JPH10190879A - Communication terminal equipment, server equipment and incoming call notice system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a system to inform a content of a specific destination to the user, when a communication request is made from the specific destination. SOLUTION: A communication terminal equipment 20, having a telephone function or the like and provided to general households or the like registers in advance telephone numbers of specific destinations (center to which a mail box is installed or the like) to its telephone number memory 24. When a phone call is placed to the communication terminal equipment 20 via a public line network 1, data of a caller telephone number sent at first are compared with a telephone number stored in the telephone number memory 24 in order to discriminate whether or not they match. When they do not match, the call is connected to a telephone section 23, in which general telephone connection is made. When they match, the arrival of an electronic mail to the user of the communication terminal equipment 20 is displayed by a display section 25, based on that the phone call comes from a host where a mail box is installed. Actual line connection (the user hooks off the handset or the like) is not allowed. A control section 21 controls the processing as above.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an incoming call notification system for notifying an incoming call from a specific destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a corporate system having a LAN environment, a server that manages a LAN is in charge of sending and receiving e-mail via the Internet, and a personal computer or other terminal periodically (for example, 30). Every minute)
Then, a process is performed to check whether an e-mail addressed to the user has arrived at the server. Then, when the mail has arrived, a message to the effect that "the mail has arrived" is displayed on a screen of a personal computer or the like to notify the user.

[0003] The reason that a personal terminal can periodically check with the server is that no telephone charge is charged because no telephone line is used. On the other hand, personal computers have recently become widespread in ordinary households, and electronic mail has been used. In this case, the user installs a mailbox for an individual on, for example, a server of a connection company that connects the Internet to a public line network. Then, the terminal such as the personal computer checks whether an e-mail addressed to the server has arrived at the server via the public line network (in the case of dial-up IP connection).

[0004]

As described above, when using e-mail at home (in the case of a dial-up IP connection), an e-mail addressed to one's own must be called by himself / herself. I do not know if is incoming. For this reason, it takes time to perform the confirmation work one by one, and there is a case where no e-mail has been received, which is a waste of time. Furthermore, in order to use the public line,
Repeated verification is not economical due to high telephone charges.

[0005] As described above, when e-mail is used in ordinary households, the confirmation work cannot be performed frequently in consideration of the above-mentioned problem of the troublesome work of confirmation and the fee required for the confirmation work. There has been a problem that the convenience of e-mail has been impaired, such as a slow response at the time of exchange.

[0006] In recent years, even in a general communication network, an environment in which the receiving side can know the identity (telephone number or the like) of the transmitting side is being prepared. For example, in a digital network such as ISDN, a control signal can be detected to know a communication partner. Alternatively, the communication partner is PHS
When communication is performed from a wireless communication terminal such as the one described above, the other party can be known using the subaddress function of the PHS.

[0007] Furthermore, in Japan, as a service in a general public network, a "calling telephone number display service" is about to start. This service allows the caller's phone number to be answered (not picked up) by the called party,
This is to notify the communication device of the called party. This service also has a function of blocking the telephone number when the caller dials a predetermined number (“184”) before the destination telephone number (call blocking).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a function of knowing a destination in advance before communication, and notifying the content of a communication request from a specific destination, without performing communication one by one. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal, a server device, and an electronic mail arrival notification system.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A communication terminal according to the present invention is provided with a registration unit for registering a telephone number of a specific destination, a telephone number of a communication destination transmitted at the time of a communication request, and the registration unit. Comparing with a telephone number that is present, and determining whether there is a match. If the comparison and determination unit determines that a communication request is made from the specific destination, actual communication is performed. And a notifying means for notifying that there is a communication request from the specific destination without performing the above.

In the above communication terminal, when a communication request is made from a specific destination registered in advance (when a call is received), actual communication is not performed (the telephone bell does not ring). 2), only that there is a communication request from the specific destination.

[0011] This allows the user or the like to know the requirement without having to perform the actual communication when the requirement is known in advance for each specific destination. Further, for example, when the specific destination is a center device that stores and manages e-mails addressed to each user, the communication means is notified by the notifying means that a communication request has been received from the center device. The user of the terminal or the like can know that the e-mail has arrived at the terminal. This eliminates the need for the user or the like to check each time whether the e-mail has arrived at the center device, and further eliminates the telephone call charge for this check.

