KR20020060801A - System and method for telephone secretary service - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A phone secretary service system and method are provided to cut off a prank call or an unnecessary call by allowing a called party to clearly recognize a caller by providing caller information by voice or image. CONSTITUTION: A call processing request signal applied from a caller is sensed by interworking with an exchange of a wired/wireless telephone network(S100). It is connected to a management server to request caller information and receive the caller information(S200). A ring tone is set to a destination party and the caller information is transmitted when there is an answer(S300). An announcement voice asking whether to answer the call is transmitted to the called party and waits for an answer(S400). A signal applied form the destination party is sensed to determine whether a call connection is accepted(S500). If the call connection is accepted, an initial greeting message is transmitted to the called party and a speech path is connected(S540).

Description

Telephone assistant service system and method {SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TELEPHONE SECRETARY SERVICE}

The present invention relates to a telephone assistant service system and method, and more particularly, to provide a caller with voice and image information to a called party, to ask whether to make a call, to connect a call path only when a call is desired, and not to make a call. The present invention relates to a telephone assistant service system and method for ending a call after transmitting a guide voice to a calling party.

Conventionally, a service for providing caller information has already been commercialized, which transmits the calling party's telephone number to the called party's terminal and displays it in text. Therefore, the called party had to decide whether to talk only by looking at the calling party's telephone number.

Since such a conventional service provides only the calling party's telephone number to the called party, it is not possible to immediately find out who the calling party is unless the telephone number is familiar to the user.

In addition, when the called party does not answer the call, the calling party feels offended because the called party thinks that the call is intentionally avoided.

Therefore, these services are used for a very personal purpose to prevent prank calls or to avoid calls with specific people who do not want to make calls, even if they are used for this purpose, as long as they do not memorize all the desired phone numbers. What is impossible is reality.

Of course, it is more inappropriate to use these services for business purposes, so that caller information is provided more clearly, and when the called party cannot make a call, a voice announcement is sent to the calling party for personal and business reasons. There is a demand for a telephone assistant service that can be efficiently used.

The present invention is devised to meet the above demands, and provides the caller's name, origin or picture or character as a caller information to the called party by voice or / and image, and asks the called party whether or not to answer the call according to the response. It is an object of the present invention to provide a telephone assistant service system and method for connecting a call path or transmitting a non-callable guide voice to a calling party.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a telephone assistant service system according to the present invention;

2 is a flowchart showing an example of a telephone assistant service method according to the present invention;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a response to a call acceptance of a called party.

In order to achieve the above object, the telephone assistant service system according to the present invention is connected to a switch of a wired / wireless telephone network and a management server of a telephone subscriber database, an interface for controlling transmission and reception of signals, and a switch of the wired / wireless telephone network through the interface. When the call processing request signal is received from the call subscriber database, the caller information including the name and the sender is requested and received from the management server of the telephone subscriber database, and then the caller sends the caller information as a voice and asks whether the call is allowed or not. A control device for transmitting a call and receiving a call connection from the called party, or when a predetermined time elapses, a control device for connecting a call path, and a program for allowing the control device to perform the above functions. ROM and the subscriber under the control of the controller. A voice synthesizer for synthesizing the caller information received from the management server of the database into a voice and sending it to a called party; a voice database storing data of the guide voice and initial greeting voice; and a control signal of the control device. A voice reproducing apparatus for reproducing voice data stored in a voice database and transmitting the voice data to the called party and the calling party; and a voice recognition device for determining when a response to a call from the called party is received by voice; And a digit detection unit for determining a response from the side as a digit signal of a terminal button.

The telephone assistant service system may further include an image database in which image data of a caller's picture or character is stored, and the control device transfers the caller's picture or character extracted from the image database as the caller information to the called party's terminal. Sending and displaying is another feature of the present invention.

In addition, the data and the voice playback device for the initial greeting voice is provided in the terminal of the called party to selectively transmit when the call side and the call path is formed at the called party. It is another feature.

In the telephone secretary service method according to the present invention, the first step of detecting a call processing request signal authorized from the calling party in conjunction with an exchange of a wired / wireless telephone network, accessing a management server of the telephone subscriber database, requesting caller information, A second step of receiving the message, a ringtone set at the called party, and if there is a response, a third step of sending the caller information to the called party; A fourth step of waiting, a fifth step of sending an initial greeting voice to the calling party, connecting and ending a call path when a response to accept a call connection from the called party, or a predetermined time elapses, and the receiving side If there is no answer from the call or disconnects the call from the caller, the caller sends an announcement voice that cannot be called to the calling party, and the call is processed. It characterized by comprising a sixth step of termination.

Here, the caller information is any one or both of voice information such as a name and a source and image information such as a picture or a character, and in the third step, when the caller information is voice information, the caller information is synthesized by a voice synthesizer. It is another aspect of the present invention to transmit to the called party, and if the caller information is image information, display it to the called party's terminal and output both to the called party's terminal.

