JPS63151161A - Voice mail equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent erroneous detection of a disconnect signal due to coming- round of a reproduced voice signal by invalidating the output of a disconnect signal detector by a processor not to stop reading out a memory if data whose control bit is set to '1' is reproduced when a message is transmitted to a terminating subscriber. CONSTITUTION:When a message is spoken by a telephone T1, it is digitally converted and is successively written in a prescribed area of a memory 12 by a controller 20. A detector 18 monitors an input analog signal to input a signal S1 to a controller 20 and switches a control bit F added to data from '0' to '1'. When a telephone T2 in the terminating side requests message transmission, the controller 20 reads out the message in the memory 12 and converts it to an analog signal, and this signal is sent to the telephone T2 through an exchange EX or the like. The controller 20 monitors the control bit F; and if this bit F is '1', a processor 14 ignores detection of the disconnect signal though a detector 16 reports detection of the disconnect signal, and the controller 20 is not instructed to stop reading out the memory. Thus, erroneous detection of the disconnect signal due to cominground of the reproduced voice signal.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] In order to solve disconnection signal erroneous detection that occurs due to the playback signal going around to the input line in a voice mail device, disconnection signal detection is performed when the disconnection signal component is being reproduced. ignore.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a voice mail device that recognizes the end of voice message storage by disconnecting the line.

[Conventional technology]

A voice mail device is connected to a switchboard and functions like an answering machine. In other words, if you call the other party's phone and find that it is busy or absent, the caller should call the voicemail device by dialing a specific phone number and follow the instructions sent to inform the other party. utter a message. This message is written into the memory of the voice mail device, and when the other party calls, the message is sent to the other party's telephone.

There are various types of voice mail devices, and in the above case, the voice mail device periodically calls the other party's phone and informs the other party of the message content when it answers, or the phone is equipped with an indicator light and the voice mail device calls the other party's phone periodically. When you register a call, turn on the indicator light on the other party's phone, etc.
Although this is a plan, we are considering a fixed method where there is a mutual agreement.The caller dials a special number to call the voice mail device (specifically, the receiving side), registers the message, and the called party Call another special number to call the voice mail device (specifically, its sending side), and if there is a registered message, send it and listen. In this fixed system, the communication partner is fixed, so there is no need to notify the other party's telephone number, and control is simple.

One possible method for registering a message in a voice mail device and notifying the end of the registration is to use a specific code, for example, by pressing the # button on a telephone, and using that code as the end code.

Of course, this method is limited to telephones that are telephones, and cannot be implemented with rotary dial telephones.

It is also possible to use the operation of hanging up the handset as an end signal, which is convenient and can be applied to both push-button and rotary dial telephones.To realize the latter method, a busy tone can be used. When the hook switch is closed, a loop is created between the telephone and the exchange, which is used to detect a call, but when the handset is hung up (the hook switch opens, the loop is opened, and a busy tone is sent, this busy tone is detected. If this happens, it will be determined that message registration is complete.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the voice mail system, particularly the termination processing section, in which TI and T2 are telephones, and EX is an exchange. 10 is a voice mail device, which includes a memory 12 in which messages are registered, a processing device 14, and a disconnection signal detection device 16.
Equipped with If T1 is a calling telephone and calls the voice mail device 10 and sends a message, the message is written to the memory 12, and when the caller hangs up the telephone (a busy tone is generated and this is also written to the memory 12). At the same time, it is detected by the detection device 16, and the detection device notifies the processing device 14 of the completion of registration (loop break).

Upon receiving this end (cut) signal detection, the processing device 14 stops writing to the memory 12. Thereafter, when the called telephone T2 calls the voice mail device 10, the voice mail device reads the memory 12 and sends the registered message to the telephone T2. When the called party on the telephone T2 finishes listening to the message and hangs up the receiver, the busy tone is played again, and the detection device 16 detects this and notifies the processing device 14 of the detection of the disconnection signal, and the processing device starts reading the memory 12. Stop.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In this voice mail device, when reading the memory and transmitting the message to the other party, there is a risk that a loop occurs inside or outside the voice mail device, and the detection device 16 misinterprets the looped reproduced disconnection signal as a disconnection signal from the exchange. There is. When notified from the detection device 16 that the disconnection signal has been detected, the processing device 1
4 stops reading the memory 12, so there is an inconvenience that the voice mail device is placed in a dormant state even though the other party has not yet hung up the phone.

Also, with voice mail devices, the number of messages registered in memory is not limited to just one message (for one message), but two, three, etc.
...may come together. In this case, if there is a malfunction due to the above-mentioned loop, playback will be stopped with just one message.
The remaining message will not be conveyed to the other party. Note that the voice mail device manages registered messages, and when asked how many messages it contains, it answers the question, and when instructed to send that message, it sends it, and when asked to send all messages, it does so. It also has functions such as . Even if you are instructed to send all messages and do so, message transmission will be stopped if a disconnection signal is detected, so the looping of the playback disconnection signal is a problem.

To solve this problem, it may be possible to ignore the disconnection signal during playback and not respond to it. That is, since the called side puts down the receiver after listening to the message, there is no response even if an inquiry is sent from the exchange side.This is detected by the timer, and the timer detects the end of listening and stops reading the memory. However, this method has the problem of unnecessarily holding the line.

