WO2007097541A1

WO2007097541A1 - System and method for providing international voice message service

Info

Publication number: WO2007097541A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/000790
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hee-Jung Ahn; Si-Woo Park
Original assignee: Ktfreetel Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-02-24
Filing date: 2007-02-14
Publication date: 2007-08-30
Also published as: CN101385368B; CN101385368A; KR100777585B1; KR20070088067A

Abstract

The present invention relates to international message call service providing system and method for transmitting a voice message of a caller of its own country to a called user of a foreign country over an international switching network or the Internet network. According to the international message call service providing system and method of the present invention, when the caller sends a call including a feature code for recording the voice message, the present invention receives and records the voice message transmitted from the caller, and then makes an outbound call and transmits the recorded voice message to the called user of the foreign country over the Internet network. The voice message recorded in the present invention may be transmitted promptly or by reservation.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING INTERNATIONAL

VOICE MESSAGE SERVICE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to system and method for providing an international voice message service, and in particular, to system and method for transmitting a voice message of a caller to a called user of a foreign country through an international switching network or the Internet network. Background Art

[2] With development of wire or wireless communication techniques, currently many communication providers provide an international call service at a competitive cost. Moreover, recently an international call service over the Internet network is developed, and thus it is possible to use an international call service more inexpensively than an international call over wire or wireless communication network.

[3] However, an international call service simply provides a voice call service, but not various additional services. For example, when a caller intends to make a call to a called user of a foreign country, the caller should check the local time of the foreign country due to a time difference between countries, however, up to date any additional service has not been developed to solve this problem.

[4] Further, currently many nations provide a local short messaging service using mobile communication terminals or wire or wireless Internet, but do not provide an international short messaging service. Because languages supported basically by mobile communication terminals are different by nations, the international short messaging service is not provided.

[5] Therefore, an international call service is required to overcome a simple voice call service and develop various additional services to create an added value and meet various demand of users. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[6] The present invention is designed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide system and method for transmitting a voice message of a caller of his/her own country to a called user of a foreign country over an international switching network or the Internet network.

[7] And, it is another object of the present invention to provide system and method for providing an international call reservation service.

[8] Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide system and method for storing a telephone conversation in real time when making an international call. Technical Solution

[9] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an international voice message service providing method of a service system associated with a switching center cooperating with a home location register and an international gateway switching center cooperating with an international switching network according to a first aspect of the present invention, includes the switching center receiving a call setup request including an identification number for connection to the service system from a calling terminal and receiving routing information toward the service system from the home location register based on the identification number; the service system receiving a call connecting request from the switching center, and determining if a predetermined feature code is included in the call connecting request; if a feature code for recording a voice message is included, the service system establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal in response to the call connecting request from the switching center, and receiving and recording a voice message of a caller from the calling terminal; and the service system establishing a traffic channel with a called terminal of a foreign country through the international gateway switching center and the international switching network, and playing the recorded voice message of the caller.

[10] And, a method for providing an international call service and an international voice message service of a service system associated with a switching center cooperating with a home location register and the Internet network according to a second aspect of the present invention, includes the switching center receiving a call setup request including an identification number for connection to the service system from a calling terminal and receiving routing information toward the service system from the home location register based on the identification number; the service system receiving a call connecting request from the switching center, and determining if a feature code for recording a voice message is included in the call connecting request; if the feature code for recording a voice message is included, the service system establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal in response to the call connecting request from the switching center, and receiving and recording a voice message of a caller from the calling terminal; and the service system transmitting the recorded voice message file to a call processing means which is installed in a foreign country and establishes a traffic channel with a called terminal to play the voice message, over the Internet network.

[11] And, a system for providing an international call service and an international voice message service according to a third aspect of the present invention, includes a switching center for receiving a call setup request including an international call identification number from a calling terminal and receiving routing information from a home location register based on the international call identification number; a call processing means for receiving a call connecting request from the switching center, determining if a predetermined feature code is included, if a feature code for voice recording is included, responding to the call connecting request to the switching center to establish a traffic channel with the calling terminal, and recording a voice message of a caller; a storage means for storing the recorded voice message and voice message information; and an international gateway switching center for requesting call setup to a terminal of a called user of a foreign country through an international switching network according to an outbound call setup request of the call processing means, and receiving the corresponding response to establish a traffic channel between the call processing means and the terminal of the called user, wherein the call processing means plays the voice message stored in the storage means to the terminal of the called user through the traffic channel.

[12] A system for providing an international call service and providing an international voice message service by cooperation with the Internet network according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, includes a switching center for receiving a call setup request including an international call identification number from a calling terminal, receiving routing information from a home location register based on the international call identification number; a call processing means for determining if a predetermined feature code is included in a call connecting request received from the switching center, if a feature code for voice recording is included, responding to the call connecting request to the switching center to establish a traffic channel with the calling terminal, recording a voice message of a caller and transmitting the recorded voice message file to another call processing means installed in a foreign country over the Internet network; and a storage means for storing the recorded voice message and voice message information.

[13] At this time, preferably function of the call processing means is executed by an IP server 101 to be described below, and function of the scheduling means is executed by an application plus server (APS) 103 to be described below. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more fully described in the following detailed description, taken accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the invention. In the drawings:

[15] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an international voice message service providing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating that the international voice message service providing system transmits a voice message to a terminal of a called user of a foreign country over the Internet network in accordance with the present invention.