In addition, in the fifth step, the response of accepting the call connection at the called party is determined by detecting a digit signal of the terminal key button of the called party, or determined by a voice recognition device by receiving a voice. It is another feature of the invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in more detail.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a telephone assistant service system according to the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, in the telephone secretary service system in this example, when a caller inputs a called party's telephone number using the calling party terminal 31, the switch 30 of the wired / wireless telephone network determines the incoming call. In a telephone system that detects the terminal 32 and connects a call path to make a telephone call, the telephone is controlled by controlling a signal between the calling party and the called party through the interface 10 connected to the switchboard 30. A system that provides secretarial services.

In this example, the telephone assistant service system includes an interface 10 that is also connected to a management server 20 to obtain caller information in addition to the switchboard 30, and transmits and receives various signals through the interface 10, and other peripherals. A control device 11 for controlling the device, a ROM 12 storing a program for causing the control device 11 to perform its function, and a voice synthesis device 13 for synthesizing caller information by voice and sending it to the called party. ), A voice reproducing apparatus 15 for transmitting various guide voices to the calling party and the receiving party, a voice database 14 storing voice data relating to the various guide voices, and answering of call input from the called party. And a voice recognition device 16 and a digit detector 17 for recognizing and determining the recognition.

The management server 20 is provided with a telephone subscriber database 21 that stores information about the name and source of the caller, and further comprises an image database 22 storing the caller's picture or character as in this example. It is also possible.

Of course, the image database 22 is constructed by storing a picture or a character according to the caller's application, which is not necessarily provided in the management server 20, and separately established so that it is connected to the telephone secretary service system. It is also possible.

In addition, although the telephone subscriber database 21 and the management server 20 may be connected to an already established one to obtain caller information, a caller database may be separately constructed to be linked with the telephone assistant service system.

The operation of the telephone assistant service system according to the present example is as follows.

First, when the caller inputs the called party's unique number (for example, a phone number) through the calling party terminal 31, the calling party exchange recognizes this and transmits a call processing request signal to the called party's exchange. The interface 10 detects a request signal and transmits the signal to the control device 11.

Next, the control device 11 accesses the management server 20 through the interface 10 to request and receive caller information, and the management server 20 includes a pre-built telephone subscriber database ( 21) and the image database 22 detects the sender's data and transmits it to the control device 11.

Next, when there is a response from the called terminal, i.e., a call is received, the control device 11 sends image information of the caller information to the called terminal 32 and outputs it to a display device such as an LCD. Information on the caller's name and origin is sent to the called party by voice by the voice synthesis device 13.

After sending the caller information, the voice database 14 detects the voice data asking for permission of the call and sends it to the called party through the voice reproducing apparatus 15 and waits for a response.

At this point, the called party may answer voice call for example with yes or no, may hold the phone for a certain time when accepting the call, or hang up when he does not want the call. Of course, it is also possible to press the button of the called terminal 32 to respond. At this time, the telephone assistant service system according to the present example judges the answer of the called party by the voice recognition device 16 and the digit detection unit 17.

If it is determined that the called party accepts the call connection, the system sends an initial greeting voice to the calling party, and then connects to the calling line, and if it is determined that the called party does not want to talk, the announcement voice of the call is sent to the calling party. After that, the call ends. The guide voices are all stored in the voice database 14, and the voice reproducing apparatus 15 reproduces and transmits them under the control of the control device 11. In this case, the guide voice may be selected from the called party in some cases.

Furthermore, after accepting the call connection at the called party, the initial greeting voice may be sent directly from the called party terminal 32. To this end, the voice terminal on which the initial greeting voice is recorded is installed in the called party terminal 32, and the user can selectively output the voice chip, so that the initial greeting voice can be changed.

In the telephone assistant service system according to the present example, caller information is provided by voice and image, and it is possible to provide only one of the two, which may be predetermined according to the caller's selection.

If the caller cannot be specified, such as a public telephone, it is also possible to transmit a guide voice for notifying it or to function as a general telephone system.

In addition, the telephone secretary service system according to the present invention is preferably connected to an exchange of a wired / wireless telephone network to detect and operate a call processing request signal, but is not necessarily limited thereto. It is also possible to detect and operate an applied ring tone signal. In other words, the telephone secretary service system according to the present invention is characterized by providing caller information as voice and image, and in some cases, sending out appropriate guide voice to perform a function as a telephone secretary. Even if the position is changed, it is not to say that it is outside the scope of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart showing an example of a telephone assistant service method according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 2, the telephone assistant service method in this example, in conjunction with the switch of the wired and wireless telephone network, detecting a call processing request signal from the calling party (S100), and access to the management server and the caller Requesting the information, receiving it (S200), setting a ringtone on the called party and sending a caller information if there is a response (S300), sending a guide voice asking whether to answer the call and waiting for a response. Determining whether or not to accept the call connection by detecting the signal applied from the called party (S400) and the step (S500), and if it is determined in step (S500) to accept the call connection initial greeting voice Sending out to the calling party and connecting the call path (S540), and when it is determined in step S500 that the call connection is impossible, the announcement voice of the call cannot be sent to the calling party; A step (S560) to end the processing.

