is currently at, and is composed of an individual identifier 227 and a terminal number 228. This information is created by a specific individual, who is a registrant, transmitting his / her individual identifier to the accumulating means 100 from the terminal nearest when he / she moves.

FIG. 3 shows a telephone as an embodiment of an immediate communication terminal. The multifunction telephone 230 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (c), the switch 233 is set at the lowest point where the hook 232 sinks when the handset 231 is correctly placed on the telephone body 236. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the handset 231 is picked up, the ascending hook 232 separates from the switch 233, and the sensor 234 is in use and the multifunction telephone 230 is in use at the connection port 235. To send a signal that is.

By connecting the signal line 116 (FIG. 1) to the connection port 235, the terminal 102 (FIG. 1) can detect the usage state of the multifunction telephone 230.
As already described in FIG. 1, the terminal 102 is connected to the communication network 1
The state of use of the multi-function telephone 230, which is an example of the communication terminal 115, can be transmitted to the storage device 100 through 01. Here, the use state of the telephone is detected by the operation of the switch 233 by the sinking / upward movement of the hook 232, but the use state can be detected by the operation of the on-hook button 237, which is one of the multi-function buttons, according to the same principle. Is.

Note that, here, only the use state of the instant communication terminal is transmitted to the storage device 100, but the management method and the state identifier 212 when a plurality of instant communication terminals are used by a plurality of people. The registration method is shown in FIG. This will be described later.

Next, the operation of this support system will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 1. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the telephone 243 and the telephone 244 are branched by the distributor 242, and the telephone 246 and the telephone 247 are
It is branched by the distributor 245. In order to simplify the description, here, the telephones 243, 244, and 2 are used.
The terminals connected to 46 and 247 are omitted.

For the user 240 who is the registrant of the present system, the telephone 246 and the telephone 244 are the closest call and the next closest call. For the user 241 who is the registrant of the present system, the telephone 247 and the telephone 243 are the closest call and the next closest call. In FIG. 4, the user 24
1 is using the telephone 247, the user 240
Telephone 246, which is a branch of telephone 247, cannot be used. Therefore, when the personal status information 200 (FIG. 1) of the user 240 is accessed from a certain terminal 102 (FIG. 1) to the storage device 100, the storage device 100 sends the user 2 information.
Telephones 244 and 246 corresponding to "telephones" included in the communication means 207 in the personal communication means information 206 of 40.
Of the "address information" assigned to the personal communication means information 20 by assigning an identifier to the state identifier 212 in the address 209 of the communication means 207 indicating the telephone 246.
6, when the terminal 102 displays the personal communication means information 206 of the user 240 received from the storage device 100, the terminal 102 identifies and displays the “address information” assigned to the telephone 246, indicating that it cannot be used. It is shown to the user of the terminal 102. As a result, the user of the terminal 102 can contact the user 240 as shown in FIG. 5 by using the “address information” assigned to the telephone 244 other than the telephone 246.

Further, in FIG. 4, the storage device 100 stores the personal situation information of the user 241 from a certain terminal 102 (FIG. 1).
When the user accesses to the terminal 102, since the telephone 247 of the “telephone” which is the communication means of the user 241 is being used as the personal communication means information, it is indicated to the terminal 102 that the user 241 cannot use another “telephone”. It becomes possible to display. As a result, the user of the terminal 102 uses the telephone 243.
Even if the "address information" assigned to the user can be used, it is possible to know that the telephone for the user 241 cannot be used at this time.

FIG. 6 shows an environment in which a user 356 who is a registrant of the present system can use the terminal 350, the telephone 351, the facsimile 352, and the electronic conference terminal 353, which is one embodiment of the terminal 102 in FIG. . When the user 356 having a plurality of communication means is using the telephone 351, the terminal 102 can identify the other immediate media, for example, the electronic conference terminal 353, as described in FIGS. 4 and 5. It becomes possible to display.

The processing in the storage device 100 when using this communication means will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIG. In FIG. 7, the storage device 100 (FIG. 1), upon receiving the signal indicating the individual A, reads the personal destination information 204 from the personal situation information 200 (251). Next, the end of the personal communication means information is judged (25
2) If there is subsequent personal communication means information 206 (FIG. 1), the communication means 207 and the media registration identifier 208 are read (254). If not, the result read up to that point is transmitted to the inquiry source terminal 102 (253). If there is personal communication means information 206 and there is an address of the communication means (255), the communication means address 21 forming the entity 205 of the address of FIG. 1 is set as the address 209 (FIG. 1).
0 and the priority identifier 211 are read (256). If the communication means of the currently read address is an immediate media (257), it is confirmed whether the address is currently used (258). If it is not an immediate media,
The next address is read as it is. If the address of a certain communication means address is the end (255), the process returns to the determination as to whether or not there is the next communication means (252).

