JPS61161065A - Charging system for conference telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To promote an accurate accounting by charging on a conference telephone detecting a hooking signal and an on-hooking signal as a charging information by a control device. CONSTITUTION:A server dials to every participating conference telephone and confirms every call and interface circuits 41-44 are kept in a holding state. The signal for starting of a conference from a talking control circuit 22 is converted to a hooking signal at the interface circuits 41-44 and is sent out to every subscriber's line and also cancels the holding state and thereby, a call is available with each other. The hooking signal is transmitted to a central processor 12 and is recognized as a charging start signal for a conference call. On-hooks of telephone sets 8-10 accompanying with the completion of the conference call transmit on-hooking signals to the central processor 12 and every participating conference telephone is charged after a counting for a call tariff is made based upon the detection of the hooking signal and the on-hooking signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a billing system for conference calls between a plurality of voice terminal devices housed in a telephone exchange.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when charging for conference calls, the start of the conference is notified through a phone call between the person handling the conference table and the ministries participating in the 4R theory, and the conference start time is written on what is called a paper ticket. Then, the operator monitors the conference table's lamp that displays the call continuation status of the ad participant and calculates the call time by checking the call end and writing the end time on the above paper ticket. The company is charging the corresponding amount.

In addition, interface circuits dedicated to billing are provided in both the exchange and the conference telephone equipment, and these interface circuits are connected to each other by a path for transmitting section information, so that conference start and end time information can be transmitted by operating the conference table. For each participant, the conference telephone device operates the dedicated bus and transfers the call to the exchange for billing processing.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the former case, since the billing is done based on the human judgment of the board member, it is easy to get used to the accuracy. In addition, in the latter case, it is necessary to provide a dedicated interface circuit and path for transmitting billing information to the customer center, and the control device of the exchange does not identify the billing information received via the dedicated bus. It is necessary to have a separate program for processing.

[Means for solving problems]

The conference call billing system according to the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problem D, provides a conference call to a plurality of voice terminal devices accommodated in a call path switch through respective subscriber circuits. A control device of an exchange housed in the communication path switch transmits a hooking signal sent from the conference telephone device via a subscriber circuit wr having the same configuration as the subscriber circuit wr having the same configuration. The present invention is characterized in that, at the same time, a call end signal sent from the voice terminal device is detected through the subscriber circuit and billing is terminated.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the first page.

First, referring to FIG. 1, which shows the configuration of a switching system in an embodiment of the present invention, a communication path switch 4 is connected to a plurality of voice terminal devices (telephones) via subscriber circuits (LC) 5, 6.7, respectively. )8,9.10 are accommodated,
A subscriber circuit 1 having the same configuration as the above subscriber circuit 5, 6.7,
A conference telephone device 20 is accommodated via 2.3. Conference calls provided to a plurality of telephones 8.9.10 are conducted by a conference telephone device [20, which will be described in detail later. In addition, subscriber circuit engineer - 3.5 - 7, telephone 8, 9, 10. Communication path switch 49 Communication path control device 11. Central control device 1
2 and the storage device 13 are similar to those constituting an existing exchange.

Next, the conference telephone device 20 shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, a conference table 21 for handlers, a register signal device 23, and a mutual call amplifier circuit (MIXAMP) 25 are connected to a call control circuit 22. The intercommunication amplifier circuit 25 includes intercommunication coupling circuits (COMB) 26.27.
28 are connected. The mutual communication coupling circuit 26 includes subscriber line interface circuits (SU-BINF) 40 to 4.
A mutual communication amplifier circuit 29 to which 4 is connected is connected. Further, mutual communication amplifier circuits 30.31 to which subscriber line interface circuits 50 to 54 and 60 to 64 are connected are connected to each of the mutual communication coupling circuits 27 and 28. Furthermore, the call control circuit 22 connects the call letter M monitoring circuit 24 . Mutual communication coupling circuits 26 to 28
, and subscriber line interface circuits 40 to 44.5
0 to 54 and 60 to 64, respectively. The call status monitoring circuit 24 is connected to the mutual call coupling circuits 26 to 28 and the above-mentioned line saving interface circuit via the call status monitoring 1fM33. Each of the subscriber line interface circuits is connected to a subscriber (see FIG. 1) via a subscriber line.

