WO2008065295A1

WO2008065295A1 - Telecommunication system allowing routing of a call to an unknown destination of the issuer of the said call

Info

Publication number: WO2008065295A1
Application number: PCT/FR2007/052390
Authority: WO
Inventors: Danielle Feuga; Eric Michau; Pascal Rolland; Fabrice Andre Dit Gallas
Original assignee: France Telecom
Priority date: 2006-11-30
Filing date: 2007-11-23
Publication date: 2008-06-05

Abstract

A communication system (1000) between a caller device (10) and at least one responder (11) and is characterized in that the user of the said caller device (10) has an access means to an interface device (13) with at least the one sought responder (11). According to the invention, such a system (1000) comprises:at least one internal database (15) wherein an identifier specific to each responder is associated with at least one information representative of said responder (11); extraction means (300) from the said at least one database (15) of the internal data of an identifier, called extracted identifier, associated with a routed information through the said interface device (13) and representative of the responder (11), switching means (12) capable of automatically routing (102) the said communication (103) toward the said responder (11), taking into account the said extracted identifier.

Description

Telecommunication system making it possible to route a call to an unknown destination of an issuer of said call The invention lies in the field of the management and the telephone connection of individuals wishing to come into contact with other hosted individuals in a public or private institution, for example a hospital, a clinic, a company, etc.

The invention lies, by extension, in the field of the management and telephone connection of individuals wishing to consult one or more interactive voice services made available to them by such an establishment, for example by means of a telephone number. specific call.

More specifically, the invention relates to an automated system for establishing a communication between a calling device and a sought-after interlocutor in a facility of complex organizational structure, by means of a unified and interactive access. In the remainder of the presentation, we will generally designate by organization, any grouping of interlocutors (employees, patients, for example) belonging to the same organizational structure of public, private or associative nature, which can be located in one or on several geographical sites and likely to receive each incoming telephone calls, through a standard of said organization, for example.

An interlocutor can be a natural person, such as an employee of a company or a patient of a hospital, or a group of such persons, such as a department of a hospital or an administration.

Such an organization can take the form of a simple illustrative and non-limiting example:

"a hospital establishment;" a clinical establishment; "an enterprise;" an association; "a village or a holiday center;

"a network of people, etc." To handle all incoming calls, the vast majority of organizations use a private branch exchange, better known by its abbreviation PABX, for "Private Automatic Branch eXchange".

Such a private telephone exchange is provided with means for performing a voice call switching and thus represents a keystone of a central office, in that it can mainly manage: "a distribution of incoming telephone calls;" a routing outgoing phone calls; "an administration of the park of the telephone terminals;" a predefined set of SDA numbers (for "Direct Selection on Arrival") which can be respectively assigned to each of the terminals hosted by the organization.

The invention follows from the following considerations, resulting from the work of the inventors. However, if the use of a PBX allows management of incoming calls and their direct or indirect redistribution from the host station or posts, such a switch has the main disadvantage of being sensitive to a call. large influx of simultaneous calls.

Such an influx usually results in congestion of the switch and overload of the operator or operators assigned to the organization, which must then relieve the switch by ensuring themselves the telephone response.

This is all the more critical when the switchboard operators simultaneously perform a function of physical reception of visitors, the management of such an increase in incoming telephone calls being most often at the expense of the quality of service provided by the customer. organization concerned (clinic, hospital, public or private enterprise, for example). In other cases, the influx of a very large number of calls to a single site leads the organization to outsource the call processing, inducing significant outsourcing costs simultaneously with a loss of quality control. in the establishment.

To try to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks and thus contribute to improving the management of incoming calls, including in case of influx of incoming calls, without, however, altering the quality of the telephone and / or physical reception service rendered to the persons, a technical approach based on an enrichment of the PBX by means of a software program was considered.