Next, the flow of address use confirmation performed at 258 in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The storage device 100 obtains the communication device indicator 225 registered in the address 224 from the communication address table 223 of FIG. 2 for the address. Moreover, the terminal 228 of the individual A is obtained from the user terminal table 226 of FIG. The communication device indicator 2 connected to the terminal from the obtained terminal based on the use / non-use information 222a of the terminal management device table 220 of FIG.
For an example of how to obtain the usage state of 32, see
As described above with reference to FIG. If the address to be confirmed is not used, this process ends as it is,
If the address is in use, it is confirmed from the information obtained from the communication address table 223 of FIG. 2 whether the address and the communication device indicator have a one-to-one relationship (262). If the address and the communication device indicator have a one-to-one relationship, the user of the address is considered to be the individual A, the communicating identifier is registered in the state identifier 212 (263), and the process ends. If the address and the communication device indicator are not in a one-to-one relationship, it is assumed that the branch is made, and the registrant of the terminal to which the communication device indicator during communication is connected is obtained from the user terminal table 226 of FIG. If the identifier 227 indicates the individual A, it is determined that the terminal is being used by the individual A, and the in-communication identifier is registered in the state identifier 212 (263), and the process ends. If not, the branch destination is regarded as being used by another person, the operation identifier is registered in the state identifier 212 (265), and the process ends.

The method of registering the status identifier 212 is arbitrary. For example, in FIG. 1, unused is registered as “0”, communicating identifier is “1”, and operation identifier is “2” (note that the communicating identifier is not displayed in the example of FIG. 1). . Thus, for example, before making a call, it is possible to specify whether or not the address is used and the user when the address is used.

FIG. 11 shows the storage device 100 to the terminal 102.
It is an example of a data structure when communicating personal status information. The data includes a personal identifier 201, a personal name 202,
It includes the personal destination information 204, which is the first record. Further, after the second record, for each communication means 207,
Create a record. The contents after the second record are the communication means 207, the media registration identifier 208, the communication means address 210, the priority identifier 211, and the above-mentioned FIG.
The status identifier 212 in which the in-communication identifier indicating the usage status of the address and the operation identifier described in FIG. 8 are registered is added. In FIG. 11, an in-communication identifier 760 and an operation identifier 761 are registered as an example. If there are a plurality of communication means addresses, after that, each identifier and the like are similarly added to form one record.

Next, the memory 1 of the terminal 102 shown in FIG.
The display order structure 750 placed at 11 will be described. The display order structure 750 includes a personal structure 700, a communication structure 701, an address structure 702, and display flag structures 703 and 704.

The personal structure 700 includes a personal identifier 201.
A personal name 202, a pointer 709 indicating the personal destination information 204, and a pointer 710 indicating one of the communication structures.
Consists of The communication structure 701 includes a communication unit 207,
The media registration identifier 208, the pointer 711 to the address structure, and the pointer 7 when there is another communication structure
It consists of 12. The address structure 702 includes a communication means address 210, a priority identifier 211, and a pointer 713 when there is another address structure. The display flag structure 703 includes an identifier 714 that is a flag and a pointer 715 that indicates the communication structure 701, and one display priority structure 750 exists at the maximum. The display flag structure 704 includes an identifier 716 that is a flag and a pointer 715 that points to the address structure 702, and one display structure 704 exists at most for one communication structure 701.

In the display process, the communication structure 70 indicating the communication means that can be used when the communication means of the individual A is displayed.
1 is placed in front of the display flag structure 703, and the communication structure 701 indicating the unusable communication means is displayed flag structure 7
By placing it after 03, the display method of the communication means before the display flag appears and the display method of the communication means after it appears. As a result, whether the communication media can be used or not
It can be identified by 02. Similarly, when displaying an address, the display method of the communication means address indicated by the address structure 702 before the display flag structure 704 and the communication means address indicated by the address structure 702 after the display flag structure 704 is displayed. Change. This enables the terminal 102 to identify and display whether the communication means address can be used or not.

