JP2001237968A - Busy-call processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To announce an incoming call request from a caller to a callee and also to easily perform a return call even when a line is busy when the caller makes a call. SOLUTION: Data comprising a caller side telephone number and a callee side telephone number is stored in the report request register part 13 of a processor which is included in a telephone network when the line is busy. After the line is temporarily opened, a line monitor part 17 monitors the occupancy of the line to a callee side terminal. When the line becomes free, a calling part 16 performs calling through the use of the registered callee side telephone number. When an off-hook operation is performed at the callee side terminal, it is announced that an incoming call request exists by a voice message, the callee performs a prescribed operation and, then, a calling is automatically performed to a caller side terminal. Thus, the caller side telephone number is surely reported to the callee when the call is ended and the return call is easily performed in accordance with it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication network such as a telephone line network of a wired or wireless system, which is useful and novel for a user when a line for call connection for outgoing calls is blocked. The present invention relates to a busy processing system capable of providing a service.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An existing telephone network has a terminal line connecting an exchange installed in a telephone office to terminal equipment installed in each home, business office, etc., and an exchange between a plurality of telephone offices. Includes interconnecting trunk lines. Transit lines and relay equipment do not have the capacity for all telephone subscribers to talk at the same time. Is built on a scale that is economically feasible so that it can be connected as long as it is not busy (ie, not busy).

When a person (calling party) dials the number of the terminal of the other party (called party) on the calling side terminal to make a call, a line (subscriber) to the called side terminal is called. If there is a vacancy in all the sections of the line and the trunk line, the connection is made and the telephone becomes ready to talk. On the other hand, if a part of the line is also blocked (all lines are used), a so-called busy tone is returned to the calling terminal. When it is busy, it is not clear when the called party will be available to answer, so it is not desirable to keep the line that should be used in common unnecessarily occupied or put on hold. Therefore, when the user is busy as described above, the line is quickly opened to allow other subscribers to use the line.

[0004]

However, when a call is made that exceeds the use situation assumed in advance, specifically, calls are made intensively at a specific telephone number or a specific area. It is known that congestion occurs in such cases. For example, when a call to a specific area is concentrated due to a disaster such as a large earthquake, or when booking a concert ticket or applying for a quiz during a TV program, the call is made to the telephone reception center. It is often experienced when calls are concentrated. Particularly in recent years, telephones are often equipped with an automatic redial function, and a large number of re-calls are made continuously, so that such line congestion is becoming more serious.

When a call is made for the purpose of confirming safety during a disaster, even if the caller is busy when dialing,
If the fact that the call was placed is transmitted to the called party, the called party can make a return call. In general, at the time of this type of disaster, it is often difficult to make a call connection from an external area to a disaster area, but it is relatively easy to make a call connection from the disaster area to the external area. Also, if it is assured that the caller has been notified of the call on the caller side as well, it will not be easy to repeat the call again, greatly contributing to alleviation of congestion.

On the other hand, in the case of selling tickets, etc., if calls are temporarily concentrated and calls cannot be made, a person who wants to purchase a ticket cannot access the seller. It is also disadvantageous for the called party in terms of lost sales opportunities. Therefore, in such a case, it would be very advantageous if the called party could make a call back as quickly as possible to the caller who was busy and could not access the called party. large.

Further, the above-mentioned call is an example of a case where the urgency is relatively low, and it is possible to make a call again from the caller side or to wait for a return call from the called side. is there. However, in some cases, even if the caller is busy when the call is placed, recalling may be difficult or substantially impossible. Specifically, for example, when a caller who has suddenly illness calls the fire department or the welfare service department of the government office, etc., there is an illegal intruder at the caller's house and calls the police station, security security company, etc. In such a case, it is presumed that recall is almost impossible. Therefore, in such a situation, even if the calling party is busy when dialing, it is possible to promptly notify the called party of the requirement or at least that there is an incoming call request. desirable.

In order to solve such a problem, a system in which the called party has a room for talking with the called party even when the called party is busy has been operated. For example, in a call waiting system provided by NTT companies (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation and West Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), if there is an incoming call request of another call during a call, a special sound is mixed into the voice during the call, Notify that there is another incoming call. When the called party performs a predetermined operation on the terminal device, the exchange places the line for the first calling party on the first call on hold and sets the line for the second calling party later. Connect and make a call. Conversely, it is also possible to connect the line for the first caller and make a call possible while keeping the line for the second caller on hold.

However, this system is busy for the third and subsequent incoming requests, and cannot cope with the situation where the trunk line to the exchange on the called side is blocked. It is not enough to solve the problem.

When the desired called terminal is busy, a call is connected to a recording device installed at a processing center or the like by transfer, and a voice message of the caller is recorded on the recording device. , At any point after the call ends, the called party dials a specific number to listen to the recorded message,
Services similar to so-called answering machines (eg NTT
Magic boxes provided by each company) are also operated.