A telephone exchange thus enriched allows in particular to limit the intervention of the switchboard operator by offering the possibility to an outside caller, to access all the services of an organization, including the personalized access to the persons accommodated within this last, through a plurality of interactive voice commands.

A first disadvantage of such an approach is that it involves the implementation of a proprietary software application and totally dependent on the telephone switch, which is an obstacle to its scalability and portability of a private telephone switch. to another, without the intervention of a private installer and / or approved, often complex and generally expensive from the financial point of view.

In addition, such an approach restricts access to only the DID numbers administered by an organization's enhanced PBX, which allow an outside caller to call only internal extensions of the organization, without having to go through the call. standard of the latter. In no case will it be possible to direct an incoming call to an extension number that is not directly part of the pool of DID numbers managed by the organization's enhanced private branch exchange, for example to the mobile communication terminal. a nomadic employee belonging to the latter.

Such an approach has the additional disadvantage of being incompatible with the constraints of security and confidentiality required by certain categories of organization, for example type hospital or clinical. When a new patient is admitted to a clinic, his or her file is assigned an available DID number belonging to the pool of DID numbers administered by the private branch exchange of that institution. establishment. The patient then communicates this phone number to his relatives who can then reach him directly in his room, without having to go through the clinic's standard.

However, experience shows that it often happens that some knowledge of the patient is still trying to reach him even after the patient's stay is over.

However, if in the meantime the number of this patient has been reassigned to another patient, it is this new patient who will be unnecessarily disturbed, which also poses problems managing the confidentiality of patients.

In an attempt to mitigate the last aforementioned drawback, certain organizations of the clinical or hospital type, choose to manage a number of SDA numbers much higher than that corresponding to the number of physical telephone sets they actually host, so as to avoid the aforementioned problem by providing that an SDA number assigned to a first patient and made available at the end of the patient's stay, can not be reassigned to a new patient, before several days or weeks have elapsed after the release of the first patient. Such a measure ensures a level of security and confidentiality in the management of patients.

However, this measure is reflected in a very heavy administrative and organizational management of the SDA numbers for the clinical or hospital establishment and therefore, a financial cost of exploitation often significant and not negligible for such establishments that can accommodate and host several hundreds to several thousand patients simultaneously.

The present invention offers a solution that does not have the drawbacks mentioned above, by proposing a communication system between a calling device (for example a mobile communication terminal) and at least one recipient interlocutor, which is capable of enabling management automated access to interlocutors sought in a complex structure organization, for example a physical entity of the type hospital, clinical, company, regardless of a specific direct line number associated with the terminal, the interlocutor sought.

We recall here that an interlocutor can be a natural person, such a employee of a company or patient of a hospital, or group of such persons, such as a department of a hospital or administration.

It is however understood that the invention can be applied by extension and in a nonlimiting manner, to the automated management of access to interlocutors grouped together within a "virtual" organization, that is not necessarily having a real physical existence and which would be formed of a network of individuals and / or predetermined services and with which a caller could enter into telephone communication, via the "virtual" organization (via a telephone server, for example). According to the invention, the user of said calling device having access means to an interface device with said at least one sought-after interlocutor, said system advantageously comprises:

at least one internal database in which an identifier specific to each recipient interlocutor is associated with at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor;

"extraction means from said at least one internal database of an identifier, said extracted identifier, associated with information transmitted by said calling device via said interface device and representative of the recipient interlocutor;

"switching means capable of automatically directing said communication to said recipient interlocutor, taking into account said extracted identifier.

Thus, when such a system is implemented within an organization, in that it can host a large number (from a few to several hundred or thousands) of individuals and / or services (here grouped under the more general notion of interlocutors) with whom people outside the organization may wish to establish a communication, this system advantageously allows them to reach all the interlocutors of the organization, in a unified way and without they need to know their respective hotline numbers.

