WO1995010913A2

WO1995010913A2 - Information retrieving device

Info

Publication number: WO1995010913A2
Application number: PCT/EP1994/003385
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bouke Christiaan Stoffelsma
Original assignee: In Medias Res-Gesellschaft Für Kommunikationstechnologien Mbh
Priority date: 1993-10-13
Filing date: 1994-10-13
Publication date: 1995-04-20
Also published as: WO1995010913A3; AU1219395A; DE9315580U1

Abstract

A device is disclosed for retrieving information recorded at predetermined addresses in an electronic storage system (10). In order to ensure that the desired information from a larger volume of information may be transmitted to the calling party (1), the storage system is connected to a transceiver (7) that may be connected to a telephone line. The transceiver has an addressing device that addresses the storage system with a telephone dialling number received from a calling party and that makes available a transmission path to the calling party for the information read out of the storage system at the address concerned.

Description

Information retrieval facility

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a device for retrieving information that is stored in an electronic memory at predetermined addresses.

German patent application 40 25 051 describes a method for storing facsimile messages by means of a facsimile transceiver and a personal computer equipped with a keyboard and screen, the facsimile transceiver having a memory and suitable for receiving several pages a floppy disk memory is assigned to the personal computer. Since the facsimile memory has only a limited storage capacity, its content is constantly overwritten by the personal computer, from which the recorded facsimile message can be stored on a disk of a floppy disk memory.

A similar device is known from German laid-open specification 41 00 285.

Modern telecommunications also enable users of fax machines to retrieve information from distant memories connected to a fax machine. It is desirable to assist the fax user in planning his vacation or other trips, for example, by being able to call up the information of interest to him from his central unit via his fax machine. This is not possible with previously known devices,

REPLACEMENT BLADE (RULE 26) is kept riding. It is not possible to adapt this information to the special needs of the caller.

The invention is therefore based on the object of further developing the device mentioned at the outset in such a way that the caller can be provided with desired information from a larger amount of information.

To achieve this object, a device for retrieving information that is stored in an electronic memory at predetermined addresses is provided such that the memory is connected to a transceiver device that can be connected to a telephone line, and the transceiver device is an addressing device ¬ device which addresses the memory with a telephone direct dialing number received by a caller and which provides a transmission path to the caller for the information read out from the memory under the address. This makes it possible for a subscriber calling via a fax device to transmit information selected by him from a larger amount of information to his fax device by using the associated telephone extension number at his expense. The invention enables numerous applications. In the vacation planning already mentioned, the subscriber who is interested in information from the Tyrol region, for example, can dial the extension number assigned to this area in addition to the telephone number to which the device according to the invention is connected and receives from the device according to the invention the desired information, for example about events, accommodation options and the like. With the invention, however, it is also fundamentally possible for a bank customer to be able to call up information relating to his account via the telephone connection and a suitable extension number.

SPARE BLADE (RULE 26) A plurality of transceivers are expediently connected in parallel to the memory, each of which is provided for its own telephone connection.

To increase the variability of the information to be transmitted, in particular to prevent misuse of the device according to the invention, it can advantageously be provided that each transceiver contains a test circuit which contains data, for example, received by a calling fax machine whose identifier is compared with the data stored in it and controls the information to be read out or its transmission by the comparison result.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the electronic memory has an input device for updating the information contained in it. As a result, the information held ready for retrieval can be brought up to date at short notice.

Further expedient refinements of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawing using an exemplary embodiment.

System construction

A device for retrieving information that is stored in an electronic memory at predetermined addresses can be constructed, as shown in FIG. 1.

A private branch exchange 3 is used to store the information required for memory addressing, for example.

REPLACEMENT BLAΓΓ (RULE 26) selected extension numbers or the call number of the caller - can be read from the telephone network 2. The information read out is signaled to the personal computer 12 via a control channel 6, which is set up between the private branch exchange 3 and a personal computer 12 via the serial interfaces 4 and 9 present there in each case.

Furthermore, a forwarding of telephone connections, which are taken up by the private branch exchange 3, via internal connections 5 to the personal computer 12 is to be provided.