By sorting all the communication structures 701 existing before the display flag based on the media registration identifier 208, the intention of the registrant at the time of media registration, for example, the order of communication preference is expressed. can do. Similarly, by sorting all the address structures 702 existing before the display flag based on the priority identifier 211, the registrant's intention at the time of address registration when using a specific medium, for example, an easier-to-use address. Can express the ranking of. This sorting is for ranking display positions on the display device 113 at the time of display, and may not be performed.

As a result, before the terminal user communicates with the individual A, it is possible to obtain the communication means which can be currently connected for communication and which the individual A desires, and the communication means address.

Next, a method of creating the structure shown in FIG. 12 in the terminal 102 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In FIG. 9, the terminal 102 transmits a signal indicating the individual A (401), and then, from the storage device 100,
Data having the structure shown in FIG. 11 is received (402). The personal name 202 and the personal destination information 204 are acquired from the first record of the received data (403), and the personal structure 700
(FIG. 12) is created. Next, it is checked whether the data is the end (404), and if it is the end, a display process (408) is performed, and the process ends. If the data file is not the end, the communication means 207 is acquired from the following record (40
5) Obtain the media registration identifier 208 (406) and register the communication structure 701 in the display order structure 750. At the time of this registration, the communication structure 70 previously registered
If there is 1, sorting is performed according to the value indicated by the media registration identifier 208 until the display flag structure 703 appears (407). Note that this sorting is not essential, as described above in the embodiment of FIG.

Next, the communication means address is obtained from the same record, and the address registration processing (409) is performed. The address registration process will be described later with reference to FIG. 1
After processing the record, it is checked again whether or not the data file is the end (404), and if there is the next record, 40 is again set.
The processing from 5 onward is repeated, and if there is no next record and the end of the file is reached, display processing (408) is performed and the processing ends.

Address registration processing (410) shown in FIG.
Checks whether the current record is the end (411), and if it is the end, ends the address registration processing. If it is not the end, the address is acquired (412) and the address structure 7
02, and the status identifier 212 (operation identifier 761,
The presence / absence of the communication identifier 760) and the priority identifier 211 is confirmed. If there is the priority identifier 211, the priority identifier 211 of the address structure 702 is created. After the address structure 702 is created, the presence or absence of the operation identifier 761 is determined (413). If there is the operation identifier 761, the pointer of the communication structure 701 is moved to the back of the display flag structure 703. This indicates that the communication means 210 indicated by the communication structure 701 is being used by the individual A, and that the communication means cannot be used.

Next, if the operation identifier 761 does not exist, it is judged whether or not the in-communication identifier 760 exists (416). When there is the communicating identifier 760, the address structure 702 is added after the display flag structure 704. This is individual A
If the user is not using this address and the person A has another address with the same communication means, communication is possible, so this means that this address cannot be used, not the communication means cannot be used. This is because. Communication identifier 76
If there is no 0, it is judged whether or not there is a priority identifier 211, and if there is a priority identifier 211, that value is acquired (417). If there is a priority identifier 211, sorting is performed with another address structure 702 in the same communication structure 701 according to the value of the priority identifier 211 in the address structure 702, and the one having a smaller priority value is communicated. The pointer is changed to a position closer to the structure 701. In addition,
The target of sorting is the usable address structure 70.
It is assumed that the address structure 702 is located before the display flag structure 704 indicating 2. If there is no priority identification display 211, the address structure 702 is added immediately before the display flag structure 704. As a result, the communication means address 210 without the priority identifier 211 can be displayed at the lower position when the terminal is displayed.

Next, an embodiment of displaying personal situation information on the display device 113 of the terminal 102 will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 13, the personal communication means information 206 on the destination display board 1000 is simulated 3 as the communication means identification display.
It is a three-dimensional display. In the figure, the display of the name display column 1010 and the destination display column 1012 is the display order structure 750.
Data is acquired from the personal structure 700 of and displayed.

As the communication means display 1013, the display order structure 750 arranged in the sort order of the media registration identifiers of the communication structure 701 is used. At this time, pseudo three-dimensional display is performed according to the sort order, and the vertical direction is projected in the screen depth direction to reduce the display area and reduce the visibility, thereby making it difficult to select the communication means. Also, in the display rank structure 750, the display flag structure 703
Since the communication means at the back is not available, it is not displayed.

