KR100656524B1 - Unified Messaging System and Method for Providing Fax Service - Google Patents

Abstract

In an integrated messaging system providing a fax service according to an aspect of the present invention, a fax data received from an external network is received, and when the fax data includes a fax extension number or a fax machine is busy, the fax data is recalled. An exchange that bypasses without sending to a fax machine; And a fax server storing the fax data bypassed from the exchange and transmitting the fax data to a mailbox of each fax station or replaying the fax data to the fax machine when the busy state of the fax machine is released. It includes.

Description

Unified Messaging System and Method for Providing Fax Service             

1 is a diagram illustrating a call processing flow in a general UMS system according to the prior art.

2 is a view showing the configuration of a network interworking with a UMS system providing a fax server function according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of providing a fax server function through a UMS system according to the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: personal computer with UMS 110: fax server board

111: PC interface 112: control unit

113: memory 114: DSP

300: key exchanger 310: MCP

320: Trunk (TRUNK) 330: MGI (Media Gateway Interface)

340: SLI (Single Line Interface) 400: PSTN (Public Telephone Network)

The present invention relates to a unified messaging system and method for providing a fax service. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for providing a fax function among various functions provided by a personal computer based UMS. The present invention relates to a unified messaging system and a method for providing a fax service that is equipped with a board capable of detecting and processing a fax so that the fax is temporarily stored when the fax is in use and the data is retransmitted to a fax device when the fax is available. .

UMS (Unified Messaging System) is a two-way communication system that allows users to exchange messages with each other by integrating and processing various messages into one data. Telephony Network) is a next-generation system that can integrate voice, fax messages, and e-mails provided on the Internet to operate different messages in a single mailbox regardless of location, time and terminal.

Voice communication and data communication have been developed based on different technologies. However, with the development of new technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), it is difficult to distinguish between voice and data communications. The result is UMS.

Regardless of the sender's communication environment, this system stores text, voice, SMS (Short Message Service), fax, and e-mail messages in one logical mailbox, and then delivers them in the format desired by the recipient. do.

Using a unified messaging system can greatly increase the efficiency of communication by checking messages using various means of communication regardless of time and place. It is also the foundation technology that enables internet phone service.

UMS core technologies include Text-to-Speech (TTS), which converts text to speech, and Text-to-Fax (TTF), which converts text to fax. Speech Recognition (SR) for recognizing speech and converting it into data, optical character recognition (OCR) for recognizing and converting text such as text, such as fax documents, and the like.

Key features include voice mail transmission and reception using telephones, voice bulletin boards using voice processing technology, mobile communication text message transmission and receipt / reception of mail, web mail box for users without personal e-mail, and general VMS (voice mailbox). ) Functions and the like.

Let's look at configuring a network connection to a voice messaging service system in a typical Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

Such a network generally includes IP terminals having VoIP functions, an IP control unit connected to the IP terminals through an IP network to perform call processing services for the IP terminals, and a voice mailbox dedicated to the PSTN to perform voice messaging services. The system and the like. In addition, it is connected to the IP control unit through the IP network, and is connected to the voice mailbox dedicated system through the PSTN dedicated line to convert IP packets for voice signals received through the IP network into PCM signals and exchange them with the voice mailbox system through the exchange. And a media gateway for converting the PCM signal received through the exchange into an IP packet and providing the converted IP packet to the IP controller through the IP network.

Here, the IP terminal may include a SIP terminal or an H.323 terminal, and the IP control unit generally includes a SIP server or a gatekeeper.

When an incoming call is received from the IP terminal through the IP network, the IP controller connects the received incoming call to the destination terminal requested by the user. Here, when the destination terminal is busy or missed, the user leaves a voice message to the destination terminal user, wherein the IP controller is connected to the PSTN dedicated line through the media gateway to connect to the voice mailbox system through the IP network. It connects to the system and services the user's voice messages to be stored in their mailbox in the voice mailbox system.

In general, a voice mailbox system is a device capable of storing PCM voice signals received through a PSTN interface and reproducing them through a PSTN interface. The voice mailbox system is directly connected to an IP terminal connected to an IP network to packetize and process voice data. Voice cannot be saved and played back.