[0012] The server device of the present invention refers to a registration means for registering a telephone number of a communication partner and, when a specific event occurs, a telephone number of a partner associated with the specific event with reference to the registration means. And communication control means for issuing a communication request to the other party based on the telephone number of the other party detected by the detecting means.

[0013] In the above-mentioned server device, in particular, a service provider or the like relating to the server device sends a message to a large number of communication partners (where the communication terminal is provided) at an unspecified date and time (when a specific event occurs). ), When the same communication is made (e-mail has arrived, ordered book has arrived, etc.), a communication request is sent to this other party using the telephone number of the other party registered in advance. , It is not necessary to perform actual communication. This eliminates the need to manually contact each other, and is economical with no telephone call charges.

The electronic mail arrival notification system of the present invention has the following means in each of the communication terminal and the center device. At each communication terminal connected to the general public line network, the center device that stores and manages e-mails performs an incoming notification service subscription application procedure through the general public line network, and the center device side performs the general Registration processing means for registering, in a telephone number memory, the telephone number of the center device returned via the public line network; telephone number of the communication partner transmitted via the general public line network at the time of a communication request; A comparison determination unit that compares the telephone numbers registered in the, and determines whether or not they match.If the comparison and detection unit determines that they match, actual communication is not performed. Notification means for notifying that the electronic mail has arrived at the center device via the general public line network.

[0015] In the center device, which is also connected to the general public telephone network, the telephone number of the communication terminal and the electronic number of the communication terminal via the device are set in accordance with the subscription application procedure by the registration processing means of the communication terminal. User registration processing means for registering the user name of a user who sends and receives mail and replying the telephone number of the apparatus to the communication terminal, and registration by the user registration processing means when an e-mail addressed to the user arrives. Communication control means for issuing a communication request to the user's communication terminal via the general public line network according to the telephone number of the user.

In the above-described incoming call notification system, the user performs a subscription application procedure for the incoming call notification service by the registration processing means, and thereafter, when an electronic mail addressed to this user reaches the center device, the communication control of the center device is performed. When the communication request is issued by the means, the notifying means of the communication terminal notifies that the e-mail has reached the user.

This eliminates the need for the user to check whether or not the e-mail has arrived.
Furthermore, there is no telephone call charge, which is economically effective.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which an "outgoing telephone number display service" of a public line network is used, but the incoming call notification system of the present invention is not limited to this, and uses, for example, an ISDN control signal. Or a device using the sub-address function of the PHS.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fact that e-mail addressed to each user has arrived from a server of a connection company that connects a public line network to a line network such as the Internet can be determined without performing actual communication. I will explain an example to inform each user,
The present invention is not limited to this. Details of this will be described at the end of the description of the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, a server (center) 10 is a host of a connection company (such as an Internet provider) that connects the public line network 1 and the line network 2 (such as the Internet).

The communication terminal 20 has, in addition to the functions of a general telephone, at least a function of judging that a call has been received from a specific destination according to the present embodiment and notifying it. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the communication terminal 20 is installed in a general home and is connected to the public line network 1 by one line (subscriber line).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 10. In the figure, the data communication control unit 11
Is a communication device that transmits and receives data via the network 2 such as the Internet, and transmits and receives packets called IP datagrams, which are basic communication units on the Internet, for example.

The data communication control unit 12 is a communication device for transmitting and receiving data to and from the communication terminal 20 via the public line network 1, for example, and comprises a modem or the like. The data communication control unit 12 is provided with a plurality of lines with respect to the public line network 1, for example, as shown in FIG.
Three lines “A2” and “A3” are provided.

The control unit 13 is a central processing unit for controlling the entire server 10. The control unit 13 controls the data communication control unit 11 and the data communication control unit 12 to control the public network 1 and the network 2 (such as the Internet). To implement a data interface function (gateway function) between the two. For example, when data transmitted from the communication terminal 20 via the public line network 1 is received by the data communication control unit 12, the data is transmitted from the data communication control unit 11 in the form of a packet called the IP datagram (from the Internet). And so on).

The control unit 13 also performs control for storing, for example, an electronic mail arriving via the data communication control unit 11 in a corresponding mailbox in a mail storage unit 14 described later.

The control unit 13 controls the incoming mail notification system according to the present embodiment. When an electronic mail arrives, the control unit 13 refers to the incoming call notification correspondence table 15 and checks the destination electronic mail registered in the table 15. It is determined whether or not the mail has arrived, and if so, control is also performed to notify the destination of an incoming call. Details of this will be described later.

