JPH11341157A - Internet telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an Internet telephone system which can reduce the handling time of telephone operation by a user by enabling talk by performing connection processing with a gateway device of the other party after a telephone number of the other party is obtained from a user information data-base when the telephone number is an abbreviated one. SOLUTION: A user connects himself to a gateway device 1 by way of a public line network 6 from a telephone set 8. In the gate way device 1, a control center 3 is inquired of a received authentication number. At the control center 3, the authentication number is retrieved from a user information data base 4 and, when the authentication number is correct, transmission of a sound guidance is performed. When a number inputted by the user is an abbreviated one, the control center 3 retrieves the abbreviated number informed by the user information data base 4, the telephone number of a telephone set 9 of the other party and information of a gateway device 2 of the other party are returned to the gateway device 1 to which the user is connected to and connection processing is performed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an Internet telephone system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an Internet telephone system using the Internet has been developed.

Here, a conventional Internet telephone system will be described. The Internet telephone system includes a plurality of gateway devices connected to the Internet network, and a control center that controls each gateway. Thus, when the user uses the telephone to call the nearest gateway device via the public line network and inputs the authentication number and the telephone number of the other party, the control center transmits the information of the nearest gateway apparatus of the other party to the telephone. Is notified to the gateway device on the side of the application. Then, a call is transmitted from the other party's gateway device to the other party's telephone via the public line network, and a voice call can be made between the two telephones via the Internet network.

At this time, in the control center,
The authentication number, use time upper limit, use amount upper limit, and the like of each user are stored in the user information database, and each user is controlled using this.

[0005] The user information database is
It is managed by a company that provides Internet telephone services.

[0006]

In such a conventional technique, when a user uses an Internet telephone system, a user calls a nearest gateway device,
It is necessary to input the telephone number of the other party, and it takes more time and effort to operate the telephone than a normal telephone.

[0007] Further, since the user information database can be set only through a company that provides the Internet telephone service, it is impossible for the user to directly set the user information database. In this case, the convenience of the user using the Internet telephone system is impaired.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an Internet telephone system which can reduce the trouble of telephone operation by a user.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an Internet telephone system in which a user can directly set a user information database.

[0010]

In order to solve this problem, an Internet telephone system according to the present invention has a user information database in which predetermined user information is stored,
An Internet telephone system for transmitting and receiving voice data from a gateway device using the Internet network. The Internet telephone system receives an appropriate authentication number that has been input, guides a user to input a destination telephone number / user setting, and provides the user with guidance. It is determined whether the number entered according to the guidance is a user-set number, and if the number is a user-set number, the user information database is subjected to the user setting process, and then the guidance is performed again to the user. If the number is not a user-set number, it is determined whether the number is a telephone number or a shortened number of this telephone number. If the number is a telephone number, connection with the destination gateway device is made. Performs processing to enable communication with the other party, and if the number is a shortened number of the telephone number, the telephone number of the other party is It is obtained so as to enable conversation with the other party by performing the connection processing to the destination gateway device after.

[0011] With this, it is possible to talk with the other party only by inputting the abbreviated number, so that the trouble of telephone operation by the user can be reduced.

In the Internet telephone system according to the present invention, the user setting process is at least one of a setting process of an abbreviated number, a setting process of a use amount upper limit value, and a setting process of a use time upper limit value. The setting process is performed by the user in accordance with the guidance according to the content of.