Indeed, it is now sufficient for a calling user equipped with a terminal communication (fixed or mobile) to generate an incoming call to the system according to the invention, for example by dialing a unique telephone number made available by the organization to then access the interface device with which it can interact for transmitting to the system at least one input information data representative of the interlocutor with whom it wishes to communicate.

The input information thus transmitted by the user to the system is then conveyed to extraction means capable of processing and extracting from the internal database, for example a data base of the interlocutors (or base of the contacts ), the identifier associated with the receiving party sought by the calling user, taking account thereof.

The identifier thus extracted is then taken into account by the referral means to automatically direct the communication to the addressee and thus establish communication between the latter and the calling user.

Advantageously, such an approach according to the invention is thus distinguished from the known systems of the prior art, whether of the private telephone exchange or telephone directory type, by means of which a connection with an identified interlocutor can be performed by an operator or a switchboard operator.

Indeed, the capacity of an office PBX of an organization, even enriched with specific software tools, is limited to the management of the pool of its SDA numbers (for "Direct Selection on Arrival"), which are previously assigned to communication terminals of one or more interlocutors working (doctors, nurses, for example) or hosted (patients) within the organization. Thus, such DID numbers can be directly dialed by a user external to the organization to join a terminal of a contact, certainly without having to necessarily go through the telephone switchboard of the organization, but with all of the aforementioned drawbacks .

In no case, moreover, such a private telephone exchange does not allow to offer to external users, a unified and independent access to its SDA numbers, to all interlocutors (individuals or services) that it manages, as permitted by the present invention.

The invention also distinguishes itself from the technical solutions implemented by the telephone inquiry services which, although accessible to the users by simple dialing of a single telephone number and while making it possible to switch an incoming call from a caller to an interlocutor whose number has been previously sought, most often involve the human intervention of an operator.

In addition, this type of technical solution known from the prior art only allows a monolithic search within a telephone directory, without the possibility of a more complex search, in particular on the basis of other criteria or combinations of criteria than those contained in said directory.

Such an intervention proves indeed necessary: i) to handle the request that the calling user will have communicated orally to the operator via his communication terminal, so that the latter can search the telephone numbers of the sought-after interlocutor and; ii) to switch, optionally and on acceptance of the calling user, the incoming communication to the terminal of the desired interlocutor.

Moreover, the technical solutions implemented by such directory directory services in no way allow, as in the present invention, an interaction between a user and a set of technical means can allow, from a simple incoming call to a unique access number made available by an organization, to interpret information or a combination of information representative of a desired recipient interlocutor, to then direct and automatically, this call incoming to the terminal of the intended recipient interlocutor. An additional advantage of the proposed technical solution therefore lies in the possibility of defining and / or parameterizing the voice commands that can be accessed through a communication system according to the invention, on the one hand, with respect to the criteria and / or combinations representative criteria of recipient contacts contained in the internal database of the interlocutors and, secondly and by extension, in the possibility of allowing personalization and / or adaptation of the telephone service rendered by the organization within which said system is implemented, almost in "real time". Finally, such a technical approach according to the invention is doubly advantageous in that it allows:

"on the one hand to be able to overcome the constraint of assigning a direct line number (temporary or permanent) to each interlocutor hosted within an entity, for example to a patient hosted for a stay of predetermined duration in a clinical setting, and therefore

"on the other hand, to promote a simpler, more rational and therefore more optimal management of the allocation of communication terminals to the interlocutors of an entity considered, without any risk of interference between them, the terminals managed by the system according to the invention no longer attached to direct line numbers, but directly to people able to use these terminals, respectively.

Preferably, the communication system according to the invention comprises means for automatically updating said at least one internal database, able to interact with at least some personal information data contained on a data medium. Such a support may especially and not exclusively be of the type:

"smart card;" magnetic card;

"electronic bracelet;" electronic data carrier.

Such a technical approach advantageously makes it possible, for example, to update automatically at least some information of a database of interlocutors concerning the patients of a clinical or hospital establishment, directly and without additional input, for example from information contained on their social security card, at the time of their admission and the creation of their file within that institution.