However, in the service for recording a message as described above, the called party must call the processing center or the like to listen to the message, which is not suitable for the above-mentioned urgent use. is there. In addition, the called party must bear the call charge to the center equipped with the recording device, and the contents are really necessary for the called party only after actually calling the processing center and listening to the message. The system is difficult to use for the called party because it cannot be determined whether or not the caller is the one.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a main object of the present invention is to enable a line to be opened and a call to be made even when a call is made while the line is blocked. A communication network capable of promptly and reliably notifying a called party of a request for an incoming call when a call is received, and allowing a caller to make a return call connection to the calling party simply and appropriately. To provide a busy call processing system.

[0013]

A first busy call processing system according to the present invention comprises one or a plurality of exchanges connected to each other by a trunk line, and one or more exchanges connected to each exchange via a terminal line. In a communication network including a plurality of terminals, when a certain calling terminal requests a call connection to a called terminal and the line for the connection is blocked, the call is processed. A) a storage means for storing, in response to a call from the calling terminal, information including identification numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal; An air / bus monitoring means for detecting that a connection to the called terminal has become available; c) opening a line after storing predetermined information in the storage means, and If it is detected that connection to the calling terminal has become possible, the called party Circuit control means for making a call connection to the other end; d) notifying means for sending at least a part of the information stored in the storage means to the called terminal after connection to the called terminal. , Are provided.

Further, in the second busy call processing system according to the present invention, in the first busy call processing system, the line network control means may further comprise, after notification by the notification means, And a function of assisting a return call to the calling terminal by using information stored in the storage means in response to a predetermined operation performed by the user.

In a third busy call processing system according to the present invention, in the first or second busy call processing system, a call charge for the return call is charged to the calling terminal. It is characterized by further comprising charging control means.

In a fourth busy call processing system according to the present invention, in the first busy call processing system, the line network control means stores the information in the storage means after the notification by the notification means. Making a call to the calling terminal using the information provided, and after the calling terminal responds, makes a call to the called terminal to connect with the calling terminal. It is characterized by performing.

In a fifth busy call processing system according to the present invention, in any one of the first to third busy call processing systems described above, the communication network includes a pre-call notification information after the call connection and before the call. E) is inserted into a terminal line connecting the calling terminal and the exchange, monitors the pre-call notification information before a call, and connects the calling terminal to the exchange. F) connected in parallel with said calling terminal to said terminal controller;
An information transmitting terminal for storing predetermined information in advance, wherein the terminal controller determines, when there is a return call from the called terminal, a determination result of the pre-call notification information accompanying the call. The information transmitting terminal receives an incoming call in response to the request, and the information transmitting terminal transmits predetermined information to the called terminal.

In a sixth busy call processing system according to the present invention, in the busy call processing system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, when the return call is made, a normal ringing tone is generated. It is characterized in that it can be distinguished from the ring tone at the time of a call.

A seventh busy call processing system according to the present invention includes a plurality of exchanges connected to one or more trunk lines and one or more terminals connected to each exchange via a terminal line. In a communication network that includes a call, a call originating terminal requests a call connection to a called terminal, and the call is processed when the line for the connection is blocked. In the call processing system, a) storing means for storing information including identification numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal; and b) detecting that connection with the called terminal has become possible. C) opening and closing a line after storing predetermined information in the storage means, and detecting that the connection is enabled by the air / fence monitoring means, and storing the information in the storage means. Information to the calling terminal. Was carried out, emitting called terminal is characterized in that it and a network control means for performing a call to the called terminal so as to connect the emitting called terminal after the response.

An eighth busy call processing system according to the present invention includes one or a plurality of exchanges connected to each other by a trunk line, and one or more terminals connected to each exchange via a terminal line. Busy call processing in a communication network, in which a certain calling terminal requests a call connection to a called terminal and the line for the connection is processed when the line for the connection is blocked. In the system, a) storage means for storing information including identification numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal in response to a call from the calling terminal; and b) connection to the called terminal. C) monitoring means for detecting that the state becomes possible, and c) releasing a line after storing predetermined information in the storage means, and connecting to a called terminal by the said means. When it is detected that the call can be made, a call connection is made to the called terminal. A) a network control means for performing; d) a notifying means for notifying the called terminal that a call connection request has been made at least when the line has been closed after the connection to the called terminal; and e) the notifying. Receiving a call-back call request from the called terminal receiving the call, and connecting the called terminal and the calling terminal using the identification number of the calling terminal stored in the storage means. And a return call connection assisting means.

According to a ninth busy call processing system according to the present invention, in the eighth busy call processing system, the notifying means is associated with an identification number of the calling terminal and is not the same as the auxiliary terminal. Sending back information including a number to the called terminal, wherein the return call connection assisting means specifies an identification number of the calling terminal according to the auxiliary number received at the time of the return call. I have.