[17] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a procedure that a caller connects to the service providing system and records the voice using a predetermined feature code, and the service system directly makes an outbound call and transmits the recorded voice to a called terminal of a foreign country in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[18] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a procedure that the caller connects to the service system and sets an international call reservation time using a predetermined feature code, and the service system automatically connects a call between the caller and the called user of the foreign country at the reservation time in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[19] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a procedure that, when making an international call, the caller stores a telephone conversation in real time using a predetermined feature code in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[20] FIG. 6 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of recording and transmitting a voice message, in the case of call unavailable state of the called user, when making an international call, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[21] FIG. 7 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of executing a reservation call in the case of call unavailable state of the called user, when making an international call, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[22] FIG. 8 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of storing a telephone conversation in real time at the request of a user during an international call in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[23] FIG. 9 is a signal flowchart illustrating a method for providing an international message call service over the Internet network in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[24] FIG. 10 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of converting a text message written by the caller in wire or wireless Internet environment into a voice message and transmitting it to the called user of the foreign country in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[25] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation. Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the invention, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[26] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an international voice message service providing system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, referring to FIG. 1, the international voice message service providing system (hereinafter referred to as "an international message call service system") includes an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) server 101, a Web/ME Application Server (WMAS) 111, a Text- To-Speech (TTS) server 105, an Application Plus Server (APS) 103, an Operation Administration and Management Server (OMS) 113, a database server 107, and a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 109.

[27] The IP server 101 cooperates with a mobile switching center 200 and an international gateway switching center 220 of a mobile communication network over El /Tl, and executes a call processing function for a service in accordance with the present invention, and the IP server has an El/Tl voice processing device and a signal processing device.

[28] The APS 103 schedules transmission of a voice message formed by converting a text message written by a caller into speech, or of a voice message recorded directly by the caller. And, the APS 103 cooperates with a Short Messaging Service Center (SMSC) 260 or a billing system 230 to execute SMS transmission, billing process, subscriber registration or verification.

[29] The TTS server 105 receives the text message transmitted from the caller, converts text contained in the text message into speech, and stores the converted speech data in the RAID 109.

[30] The database server 107 stores and manages data used in the service system of the present invention, such as subscriber information or voice message information, and the RAID 109 stores the speech data converted by the TTS server 105 and speech data recorded by the caller.

[31] In particular, the database server 107 stores profile information of recorded data stored in the RAID 109, including address information, capacity information, information of recorded date and time, country number of a called user, or telephone number of a terminal of the called user. Although this exemplary embodiment shows the database server 107 and the RAID 109 formed separately from each other, the database server 107 and the RAID 109 may be formed into a single apparatus. The detailed description is hereinafter made on the basis of that the RAID 109 is included in the database server 107.

[32] The OMS 113 operates and manages each of the components of the service system in accordance with the present invention.

[33] The function and operation of each of the components of FIG. 1 are described as follows.

[34] First, the IP server 101 transmits promptly or on schedule the voice message converted from the text message written by the caller or the voice message recorded directly by the caller to the terminal of the called user in a foreign country through an international switching network 300. That is, the IP server 101 directly makes an outbound call to a called terminal and transmits the voice message through an international gateway switching center 220 and the international switching network 300. Here, the outbound call means that the IP server 101 actively processes a sending call by itself, i.e. makes a call.

[35] For recording the voice, the caller connects to the WMAS 111 over the wire or wireless Internet and records the voice, or the caller inputs a predetermined feature code (for example, "*01" for prompt transmission of the recorded voice, and "*02" for reservation transmission of the recorded voice), directly connects to the IP server 101 and records the voice. Alternatively, when the caller makes an international call, in case that the called user of the foreign country is in a call unavailable state, the caller inputs a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) key and records the voice in the IP server 101. The recorded voice is stored in the database server 107 together with the voice message information.

[36] And, the IP server 101 connects a call between a terminal of the caller of his/her own country and the terminal of the called user of the foreign country at the call reservation time set by the caller. That is, the IP server 101 establishes a calling party traffic channel with the terminal of the caller of his/her own country through the mobile switching center 200 and establishes a called party traffic channel with the terminal of the called user of the foreign country through the international gateway switching center 220 and the international switching network 300, and then mixes the calling party traffic channel and the called party traffic channel to connect a call between the terminal of the caller and the terminal of the called user. For setting the call reservation time, the caller may input a predetermined feature code (for example, "*03"), connect to the IP server 101 and immediately set the call reservation time, or when the caller makes an international call, in case that the called user of the foreign country is in a call unavailable state, the caller may input a Dual Tone Multi- Frequency (DTMF) key and set the call reservation time to the IP server 101. The reservation time information is stored in the database server 107. [37] The APS 103 schedules the voice message transmission or call connection according to the voice message transmission reservation time or the call connection reservation time stored in the database server 107, and when the corresponding time approaches, the APS 103 requests to transmit the voice message or connect a call between the caller and the called user to the IP server 101.

[38] The TTS server 105 cooperates with the IP server 101 and the WMAS 111 to convert a text message to a voice message. That is, when the caller transmits a text message through a wireless communication terminal, the IP server 101 cooperates with the TTS server 105 to convert the transmitted text message to a voice message and stores the voice message in the database server 107. And, when the caller connects to the WMAS 111 and writes a text message, the WMAS 111 cooperates with the TTS server 105 to convert the written text message to a voice message, and stores the voice message in the database server 107.