Preferably, the communication system according to the invention comprises means for synchronizing at least some of the information contained in said internal database, with corresponding information contained in at least one external database, respectively.

As an illustrative and non-limiting example taken in the hospital field, such an approach makes it possible in particular to authorize automatic synchronization of the data entered and / or updated in at least one database of the hospital information system in which the administrative and / or medical records of the patients are managed with the corresponding data contained in the internal database of the communication system according to the invention.

Advantageously, since said recipient interlocutor is an individual of a predetermined organization, said system comprises means for broadcasting in voice synthesis and for said calling device, at least one piece of information of availability of said recipient interlocutor within said organization.

Such availability information may for example relate to: "the presence / absence of said sought-after interlocutor;

"the time or hours of availability or visit of the recipient contact recipient within an organization (a company, a hospital, etc.);

"information that said person sought is no longer part of the organization in which it was possible to reach him before;

"information that the intended recipient is already in communication.

Such means of broadcasting in voice synthesis (or audio files) are particularly suitable for improving the quality of telephone service rendered by an organization to its various interlocutors. In an advantageous variant of the invention, said recipient interlocutor being an interactive voice service, said system comprises means for broadcasting in voice synthesis and for said calling device at least one piece of information data produced by said interactive voice service. . A further advantage of the system according to the invention concerns its capacity to be able to relate both individuals to each other, as well as individuals with interactive voice services capable of producing and / or delivering, in voice synthesis, information requested by a user. calling user. This is all the more interesting for certain categories of organizations, for example a company, which would like on the one hand to allow external individuals to reach its employees during opening hours and, on the other hand, to allow these same outsiders to benefit from a quality interactive voice service outside these hours of operation.

The representative information of said interlocutor may be one of the elements, or a combination of at least some of the elements belonging to the group comprising:

"the name of the said intended recipient interlocutor;" the first name of the said intended recipient interlocutor; "the name of the said organization to which the said intended recipient interlocutor belongs;

"the department and / or the department in which the said recipient recipient is located within the said organization;" at least one location information of the said intended recipient interlocutor. Thus, the calling user can advantageously interact with the interface device made available by the system according to the invention, by DTMF input on the keyboard of his terminal, or more easily by voice command, or again and advantageously, by a combination of the DTMF input with the execution of a voice command, to indicate, with which interlocutor of an organization he wishes to enter into communication.

Such a technical approach according to the invention is all the more relevant since it enables the user of the calling device to establish automatically and without the intervention of an operator or a switchboard operator, a telephone call with a desired interlocutor, without any further need to know the number of the direct line of this interlocutor within the organization on which he depends. Advantageously, said interface device is of the interactive voice server type comprising voice recognition means capable of interpreting said at least one information transmitted by said calling device and transforming it into at least one input data having an interpretable format. by said extraction means. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said extraction means form voice recognition engine contained in said interface device, for interpreting said at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor transmitted via said calling device and thus extracting said identifier associated. In a particular embodiment of the invention, said extracted identifier is a direct dialing number (DID) belonging to a predetermined set of DID numbers managed by a private telephone exchange for managing incoming and outgoing calls. an organization. In such an embodiment, the technical advantage lies on the one hand in the possibility of assigning to the interlocutors referenced in the internal database of the interlocutors of an organization, DID numbers usually managed by a private telephone exchange (from PABX type, for example) and, secondly, to be able to limit the management of the number of SDA numbers to only the number of interlocutors contained in the database, or only to the actual number of terminals hosted by said organization.

Indeed, according to the invention, there is now associated an identifier, for example a DID number, no longer to an organization's communication terminal, but directly to a contact managed within said organization.

Such a technical advantage further contributes to improving the privacy management that surrounds category-based people. organizations, including clinics, hospitals, research centers, etc.