The control unit 13 may be considered to include a storage device 13-1. That is, the control unit 13 has, for example, a CPU and a storage device 13-1, and the storage device 13-1 is, for example, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, an HDD (hard disk drive) storage device, or the like. The storage device 13-1 stores an OS (Operating System) used for various controls by the CPU and an application program that implements at least the functions of the server 10 of the incoming call notification system of the present embodiment.

The storage device 13-1 includes a device using a portable storage medium. The portable storage medium is a portable storage medium independent of the server 10. Portable storage media are, for example, FD (floppy disk), MO
(Magneto-optical disk), CD-ROM, memory card, D
A VD (Digital Video Disk) or the like, which magnetically, optically, or electrically stores the application program.

The application program may be downloaded from an external information processing device or the like via the network by the data communication control units 11 and 12, for example. In this case, the downloaded application program may be stored and used in storage means such as the storage device 13-1 (portable storage medium). Alternatively, it uses the program code of the application program stored therein from the information processing device or the like at the connection destination via the data communication control units 11 and 12 while receiving the program code online as necessary. There may be.

The mail storage unit 14 has a mailbox (14-1 to 14-n; n is an arbitrary integer) for each destination of the electronic mail, and stores the data of the electronic mail coming to each destination. Is stored in the mailbox corresponding to. That is, the control unit 13 detects the destination of the e-mail received via the data communication control unit 11 or the like, and stores the data of the received e-mail in a mailbox corresponding to the destination.

The incoming call notification correspondence table 15 registers the user name of the user who has subscribed to the incoming call notification service, the telephone number of each user, and one of a plurality of lines connected to the public line network 1 by the server 10. It is a table to be performed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the incoming call notification correspondence table. The incoming call notification correspondence table 30 shown in FIG.
Each record (34, 35, 36, 37,...) Is composed of fields of “user name” 31, “user telephone number” 32, and “center telephone number” 33.

The "user name" 31 field stores the user name of each user in the e-mail address. Here, when sending an electronic mail via the Internet, the address of the destination is specified in the format of “user name ＠ domain name”.

In the field of "user telephone number" 32, the telephone number of each user in the public line network 1 is stored. In the field of “center telephone number” 33, the server 10 is registered with each user's communication terminal 20 (details will be described later) among the telephone numbers of a plurality of lines connected to the public line network 1. The phone number is stored.

In the present embodiment, as an example of a general home in which the communication terminal 20 is installed, at least two or more people each have a mailbox in the server 10 and send an e-mail by a plurality of family members. A description will be given using an example of an environment in which data is transmitted and received.

In FIG. 3, the "user name" 31 shown in the records 34 and 35 is "itanaka" (Ichiro Tanaka), htanak
a (Hanako Tanaka) is, for example, a couple. In this case, usually, since only one analog line of the public telephone network 1 is provided in a general home, the same telephone number is registered in the field of "user telephone number" 32 of the records 34 and 35. Become.

The "center telephone number" 33 is mainly composed of the same "user telephone number" 32
This corresponds to the case where is used. Therefore,
If the “user telephone number” 32 is different, for example, record 3
4 and the same "center telephone number" 33 as record 36
(In this case, A1) may be assigned redundantly.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication terminal 20. In FIG. 1, a control unit 21 is a central processing unit that controls the entire communication terminal 20. Control unit 21
Has a CPU and a storage unit 21-1, for example.
1 executes the program stored in the communication terminal 2 of the incoming call notification system of the present embodiment.
The function on the 0 side is realized.

The storage unit 21-1 is, like the storage device 13-1 of the server 10, a storage medium or the like if a program for realizing the function of the incoming call notification system of the present embodiment is stored. Is not particularly limited.

The communication control unit 22 is connected to the public line network 1 to receive a telephone call by a normal telephone function and data of a destination telephone number by the above-mentioned "calling telephone number display service".

The telephone unit 23 corresponds to a normal telephone, and makes a telephone call via the communication control unit 22 during a normal telephone call. The telephone number memory 24 is a memory for registering the telephone number of the other party who only needs to be notified of the incoming call in the incoming call notification system of the present embodiment.

The display unit 25 is, for example, a liquid crystal display unit.
The display of the destination telephone number transmitted by the "calling telephone number display service", the display indicating that there is a call from a specific destination registered in the telephone number memory 24, and the like are performed.