[39] The database server 107 stores the voice message converted from the text message, the voice message recorded directed by the caller, the call connection reservation time, and information of the voice messages (including telephone number of the caller, called country number, telephone number of the called user, recorded time, transmission reservation time or converted time).

[40]

[41] FIG. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating that the international voice message call service system transmits the voice message to the called terminal of the foreign country over the Internet network in accordance with the present invention.

[42] Referring to FIG. 2, the IP server 101 transmits the voice message recorded by the caller of own country to an international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country over the Internet network, and the international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country directly processes the voice message to make an outbound call to the terminal of the called user and plays the voice message, or the international message call service system 400 transmits an SMS message to the terminal of the called user to inform that the voice message has been received. At this time, the SMS message includes a callback number of the international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country. Meanwhile, the international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country does not necessarily include all of the components of FIG. 1, but if the international message call service system is capable of storing the voice message received over the Internet network, making an outbound call to the called terminal, and playing the voice message, the international message call service system may be not limited to a specific type.

[43] [44] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating that the caller connects to the international message call service system and records the voice using a predetermined feature code, and the international message call service system directly makes an outbound call to the called terminal of the foreign country and plays the recorded voice message in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[45] As shown in FIG. 3, first, when the caller intends to transmit the voice message to an user of the foreign country, the caller inputs a feature code (for example, "*01") for transmitting the voice message, identification number (for example, 00345, hereinafter referred to as 'an international call identification number') indicating an international call, called country number, and telephone number of the called user, into the terminal of the caller, and makes a call. Thus, the calling terminal transmits a call setup request including the feature code, international call identification number, called country number and telephone number of the called user, to the mobile switching center 200 (S301).

[46] The mobile switching center 200 receives the call setup request, and recognizes that the corresponding call is to be connected to the international message call service system based on the international call identification number included in the call setup request. And, the mobile switching center 200 requests routing information toward the the international message call service system to a a home location register (HLR) 250 (S303).

[47] The HLR 250 transmits the routing information toward the international message call service system to the mobile switching center 200 in response to the routing information request (S305).

[48] The mobile switching center 200 transmits a call connecting request to the IP server 101 of the international message call service system based on the routing information (S307). The IP server 101 transmits a call connecting response to the mobile switching center 200 in response to the call connecting request (S309). And, the mobile switching center 200 transmits the call setup response to the calling terminal (S311). Here, the call connecting request transmitted from the mobile switching center 200 to the IP server 101 includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the feature code, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user.

[49] After a traffic channel is established between the calling terminal and the IP server

101 through the above-mentioned steps, the IP server 101 recognizes that the corresponding call is for voice message transmission based on the feature code, and transmits a recording guide message to the calling terminal (S313). That is, the guide message is "KTF international message call. Please record after the tone and press the pound sign. Beep-", for example.

[50] Subsequently, the calling terminal receives the voice input from the caller and transmits the voice to the IP server 101, and the IP server 101 records the transmitted voice (S315). At this time, after recording is completed, the IP server 101 may transmit a recording completion guide message to the calling terminal.

[51] The IP server 101 stores the recorded voice message and information of the recorded voice message in the database server 107 (S317). Here, information of the recorded voice message includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number, the telephone number of the called user and voice recording time.

[52] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a guide message about reservation transmission to the calling terminal (S319), and receives a response to the guide message (S321). The guide message about reservation transmission is "For prompt transmission, press the button #1, and for reservation transmission, press the button #2", for example. In case that the caller selects reservation transmission, the IP server 101 transmits a guide message for setting the reservation time and receives a response to the guide message.

[53] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the mobile switching center 200 to release a call with the calling terminal (S323), and the mobile switching center 200 transmits the call release signal to the calling terminal (S325).

[54] Meanwhile, if the caller selects the prompt transmission in the step S321, the IP server 101 transmits an outbound call setup request to the international gateway switching center 220 connected over El or Tl (S327). The international gateway switching center 220 transmits a call connecting request to a called party switching center of the foreign country over the international switching network 300 according to the outbound call setup request of the IP server 101 (S329).

[55] The called party switching center of the foreign country transmits the call setup request to the called terminal (S331), and receives a call setup response from the called terminal (S333). Subsequently, the called party switching center of the foreign country transmits a call connecting response to the international gateway switching center 220 over the international switching network 300 (S335).

[56] The international gateway switching center 220 receives the call connecting response from the called party switching center of the foreign country over the international switching network 300 and transmits an outbound call setup response to the IP server 101 (S337). Thus, a traffic channel is established between the IP server 101 and the called terminal of the foreign country.

[57] The IP server 101 loads the voice message recorded by the caller and stored in the database server 107, and plays the voice message to the called terminal through the traffic channel (S339).

[58] After playing all the voice message, the IP server 101 transmits the call release signal to the international gateway switching center 220, and the international gateway switching center 220 transmits the call release signal to the called party switching center of the foreign country over the international switching network 300. The called party switching center of the foreign country receives the call release signal, transmits the call release signal to the called terminal, and finally disconnects the traffic channel between the IP server 101 and the terminal of the called user of the foreign country (S341).

[59] Meanwhile, if the caller selects the reservation transmission in the step S321, the

APS 103 for scheduling the voice message transmission transmits a voice message transmitting request to the IP server 101 when the reservation transmission time set by the caller approaches. And, the IP server 101 performs the above-mentioned steps S327 to S341.