Thus, the user information database can be directly set by the user, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is as follows.
An internet telephone system having a user information database in which predetermined user information is stored, and transmitting and receiving voice data from a gateway device using the Internet network. The user is provided with a number input / user setting guide, and it is determined whether or not the number input according to the guide is a user setting number. If the number is a user setting number, the user information database After the user setting process is performed, the guidance is provided to the user again. If the number is not the number set by the user, it is determined whether the number is a telephone number or a shortened number of this telephone number, and the number is determined. In the case of a telephone number, connection processing with the partner's gateway device is performed to enable communication with the partner, and that number is a shortened number of the telephone number. Is an Internet telephone system characterized in that after obtaining the telephone number of the other party from the user information database, connection processing with the gateway apparatus of the other party is performed so that it is possible to talk with the other party. You can talk to the other party just by entering
There is an effect that it is possible to reduce the trouble of telephone operation by the user.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention provides:
In the invention according to claim 1, the user setting process is at least one of a setting process of an abbreviated number, a setting process of a usage amount upper limit value, and a setting process of a usage time upper limit value. This is an Internet telephone system characterized in that a setting process is performed by a user according to guidance, and has an effect that a user information database can be directly set by the user, and user convenience can be improved.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In these drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an Internet telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a gateway device in the Internet telephone system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a gateway of the Internet telephone system of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for starting a telephone call using an abbreviated number in the apparatus. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing user information in the gateway apparatus of the Internet telephone system of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the Internet telephone system according to the present embodiment, the nearest gateway device 1 to which the user uses is connected, the gateway device 2 on the other side of the user to use, each of the gateway devices 1,
A control center 3 for controlling the user 2 and managing users;
A user information database 4 which is attached to the control center 3 and stores user information, an Internet network 5 to which the gateway devices 1 and 2 are connected, and is provided between the user's telephone 8 and the gateway device 1 to be used. A public line network 6 of the user to be used and a public line network 7 of the other party provided between the telephone 9 of the other party and the gateway device 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the gateway devices 1 and 2 for transmitting voice data include a CPU 11, which is a central processing unit, a ROM 12 in which a program for controlling the system is stored, and a voice data and control data. An NCU (Network Control Uni) which is an interface with the RAM 13 and the public line networks 6 and 7 for storing.
t) a unit 14, which converts analog data into digital data or converts digital data into analog data;
DA section 15, voice compression / expansion section 16 for compressing / decompressing voice data, user input determination section 17 for determining whether the number dialed by the user is a normal telephone number or a shortened number of the telephone number, Internet network 5 comprises a network I / F section 18 which is an interface with the network interface 5.

The operation of the Internet telephone system having such a configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS.

A user uses the telephone 8 to make a connection to the gateway device 1 via the public line network 6 to make a connection. At this time, the user inputs the authentication number according to the voice guidance of the authentication number request. As a result, the gateway device 1 inquires the authentication center received from the user to the control center 3 that controls the entire Internet telephone system. The control center 3 searches the user information database 4 for an authentication number,
Determine which user is connected. If the authentication number is correct, the gateway apparatus 1 sends voice guidance for inputting the destination telephone number / user setting (step 1).

When the user inputs a predetermined number in accordance with the voice guidance, the number is received by the gateway device 1 (step 2), and the user input determination unit 17 determines whether the input from the user is a user setting (step 3). ).

If the number input by the user in step 3 is a user setting, a user setting process is performed (step 4). When this process is completed, the process returns to step 1.

On the other hand, if the number input by the user in step 3 is not a user setting, the user input determining section 17 determines whether the input from the user is a shortened number (step 5). If the number is not a shortened number, it is regarded as a normal telephone number and the telephone number is notified to the control center 3 (step 6), and information on the gateway device 2 of the other party is received from the control center 3 (step 6). 7) Perform connection processing with the destination gateway device 2 and start an Internet call with the destination telephone 9.

If the number entered by the user in step 5 is an abbreviated number, the control center 3 is notified of the abbreviated number (step 8). The control center 3 searches for the abbreviated number notified from the user information database 4 of the connected user, and connects the telephone number of the telephone 9 of the other party and the information of the gateway device 2 of the other party to the abbreviated number. Is returned to the gateway device 1. Then, the gateway device 1 receives the telephone number of the other party's telephone 9 and the information of the other party's gateway device 2 (step 9), and performs connection processing with the other party's gateway device 2 to execute the connection process. And start an internet phone.