When a call is made to the communication terminal 20, first, data of the telephone number of the called party by the “calling telephone number display service” is sent to the communication terminal 20. The control unit 21 compares the destination telephone number with the registered telephone number stored in the telephone number memory 24 to determine whether there is a match. Then, when there is a match, the display unit 25 is caused to perform a display indicating that there is a call from a specific destination (for example, a host). Then, a response for causing the other party to stop the call is returned via the public network 1 using the communication control unit 22.

As described above, even if the telephone is not actually connected, the user can recognize that the e-mail addressed to the user has arrived. FIG. 5 shows the telephone number memory 2
4 is an example of a registered telephone number table 40 stored in the table 4.

In the figure, the registered telephone number table 40
Consists of a record of a “registered telephone number” 41 field and a “user name” 42 field. In the present embodiment, the notification of incoming e-mail is described as an example. Therefore, the description will be made assuming that (center telephone number) is stored in the field of “registered telephone number” 41. The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to any situation where it is only necessary to know that there is a call from a previously registered destination. Details of this will be described later.

In the registered telephone number table 40 shown in FIG. 5, the field of "registered telephone number" 41 stores the center telephone number assigned to each user as shown in the incoming call notification correspondence table 30 of FIG. Have been.

Here, for example, when an e-mail arrives at “Ichiro Tanaka” (user name: itanaka) on the server 10 side, the control unit 13 stores the e-mail in a corresponding mailbox and receives the e-mail. Referring to the notification correspondence table 30, the corresponding record is searched using the user name; itanaka as a key. In this case, since the record 34 is the target, the control unit 13
Is controlled to dial up to the telephone number stored in the field of "user telephone number" 32. At this time, dial-up is performed using the line of the telephone number of "A1" from the data stored in the field of "center telephone number" 33. As a result, the "calling telephone number display service" notifies the communication terminal 20 of the telephone number of "A1".

On the communication terminal 20 side, the telephone number data stored in the field of “registered telephone number” 41 is referred to as “A1” with reference to the registered telephone number table 40.
It is determined whether there is a record that matches the telephone number. In this case, since the record 43 corresponds, "Tanaka
Some kind of display notifying that the electronic mail has arrived at "Ichiro" is performed. For example, a not-shown LED or the like is turned on or blinking to notify that there is a notification from a specific destination and to alert the user, and further display the user name and the telephone number of the destination on the display unit 25. And informs the user where and to whom the call was made.

Thus, for example, it is found that the electronic mail has arrived at "Ichiro Tanaka". FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for subscribing to the incoming call notification service provided on the server 10 side according to the present embodiment. This procedure is performed via the public line network 1.

In the figure, first, the communication terminal 2 on the user side
From 0, a call is made to the center (server 10). That is, dial-up is performed to the telephone number of the center (server 10) (step S1), and the server 10 receives the dial-up and connects the line (step S2).
On the 0 side, a subscription application for an incoming call notification service is made to the server 10 via the public line network 1 (step S3). This process
For example, a program for subscribing to the incoming call notification service is stored in advance in the storage unit 21-1 or the like of the communication terminal 20, and the user performs a predetermined key operation (not shown, for example, a corresponding function key). When the function key and a push button (10 key) for dialing are used, the above program is executed by the control unit 21 and the indication of the intention to join is sent to the server 10 side. It has become. At this time, for example, the user name and the user telephone number may be notified.

Upon receiving the notification of the subscription application for the incoming call notification service, the server 10 selects a telephone number for the incoming call notification service (step S4). That is, “center telephone number” 3 in the incoming call notification correspondence table 30 of FIG.
3 is assigned.

Then, the selected telephone number is transmitted to the communication terminal 20 (step S5). The communication terminal 20 stores the transmitted telephone number in the telephone number memory 2 of FIG.
4 (step S6). Then, a notification that the reception has been completed is returned (step S7).

Upon receiving this notification, the server 10
The selected telephone number is stored in the incoming call notification correspondence table 15 in association with the name of the user who applied for the incoming call notification service subscription and the user telephone number (step S8). Then, it goes on-hook (step S9) and releases the line with the communication terminal 20 (step S10).