Pseudo three-dimensional display is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-71.
This can be performed by the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 275, affine transformation of image data, or the like. As a result, the communication means 207 in the personal communication means information 206 of the personal situation information 200 is a communication means that is currently available, and the communication means 207 according to the personal registration order can be displayed large. That is, the user of the terminal 102 uses the appropriate communication means 20 for the individual displayed in the name display field 1010.
You can know 7.

FIG. 13 has described the case where there are a plurality of communication means. However, even when there are a plurality of communication means addresses 208, the same display can be performed so that the appropriate communication means address 208 can be known. Further, in FIG. 13, the pseudo three-dimensional display is performed according to the sort order. However, when the sorting is not performed in the flow 407 of FIG. 9, depending on the order of the media registration identifier 208 and the use state of the communication means, the FIG. Alternatively, the pseudo three-dimensional display shown in FIG. 18 may be performed.

FIG. 17 is a display example of the communication means address 210 in a pseudo three-dimensional display without sorting, which shows the address display 1013 in a pop-up format. With this display method, regardless of the relative positional relationship of the display, the currently available communication means address 210,
And the communication means address 210 according to the personal registration order
Can be displayed larger. The user of the terminal 102 can know the appropriate communication means address 210 for an individual displayed in the name display field 1010.

14 and 15 show another embodiment different from that of FIG. In FIG. 14, the communication terminal 115 is connected to the communication terminal control device 130 via a signal line 117.

As shown in FIG. 15, the communication terminal control device 130 has a CPU 301, a memory controller 302 and a memory 303. In addition, the communication terminal control device 13
0 is connected to the public network 131 from an external telephone line communication control interface 304, to the signal line 117 of the communication terminal 115 from an internal telephone line communication control interface 305, and to the communication network 101 from a LAN communication control interface 306, It is possible to exchange data with devices and terminals connected to each signal line. The CPU 301, the memory controller 302, and the memory 303 detect the usage state of the communication terminal 115 by controlling the extension telephone line communication control interface 305, and the memory 303.
Save to.

The storage device 100 stores the communication terminal 11 stored in the memory 303 from the LAN communication control interface 306 of the communication terminal control device 130 via the communication network 101.
You can know the state of 5. This has the same effect as communicating the state of the communication terminal in FIG. 1 from the terminal 102 to the storage device 100. That is, in the example shown in FIG.
The storage device 100 manages the usage state of the communication terminal 115 via the terminal 102. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 14, the storage device 100 manages the usage state of the communication terminal 115 via the communication terminal control device 130. As described in FIG. 2, the terminal number 221 and the communication device indicator 22
2 is a storage device 10 as a terminal management device table 220.
It is managed on 0. Therefore, the terminal number is the terminal 10
2 and the communication device identifier is transmitted from the communication terminal controller 13
Even if it is transmitted from 0, on the storage device 100, it can be managed as the communication terminal 115 attached to the terminal 102 as in the example of FIG. Therefore, when one communication means address is determined for each communication terminal,
The same effect as the embodiment of FIG. 1 can be obtained.

FIG. 19 shows the storage device 100 from the terminal 102.
A sequence for searching the personal communication means information 206 will be described. First, the personal name 51 from the terminal 102
Enter 0. The terminal 102 transmits the personal identifier 511 corresponding to the personal name 510 to the storage device 100. The storage device 100 retrieves the personal communication means information 206 corresponding to the personal identifier 511 from the personal situation information 200 (FIG. 1) (512). Next, in the personal communication means information 206, the address use / unuse confirmation 51
Do 3. This processing flow is the same as that described in the embodiment of FIGS.

Next, the storage device 100 transmits the result of the search and the address use / non-use confirmation to the terminal 102 as the personal communication means information 514. In the terminal 102, the personal communication means information 514 is transferred to the personal situation information reception processing 5
After performing 15, the terminal 1 is displayed by the personal status information display 516.
No. 02 is displayed on the display device 113 (FIG. 1), and the search ends. The processing flow of the personal status information reception processing 515 is the same as that described in the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10. Display examples of the personal status information display 516 are shown in FIGS. 13, 16 and 1.
7 is the same as that described in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 20 illustrates a sequence for registering in the storage device 100 that the communication terminal 115 is in use. When the communication terminal 115 goes off-hook 524, an off-hook start signal 517 is transmitted to the terminal 102 (FIG. 1), and the terminal 102 immediately transmits the communication terminal use identifier of the communication terminal 115 to the storage device 100 (52).
0). The storage device 100 registers that the communication terminal 115 is being used (521). The communication terminal 115 is in the in-use state 518 until it goes from the off-hook 524 to the on-hook 525.