Indeed, the fact of seamlessly associating a DID number managed by a private branch exchange of a clinic or a hospital, no longer to the telephone terminal located in the room of a first patient, but to at least one information representative of the latter, in the internal database of the communication system according to the invention, then allows to be able to reassign this number directly to a second patient, once the stay of the first patient is completed, without more risk than this second patient is disturbed by the calls of persons who would still seek to communicate with the first patient without knowing that he has left his room.

An additional advantage of the system according to the invention also relates to its ability to automatically direct an incoming call directly to the terminal of a desired interlocutor and without discrimination of the type thereof, as opposed to known solutions of the prior art. This is possible in that said extracted identifier can be indifferently of the type belonging to the group comprising:

"a number of a mobile communication terminal of said interlocutor;" a number of an external telephone terminal of said interlocutor; "a number of an internal telephone terminal of said interlocutor;" an IP address associated with an internal / external communication terminal of said interlocutor;

Thus, when the retrieval means transmit to the referral means such an identifier associated with a desired interlocutor, the latter will directly and automatically direct the incoming call to the number of the terminal of the requested interlocutor, so that communication with the latter is initiated.

A further advantage of the approach according to the invention and which does not appear in the known solutions of the prior art, therefore relates to the multiple character of the type of identifier that can be associated in the database (of contacts) to an interlocutor, this identifier can be both the SDA number of a private branch exchange, the direct line number of a fixed telephone or a mobile terminal, an IP address (for "Internet protocol" in English, or Internet Protocol in French), or any other identifier that can be used as a basis to automatically direct an incoming call to the right recipient.

This is particularly advantageous technically, at least for the following reasons.

Firstly, and contrary to the known systems of the prior art

(In particular based on private branch exchange), the communication system according to the invention allows users outside an organization to communicate with certain categories of people belonging to this organization without being attached to it physically.

To illustrate this last point, two examples of scenarios are proposed below, as simple illustrative and non-limiting examples of the benefits of the invention.

First scenario: a company E owns one or more physical sites, as well as a team of salespeople, nomadic by definition because of their professional activity.

If a customer wishes to communicate with one of these sales representatives, it will now be sufficient for him, thanks to the communication system according to the invention, to dial a single telephone number made available by the company E, to transmit by voice command the surname and first name of the commercial sought (see possibly other information representative of the latter) via its communication terminal.

The system according to the invention will then extract from the internal database of the interlocutors the identifier of the commercial sought, for example its mobile telephone number, to transmit it to the referral means which will then take it into account in order to direct the incoming call towards the portable terminal of the commercial sought.

It is therefore no longer necessary that customers of company E have to know the mobile phone numbers of sales representatives of the company with which it works (and more generally all the direct line numbers of potential partners of the company E), all incoming calls to the latter can now be centralized and managed using the communication according to the invention.

Second scenario: a traveler has taken out a holiday abroad with a travel agency. In his file, this traveler has communicated his mobile number. During the traveler's stay, if a relative is to communicate with the traveler, then he or she will only need to dial a single phone number provided by the traveler's travel agency and / or residence hotel, then to transmit a voice command requesting the telephone connection with the traveler (indication of the name, destination, or any other representative combination of the traveler).

From this information transmitted by the close, the system is automatically responsible for directing the incoming call to the communication terminal of the traveler whose number has been previously communicated by the latter to the travel agency and informed accordingly in the base interlocutors system according to the invention, implemented within the travel agency or the hotel hosting the traveler.

Once our traveler's vacation has ended, it can be automatically erased from the base of contactable contacts with the travel agency's communication system, as well as the number of the communication terminal he has communicated.

It will therefore be readily understood that another advantage of the communication system according to the invention and as opposed to the known systems of the prior art, is related to the ability of the latter to authorize almost automatic updates of the base of the internal data of the addressees of an organization, both in a very simple way and without the need for external intervention, which tends to contribute a little more to the improvement of the telephone service rendered to users external to said organization.