[60] After the traffic channel between the IP server 101 and the terminal of the called user of the foreign country is disconnected, the IP server 101 informs the APS 103 of voice message transmitting completion. The APS 103 is informed of the voice message transmitting completion, writes a voice message transmitting completion message and transmits the voice message transmitting completion message to the calling terminal through the SMSC 260.

[61]

[62] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a procedure that the caller connects to the international message call service system and sets an international call reservation time using a predetermined feature code, and the international message call service system automatically connects a call between the caller and the called user of the foreign country at the reservation time in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[63] As shown in FIG. 4, when the caller intends to reserve an international call with the called user of the foreign country, the caller inputs a feature code (for example, *02) for setting a call reservation, international call identification number, called country number and telephone number of the called user, into the terminal of the caller to connect to the IP server 101 of the international message call service system (S401). This process is performed in the same manner as the steps S301 to S311 of FIG. 3, and thus its detailed description is omitted.

[64] After a traffic channel is established between the calling terminal and the IP server

101, the IP server 101 recognizes that the corresponding call is for a call reservation service based on the feature code and transmits a call reservation setting guide message to the calling terminal (S403). The guide message is "KTF international message call. For reservation in 1 hour, press the button #1, and for reservation at a specific time, press the button #2", for example. [65] Subsequently, the calling terminal receives the reservation time input by the user and transmits the reservation time to the IP server 101 (S405). And, the IP server 101 stores call reservation information in the database server 107 (S407). At this time, after reservation is set, the IP server 101 may transmit a setting completion guide message to the calling terminal. Here, the call reservation information includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number, the telephone of the called terminal or the call reservation time (including call reservation date).

[66] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the calling terminal through the switching center to release the call with the calling terminal (S409).

[67] Subsequently, the APS 103 for scheduling requests call connection to the IP server

101 according to the call reservation time stored in the database server 107 (S411). At this time, a call connecting request includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number or the telephone number of the called user.

[68] The IP server 101 transmits a call setup request to the calling terminal through the mobile switching center 200 at the call connecting request of the APS 103 (S413). And, when the calling terminal responds to the call setup request (S415), the IP server 101 transmits a guide message for checking the acceptance or rejection of a reservation call to the calling terminal (S417).

[69] If the caller accepts the reservation call (S419), the IP server 101 transmits a dial tone to the calling terminal (S421), and then transmits a call setup request to the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country through the international gateway switching center 220 and the international switching network 300 (S423).

[70] The called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call setup request to the called terminal and receives a response to the call setup request (S425). And, the called terminal of the foreign country transmits a call setup response to the IP server 101 through the international switching network 300 and the international gateway switching center 220 (S427).

[71] The IP server 101 receives the call setup response from the called terminal of the foreign country, and then mixes the call between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country and connects the call (S429).

[72]

[73] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a procedure of storing a telephone conversation using a predetermined feature code when the caller makes an international call in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[74] As shown in FIG. 5, when the caller makes an international call with the called user of the foreign country, first the caller inputs a feature code (for example, *03) for storing the telephone conversation in real time, the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user, and makes a call. Thus, the calling terminal transmits a call setup request including the feature code, the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user, to the mobile switching center 200 (S501).

[75] The mobile switching center 200 receives the call setup request and recognizes that the corresponding call is to be connected to the international message call service system based on the international call identification number included in the call setup request. And, the mobile switching center 200 requests routing information toward the international message call service system to the HLR 250 (S503).

[76] The HLR 250 transmits the routing information toward the international message call service system to the mobile switching center 200 in response to the routing information request (S505).

[77] The mobile switching center 200 transmits a call connecting request to the IP server 101 of the international message call service system based on the routing information (S507). At this time, the call connecting request transmitted from the mobile switching center 200 to the IP server 101 includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the feature code, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user. The IP server 101 recognizes based on the feature code that the caller requested to store the telephone conversation in real time.

[78] The IP server 101 transmits the call setup request to the called party switching center 320 through the international switching network 300 according to the feature code included in the call connecting request (S509). Thus, the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call setup request to the called terminal (S511).

[79] Subsequently, the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country receives a call setup response from the called terminal (S513), and transmits the call setup response to the IP server 101 over the international switching network 300 (S515).

[80] The IP server 101 transmits a call connecting response to the mobile switching center 200 (S517), and the mobile switching center 200 transmits the call setup response to the calling terminal to establish a traffic channel between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country (S519).

[81] The IP server 101 stores the telephone conversation between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country through the traffic channel (S521) and transmits the stored telephone conversation to the database server 107 (S523).

[82]

[83] FIG. 6 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of recording and transmitting a voice message, in the case of a call unavailable state of the called user, when making an international call, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[84] As shown in FIG. 6, first the caller inputs the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user into the terminal of the caller, and makes a call. Thus, the calling terminal transmits a call setup request including the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user, to the mobile switching center 200 (S601).

[85] The mobile switching center 200 receives the call setup request and recognizes that the corresponding call is to be connected to the international message call service system based on the international call identification number included in the call setup request. And, the mobile switching center 200 requests routing information toward the international message call service system to the HLR 250 (S603).

[86] The HLR 250 transmits the routing information toward the international message call service system to the mobile switching center 200 in response to the routing information request (S605).

