KR19990071016A - How to Handle Conference Calls in a Switching System - Google Patents

Abstract

end. The technical field to which the invention described in the claims belongs

The present invention relates to a method of processing a conference call when making a subscriber disconnection during a conference call in an exchange system.

I. The technical problem to be solved by the invention

Provides a method of handling a conference call that can continue a conference call even if the conference owner ends the call during the conference call.

All. Summary of Solution of the Invention

If there is a request to release a conference subscriber call from the conference call chairman in the conference group of subscribers in the conference call, change one of the remaining subscribers in the conference group to the conference call chairee and continue the conference call.

la. Important uses of the invention

It is used for call processing for conference call in exchange system.

Description

How to Handle Conference Calls in a Switching System

The present invention relates to a call processing method of a switching system, and more particularly to a method of processing a conference call when making a subscriber disconnection during a conference call.

Conference call service is being provided as one of the network functions of the switching system. This conference call service is typically used when two subscribers make a conference call, and the conference owner holds the partner and then calls the desired conference participants in turn. ) And make a conference call.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection structure associated with a call mixer, which is a conference call device provided for a conference call in a conventional switching system. FIG. 1 shows a switching structure of a time switch-space switch-time switch (TST) structure. In the switching system with the circuit, only the parts related to the conference call processing are shown. 1 also shows five time switches 106 to 114 connected to subscribers each accommodated in a corresponding subscriber circuit (not shown), and one time connected to the call mixer 118. FIG. An example is shown in which the switch 116 is connected to one space switch 104. The subscribers A to subscribers E, which are connected to the time switches 106 to 114, respectively, are shown in the call route when the conference call is in progress. Each subscriber is assigned a time switch to which he belongs, and is connected to the call mixer 118 via the space switch 104 and the time switch 116. The call mixer 118 receives the time switch 116 to which it belongs, as much as the call mixer resource, and connects the call of the subscribers to the call mixer channel assigned to the logical group. These spatial switches 104, time switches 106-116 and call mixer 118 are controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 100. Typically, conference calls are controlled by Global Service Control (GSC) blocks, which are software blocks. Accordingly, the CPU 100 controls the conference call by performing the GSC block stored in the memory unit 102.

As described above, subscribers connected to the call mixer channel by the call mixer 118 are correspondingly connected one by one to the call mixer channel 120 belonging to the same conference group. In this case, conferencing group configuration is possible only within the same physical group. For example, call mixer 118 is composed of a number of highways, which are referred to as physical groups. Each of these physical groups is composed of a plurality of channels.

2 is a diagram illustrating a conference call channel and a group assignment assigned to a physical group of the call mixer 118 described above. 2 shows an example in which the call mixer 118 has 20 physical groups, and each physical group is composed of 32 channels. In addition, the conference group is a logical unit allocated to three channel units, and there is an example in which there are 10 logical groups per physical group. Assume that you assign two logical groups to conference calls.

In addition, the subscriber information constituting the meeting group and the meeting group information is managed to control the conference call, an example of the configuration is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, FIG. 3 (a) shows subscriber information and FIG. 3 (b) shows main information among conference group information. The subscribers in a conference group belonging to one conference group have five members as shown in FIG. An example of the case is shown. The subscriber information of FIG. 3 (a) is managed in a double linked list, and each of the subscriber information A to subscriber information E is a pointer that designates each other, that is, a front pointer FP and a back. ) Has a pointer BP. In the conference group information of FIG. 3B, the master line represents an example in which the conference call owner is subscriber A, and the conference line count represents an example in which 5 subscribers belong to the conference group.

4 is a flowchart illustrating call processing when disconnecting a subscriber during a typical conference call. The process of subscriber disconnection of the GSC block performed by the CPU 100 is illustrated as steps 200 through 220. FIG. . FIG. 4 illustrates that subscribers A and B of FIG. 1 are in a conference call, and subscriber A becomes the chairman of the conference call and holds subscriber B. Then, subscribers C to subscriber E are sequentially called to form a conference group and make a conference call. Here's an example of what happens when there is a conference call release request from either subscriber.