1 shows a call processing flow in a general UMS system according to the prior art.

When an external caller makes a call to a network interworking with a UMS system, a trunk (TRUNK) of the key exchange switch 300 is received and connected to the UMS system through an IP switch through a media gateway internet (MGI). Here, the UMS system generates a voice signal including information about a pre-recorded extension number and sends it to the caller, and the caller selects the extension number to be called after listening to the recorded comment.

The DTMF tone is generated according to the selected extension number, and the MGI detects the DTMF tone and transmits it to the MCP. The MCP connects the telephone to the extension that connects to the SLI based on the received information.

If the extension SLI is busy, the UMS system receives the call again, reveals that the recipient is busy, and allows the caller to choose whether to leave a message to the recipient. If the caller chooses to leave a message to the recipient, the caller announces the start of recording with a beep, allows the caller to leave a message, and the UMS system records the message left by the caller in memory. At this time, the form in which the UMS stores the voice message in the memory is a wave (WAV). The UMS system notifies each station's mailbox of the voice stored in memory.

When using such a general personal computer-based UMS function, in the VoIP communication system that accepts an IP terminal using a codec only in software, in processing a messaging service for the IP terminal, VoIP voice mail function is provided to the IP controller using VoIP technology. System enables the voice message service to IP terminal users through the IP network, eliminating the need for a separate messaging-only system for voice messaging service and a media gateway for voice conversion. It is intended to achieve simplification and cost savings, but does not include fax processing.

That is, conventionally, since a personal computer handles VoIP using a software codec, a function for processing a fax that provides only storage and playback of voice at a level capable of simple DTMF recognition is not provided. Here, there is a need for a personal computer-based integrated messaging system that provides a fax server function that makes it easy to use UMS services by installing UMS software on a general personal computer without having a separate UMS server.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, a general messaging system for providing a fax service to provide a fax server function when the fax board is received by the integrated messaging system by mounting a board for a slot-type fax server board in a personal computer; And to provide a method.

In an integrated messaging system providing a fax service according to an aspect of the present invention, a fax data received from an external network is received, and when the fax data includes a fax extension number or a fax machine is busy, the fax data is recalled. An exchange bypassing without sending to the fax machine; And a fax server storing the fax data bypassed from the exchange and transmitting the fax data to a mailbox of each fax station or replaying the fax data to the fax machine when the busy state of the fax machine is released. It includes.

The fax server board includes a PC interface for interfacing the fax server board with a computer equipped with UMS software; A memory for storing fax data; A digital signal processor for converting the fax data received through the PC interface and storing in the memory; And fax data when an extension number is entered, to a personal extension mailbox, and if the fax data is received by the fax machine, check whether the busy state of the fax machine is released, and if the busy state is released, the fax machine It characterized in that it comprises a control unit for transmitting the stored fax data.

On the other hand, the format of the fax data stored in the memory is characterized in that the TIFF.

The unified messaging system may further include an IP switch located between the exchange and the computer and responsible for IP routing between the exchange and the computer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a unified messaging service, using a unified messaging system mounted on a computer, receiving fax data received from an external network, and entering a fax extension number or a fax machine on a call. Bypassing data; And receiving and storing the bypassed fax data in the unified messaging system and transmitting the fax data to a mailbox of each fax extension or the fax machine.

The bypassing step includes receiving fax data received from an external public telephone network in a trunk of an exchange; And when the fax extension number is input or the fax machine is busy, bypassing the fax data to a computer equipped with the integrated messaging system at the media gateway interface of the exchange.

The transmitting step includes the steps of: receiving the bypassed fax data from the exchange, converting and storing the received data; And if the fax extension number is received, the stored fax data is notified to each individual extension mailbox. If any fax is received, the stored fax data is reproduced when the busy state of the fax machine is released. Characterized in that it comprises the step of transmitting to.

When storing the fax data, the format of the stored data is TIFF.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a unified messaging service includes receiving fax data received from an external public telephone network in a trunk of an exchange, and when a fax extension number is input or a fax machine is busy, the fax data is transferred to the exchange. Bypassing the media gateway interface to a computer equipped with the unified messaging system; Receiving and storing the bypassed fax data from the MGI of the exchange; And when the fax extension number is received, the stored fax data is notified to each individual extension mailbox. If any fax is received, the stored fax data is reproduced when the busy state of the fax machine is released. Transmitting to.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 shows a configuration of a network interworking with a UMS system providing a fax server function according to the present invention.