Preferably, the communication system according to the invention comprises means for collaboration with at least one predetermined type of information system, capable of capturing modifications of at least certain information data carried out in said information system, for update the corresponding and / or dependent information in said database contact data.

Such a technical approach for interfacing the communication system according to the invention with at least one information system of a given organization (a hospital information system, or a company, for example) is particularly interesting in this respect. that it makes it possible to avoid on the one hand redundancy of seizure and, on the other hand, to favor the synchronization of information.

Advantageously, said predetermined type of information system being of the hospital information system type managing at least one patient directory file, said at least some information data captured by said means of collaboration with said system of information. information for updating said interlocutor database, belong to the group comprising:

"the patient's name;" the patient's name;

"the date of the beginning and end of the patient's stay;

"the telephone number of the patient's room.

Thus, by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, if today's date is validated in the hospital information system as being the end-of-stay date of a hospitalized patient, this information will be taken into account by the communication system according to the invention with which the hospital information system is interface, the communication system then being responsible for erasing the patient from the caller's database and making available the internal line number assigned to this patient for subsequent assignment to a new patient.

The invention also relates to a method of communication between a calling device and at least one recipient contact via an interface device.

According to the invention, such a method comprises: a step of transmitting from said calling device and to said interface device, at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor; "a search step in an internal database of an identifier, said extracted identifier, associated with said recipient interlocutor, said search step taking account of said at least one transmitted information;" a referral step to automatically direct said communication to said recipient interlocutor, taking into account said extracted identifier.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the search step 23 is carried out in an internal data file and format GRXML (for "Grammar XML" in English or XML grammar, in French), which is built with the data set of the internal database.

The advantage of such an approach according to this embodiment lies in the fact that the search in the GRXML file on the basis of voice control allows on the one hand to optimize the result of the search and, on the other hand, to speed up the processing of the voice command since it is no longer necessary to query the entire internal database.

The GRXML file will be modified only when an update of the database will be performed.

The invention also relates to a computer program product downloadable from a communication network and / or stored on a computer readable and / or executable information carrier by a microprocessor.

According to the invention, such a program comprises program code instructions for executing the steps of the aforementioned method of communication between a calling terminal and at least one intended recipient interlocutor, when it is executed within said communication system mentioned above. .

Other features and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the description given below, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate exemplary embodiments which are in no way limiting in nature and in which: FIG. 1 presents the general architecture and the general scheme of operation of the communication system according to the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates the main steps of the communication method according to the invention;

As illustrated in FIG. 1, which presents a general architecture and a general diagram of the operation of the communication system according to the invention in the context of an illustrative and nonlimiting example of implementation of a voice service allowing a user to access by voice command to all the interlocutors (patients, hospital staff, etc.) of a health facility, by means of a unique home number.

Thus and beyond access to hospital services (doctors, specialties, administrative services) and the possibility of information dissemination (schedules - access plan to the hospital) by voice synthesis or even thanks to one or more sound file (s) containing a prerecorded human voice, the implementation of such a communication system according to the invention in a hospital facility also allows the automated establishment of a communication between the communication terminal of a calling user and a communication terminal associated with a patient, without any need for the calling user to know the number of the direct line of the communication terminal equipping the room in which the patient is located (contact recipient of the call). For this, it is now sufficient for the calling user by means of his terminal to state at least one piece of information representative of the recipient contact with whom he is seeking to establish a communication, for example by stating the last name and last name of the latter, to establish a voice command which will be processed and executed by a voice interface of the communication system according to the invention.