When the communication terminal 115 goes on-hook 525, an off-hook end signal 519 is transmitted to the terminal 102 (FIG. 1), and the terminal 102 immediately transmits the communication terminal unused identifier of the communication terminal 115 to the storage device 100 (52).
2). The storage device 100 cancels the use registration of the communication terminal 115 (523). As a result, the latest usage status of the communication terminal 115 can be registered in the storage device 100.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, what kind of communication medium the caller wants to contact, what kind of communication medium the caller desires to contact, and when. (Or you may not want to be contacted at that time). Also, when the communication media of the person you are about to contact is being used by a third party,
You can know information about alternative media and alternative addresses. As a result, comfortable telecommunication can be performed with each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a device configuration of a communication support system of the present invention and a communication system to which the communication support system is applied.

FIG. 2 shows an example of information stored in a storage device, and (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a terminal management table;
(B) is an explanatory view showing an example of a communication address table,
(C) is an explanatory view showing an example of a user terminal table 226.

FIG. 3A is a plan view showing an example of a telephone as an immediate communication terminal, and FIGS. 3B and 3C are explanatory views showing the off-hook operation and the on-hook operation.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of personal situation information registration processing when using communication means.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of address use confirmation processing in personal situation information registration processing when using communication means.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a part of an example of processing when the terminal receives personal condition information.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an address registration process in a process when the terminal receives personal condition information.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of communication data of personal situation information.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a data structure of personal situation information in a terminal.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of personal status information display.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a device configuration of another example of the communication support system of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an example of a device configuration of a communication terminal control device.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of personal status information display.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of personal status information display.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of personal situation information display.

FIG. 19 is a timing chart showing an example of elapsed time of processing when searching / displaying personal status information.

FIG. 20 is a timing chart showing an example of elapsed time of processing when the usage status of the communication terminal is registered in the storage device.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Storage device 101 ... Communication network 102, 35
0 ... Terminals 110, 120, 301 ... CPUs 111, 12
1, 303 ... Memory 112, 122 ... Communication interface 130 ... Communication terminal control device 113 ... Display device 114 ... Input device 115 ... Communication terminal 131 ... Public network 200 ... Personal situation information 201 ... Personal identifier 20
2 ... personal name 204 ... personal destination information 206 ... personal communication means information
207 ... Communication means 208 ... Media registration identifier 209 ... Address 210 ... Communication means address 211 ... Priority identifier 220 ... Terminal management device table 223 ... Communication address table 226 ... User terminal table 230 ... Multi-function telephone 243, 244, 246, 2
47, 351 ... Telephones 242, 245 ... Distributor 302 ... Memory controller 304 ... External telephone line communication control interface 305 ... Extension telephone line communication control interface 306 ... LAN communication control interface 352 ... Facsimile 353 ... Electronic conference terminal

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 13, 1995

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 11

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0013

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
When performing communication via a communication network, a communication support system is provided for supporting a person who wants to send information so that a person who wants to send can consider the situation in which an arbitrary person who may be a receiving target is placed in communication. For storing and responding to queries for stored information,
Any at least one storage device and a plurality of terminals connected to a communication network and capable of making inquiries about information stored in the storage device, the storage device being an object to be received The personal situation information storage means for storing the personal situation information, which is the information indicating the situation in which the individual is in communication, and the inquiry regarding the personal situation information about the specific individual from the above terminals are accepted and the personal status information about individuals read individual situation information storage unit, and a query response means for transmitting to the querying terminal, the personal status information, information and identifying each individual included therein, each individual With respect to the individual, the individual communication means information indicating the communication means that the individual desires as a recipient is specified in advance, And a display unit for displaying the personal condition information sent from the storage device. A communication support system is provided.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0017

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, regarding a situation in which an arbitrary individual who can be a reception target from each terminal connected to the communication network is placed for communication. An information storage device for responding to the inquiry of the personal status information storage means for storing personal status information, which is information indicating what kind of communication-related situation an arbitrary individual who may be a receiving target has, and a query about personal status information about a particular individual from each terminal receiving the personal status information for that particular individuals read individual situation information storage unit, and a query response means for transmitting to the querying terminal, The personal status information is information that identifies each individual contained in the personal status information and personal communication that indicates, for each individual, a communication means that the individual has previously designated as a recipient. Information storage device which comprises a stage information is provided.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshinori Miyamoto 1-280, Higashi Koikekubo, Kokubunji, Tokyo Inside Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Makoto Ujiie, 216 Totsuka-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Hitachi, Ltd. Information & Communication Division