As described above, the user performs the procedure for subscribing to the incoming call notification service and registering the telephone number of the called party only by a simple operation of performing a predetermined key operation. It's easy. In addition, when the telephone number of the server 10 is changed, the registered telephone number in the telephone number memory 24 is updated by transmitting the changed telephone number data from the server 10 (not shown). Processing may be performed. In such a case, the user of the communication terminal 20 does not need to perform any operation.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the incoming mail notification service according to the first example of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, when a server 10 receives an e-mail via a network 2 such as the Internet, the server 10 stores the received e-mail in a mailbox (in the mail storage unit 14 in FIG. 2) of a user of the destination of the e-mail. It is stored (step S11).

Next, referring to the incoming call notification correspondence table 15 in FIG. 2, it is checked whether or not the user has subscribed to the incoming call notification service. The user dials up to the communication terminal 20 of the user from the telephone number stored in the field of the telephone number "32 (FIG. 3) (step S12).

In the present embodiment, since the "calling telephone number display service" is implemented in the public line network 1,
The exchange of the public line network 1 transmits the calling telephone number before transmitting the calling signal to the communication terminal 20 (step S13).

When the communication terminal 20 receives the outgoing telephone number (step S14), the control unit 21 transmits the outgoing telephone number and the registered telephone number stored in the telephone number memory 24 ("registered telephone number" in FIG. 5). 41)
It is determined whether there is a registered telephone number that matches the calling telephone number (step S15).

If there is no match (step S
15, NO), assuming a normal phone call
Perform normal processing. That is, the calling telephone number is displayed (step S16), and a signal indicating that the receiving of the calling telephone number has been received is returned to the exchange (step S17). Is sounded (step S18).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that there is a registered telephone number that matches the outgoing telephone number (step S15, YES), L is determined as described above.
The ED or the like is turned on or blinked to notify the user that a call has been made from a specific destination registered in advance. In the present embodiment, since the notification of the arrival of the e-mail from the center (server 10) is described as an example, the LED
By turning on or blinking, etc., it is notified that the e-mail addressed to the user has reached the center (server 10) (step S19).

Subsequently, a reception completion signal of the calling telephone number is returned to the exchange (step S20), whereby a call signal is sent from the exchange (step S22). In this case, even if the call signal is received, the bell of the telephone is returned. Does not sound (step S21).

On the other hand, the call signal is also sent to the server 10 (step S22). When the server 10 receives the call signal, the server 10 opens the line with the communication terminal 20 by on-hook or the like (step S23).

Thus, the user knows that the e-mail addressed to the user has arrived, accesses the server 10 by operating his / her personal computer, etc., and
The mailbox 14-i (i =
1, 2,...) Are downloaded via the public network 1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of the electronic mail arrival notification service according to the second example of the present embodiment. By the way, since the user is not necessarily at home when the incoming call notification is made on the communication terminal 20 side, in the processing of the first embodiment, the user is
If a plurality of electronic mails arrive before confirming the lighting of the ED or the like, a plurality of incoming call notifications will be made. Therefore, the server 10 performs the incoming notification service processing to the corresponding communication terminal 20 every time an e-mail arrives, and if the e-mail arrives frequently, the processing capacity of the server is reduced.

In this case, it is possible to know how many e-mails are received by counting up by one every time an incoming call notification is made, for example, by providing a counter in the communication terminal 20 and displaying the count number. There is convenience such as being able to do.

However, it is basically sufficient to know that the e-mail has arrived, so that the process of notifying the incoming call many times is useless. In the second embodiment, an incoming call notification is made only when the first electronic mail arrives for each user.

In FIG. 8, when the server 10 receives an e-mail via the network 2 such as the Internet (step S31), the server 14-i (mail storage unit in FIG. 2) of the user of the destination of the e-mail 14)
The received e-mail is stored (step S32).

Next, by referring to the incoming call notification correspondence table 15 in FIG. 2, it is checked whether or not the user has subscribed to the incoming call notification service. It is determined whether or not this is the first e-mail to the user (step S33). In this case, the "first" means that the user has received the e-mail most recently from the mailbox 14-i and then received the e-mail first.

When the server 10 determines that the e-mail received in step S31 is the first e-mail addressed to the user who has subscribed to the incoming call notification service (step S33, YES), the incoming call notification correspondence table 15 "User telephone number" 32 from the record of the corresponding user name in
Of the user (step S3) by reading out the telephone number stored in the field (FIG. 3) and dialing up the communication terminal 20 of the user.
4).