These internal connections 5 are received in the personal computer 12 by dedicated transceivers 7.

In the embodiment shown here, the transceiver 7 is designed in the form of a fax modem, which offers the possibility of transmitting information to fax machines.

In the personal computer 12, a mass memory 10 is also required for the reception of fax documents, as well as a main memory 11 and a CPU 8 for controlling the device.

Information retrieval process

The sequence of a call and the transmission of information are such that a caller uses the telefax device 1 to dial the device described here via the public telephone network 2.

SUBSTITUTE (RULE 26) The call is now signaled by the public telephone network 2 to the private branch exchange 3. This evaluates the information associated with the call - for example an extension number - and transmits it to the personal computer 12 via the control channel 6.

In the personal computer 12, the information received at the serial interface 9 is conducted with information stored in the mass storage device 10 via a comparison logic which checks whether the information signaled by the caller, for example the dialed extension number, is a fax document assigned.

If this is the case, logic checks whether the desired fax document is present or whether it has to be generated for the customer. In the second case, the private branch exchange is signaled that the connection can be switched in some time, so that the private branch exchange 3 delays the establishment of the connection.

A non-active transceiver unit 7 is determined, which is loaded by the CPU 8 with the information to be sent, which is stored on the mass storage device 10.

In the special case that all available transceiver devices 7 are already occupied with the transmission of documents, this is signaled by the personal computer 12 of the private branch exchange 3, which then either queues the caller or is busy -Sign signals.

The ready state of the transceiver 7 is then signaled to the private branch exchange via the control channel 6 using the internal number assigned to the transceiver 7. Through this signal

ERSÄΓZBLÄΓT (RULE 26) In this way, the private branch exchange 3 now establishes the connection with the public telephone network 2 and establishes the connection with the transceiver unit 7 indicated in the signaling.

There is thus a switched telephone connection from fax machine 1 to transceiver unit 7.

The transceiver 7 now initiates the fax training and determines the transmission parameters desired by the caller, e.g. Transmission speed, the document resolution to be used, etc. These determined parameters are transmitted by the transceiver unit 7 to the CPU 8, which stores this information during the connection in the main memory 11 for the duration of the connection. After the exchange of the fax signaling between the caller and the transceiver 7, the transceiver 7 begins with the transmission of the selected fax document. During the transmission, status information regarding the current connection is transmitted cyclically from the transceiver unit 7 to the CPU 8. If another call is signaled by the public telephone network 2, the same process is set up in parallel with the active connection (s).

It is also possible to send a signal from the CPU 8 to a transceiver 7, which deliberately clears the connection. If the transmission of the fax document is complete - incomplete or incomplete - this is signaled by the respective transceiver 7 stating the connection status to the CPU 8. The CPU 8 now generates from the main with the aid of the previously stored information memory and the current connection state a protocol data record which can be stored on the mass storage device 10 for further evaluation.

SPARE BLADES (RULE 26) Alternative designs

The above structure of the device is primarily suitable for use on analog, public telephone networks. For digital public telephone networks (ISDN) there is the additional possibility, bypassing the private branch exchange 3, of carrying out the signaling with the public telephone network 2 with a transceiver unit 7 which is preceded by a communication logic (ISDN official head) , which processes the signaling with the digital public telephone network, for example the extension numbers and the call acceptance, and can then communicate this to the CPU 8 for controlling the information to be called up.

A further embodiment of the device according to the invention consists in executing the mass storage device 10 in the form of a personal computer network in order to be able to supply several of the devices according to the invention with the same data.

Norms and techniques

Preferred standards for the construction of the described embodiment of the device according to the invention are:

The T.30 protocol, which describes the transmissions in the fax protocol. Source: ITU, Geneva.

The V.24 protocol, which describes the communication of serial interfaces. Source: CCITT, Geneva.

The 1TR6 point to point protocol, which describes communication in digital public telephone networks with direct dialing capability. Accordingly, derivatives such as

REPLACEMENT BLÄJT (RFGE $ 2 EDSS-1 Point to Point etc. Source: Telekom, FRG.