[87] The mobile switching center 200 transmits a call connecting request to the IP server 101 of the international message call service system based on the routing information (S607). At this time, the call connecting request transmitted from the mobile switching center 200 to the IP server 101 includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user.

[88] The IP server transmits the call setup request to the called party switching center of the foreign country over the international switching network 300 (S609). The called party switching center of the foreign country transmits a call setup response including call unavailable state information to the IP server 101 over the international switching network 300 (S611). Here, the call unavailable state includes power-off, busy signal or deviation of a service area.

[89] The IP server 101 transmits a call connecting response indicating the call unavailable state of the called terminal to the mobile switching center 200 (S613). The mobile switching center 200 transmits a call setup response indicating the call unavailable state of the called terminal to the calling terminal (S615).

[90] Subsequently, the caller inputs a DTMF key for recording a voice message, and the calling terminal transmits a DTMF key signal to the IP server 101 through the mobile switching center 200 (S617).

[91] The IP server 101 transmits a recording guide message to the calling terminal according to the DTMF key signal (S619). That is, the guide message "KTF international message call. After the tone, please record and press the pound key. Beep-", for example. [92] Subsequently, the calling terminal receives the voice input by the user and transmits the voice to the IP server 101, and the IP server 101 records the transmitted voice (S621). At this time, after recording is completed, the IP server 101 may transmit a recording completion guide message to the calling terminal.

[93] The IP server 101 stores the recorded voice message and information of the recorded voice message in the database server 107 (S623). Here, information of the recorded voice message includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number, the telephone number of the called user or the voice recording time.

[94] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a guide message about reservation transmission to the calling terminal (S625), and receives a response to the guide message (S627). The guide message about reservation transmission is "For prompt transmission, press the button #1, and for reservation transmission, press the button #2", for example. If the caller selects the reservation transmission, the IP server 101 transmits a guide message for setting the reservation time to the calling terminal and receives a response to the guide message.

[95] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the calling terminal through the mobile switching center 200 to release the call with the calling terminal (S629).

[96] Meanwhile, if the caller selects the prompt transmission in the step S627, the IP server 101 transmits an outbound call setup request to the international gateway switching center 220 connected over El or Tl (S631). The international gateway switching center 220 transmits the call setup request to the called terminal through the international switching network 300 and the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country according to the outbound call setup request of the IP server 101 (S633).

[97] Subsequently, the international gateway switching center 220 receives the call setup response from the called terminal through the international switching network 300 and the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country and transmits an outbound call setup response to the IP server (S637). Thus, a traffic channel is established between the IP server 101 and the called terminal of the foreign country.

[98] The IP server 101 loads the voice message recorded by the caller and stored in the database server 107 and plays the voice message to the called terminal through the traffic channel (S639).

[99] After playing all the voice message, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the international gateway switching center 220. And, the international gateway switching center 220 transmits the call release signal to the called terminal through the international switching network and the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country and releases the call between the IP server 101 and the called terminal (S641).

[100] Meanwhile, if the caller selects the reservation transmission in the step S627, the

APS 103 for scheduling the voice message transmission requests to transmit the voice message to the IP server 101 when the reservation transmission time approaches. And, the IP server 101 performs the above-mentioned steps S631 to S641.

[101] After the call is released between the IP server 101 and the called terminal of the foreign country, the IP server 101 informs the APS 103 of the voice message transmitting completion. The APS 103 is informed of the voice message transmitting completion, and then the APS 103 may write a voice message transmitting completion message and transmit the voice message transmitting completion message to the calling terminal through SMSC 260.

[102]

[103] FIG. 7 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of executing a reservation call, in the case of a call unavailable state of the called user, when making an international call, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[104] Here, when the caller makes an international call through the international message call service system, in case that the called user is in a call unavailable state, the step S701 for inputting a DTMF key is performed in the same manner as the above- mentioned steps S601 to S617, and thus its detailed description is omitted.

[105] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the IP server transmits a call reservation setting guide message to the calling terminal according to the DTMF key signal (S703). The guide message is "KTF international message call. For setting reservation in 1 hour, press the button #1, and for setting reservation of a specific time, press the button #2", for example.

[106] Subsequently, the calling terminal receives the call reservation time input by the user and transmits the call reservation time to the IP server 101 (S705). And, the IP server 101 stores call reservation information in the database server 107 (S707). At this time, after reservation is set, the IP server 101 may transmit a setting completion guide message to the calling terminal. Here, the call reservation information includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number, the telephone number of the called user or the call reservation time (including the call reservation date).

[107] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the calling terminal through the mobile switching center 200 to release the call with the calling terminal (S709).

[108] Subsequently, the APS 103 for scheduling requests call connection to the IP server

101 according to the call reservation time stored in the database server 107 (S711). At this time, a call connecting request includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number or the telephone number of the called user.

[109] First, the IP server 101 transmits a call setup request to the calling terminal through the mobile switching center 200 according to the call connecting request of the APS 103 (S713). And, when the IP server 101 responds to the call setup request of the calling terminal (S715), the IP server 101 transmits a guide message for checking the acceptance or rejection of a reservation call to the calling terminal (S717).

[110] If the caller accepts the reservation call (S719), the IP server 101 transmits a dial tone to the calling terminal (S721), and transmits the call setup request to the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country through the international gateway switching center 220 and the international switching network 300 (S723).