After that, even if the server 10 receives the second and subsequent e-mails to this user, the server 10 only performs the process of storing the e-mail in a normal mailbox (step S32), and performs the incoming call notification. No (step S33, N
O).

Although FIG. 8 omits the processing of the exchange of the public line network 1, it is assumed that the same processing as in FIG. 7 is performed. The communication terminal 20 turns on an LED or the like to notify that the mail has arrived by the same processing as in steps S14 to S19 in FIG. 7 (step S35).

Thereafter, the user sees that the LED or the like is turned on, and operates the personal computer to dial the server 10 in order to receive the e-mail reaching the server 10 ( Step S
36).

The server 10 receives an access for receiving an electronic mail from the communication terminal 20 (step S3).
7, YES), mailbox 14-i for this user
All the e-mails stored in the communication terminal 20 are transmitted to the accessed communication terminal 20 (step S38).

When all the electronic mails are received, the communication terminal 20 sends a reply to the effect that the reception has been completed to the server 10 (step S39), and turns off the LED and the like (step S40).

When the server 10 receives the above-mentioned “reception completed” notification, the mailbox 14 of the user is received.
-Delete all e-mails in i (step S4)
1). In the processing of steps S38 and S39, all e-mails in the mailbox 14-i are transmitted and received. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the user can selectively transmit e-mails in the mailbox. It may be taken out.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. In the above description, the communication terminal 20 is basically a telephone corresponding to the “calling telephone number display service” and has a function of realizing the processing of the incoming call notification service. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a personal computer or the like may be included (personal computer / telephone integrated type).

The LED notifying that the mail has arrived may not be newly provided, and may be used, for example, as an answering lamp of an existing answering machine. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment is based on the technical idea of the present invention, namely, “a system in which the receiving side can know who is the sender of communication (caller's telephone number, destination address, ID, etc.)”. And to provide various conveniences on the receiving side (and also on the transmitting side by using this) ".

As described above, the incoming call notification system of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, without actually calling or sending / receiving data (take the handset,
If the user on the receiving side can easily determine the requirements if only the call from a specific destination is known (even if the line is not connected), the incoming call notification system of the present invention can be applied. it can.

For example, if you order a book from a bookstore or the like,
A service is generally implemented in which a bookstore sends a message such as "Your order book has arrived" when the book you ordered arrives. Such services are implemented by various companies such as a bookstore, a laundry shop, a home appliance repair shop, and the like.

As described above, when it is known that there is a contact from a specific destination at a later unspecified date and time, and the content of the contact is substantially determined for each specific destination, the incoming call of the present invention is received. Notification system is applicable.

For example, after ordering or requesting a specific destination directly or by telephone or the like, the user manually inputs the destination telephone number to the telephone number memory 24 in the communication terminal 20. Register a phone number. For example, a switch for activating a function for registering a telephone number for incoming call notification is arranged in the communication terminal 20, and the user presses this switch during registration to register a general speed dial. When the destination telephone number is input, this telephone number is stored in the field of the registered telephone number 41 of the registered telephone number table 40 in the telephone number memory 24.

Then, at a later date, when a call is made from a specific destination to which this telephone number is registered, the control unit 21
Determines the above, turns on the LED, and causes the display unit 25 to display a display indicating the destination. In this display, the telephone number stored in the field of the registered telephone number 41 of the registered telephone number table 40 may be displayed, but the registered telephone number table 40 is further provided with a field of “destination name”. Alternatively, the destination name may be registered together with the destination telephone number, and the destination name may be displayed.

In the above case, it is not necessary to provide a device corresponding to the center (server 10) of the above-described embodiment at the partner, but of course, it may be provided. In this case, for example, in a large bookstore or the like, a computer that manages the stock and order status of books is connected to a network (such as the public line network 1) and is involved in an incoming call notification service of the center (server 10). What is necessary is just to perform substantially the same processing as the processing. That is, in such a management computer, usually, when a book is ordered, the title, order number, order date and time, telephone number of the orderer, and the like are registered, and when the ordered book arrives, the fact is input. Therefore, the management computer may have a function of automatically dialing up to the telephone number of the orderer at this point.

Thus, the bookstore employee can save the trouble of informing the orderer of the book one by one by telephone. Also, the orderer knows that the book has arrived without receiving a call each time. Furthermore, since the telephone is not actually connected (the receiver does not pick up the handset), the telephone call charge is not charged, which is economically effective.