The UMS system according to the present invention is premised on UMS software installed in a computer, and the personal computer in which the UMS system is installed is connected to a network for the UMS function. The network interworking with the UMS system includes other personal computers, a keyphone exchanger 300, and a public switched telephony network (PSTN) 400 connected to the keyphone exchanger through an IP switch.

The key exchange 300 to enable voice communication with the outside includes an MCP 310, a TRUNK 320, an MGI 330, and an SLI 340.

The main control processor unit (MCP) 310 is equipped with a system operation program to control the operation of the entire system. TRUNK 320 accepts PCM data received from PSTN 200. That is, the TRUNK 320 accepts a line (C.O) input from a telephone station or a line input from another private exchange to a CO line receiving card. The main functions of TRUNK include voice signal amplification and transmission, ring incoming signal detection, and dial pulse transmission.

The media gateway interface (MGI) 330 is a card that provides a built-in type of VoIP function. The MGI 330 processes an 8 kbps VoIP signal and is connected to the IP switch 200 for processing the VoIP signal. Single line interface (SLI) 340 is a card that can accommodate 4 general telephone ports, in the present invention is mounted on the keyphone exchange 300 serves to connect a fax machine to the extension.

The IP switch 200 connects the MGI 330 of the key exchanger and a plurality of personal computers, and basically plays a role of IP routing between them. The data whose destination is identified through the IP switch 200 is transmitted to the personal computer 100 in which the UMS software is embedded.

The personal computer 100 with built-in software for providing the UMS function provides an auto attendant function, voicemail function, voice recording function, and recorded message listening function for incoming calls. When a tone is detected, it provides a fax bypass to G.711 to provide fax functionality on the board in the slot and to convert to TIFF format for storage, transmission and playback.

It has already been mentioned that the UMS system 100 is in the form of software installed on a personal computer, and the fax server board 110 further configured in the present invention is mounted on a personal computer on which the UMS system 100 is installed.

The fax server board 110 includes a PC interface 111, a controller 112, a memory 113, a clock generator 114, and a DSP 115 as its components.

The PC interface 111 connects the fax server board 110 and the personal computer 100 on which the UMS software is installed, and the memory 113 stores fax data received by the fax server board 110. The clock generator 114 generates a 2.048 MHz clock as an 8 KHz frame synchronization signal for generating G.711. The DSP 114 receives G.711 data to generate a fax transmission / reception signal and stores the data in the memory 113. The controller 112 centrally controls all the components constituting the fax server board 110.

3 shows a flow of a procedure for providing a fax server function through the UMS system according to the present invention.

When a call flows from an external network such as the PSTN 400, a call is received from an analog or digital trunk 320 in the key exchange 300 (S301), and the trunk 320 is an MGI 330 which is a module for processing VoIP signals. Forward the received call (S302). Through the MGI 330 to work with the personal computer 100, the UMS software is installed.

The personal computer 100 according to the present invention provides an AMS response to an external call by providing a UMS function, and the external caller inputs an extension number required for a voice call.

At this time, if the extension is not an extension for a voice call but is a fax extension, the system knows the information about this in advance. Therefore, if the extension is busy, a personal computer equipped with a fax server board and a UMS system is provided. To convert the fax data. The conversion of the fax data is also performed when the fax machine is busy at the time when the fax data is received by any fax machine. In other words, if a fax machine to receive fax data is busy, the received fax data is converted to a fax server board mounted on a personal computer.

At this time, the MGI 330 of the key exchanger is switched to the fax bypass mode, and the G.711 inputted on the telephone line is directly transmitted through the IP switch 303 to the fax server board 110 of the personal computer. (S304). G.711 is a representative voice codec for VoIP communication. In addition to G.711, G.723.1 and G.729 are widely used as voice codecs for VoIP communication.