[I l l] The called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call setup request to the called terminal, and receives a response to the call setup request (S725). And, the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits a call setup response to the IP server 101 through the international switching network 300 and the international gateway switching center 220 (S727).

[112] The IP server 101 receives the call setup response from the called terminal, and then mixes the call between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country and connects the call (S729).

[113]

[114] FIG. 8 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of storing a telephone conversation in real time at the request of the user during an international call in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[115] As shown in FIG. 8, for an international call with the called user of the foreign country, first the caller inputs the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user into the calling terminal and makes a call. Thus, the calling terminal transmits a call setup request including the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user, to the mobile switching center 200 (S801).

[116] The mobile switching center 200 receives the call setup request and recognizes that the corresponding call is to be connected to the international message call service system based on the international call identification number included in the call setup request. And, the mobile switching center 200 requests routing information toward the international message call service system to the HLR 250 (S803).

[117] The HLR 250 transmits the routing information toward the international message call service system to the mobile switching center 200 in response to the routing information request (S805).

[118] The mobile switching center 200 transmits a call connecting request to the IP server 101 of the international message call service system based on the routing information (S807). At this time, the call connecting request transmitted from the mobile switching center 200 to the IP server 101 includes the telephone number of the calling terminal, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user.

[119] Next, the IP server 101 transmits the call setup request to the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country through the international gateway switching center 220 and the international switching network 300 (S809), and the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call setup request to the called terminal (S811).

[120] Subsequently, the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country receives a call setup response from the called terminal (S813), and transmits the call setup response to the IP server 101 over the international switching network (S815).

[121] The IP server 101 transmits a call connecting response to the mobile switching center 200 (S817), and the mobile switching center 200 transmits the call setup response to the calling terminal to establish a traffic channel between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country (S819).

[122] In the case that the caller inputs the DTMF key for recording the telephone conversation in real time during the call between the caller and the called user of the foreign country, the calling terminal transmits a DTMF key signal to the IP server 101 (S821). Subsequently, the IP server 101 stores the telephone conversation (S823), and transmits the stored telephone conversation to the database server 107 (S825).

[123]

[124] FIG. 9 is a signal flowchart illustrating a method for providing an international message call service using the Internet network in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the international message call service system receives and stores the voice message from the calling terminal of its own country and transmits the voice message to an international message call service system of the foreign country over the Internet network, and the international message call service system of the foreign country directly makes an outbound call to the called terminal and plays the voice message to the called terminal.

[125] At this time, before a step shown in FIG. 9, the caller may connect to the international message call service system and record the voice message in the same manner as the steps S301 to S325 of FIG. 3 such that a caller subscriber inputs the feature code (for example, *01), the international call identification number, the called country number and the telephone number of the called user into the calling terminal to connect to the international message call service system and records the voice message.

[126] Alternatively, the caller subscriber may connect to the international message call service system and record the voice message in the same manner as the steps S601 to S629 of FIG. 6 such that, when the caller makes an international call using the international message call service system, in case that the called user of the foreign country is in a call unavailable state, the caller inputs the DTMF key and records the voice message.

[127] A step for transmitting the recorded voice message to the terminal of the called user of the foreign country over the Internet network is described with reference to FIG. 9.

[128] If the caller selects prompt transmission of the voice message, the IP server 101 transmits the recorded voice message to the international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country over TCP/IP based Internet network (S901).

[129] The international message call service system 400 of the foreign country transmits an outbound call setup request to the called party switching center 320 (S903), and the called party switching center 320 transmits a call setup request to the called terminal (S905).

[130] Subsequently, the called party switching center 320 receives a call setup response from the called terminal (S907), and transmits an outbound call setup response to the international message call service system 400 of the foreign country (S909). Thus, a traffic channel is established between the international message call service system 400 of the foreign country and the called terminal.

[131] The international message call service system 400 of the foreign country plays the voice message transmitted over the Internet network by the called terminal (S911).

[132] Meanwhile, if the caller selects reservation transmission, when the reservation transmission time set by the caller approaches, the APS 103 for scheduling the voice message transmission requests to transmit the voice message to the IP server 101. And, the IP server 101 performs the above step S901, and subsequently the above- mentioned steps S903 to S911 are performed.

[133] And, in the step shown in FIG. 9, the international message call service system 400 installed in the foreign country may transmit a receipt notification SMS message including a callback number to the terminal of the called user, and the called user may make a call with the callback number and hear the voice message.

[134] Meanwhile, although this example embodiment shows the international message call service system installed in the foreign country includes the configuration of FIG. 1, if "an international message call service system" is capable of storing the voice message received over the Internet network and processing an outbound call to the terminal of the called user to play the voice message, the international message call service system of the foreign country may be not limited to a specific call processing apparatus. [135]

[136] FIG. 10 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of converting a text message written by the caller in wire or wireless Internet environment into a voice message and transmitting it to the called user of the foreign country in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[137] As shown in FIG. 10, the caller connects to the WMAS 111 by the terminal over the wire or wireless Internet and logs in the WMAS 111 (SlOOl). The WMAS 111 displays a screen for an international message call service on the terminal of the caller (S 1003). The screen for an international message call service provides a menu for text message transmission and a menu for voice message transmission.

[138] After the caller selects the text message transmission, the caller inputs the telephone number of the caller, the country number of the foreign country, the telephone number of the called user of the foreign country, and the text message to be communicated to the called user of the foreign country (S 1005). At this time, the caller may select prompt transmission or reservation transmission.