Referring now to Figure 4 looks at the call processing operation when the subscriber disconnects during a typical conference call. If subscribers belonging to one conference group receive a conference subscriber call release request from one subscriber during a conference call, the CPU 100 of FIG. 1 performs step 202 in response to this in step 200 of FIG. In step 202, the CPU 100 checks whether the subscriber who has requested the call release is the conference owner. If the subscriber who requested the call release is a general conference participant (partisan) who is not the conference call owner, the process proceeds to step (204).

In step 204, the call of the subscriber is released by releasing the path and the resource of the subscriber who has requested the call release. In step 206, the conference group information is changed from the conference group information of FIG. 3B by updating the conference line count. In addition, since the subscribers constituting the conference group have pointers FP and BP that designate each other, the subscriber information is changed at step 208 by updating the pointers FP and BP except for the subscriber who is released. Thereafter, in step 210, if the number of subscribers remaining in the conference group is determined by checking the conference line count in the conference group information, the process proceeds to step 200 above to continue the conference call, otherwise step 220 Finally releases the call and ends the conference call by releasing the conference call owner's path and resources.

In step 212, the call of the subscriber is released by releasing the path and the resources of the subscriber located behind the conference call owner from the subscriber information in the conference group. In step 214, the conference group information is changed as in step 206, and in step 216, the subscriber information is changed in the same manner as in step 208. Thereafter, in step 218, if the number of subscribers remaining in the conference group is more than 2 by checking the conference line count in the conference group information, the process proceeds to step 212 above to repeat the above procedure to release the call of the remaining subscribers. do. In this way, if only the conference call owner is finally left, the call is released by releasing the path and resources of the conference call owner in step 220 and the conference call ends.

Therefore, if the subscriber who is not the conference owner ends the call, the conference call can be continued if there are two or more subscribers, but the conference call is automatically terminated when the conference owner ends the call. In other words, when a regular conference participant ends the call, the subscriber can be removed from the conference group and the group can be reconfigured to continue the conference.However, when the conference caller ends the call, the conference group is automatically released and all participants' paths and resources are lost. It was released and the conference call ended. Thus, if the person who was not the actual conference chair, for example the secretary, formed the meeting group as the conference chair, then the conference ended when the secretary ended the call to pass the meeting to the president, who was the actual chair. Therefore, in order to make a conference call, the actual conference host had to call the conference participants. In addition, even if the actual conference owner is the conference call owner, the conference call ends automatically when the conference owner ends the call and leaves the call, so if you want to continue the conference among the rest of the conference participants, you must try again from the beginning. I did.

As described above, when the conference call owner ends the call during the conference call, the conference call is automatically terminated, so there is an inconvenience in using the conference call service.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a conference call processing method capable of continuing a conference call even when a conference call owner ends a call during a conference call.

1 is a block diagram for a conference call in a conventional switching system,

2 is a diagram illustrating a conference call channel and a group assignment assigned to a physical group of the call mixer of FIG. 1;

3 is an exemplary configuration diagram of subscriber information and conference group information constituting a conference group;

4 is a flowchart of call processing in disconnection of subscribers during a typical conference call;

5 is a flowchart illustrating call processing when disconnecting a subscriber during a conference call according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a diagram illustrating a change of subscriber information and meeting group information according to a change of a conference call owner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a conference call release request from a conference call owner in a conference group consisting of subscribers in a conference call, and changes one of the remaining subscribers in the conference group to a conference call host. Characterized by sustaining.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the annexed drawings, many specific details, such as specific conference group information, structure of subscriber information, processing flow, etc., are shown to provide a more general understanding of the present invention. It does not mean that the present invention is limited to them. And a detailed description of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention will be omitted.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a call processing when disconnecting a subscriber during a conference call according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process of disconnecting a subscriber according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed during the GSC block performed by the CPU 100 of FIG. 1. The process is shown in (300) to (314). If subscribers belonging to one conference group receive a conference subscriber call release request from one subscriber during a conference call, the CPU 100 of FIG. 1 performs step 302 in response to this in step 300 of FIG. In step 302, the CPU 100 checks whether the subscriber who has requested the call release is the conference owner. If the subscriber who requested the call release is the general conference participant who is not the conference call host, the process proceeds directly to step 306. If the call release party is the conference call host, step 304 is performed after step 304.