When the other party whose telephone number is registered wants to make an actual call, the above-mentioned "call blocking function" may be used.

[0086]

As described above in detail, according to the incoming call notification system of the present invention, particularly when it is known that there is a call from a specific destination at an unspecified date and time in a general household, etc. By registering the telephone number and the like of this specific destination, when a communication is made from the specific destination that has been registered, even if the line connection (such as a telephone call) is not actually performed with the destination, You can understand the requirements. This makes it possible to provide an advantageous service to both the transmitting side and the receiving side in terms of economy and convenience.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network environment according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a server in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an incoming call notification correspondence table in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the communication terminal in FIG.

5 is a diagram showing an example of a registered telephone number table stored in the telephone number memory of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for subscribing to an incoming call notification service.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing of an electronic mail incoming notification service according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing of an electronic mail incoming notification service according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Public line network 2 (Internet etc.) network 10 (Center) server 11 Data communication control unit 12 Data communication control unit 13 Control unit 13-1 Storage device 14 Mail storage unit 14-1 to 14-n (For each user ) Mailbox 15 Incoming call notification correspondence table 20 Communication terminal 21 Control unit 21-1 Storage unit 22 Communication control unit 23 Telephone unit 24 Phone number memory 25 Display unit 30 Incoming call notification correspondence table 31 User name (field name) 32 User telephone number (Field name) 33 Center telephone number (Field name) 34-37 Each record 40 Registered telephone number table 41 Registered telephone number (Field name) 42 User name (Field name) 43, 44 Each record

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A registration unit for registering a telephone number of a specific destination, and a telephone number of a communication partner transmitted at the time of a communication request is compared with a telephone number registered in the registration unit to match. Comparing and judging whether or not the communication request is made from the specific other party by the comparing and judging means. And a notifying means for notifying that a communication request has been made from a communication terminal. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific destination is a center device that stores and manages e-mail addressed to each user, and the notifying unit is configured to address the user of the communication terminal in response to a communication request from the center device. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal is notified that the electronic mail has arrived. 3. Registering means for registering a telephone number of a communication partner, and detecting means for detecting, when a specific event occurs, a telephone number of a partner associated with the specific event by referring to the registering means. And a communication control means for issuing a communication request to the other party based on the telephone number of the other party detected by the detecting means. 4. The specific event is an event in which an electronic mail arrives at a user registered in a mailbox, and the detecting means detects a telephone number of a user to which the electronic mail is addressed. 4. The server device according to claim 3, wherein: 5. In each communication terminal connected to the general public line network, the center device for storing and managing e-mails performs a subscription application procedure for an incoming call notification service via the general public line network, and Registration processing means for registering, in the telephone number memory, the telephone number of the center device returned from the device side via the general public network, and a telephone of a communication partner transmitted via the general public network at the time of a communication request Comparing the telephone number registered with the telephone number registered in the registering means to determine whether or not they match each other. If the comparison detecting means determines that they match, the actual communication is performed. Notifying the center device that the e-mail has arrived via the general public line network to the center device, and is also connected to the general public line network. In the center device, in accordance with the subscription application procedure by the registration processing means of the communication terminal, register the telephone number of the communication terminal and the user name of a user who sends and receives e-mails via the device at the communication terminal, A user registration processing means for returning the telephone number of the apparatus to the communication terminal;
A communication control means for issuing a communication request to the communication terminal of the user via the general public line network. 6. The incoming call notification system according to claim 5, wherein the communication control means in the center device issues a reply request only when the first electronic mail arrives for each user. 7. A telephone number of a center device for storing and managing e-mails is registered, and upon receiving a communication request, the telephone number of the communication request destination transmitted is compared with the registered telephone number. Then, it is determined whether or not they match, and if it is determined that they match, it is assumed that a communication request has been made from the center device, and actual communication is not performed, and the user is addressed to the receiving side user. An incoming call notification method characterized by notifying that an e-mail has arrived. 8. When used in a computer having a communication function, a function of registering a telephone number of a specific destination, a telephone number of a communication destination transmitted at the time of a communication request, and the registered telephone number And a function to determine whether or not they match, and, if it is determined that they match, assuming that a communication request has been made from the specific destination, without performing actual communication. A function of notifying a specific task to the specific destination based on a communication request from the specific destination, and a program code for causing the computer to perform Storage media.