Thus, the block diagram of the communication system according to the invention can be summarized as follows, with reference to FIG. 1, which relates to a preferred embodiment of the system according to the invention:

a calling user dials a unique number (eg a special number) for access to the services and / or interlocutors (patients 11, staff, etc.) hosted by an institution of the clinical type; "the call is routed to an interface device 13 (voice platform) with resources 130 recognition and speech synthesis and through which the caller can interact vocally;

the voice platform 13 interrogates an application server 14 in order to recover VXML files (for "Voice XML" in English or XML voice file, in French) corresponding to the called service and GRXML grammars associated with speech recognition expressions for navigating in the service and data of the directory (s) of the service (extracted from the directory base 15) The voice platform 13 interprets this recovered data in order to execute the voice dialogue according to the choices of the caller 10; Voice interaction with the interface device (voice platform) is therefore based on VXML files (for "Voice eXtended Markup Language") and XML grammars - GRXML able to contain or use on the one hand the data contained in the internal database 15 and to allow, on the other hand, the search for a service or a recipient interlocutor through the system according to the invention. Thus, when the caller pronounces, for example, the first name and the name of the interlocutor with whom he wishes to communicate, this information is analyzed by the voice recognition engine 130 which takes care of extracting the telephone number ( identifier) of the requested person and transmit it to the switching means 12 via the interface device 13; "switching means 12 automatically redirect the communication 103 initiated by the user 10 to the recipient interlocutor 11, taking into account the extracted identifier, in the illustrative and nonlimiting example of FIG. application of the communication system to the management of the incoming communications of a hospital facility, the database containing all the interlocutors (patients, hospital staff, etc.) that can be attached within said hospital facility can be updated remote.

Such an update can advantageously operate by synchronization 19 of the internal database 15 with at least one base 18 external data of a hospital information system 104 forming the patient records management system of said hospital. In particular, such a synchronization 19 can be performed automatically at regular intervals of time via a Web Service. Such synchronization between the data of the internal database of the interlocutors and the external data base 18 (of the external information system 104, for example of the information system and hospital management system) can be initiated, in a variant possible, at the end of each creation / update made in a patient file of the hospital information system 104, by a person 101 of an administrative secretariat.

It is understood that the block diagram of operation of the communication system exemplified for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, in the context of implementation in a hospital facility, is transferable to any other type of public or private organization led to manage a large number (from a few to a few thousand) of interlocutors (employees, services, etc.) with whom people outside the organization are likely to want to communicate.

The advantages of such a communication system implemented within an organization (company, association, hospital, clinic, etc.) according to the invention are multiple and the main ones are described below:

"one access number to reach all departments or interlocutors of the organization;

"a decrease in calls through the telephone switchboard of the organization, which promotes the physical reception and quality of service;" when a PBX is implemented within the organization, a suppression of the management of rotating DDI numbers in favor of a more rational and therefore economically more interesting management for the organization; "a synchronization update with at least some of the data from an external contact management database (persons and voice services) that can be attached within the organization; "perfect independence with a private PBX set up within the organization;

"an opportunity to integrate in the communication system management and automated redirection of an incoming call to interlocutors outside the organization in which said system is implemented

(eg with secretariats or staff outside the organization). Such a possibility is all the more advantageous in that it enables the system according to the invention to authorize the automatic redirection of an incoming call from a calling user to the mobile terminal of an interlocutor traveling outside.

a simpler, faster and less costly management of the financial point of view for the organization implementing the system according to the invention, notably thanks to the possibility of interfacing (for example by means of a Web Service) a directory of interlocutors external to the communication system and belonging to a third party information system, possibly remote, so as to allow automatic synchronization of data relevant to the operation of the communication system according to the invention and representative of interlocutors likely to the total independence of the communication system according to the invention with the equipment manufacturers (communication terminals, etc.) and with the software editors, the Web Service authorizing interfacing. Relatively flexible and easy to implement the internal database of the recipient interlocutors with a system of external information, for example with the input / output software of a hospital information system.