The operation will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. When a conference call is made, the host calls the conference table 21 to dial a conference participant, for example, a telephone 8.
When the key TI is operated and the call control circuit 22 and the subscriber line interface circuit 40 are connected via the contact TI, a call can be made from the subscriber line interface circuit 40 by operating the keys on the conference table 21 like a normal telephone. Sends a loop signal to the subscriber line and activates the exchange. When the operator dials the subscriber number on the telephone 8 from the conference table 21, a register signal is sent from the register signal device 23 to the call control circuit 22.
fi talk control line 32. It is sent to the subscriber line via the contact T1 and the subscriber line interface circuit 40. The exchange connects the telephone line 8 and the subscriber circuit interface circuit 40 in the usual manner. As a result, mutual communication coupling circuit 29. mutual communication coupling circuit 26. It becomes possible to communicate with the person operating the conference table 21 via the mutual communication amplifier circuit 25 and the communication control circuit 22t. The operator uses a key on the conference table 21 to send a hold signal from the call control circuit 22 to the call status monitoring circuit 24 to put the Iwao interface circuit 40 on hold. The call status monitoring circuit 24 connects to the subscriber interface circuit 40 via the call status monitoring line 33.
put on hold.

Subsequently, the operator sequentially dials the other telephones participating in the conference using the same procedure, confirms the call, and puts all the corresponding subscriber line interface circuits 41 to 44t on hold, for example. When the operator determines that a conference call is possible for all participants, the operator operates a key on the conference table 21 and sends a conference start signal from the call control circuit 22 to the call status monitoring circuit 24 and the call status monitoring edge 33. and sends it to subscriber line interface circuits 40-44. Each subscriber line interface circuit 40-44 converts a conference initiation signal into a hooking signal similar to that used in conventional converters and sends it to the respective subscriber line. At the same time, the pending state is released. This allows a plurality of telephones participating in the conference to communicate with each other via the mutual communication amplifier circuit 29.

On the other hand, the hooking signals sent from the subscriber line interface circuits 40 to 44 are transmitted to the subscriber circuits 1, 2, .
... is transmitted to the central control unit 12 via the call path switch 4 and the call path control circuit 11, and is identified as a billing start signal for the conference call. When the conference call ends, the conference participating telephones 8, 9... go on-hook, and the subscriber circuits 5, 6..., the call path switch 4,
and the central control device 1 via the communication path control device 1tll.
A call termination signal is transmitted to 2.

The central control device 12 calculates the call charge based on the time from the detection of the hooking signal to the detection of the end of call signal, and stores it in the storage device 13.
(by storing billing information in the telephone), individual telephones participating in the conference can be billed.

In addition, in Figure 2, conference group (GROUP) O
If you want to make a mutual call between conference groups 1 or 2, after enabling mutual calls for each conference group in the same manner as above, press the keys TGo and TGI or TG2 on the conference table 21. Mutual communication coupling circuit 26, 2
7.28 and the mutual conference call amplifier circuit 25, mutual conference calls between groups are possible. Furthermore, by connecting the mutual communication amplifier circuit 25 to another conference telephone device, the number of participants in the conference can be increased.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the control device of the converter detects the hooking signal sent based on the operator's console operation and the end call signal sent from the audio terminal att as billing information to make a conference call. This allows for accurate billing processing. In addition, in the present invention, 1, a meeting 'ij
Since the L-phone device is connected to the subscriber circuit included in the converter, and the control device detects the billing start signal via the subscriber circuit, the existing converter's Nordware and software can be used. conference calls with little modification. In particular, as a software change, it is only necessary to add a function to start charging upon detection of a hooking signal to the existing charging control program.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a father exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a conference telephone device. 1.2, 3, 5, 6.7...Subscriber circuit, 4.
...Call path switch, 8, 9, 10...
Audio terminal equipment (telephone), 12...Central control unit, 20...Conference '1 talk device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A conference telephone device that provides conference calls to a plurality of voice terminal devices accommodated in the call path switch via respective subscriber circuits is housed in the call path switch via subscriber circuits having the same configuration as the subscriber circuits. The control device of the exchange detects the hooking signal sent from the conference phone device via the subscriber circuit of the same configuration by the operator's console operation, and starts billing, and at the same time detects the hooking signal sent from the conference phone device through the subscriber circuit of the same configuration, and also detects the hooking signal sent from the conference phone device through the subscriber circuit of the same configuration, and also detects the hooking signal sent from the conference phone device through the subscriber circuit of the same configuration. A conference telephone billing system characterized in that billing is terminated by detecting a signal via the subscriber circuit.