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A communication support system for supporting a transmission applicant so as to be able to take into consideration the situation in which an arbitrary individual who may be a reception target is placed when performing communication through the communication network. At least one storage device connected to the storage device for accumulating information and responding to the inquiry about the stored information, and an inquiry about information stored in the storage device and connected to the communication network, respectively. And a plurality of terminals capable of performing personal communication, wherein the storage device stores personal status information that is information indicating what kind of communication situation an arbitrary individual who may be a receiving target is in communication. Means and the individual status information about the specific individual from the above terminals is accepted, and the individual status information about the specific individual is received. Inquiry response means for reading out from the storage means and transmitting to the inquiry source terminal, the personal status information includes information for identifying each individual contained in it, and for each individual, it is desired that the individual wishes to be the recipient. Personal communication means information indicating a designated communication means in advance, each of the terminals accepts input of specific personal designation information for designating a specific individual to be inquired, and transmits the specific personal designation information to the storage device. And a display unit for displaying the personal situation information sent from the storage device. 2. The personal situation information according to claim 1,
The personal status information storage means further includes usage status information indicating the current usage status of the communication means specified by each individual included in the personal communication means information, and the personal situation information storage means is designated by each individual included in the personal communication means information. A communication support system, which collects information indicating the current usage status of the communication means, and updates the usage status information. 3. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 2, further stores destination information of an individual as personal condition information, and the information for identifying each individual includes information indicating an individual name. The communication means is characterized in that the display means displays a personal name, destination information when there is a destination, and personal communication means information from personal status information about the inquired individual sent from the storage device. system. 4. The communication support system according to claim 3, wherein the display means displays usage state information together with personal communication means information. 5. The communication means according to claim 3, wherein when the personal communication means information includes a plurality of personal communication means, referring to the usage status information, the communication means that is currently in a usable state among the plurality of communication means. The communication support system, further comprising a means for distinguishing the communication means from the other communication means, wherein the display means displays the communication means when there is the communication means in a usable state. 6. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 5, wherein when any one of the individuals storing the personal condition information has two or more communication means, the individual communication means information contains the individual information. When the personal status information sent from the storage device includes an identifier indicating the order in which the communication means is registered, the terminal identifies the communication means and stores the identifier. A communication support system characterized by displaying the information. 7. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, wherein, as the personal communication means information, at least one address assigned for communication with respect to each communication terminal. The communication support system is further characterized in that the display means displays the address corresponding to the communication means to which the address is assigned. 8. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 6, further storing, as the personal communication means information, at least one address assigned for communication with respect to each communication terminal to classify the communication means. When there are a plurality of usable addresses in the divided communication means, the means for dividing further divides the address that is in a usable state and the address that is not usable, and the display means displays the usable address. A communication support system characterized by displaying the divided addresses in correspondence with the communication means to which they are assigned. 9. The communication terminal according to claim 7 or 8 is applied to a communication system in which at least one communication terminal connected to a communication network through each terminal is arranged for each terminal, and each terminal is for communication. Managing at least one address assigned to the personal status information storage means, and the personal situation information storage means stores information indicating the current usage state of the address for the communication means designated by each individual in the personal communication means information via the terminal. A communication support system characterized by collecting and updating the above-mentioned usage status information. 10. The communication network (first communication network) according to claim 7 or 8, and a second network different from the communication network.
The present invention is applied to a communication system having at least one communication terminal control device connected to the second communication network and a plurality of communication terminals connected to the second communication network via the communication terminal control device. The communication terminal control device captures the usage status of each terminal and sends it to the storage device via the first communication network. The storage device is assigned to the communication terminal from any terminal. When a transmission request for the address