The present invention is intended to prevent malfunctions due to the looping of reproduced disconnection signals, and to accurately capture disconnection signals from the exchange side to quickly and reliably stop the operation of the voice mail device.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a disconnection signal detection device in a voice mail device connected to an exchange (EX) and equipped with a memory (technique 2) into which received voice signals are written and read, and a processing device (14) that controls the stop of writing and reading. (16) and a disconnection signal component detection device (18) are provided, and when the message sent by the caller is written into the memory, when the detection device (18) detects the disconnection signal component, the write data is the processing unit stops writing to the memory when the control bit (F) is set and the detection unit (16) detects the disconnection signal;
When sending a message to a called party, the processing device disables the output of the disconnection signal detection device (16) when data with the control bit set is reproduced so as not to stop reading. That is.

[Effect]

According to this device, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of a disconnection signal caused by a loop of a reproduced audio signal. In addition, by taking this measure, it is possible to notify the end of message storage by simply hanging up the handset, without the need to notify the end of message storage using a specific code signal. can be used.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as in Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals, TI and T2 are telephones, EX is an exchange, 10 is a voice mail device, 12 is a memory in which messages are registered, 14 is a processing device, and 16 is a disconnection signal detection device. In addition to this device, the present invention also includes a disconnection signal component detection device 18.
will be established. 20 is a write/read control device for the memory 12, which is not shown but is also provided in FIG.

The busy tone is a 400 Hz intermittent tone, and pattern recognition is required to correctly detect it. For example 50
If a sound period of 0 m5 and a silent period of 400 m5 occur three times in a row, processing such as setting a busy tone is required, and detection takes some time. The disconnection signal detection device 16 performs this pattern recognition to accurately detect the busy tone. On the other hand, the cut signal component detection device 18 responds to 400 Hz by using a 4QOHZ BPF) and sets a busy tone when 400 Hz arrives. Therefore, the detection operation is quick, but if the audio signal has 400 Hz, it is also treated as a busy tone, and is inaccurate.

To explain the operation, suppose that the voice mail device 10 is called from the telephone 11T+ and a message is uttered.
The message enters the voice mail device and is sent to A (not shown).
Analog/digital conversion is performed by the /D converter, and the digital data is sequentially written into a predetermined area of the memory 12 by the control device 20. The detection device 18 monitors the input analog signal, and when a 400 Hz component is detected, it inputs a signal S1 notifying the detection to the control device 20. Control device 2
0 switches the control bit F added to the A/D converted data from 0 to 1 when the signal S1 is input. Therefore, when the calling party hangs up the telephone receiver after uttering the message, the data in the memory 12 at that time becomes the A/D conversion data of the disconnection signal (busy tone) and the control bit "1".

Called phone number 1! When the iT2 calls the voice mail device 10 and requests to send a message, the control device 20 stores the memory 1.
2 is read out, and the read data is converted into analog data by a D/A converter (not shown), and sent to the telephone T via exchange EX, etc.
Sent to 2. Although there is a risk that the detection device 16 may detect the cutting signal portion at the end of the message due to wraparound, the control device 20 monitors the control bit F of the memory read data.

and if F=1, this will be notified to the processing equipment engineer 4. When the processing device 14 receives this notification, it ignores the notification from the detection device 16 that the disconnection signal has been detected, that is, it does not instruct the control device 20 to stop reading the memory. Therefore, if there are a plurality of messages and these messages are to be sent to telephone T2, the disconnection signal contained in the first message will not malfunction and stop reading the memory.

After listening to the message, the called party hangs up the telephone (and a disconnection signal is generated. The detection device 16 detects this and the processing device 1
Inform 4. At this time, since the disconnection signal is not reproduced in the memory 12, there is no notification of F=1 from the control device 20 to the processing device 14 (therefore, the processing device uses the output of the detection device 16 to know the end of message listening. , control device 2
0 to stop reading the memory. In this way, an incorrect (voice mail device) can be activated.

Data written in the memory 12 in which the control pin (F) is 1 is not necessarily a disconnection signal for the reasons described above. But F=
Even if 1 is notified to the processing device 14, the processing device does nothing and there is no particular problem.

The detection device 18 may have the same configuration as the detection device 16 so that the disconnection signal is not written to the memory, but since accurate detection of the disconnection signal requires time, if this method is used, a delay circuit is provided and the memory is written. It is necessary to delay the write data according to the above time.

The processing device 14 stops reading the memory upon detection of a disconnection signal from the exchange, but also performs recovery processing for the voice mail device. The processing device also issues an instruction to start memory writing/continuation when the voice mail device is called.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of a disconnection signal caused by the looping of a reproduced audio signal. In addition, by taking this measure, it is possible to notify the end of message storage by simply hanging up the handset, without the need to notify the end of message storage using a specific code signal. can be used.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram explaining a conventional example. In FIG. 1, TI and T2 are telephones, EX is an exchange, 10 is a voice mail device, 12 is a memory, 14 is a processing device, 16 is a disconnection signal detection device, and 18 is a disconnection signal component detection device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A voice mail device connected to an exchange (EX) and equipped with a memory (12) into which received voice signals are written and read, and a processing device (14) that controls the stop of writing and reading of the memory, comprising: disconnection signal detection; device (16) and disconnection signal component detection device (1
8) is provided, and when the detection device (18) detects a disconnection signal component when writing the message sent by the calling party to the memory, it sets a control bit (F) in the write data and also detects the disconnection signal component. When the device (16) detects the disconnection signal, the processing device stops writing to the memory and when sending the message to the called party;
A voice mail device characterized in that when data for which a control bit is set is reproduced, the processing device disables the output of the disconnection signal detection device (16) so as not to stop reading.