In addition, the provision of external users to the organization of an interface allowing voice recognition to find a contact with whom a calling user wishes to communicate is easier and easier to use, but also more intuitive which tends to facilitate access management. Such an approach according to the invention based on voice recognition for finding an interlocutor within an organization, with a view to the automated establishment of a communication with the latter, contributes to an innovative image and quality from the organization itself to the outsiders.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the invention also relates to a method of communication between a calling device 20 and at least one receiving party 21 via an interface device 12. According to the invention, such a method comprises: a step 22 of transmitting, from said calling device and to the voice platform 13, at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor;

a step 23 of search in an internal data file

(GRXML file - built with the data of the internal database 15) of an identifier, said extracted identifier associated with said recipient interlocutor 21, said search step 23 taking account of said at least one transmitted information.

"As previously stated, voice interaction with the voice platform is based on VXML files (for" Voice eXtended Markup Language ") and XML grammars -

GRXML able to contain or use on the one hand the data contained in the internal database 15 and to allow, on the other hand, the search for a service or a recipient interlocutor via the system according to the 'invention. Thus, when the caller pronounces, for example, the first name and the name of the interlocutor with whom he wishes to communicate, this information is analyzed by the voice recognition engine 130 which takes care of extracting the telephone number ( identifier) of the requested person before serving as input information for the next referral step 24; a switching step 24 for automatically directing said call to said recipient party, taking into account said extracted identifier, so as to automatically establish communication between the calling device and the terminal 26 of the receiving party.

Claims

A system (1000) for communication between a calling device (10) and at least one receiving party (11), characterized in that the user of said calling device (10) having access means to a device ( 13) interface with said at least one sought-after interlocutor (11), said system (1000) comprises:

at least one internal data base (15) in which an identifier specific to each recipient interlocutor is associated with at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor (11);

means (130) for extracting from said at least one base

(15) internal data of an identifier, said extracted identifier, associated with information transmitted via said calling device (10) via said interface device (13) and representative of the recipient interlocutor (11);

"switching means (12) capable of directing (102) automatically said communication (103) to said recipient (11), taking into account said extracted identifier.

2. System (1000) for communication according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for automatically updating said at least one base (15) of internal data, able to interact with at least some data of personal information contained on a data carrier.

3. System (1000) for communication according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises means (100, 101, 104) synchronization (19) of at least some of the information contained in said base (15) of internal data, with corresponding information contained in at least one external data base (18), respectively.

4. System (1000) for communication according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said interlocutor (11) recipient being an individual of a predetermined organization, said system comprises means for broadcasting in voice synthesis and for said calling device, at least one piece of information of availability of said recipient (11) interlocutor within said organization.

5. System (1000) communication according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said recipient interlocutor being an interactive voice service, said system comprises means of broadcast in voice synthesis and to said calling device, d at least one piece of information produced by said interactive voice service.

6. System (1000) for communication according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said extraction means (130) are of the speech recognition engine type contained in said device (13) interface, for interpreting said at least one piece of information representative of said receiving addressee transmitted via said calling device (10) and thus extracting said associated identifier.

Communication system (1000) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said extracted identifier is an incoming direct selection type (DID) number belonging to a predetermined set of DID numbers managed by a private branch exchange for managing incoming and outgoing calls from an organization.

8. A method of communication between a calling device (20) and at least one receiving party (21) via an interface device, characterized in that said method comprises:

"a step (22) of transmitting from said device (20) calling and destined for said interface device, at least one piece of information representative of said recipient interlocutor (21);" a step (23) of search in a base ( 15) of internal data of an identifier, said extracted identifier, associated with said interlocutor

(21) recipient, said step (23) of research taking into account said at least one transmitted information; "a switching step (24) for automatically directing said communication to said recipient interlocutor (21), taking into account said extracted identifier.

9. Computer program product downloadable from a communication network and / or stored on a computer readable and / or executable information medium by a microprocessor, characterized in that it comprises program code instructions for the performing the steps of the communication method between a calling terminal and at least one called party, according to claim 8, when executed within said communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.