Access protection of documents

Authorization of the caller can be achieved with the device according to the invention in accordance with the sequence shown in FIG. 2.

The incoming call is signaled by the public telephone network. The extension number is then determined. A protection level assigned to the extension number is determined on the basis of this extension number. A comparison circuit is used to determine whether the check of the ISDN number (which corresponds to protection level II) is desired. If this is the case, the ISDN number is compared with the numbers assigned to the extension number. If the comparison is unsuccessful, the incoming call is not set up.

If this comparison is successful or a test of protection level II is not desired, the connection is established. The connection now switched between the transceiver (Fig. 1, 7) and the calling fax machine (Fig. 1, 1) begins with the exchange of the so-called fax training.

A comparison is now carried out to determine whether a level I protection is assigned to the dialed extension number. If this is the case, the fax identifier transmitted in the T.30 protocol is carried out with the telephone numbers assigned to the extension number. If the comparison is unsuccessful, the incoming call is disconnected.

If this comparison is successful or an examination of protection level I is not desired, the extension number is determined and then transmitted. When the transmission is complete, the connection is terminated and a log of the call is written.

In general, at least two access levels can be distinguished. Stage I is based on the comparison of the sender identification contained in the fax protocol with identifiers present on a mass memory (FIGS. 1, 10), for which access to these fax documents should be permitted.

However, since the programming of this identifier contained in the fax protocol in the fax machine (FIGS. 1, 1) can be freely changed by the user, the check of the public telephone network (FIG. 1, 2) provided subscriber number, which cannot be changed by the caller himself, is desirable.

Which protection level (s) are checked depends on the information provided from the public telephone network (FIGS. 1, 2). In the simplest case, this is the extension number, which makes it possible to obtain information from the mass memory (FIGS. 1, 10) regarding the desired protection level.

A major difference in answering the incoming request is between protection level II and protection level I, the possibility, in level II, as shown in FIG. 2, in the event of an access violation, before the connection is established Reject fax communication.

In general, an access protection device can be based on the above-described procedure, also on the basis of other information from the public telephone network or the

SPARE BLADES (RULE 6) T.30 protocol can be read out. For example, the evaluation of the time at which the call is received is obvious. It is therefore conceivable to only provide certain callers with a time window when a call can be carried out.

With the device according to the invention, access protection is also possible via the extension number itself or by combining the extension number with other information from the public telephone network with the abovementioned possibilities.

SPARE BLADE (RULE 26)

Claims

PROTECTION CLAIMS

1. A device for retrieving information that is available in an electronic memory at given addresses, characterized in that the memory (Fig. 1, 10, 11) to a to a telephone line (Fig. 1, 5) connectable Em ¬ catcher (Fig. 1, 7) is connected and the transceiver has an addressing device which addresses the memory with a telephone extension number received by a caller and for which the address from the memory (Fig. 1, 10 , 11) information read out

Transmission path to the caller ready.

2. Device ^" according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of parallel transceivers (Fig. 1, 7) are connected to the memory (Fig. 1, 10, 11), each of which is connected to a telephone connection (Fig. 1, 8, 9) can be connected.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the transceiver has a buffer and a processor for receiving the addressed read information and its transmission over the connected telephone line.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transceiver device contains a test circuit which compares data received from a caller the fax machine, for example its identifier, with data stored in it and the information to be read out or controls their transfer by the comparison result.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by an input device for the electronic memory (Fig. 1, 10, 11) for updating the information stored in it.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic memory is a changeable read memory.

7. Device ^" according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic memory is a personal computer.

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transceiver device is a fax card.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transceiver device is a modem.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transceiver device is a digital transceiver.

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a status is continuously transmitted from the transceiver to the memory.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the test circuit is included in the personal computer.

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for addressing the

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 28) Information the caller's number is used.

14. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fax identifier of the caller is used for addressing the information.

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the time of the caller is used for addressing the information.

16. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that protocol information is used for addressing the information, which were created on the basis of previous calls.

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