[139] Subsequently, the WMAS 111 cooperates with the TTS server 105 to convert the text message inputted by the caller into a voice message (S 1007). And, the WMAS 111 stores the converted voice message and information of the voice message (including the telephone number of the caller, the country number of the foreign country, the telephone number of the called user of the foreign country, the transmission time and so on) in the database server 107 (S 1009).

[140] Subsequently, the WMAS 111 requests to transmit the voice message to the APS

103 for scheduling the voice message transmission (SlOI l), and thus the APS 103 requests to transmit the voice message to the IP server 101 (S 1013). At this time, the APS 103 schedules the voice message transmission based on the information of the voice message stored in the database.

[141] Subsequently, the IP server 101 transmits an outbound call setup request to the international gateway switching center 220 (S 1015), and the international gateway switching center 220 transmits a call connecting request to the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country over the international switching network 300 (S1017).

[142] The called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call connecting request to the terminal of the called user (S 1019), and receives a call connecting response from the terminal of the called user in response to the call connecting request (S 1021).

[143] Subsequently, the called party switching center 320 of the foreign country transmits the call connecting response to the international gateway switching center 220 over the international switching network 300 (S 1023), and the international gateway switching center 220 transmits an outbound call setup response to the IP server 101 (S 1025). Thus, a traffic channel is established between the IP server 101 and the terminal of the called user of the foreign country.

[144] The IP server 101 loads the recorded voice message stored in the database server

107 and plays the voice message to the called terminal through the traffic channel (S 1027).

[145] After playing all the voice message, the IP server 101 transmits a call release signal to the international gateway switching center 220, and the international gateway switching center 220 transmits the call release signal to the called terminal through the international switching network 300 and the called party switching center of the foreign country to release the call between the IP server 101 and the called terminal (S 1029).

[146] After the call between the IP server 101 and the called terminal is released, the IP server 101 informs the APS 103 of the voice message transmitting completion. The APS 103 is informed of the voice message transmitting completion, and then the APS 103 may write a voice message transmission completion message and transmit the message to the calling terminal through the SMSC 260.

[147] Meanwhile, although FIG. 10 shows that the caller writes the text message in wire or wireless Internet environment, converts the text message into a voice message and transmits the voice message to the called user of the foreign country, the caller may connect to the WMAS 111 over the wire or wireless Internet, directly record a voice message and transmit the voice message to the terminal of the called user of the foreign country. In this case, the WMAS 111 may store the voice message recorded by the caller and information of the voice message (including the telephone number of the caller, the country number of the foreign country, the telephone number of the called user of the foreign country, or the transmission time) in the database server 107 and then request to transmit the voice message thereby to perform the above steps SlOl 1 to S 1029.

[148] And, although FIG. 10 shows the voice message is transmitted to the terminal of the called user of the foreign country over the international switching network 300, the voice message may be transmitted to the called user of the foreign country over the Internet network. A step for transmitting the voice message to the called user of the foreign country over the Internet network is performed in the same manner as the steps S901 to S911 shown in FIG. 9.

[149] And, when the caller writes and transmits a text message in the mobile communication terminal, the international message call service system converts the text message into a voice message and transmits the voice message to the terminal of the called user of the foreign country over the international switching network or Internet network. For this purpose, the caller writes a text message, and then inputs a predetermined feature code (for converting a text message into a voice message), the international call identification number, the called country number, the telephone number of the called user and transmits the text message. The text message is transmitted to the IP server 101 through the SMSC 260, and the IP server 101 cooperates with the TTS server 105 to convert the text message into a voice message and stores the voice message in the database server 107. And, the IP server 101 transmits the converted voice message to the terminal of the called user over the international switching network or the Internet network. Industrial Applicability

[150] As described above, the present invention transmits a voice message recorded directly by the caller or a voice message converted from a text message transmitted by the caller to the called user of the foreign country over the international switching network or the Internet network, thereby solving the difficulties of telephone call caused by a time difference between countries and transmitting the caller's voice to the called user of the foreign country at any desired time.

[151] And, when making an international call, in case that the called user of the foreign country is in a call unavailable state, the present invention transmits the voice message to the called user of the foreign country or provides a call reservation service only by a simple key input, thereby solving the problem of unnecessary attempts to make an international call.

[152] Also, the present invention records the telephone conversation in real time during an international call, thereby taking a voice memo on an important conversation.

[153] Further, the present invention provides the international voice message service in wire or wireless Internet environment as well as in wire or wireless communication environment, and thus users can use the service at any time and space.

[154]

[155]

Claims

[1] A method for providing an international voice message service, which provides an international call service in a service system associated with a switching center cooperating with a home location register and an international gateway switching center cooperating with an international switching network, the method comprising:

(a) the switching center receiving a call setup request including an identification code for connection to the service system from a calling terminal and receiving routing information toward the service system from the home location register based on the identification code;

(b) the service system receiving a call connecting request from the switching center, and determining whether a predetermined feature code is included in the call connecting request;

(c) in the case that a feature code for recording a voice message is included in the call connecting request, the service system establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal in response to the call connecting request of the switching center, and receiving and recording a voice message of a caller from the calling terminal; and

(d) the service system establishing a traffic channel with a called terminal of a foreign country through the international gateway switching center and the international switching network, and playing the recorded voice message of the caller.