The fax server board 110 receiving the fax bypass signal and the G.711 data through the MGI 300 and the IP switch 200 through the Ethernet is 2.048 MHz as an 8KHz frame synchronization signal generating G.711. Generates a clock to transmit the fax bypass signal and G.711 data to the DSP 115, causing the DSP 115 to receive the fax bypass signal and G.711 data to generate a fax transmit / receive signal and generate the G.711 data. To store (S305). At this time, the data is stored in the memory 113 of the personal computer, the format at the time of storage is stored in the TIFF format to provide the function of the UMS.

Here, TIFF is a common format for exchanging raster images between applications, including scanning images. Raster is an image of horizontal scan lines on the screen of a TV CRT or a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) computer monitor. As one of the most common graphical image formats, TIFF files are widely used for desktop publishing, fax, three-dimensional applications, and medical imaging tasks. TIFF files are divided into several classes, such as gray scale, color palette, or RGB color, and can contain compressed files, such as JPEG, LZW, or CCITT Group 4 standards.

The fax data stored in the FAX server board 110 is then transmitted to the FAX machine or another personal FAX mailbox again through the IP switch 200, and the procedure of the FAX data is slightly changed depending on the destination of FAX data.

In both cases, it is transmitted through the IP switch (S306). If a special extension is received, the extension is notified to the mailbox of each extension to receive fax data in TIFF format on each personal computer so that each individual can receive e-mail on his or her PC. It can be confirmed in the form of (S307).

However, if any of the faxes are stored in the personal computer and the busy state of the fax interlocked with the extension of the keyphone exchanger is released, it is reproduced again through the SLI 340 of the keyphone exchanger 300 (S308). In step S309, the device transmits to the corresponding fax device.

The present invention provides not only the voice storage and transmission / reception functions but also the transmission and storage of faxes in a personal computer-based UMS, as well as providing the original functions of the UMS, as well as installing unnecessary systems by providing a fax server function to an external PC. It can reduce the cost increase of, and has the advantage of being able to print out the e-mail faxes received from the outside.

Claims (9)

delete A unified messaging system connected with at least one extension communication device, An exchange receiving fax data flowing from an external network and bypassing the fax data without transmitting the fax data to the fax machine when the fax data includes a fax extension number or when the fax machine is busy; Wow A PC interface for interfacing a fax server board and a computer, a memory for storing fax data, a digital signal processor for converting and storing fax data received through the PC interface, and storing in the memory, and fax data when an extension number is input. The control unit transmits to the individual extension mailbox, and if the fax data is received by the fax machine, checks whether the busy state of the fax machine is released, and transmits the stored fax data to the fax machine when the busy state is released. Unified messaging system comprising a fax server for providing a fax service, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 2, And a format of the fax data stored in the memory is TIFF. The method of claim 2, And an IP switch located between the keyphone exchanger and the computer, the IP switch being responsible for IP routing between the keyphone exchanger and the computer. delete A method of providing a unified messaging service in connection with at least one extension communication device, Receiving fax data received from an external public telephone network in a trunk of a keyphone switch; Bypassing the fax data to a computer equipped with the integrated messaging system at a media gateway interface of the key exchanger when a fax extension number is entered or a fax machine is busy; And Receiving and storing the bypassed fax data in the unified messaging system and transmitting the fax data to a mailbox or the fax machine of each fax extension. The method of claim 6, The transmitting step, Receiving the bypassed fax data from the key exchange, converting and storing the received data; Wow When a fax extension number is received, the stored fax data is notified to each individual extension mailbox. And when a fax is received, when the busy state of the fax machine is released, reproducing the stored fax data and transmitting the stored fax data to the fax machine. The method of claim 6, And the format of the stored data is TIFF when the fax data is stored. A method of providing a unified messaging service in connection with at least one extension communication device, When fax data received from an external public telephone network is received in a trunk of an exchange, and a fax extension is entered or a fax machine is busy, the fax data is transferred from the media gateway interface of the exchange to a computer equipped with the integrated messaging system. Passing; Receiving and storing the bypassed fax data from the MGI of the exchange; And When the fax extension number is received, the stored fax data is notified to each individual extension mailbox. If any fax is received, the stored fax data is played back to the fax machine when the busy state of the fax machine is released. A method of providing a Unified Messaging service comprising transmitting.

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