The non-callable announcement voice expresses a kind of apology, so that the calling party's mood may not be offended, or may be determined differently according to the choice of the called party.

Until the called party decides whether or not to make a call, the calling party may maintain the ring back tone or may transmit a separate announcement voice or music.

Determining whether or not the call is made by the called party may be performed by pressing a button of the called terminal or a voice such as 'yes / no'. In the case of pressing the button, it is also possible to select the guide voice which cannot be called as described above. However, it is not necessary to press a button or input a voice for call availability, and it is also possible to pick up or hang up a certain time.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a response to a call acceptance of a called party.

Figure 3 shows a process except for answering the call aptitude by pressing a button.

As shown in Fig. 3, after transmitting the guide voice asking for a call or not, if the called party hangs up first while waiting for a response from the called party, it is determined that the call is impossible and the guide voice is transmitted. And exit. If the called party does not hang up the phone until the predetermined response waiting time ends, waits for a voice input therebetween, and when the waiting time ends without a voice input, determines that the call is accepted and connects the call path. If there is a voice input, it is determined whether the voice accepts the call connection through the voice recognition device, and accordingly, transmits and terminates the guide voice which cannot be called or connects the call path.

If it is included in the response by the button, it is determined whether there is an input of voice or a button tone during the response waiting time, and when there is an input of the button tone, the number digit is detected therefrom to determine whether or not the call is made.

The present invention has been described above through the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and thus the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Even if the present invention is modified by referring to the technical spirit of the present invention, such a modification belongs to the present invention. As long as those skilled in the art can facilitate, all of them belong to the scope of the present invention.

As described above, in the case of using the telephone assistant service system and method according to the present invention, by providing caller information by voice and image, the called party can clearly identify the caller, and can block prank calls and unnecessary calls. In addition, there is no fear of offending the caller by sending a guide voice to the caller when the call is unavailable, thereby making it possible to obtain an effect that can be usefully used for business purposes as a telephone assistant.

Claims (6)

An interface connected to a switch of a wired / wireless telephone network and a management server of a telephone subscriber database to control transmission and reception of various signals; When a call processing request signal is applied from the switch of the wired / wireless telephone network through the interface, the caller information including the name and the originator is requested and received from the management server of the telephone subscriber database, and then the caller information is voiced to the called party. A control device that transmits a guide voice for asking whether or not a call is made, and connects a call path when a response is received from the called party to accept a call connection or a predetermined time elapses; A ROM storing a program for allowing the control device to perform the above function; A voice synthesizing apparatus for synthesizing the caller information received from the management server of the telephone subscriber database into voice according to the control of the control apparatus and sending it to the called party; A voice database storing data of the announcement voice and the initial greeting voice; A voice reproducing apparatus for reproducing voice data stored in the voice database and transmitting the voice data stored in the voice database to the called party and the calling party according to the control signal of the controller; A voice recognition device for determining a voice response from the called party when the response is received; And a digit detecting unit for determining a response from the called party as a digit signal of a terminal button. The method of claim 1, The telephone assistant service system further includes an image database in which image data of a caller's picture or character is stored, and the controller transmits the caller's picture or character extracted from the image database as the caller information to the called terminal. And display a telephone assistant service system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The data and voice reproducing apparatus for the initial greeting voice are provided in the terminal of the called party so as to be selectively transmitted when the calling party establishes a call path with the calling party. . A first step of detecting a call processing request signal applied from an originating party in association with an exchange of a wired / wireless telephone network; Accessing a management server of a telephone subscriber database and requesting caller information and receiving the same; A third step of setting a ring tone at the called party and sending the caller information to the called party if there is a response; A fourth step of transmitting, to the called party, a guide voice asking whether the call is allowed and waiting for a response; A fifth step of sending an initial greeting voice to the calling party, connecting a call path, and ending when there is a response to accept the call connection from the called party or a predetermined time elapses; And a sixth step of transmitting a non-callable guide voice to the calling party and terminating the call when there is a call impossible response from the receiving party or the telephone is disconnected. Way. The method of claim 4, wherein The caller information is any one or both of voice information such as a name and a source and image information such as a picture or a character, and in the third step, when the caller information is voice information, the caller information is synthesized by a voice synthesizer to receive the call. And transmitting the information to the called terminal if the caller information is the image information, and outputting all of the calling information to the called terminal. The method according to claim 4 or 5, In the fifth step, a response for accepting a call connection at the called party is determined by detecting a digit signal of a terminal key button of the called party or determined by a voice recognition device by receiving a voice signal. How to service your phone assistant.