[2] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 1, further comprising: in the case that the feature code is not included in a determination result in the step (b), the service system transmitting the call setup request to a called party switching center of the foreign country through the international gateway switching center and the international switching network; the service system receiving a call unavailable state of a called user of the foreign country from the called party switching center of the foreign country and informing the calling terminal of the call unavailable state; and the service system receiving a key signal for recording a voice message from the calling terminal, and establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal to record the voice message of the caller.

[3] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: receiving voice message transmission reservation time information from the calling terminal, wherein, in the step (d), when a transmission reservation time approaches, the service system establishes a traffic channel with the called terminal of the foreign country to play the recorded voice message.

[4] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 1, further comprising: in the case that a feature code for a reservation call is included in the determination result in the step (b), the service system receiving and storing call reservation time information from the calling terminal; and when a call reservation time approaches, the service system establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal and a traffic channel with the called terminal of the foreign country, and mixing the traffic channels to connect a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal.

[5] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 1, further comprising: converting a text message received from the calling terminal into a voice message and storing the voice message.

[6] A method for providing an international voice message service, which provides an international call service and an international voice message service in a service system associated with a switching center cooperating with a home location register and an international gateway switching center cooperating with an Internet network, the method comprising:

(d) the service system transmitting a recorded voice message file to a call processing means installed in a foreign country and establishing a traffic channel with a called terminal to play the voice message, over the Internet network.

[7] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 6, further comprising: in the case that the feature code for recording a voice message is not included in a determination result of the step (b), the service system transmitting the call setup request to a called party switching center of the foreign country over the international switching network; the service system receiving a call unavailable state of a called user of the foreign country from the called party switching center of the foreign country and informing the calling terminal of the call unavailable state; and the service system receiving a key signal for recording a voice message from the calling terminal and establishing a traffic channel with the calling terminal to record the voice message of the caller.

[8] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: receiving voice message transmission reservation time information from the calling terminal, wherein, in the step (d), when a transmission reservation time approaches, the service system transmitting the recorded voice message file to the call processing means of the foreign country.

[9] The method for providing an international voice message service according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: the call processing means installed in the foreign country transmitting a short message (SMS) including a callback number to the called terminal; and the call processing means playing the voice message when the called terminal makes a call with the callback number.

[10] A system for providing an international voice message service, which provides an international call service and an international voice message service, the system comprising: a switching center for receiving a call setup request including an international call identification number from a calling terminal, requesting routing information to a home location register based on the international call identification number, and receiving the routing information accordingly; a call processing means for receiving a call connecting request from the switching center, determining whether a feature code for recording a voice is included in the call connecting request, and in the case that the feature code for recording a voice is included, responding to call connection to the switching center to establish a traffic channel with the calling terminal, and recording a voice message of a caller; a storage means for storing the recorded voice message and voice message in- formation; and an international gateway switching center for requesting call setup to a called terminal of a foreign country over an international switching network according to an outbound call setup request of the call processing means, and receiving a corresponding response to establish a traffic channel between the call processing means and the called user terminal, wherein the call processing means plays the voice message stored in the storage means to the called user terminal through the traffic channel.

[11] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 10, wherein, in the case that the feature code is not included in the call connecting request received from the switching center, the call processing means transmits an international call, and when receiving a call unavailable state of a called user of the foreign country from a called party switching center of the foreign country, the call processing means informs the calling terminal of the call unavailable state, receives a key signal for recording a voice message and records the voice message of the caller.

[12] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the call processing means receives voice message transmission reservation time information from the calling terminal, and wherein the system further comprises a scheduling means for requesting to transmit the recorded voice message to the call processing means when a transmission reservation time approaches.

[13] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 10, wherein, in the case that a feature code for a reservation call is included in the call connecting request received from the switching center, the call processing means establishes the traffic channel with the calling terminal to receive call reservation time information, and wherein the system further comprises a scheduling means for requesting to connect a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal of the foreign country when a call reservation time approaches.

[14] A system for providing an international voice message service, which provides an international call service and cooperates with an Internet network to provide an international voice message service, the system comprising: a switching center for receiving a call setup request including an international call identification number from a calling terminal, requesting routing information to a home location register based on the international call identification number, and receiving the routing information accordingly; a call processing means for determining whether a predetermined feature code is included in the call connecting request received from the switching center, in the case that a feature code for recording a voice is included, responding to call connection to the switching center to establish a traffic channel with the calling terminal, recording a voice message of a caller and transmitting a recorded voice message file to another call processing means installed in a foreign country over the Internet network; and a storage means for storing the recorded voice message and voice message information.

[15] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 14, wherein, in the case that the feature code for recording a voice message is not included in the call connecting request received from the switching center, the call processing means transmits an international call, and when receiving a call unavailable state of a called user of the foreign country from a called party switching center of the foreign country, the call processing means informs the calling terminal of the call unavailable state, and receives a key signal for recording a voice message to record the voice message of the caller.

[16] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the call processing means receives voice message transmission reservation time information from the calling terminal, and wherein the system further comprises a scheduling means for requesting to transmit the recorded voice message to the call processing means of the foreign country when a transmission reservation time approaches.

[17] The system for providing an international voice message service according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the call processing means installed in the foreign country makes an outbound call with the called terminal of the foreign country to play the voice message transmitted over the Internet network.