In step 304, one of the remaining subscribers in the conference group is changed to the conference call owner, and the conference call owner is changed by changing the master line in the conference group information. In step 306, the conference group information is changed, such as updating the conference line count in the conference group information, and in step 308, the subscriber information is changed, such as updating the pointers FP and BP, except for the subscriber who is released. . Next, the call is released by releasing the path and resources of the subscriber who requested the call release in step 310, and the conference line count is checked in the conference group information in step 312. At this time, if there are two or more subscribers remaining in the conference group, the process proceeds to step 300 above and continues the conference call. Alternatively, if the number of subscribers remaining in the conference group is one, in step 314, the call is released and the conference call ends by releasing the path and resources of the last subscriber.

6 shows an example of the change of the conference group information and the subscriber information according to the change of the conference call owner as described above. 6 (a) and 6 (b) illustrate an example in which four subscribers, that is, subscribers A to D, have a conference call, and FIG. 6 (a) shows subscriber information constituting the conference group. 6 (b) shows conference group information. The conference group information shown in FIG. 6 (b) also includes information on slave lines in addition to the master line, which is the conference owner, in accordance with the present invention. The slave line is set as the subscriber following the master line in the subscriber information as shown in Fig. 6 (a). The conference group information shown in Fig. 6 (b) shows an example in which the master line is subscriber A, the slave line is subscriber B, and the conference line count is four.

As described above in step (304) of FIG. 6 (a) and (b), performed by the subscriber A, the conference call owner, during the conference call of the subscribers A to the subscriber D, when the conference subscriber call is released. Is changed to subscriber B, which was a slave line in Fig. 6 (b), as shown in Fig. 6 (d), and the slave line is changed to subscriber C next in the subscriber information of Fig. 6 (a). In step 306, the conference line count is changed to 3 as shown in Fig. 6 (d). In step 308, the subscriber information A of the released master line is deleted as shown in FIG. 6 (c), and the front pointer FP of the newly mastered subscriber information B designates the subscriber information D which is the last constituent of the conference group. The back pointer BP of the subscriber information D designates the subscriber information B to complete the reconfiguration.

Therefore, if the conference owner ends the call during the conference call, the conference owner is changed and the conference call continues. This allows the conference caller to continue the meeting even if the caller ends and drops the call, and transfers the presidency of the conference so that the host does not have to convene the meeting.

Meanwhile, in the above description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Particularly, in the embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber following the call release request in the conference group information is changed to the conference call host. However, in actual application, one of the remaining subscribers in the conference group is changed to the conference call host. Just do it. Therefore, the scope of the invention should not be defined by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the equivalent of claims and claims.

As described above, the present invention can continue the conference call by continuing the conference call even when the conference call owner terminates the call during the conference call. There is no advantage in using the call service efficiently and conveniently.

Claims (4)

What is claimed is: 1. A method of making a call when making a subscriber disconnection during a conference call in a switching system. Checking whether the call requesting party is a conference call host when a request for a conference call release is requested from any one subscriber in the conference group consisting of subscribers in the conference call; Releasing the call of the subscriber who has requested the call release when the subscriber who has requested the call release is not the conference call host; Changing one of the remaining subscribers in the conference group to the conference call owner when the subscriber who has requested the call release is the conference call owner; And releasing the call of the subscriber who was the conference call owner after changing the conference call owner. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ending the conference call after the call is released if the subscriber requesting the call release is the last subscriber in the conference group. The method of claim 1, wherein the call release process includes changing conference group information and subscriber information in a conference group to correspond to the call release. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the changing of the conference call owner comprises changing a subscriber following the conference call owner who requested the call release from the conference group information to the conference call owner. .