Here, the user setting process in step 4 has a procedure as shown in FIG. User input determination unit 1
At 7, it is determined whether or not the user's input is for setting abbreviated numbers (step 13). If the input is the abbreviated number setting, the abbreviated number input request guidance is transmitted (step 14), and the abbreviated number input by the user is received (step 15). Next, a telephone number input request guidance is transmitted (step 16), and a telephone number input from the user according to the guidance is received (step 17). Once you have successfully received your abbreviated number and phone number,
The received user input data is notified to the control center 3, and the control center 3 receives the data and updates the user information database 4.

If it is determined in step 13 that the input by the user is not the setting of the abbreviated number, the user input determining unit 17 determines whether the input is the setting of the upper limit of the usage amount (step 18). Then, if the usage amount upper limit value is set, the usage amount upper limit value input guidance is transmitted (step 19), and the input of the usage amount upper limit value is received from the user (step 20). The received data is notified to the control center 3, and the user information database 4 is updated.

If it is determined in step 18 that the user input is not the setting of the upper limit of the usage amount, the user input determining unit 17 determines whether the input is the setting of the upper limit of the usage time (step 21). If the use time upper limit value is set, a use time upper limit value input request guidance is transmitted (step 22), and an input of the use time upper limit value is received from the user (step 23). The received data is notified to the control center 3, and the user information database 4 is updated.

If it is determined in step 21 that the user's input is not the setting of the use time upper limit value, the process proceeds to another user setting process (step 24). This step 24
In the same manner, the processing is performed in the following sequence: sending guidance, receiving input from the user, notifying the control center 3 of the received data, and updating the user information database 4 in the control center 3.

When the user setting process is completed in this way, the process returns to step 1 as described above. Then, the voice guidance of the other party's telephone number input / user setting is transmitted again (step 1), the input from the user is received (step 2), and the user input determination unit 17 determines the input from the user. And perform the processing.

In the above description, the control center 3 has the user information database, but the gateway devices 1 and 2 may have the user information database. In addition to the setting of the user information, the user who uses the information can know the contents of the user information database by guiding the usage time, the usage amount, and the like from the gateway devices 1 and 2 to the guidance.

The user settings need not always be performed in the order shown in FIG. 4, and some of these setting processes or processes other than these setting processes may be performed.

As described above, according to the Internet telephone system of the present embodiment, it is possible to communicate with the other party only by inputting the abbreviated number, so that the trouble of telephone operation by the user can be reduced. Further, since the setting process is performed by the user according to the guidance according to the content of the user setting process, the user can directly set the user information database 4.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to communicate with the other party only by inputting the abbreviated number, so that it is possible to reduce the trouble of telephone operation by the user. Is obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible for the user to directly set the user information database, and there is an effective effect that the convenience of the user can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an Internet telephone system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a gateway device in the Internet telephone system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for starting a call using an abbreviated number in the gateway device of the Internet telephone system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for changing user information in the gateway device of the Internet telephone system of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gateway apparatus 2 Gateway apparatus 4 User information database 5 Internet network

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04M 1/66 H04L 11/00 310C 3/00 11/20 B 11/00 303

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An Internet telephone system having a user information database storing predetermined user information and transmitting and receiving voice data from a gateway device using the Internet network. Upon receiving the information, the user is notified of the input of the destination telephone number / user setting, and the user determines whether the input number is a user setting number. If the number is a user setting number, After performing the user setting process of the user information database, the guidance is performed again to the user, and if the number is not a number set by the user, the number is a telephone number or a shortened number of the telephone number. If the number is a telephone number, a connection process with the gateway device of the other party is performed and a call can be made with the other party. When the number is a shortened number of a telephone number, a connection process with the gateway device of the partner is performed after obtaining the telephone number of the partner from the user information database so that the user can talk with the partner. Internet telephone system characterized by the following. 2. The user setting process is at least one of a setting process of an abbreviated number, a process of setting an upper limit of a usage amount, and a process of setting an upper limit of a usage time, and is performed according to a guide according to the content of the setting process. 2. The Internet telephone system according to claim 1, wherein a setting process is performed by a user.