When the communication terminal is a communication terminal that has received information indicating that the communication terminal is in use from the communication terminal control device, the information indicating that the address of the communication terminal is in use is transmitted to the requesting terminal. A communication support system characterized by the above. 11. An information storage device connected to a communication network, for responding to an inquiry from a terminal connected to the communication network about a situation in which an arbitrary person who can be a reception target is placed for communication. Then, personal status information storage means for storing personal status information, which is information indicating the status of communication regarding an arbitrary individual who can be a receiving target, and personal status information about a specific individual from each of the above terminals. Inquiry response means for receiving the inquiry regarding the specific individual from the individual situation information storage means and transmitting it to the inquiry source terminal, and the individual situation information identifies each individual person included in the inquiry response means. Information, and personal communication means information indicating, for each individual, the communication means that the person has previously designated as a recipient. Product unit. 12. The personal status information according to claim 11, further comprising usage status information indicating a current usage status of a communication means specified by each individual included in the individual communication means information. An information storage device, wherein the storage means collects information indicating the current usage status of the communication means specified by each individual, which is included in the individual communication means information, and updates the usage status information. 13. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 12, wherein, as the personal communication means information, at least one address assigned for communication with respect to each communication means and information indicating a use status of the address. An information storage device characterized by further storing and. 14. The communication according to claim 13, including the type of communication means connected to the communication network, the assigned address, and the information indicating the configuration of the communication device usable by the address assigned for each communication means. Further, means for accumulating the terminal configuration information is further provided, and the means for accumulating the communication terminal configuration information is information indicating what kind of communication device each terminal is connected to and information indicating the use / non-use thereof. A terminal management device table that manages information, a communication address table that manages information that indicates which communication device is connected to the address, and a user terminal table that manages information that indicates which device each individual is currently registered with. The personal condition information storage means, when receiving information indicating a specific individual from any of the terminals, the communication address. Information indicating the communication device corresponding to the address is read from the table, the terminal having the specific individual is read from the user terminal table, and the use / non-use of the communication device in the terminal is read from the terminal management device table. Check the state of use, when a communication device corresponding to the above address, which belongs to a terminal of a specific individual, is used, as the information indicating the use state of the address, register an identifier indicating that the person is communicating, When a communication device that corresponds to the above address and belongs to a terminal that is not a specific individual's terminal is used, an identifier indicating that it is in operation by another person is registered as information indicating the usage status of the address, and the address is registered to the above address. Information storage characterized by registering an identifier indicating that the corresponding communication device is unused when the corresponding communication device is not used Apparatus. 15. The personal condition information storage means according to claim 14, when any one or more communication means for accumulating the personal condition information has two or more communication means, the individual communication means information contains the individual information. An information storage device characterized in that an identifier indicating the priority registered by is added and stored. 16. The inquiry responding means according to claim 15, when one communication means of the individual has two or more address information when receiving the information indicating the specific individual from any one of the terminals. When the identifier indicating that the address is being used by another person is registered as the information indicating the usage status of the address stored in the personal status information storage means, the The address of the communication means different from the existing address is attached to the inquiry source terminal with an identifier showing a high priority, and if the above address is not used, the identifier indicating the priority given in advance is added to the inquiry source. An information storage device characterized by transmitting the information to another terminal. 17. A terminal for making an inquiry via a communication network to an information storage device for making an inquiry about a situation in which an arbitrary person who can be a receiving object is placed for communication, the inquiry object And means for receiving the input of the specific individual specifying information for specifying the specific individual and transmitting the specific individual specifying information to the storage device, and a display unit for displaying the personal situation information sent from the storage device. A terminal characterized by that. 18. The display means according to claim 17,
If there are two or more communication means for a specific individual in the personal status information about the specific individual sent from the storage means, and if an identifier indicating a priority is given to them, the communication means is A terminal characterized by being identified and displayed. 19. The display means according to claim 18,
The identification of the communication means is displayed in a pseudo three-dimensional display,
A terminal that is displayed in an inverted manner in the depth direction as the priority is lower. 20. A communication system comprising at least one storage device, a plurality of terminals connected to the storage device via a communication network, and at least one communication terminal connected to the terminal via a signal line. In the communication support method according to, each terminal acquires a signal indicating that the communication terminal is in use via a signal line when any of the communication terminals connected to the terminal is in use, and the storage device Receives information from each terminal via the above communication network, indicating that the specific communication terminal connected to the terminal is in use, stores the information, and connects from one terminal to another. Information indicating that the communication terminal address is being used, and whether or not the address of the communication terminal that is the target of the received transmission request is in use is stored. Search for Base, when the address of the communication terminal is in use, a communication support method and transmits the information indicating that it is used in the address transmission requesting terminal.