According to a tenth busy call processing system of the present invention, in the eighth or ninth busy call processing system, the calling terminal selects non-notification in the pre-call number notification function. In this case, the notifying means and the return call connection assisting means operate.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the first busy call processing system according to the present invention, when a call is made from a calling terminal to a certain called terminal, any of the calls during the calling is performed. If the line is blocked and it is not possible to connect to the called terminal, the storage means stores information including the telephone numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal. Is released to restore to a state where other terminals and the like can use them.
Here, the information to be stored in the storage means includes, in addition to the telephone numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal, the calling date and time,
Record number, caller terminal type (subscriber phone, payphone,
Personal computer, facsimile transceiver, etc.),
This may include whether or not a return call is desired, whether or not the caller of the return call is charged for the call fee, and the like.

After the line is released, the line network control means intermittently or continuously connects the call from the system (at least the notification means) to the called terminal based on the information stored in the storage means. Check to see if it is possible.
Upon recognizing that the call connection has become possible, the circuit control means initiates a call to the called terminal, and if a response is received from the called terminal, connects the notifying means to the called terminal. I do. Thereafter, the notifying unit sends, for example, the telephone number of the calling terminal to the called terminal as at least a part of the information stored in the storage unit. The notification by the notification means can be performed by various methods.Specifically, for example, guidance by voice message, guidance by text by a number display service with expanded functions, guidance by text message to a designated facsimile transceiver,
Guidance by e-mail to the designated mail address can be used. When the telephone network is an ISDN network, a digital signal (communication channel:
The guide can be information transmission using information transmission by B-ch or control channel D-ch).

For this notification, the necessity of the guidance, the type of the notification method, and the like may be indicated by a dial operation or the like from the called terminal.

According to the first busy call processing system of the present invention, even if the calling party is busy when calling the called party, the incoming call can be received by the called party. The called party can know the telephone number and the like of the calling terminal immediately after the state becomes. Therefore, it is possible to take appropriate measures such as making a return call from the called party to the calling party as needed. Also, besides making a return call, specifically, for example, police stations, fire departments, security companies, etc., determine the address and the owner of the terminal device from the telephone number of the calling terminal and take charge of that address. Can be dispatched.

In addition, the present invention provides the above-mentioned convenience and increases the call loss (probability of being disconnected during a call) without increasing the public telephone network (communication facilities of a telecommunications carrier, telephone subscription, etc.). (The line of the user and the telephone terminal) can be reduced, and the effect of suppressing capital investment is also exhibited.
That is, in the facility planning of the public telephone network, the number of lines and the like are designed with a certain degree of vacancy (that is, a margin) under normal conditions so that the call loss is equal to or less than a certain standard.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, since it can be expected that useless calls can be suppressed and call loss can be reduced, the equipment scale of a public telephone network can be relatively reduced.

In the second busy call processing system according to the present invention, when the called party receives a notification and knows that there is an incoming call request while busy, and performs a predetermined operation, the called party receives the operation. The network control unit reads out the telephone number of the calling terminal stored in the storage unit and automatically makes a call. Therefore, the callee can quickly and easily make a return call to the caller without dialing.

Here, the predetermined operation is preferably an operation that is simple and easy to remember, such as hooking or dialing a short code. Also, a return call may be made at the time of guidance by various methods by the above-described notification means, or a line may be cut once after the guidance, and a return call may be made immediately thereafter. Good. In addition, whether or not to use such a function may be set for each terminal (in this case, the called terminal), or whether or not a return call is made each time a notification is received may be set. You may do so.

Further, according to the third busy call processing system of the present invention, when the calling party is to pay or wants to bear the call charge, the called terminal is busy. Therefore, when requesting a return call, the called party can make a return call without worrying about the burden of the call charge.

In the fourth busy call processing system according to the present invention, when the call of the called party ends and the line of the called terminal becomes empty, the line network control means is stored in the storage means. Automatically place a call to the phone number of the calling terminal
Automatically or upon receiving a predetermined operation after a response by the off-hook operation, the called terminal is called by the telephone number of the called terminal stored in the storage means. According to this configuration, for example, even when it is not possible to expect a quick return call from the called party, when the line on the called party becomes available and a call can be made, the calling party promptly returns from the calling party. Substantial recall can be made to the called party. Of course, if the called party is not near the terminal equipment when the called party's line becomes free, for example, no recall is made to the called party, and the called party is not thanked. Nothing to do.

In the fifth busy call processing system according to the present invention, the information transmitting / receiving terminal includes, for example, a voice message, a message based on character information (a number having expanded functions) in association with the telephone number of the called terminal. A display service, a text message for a designated facsimile transceiver, an e-mail for a designated mail address, and the like are stored in advance (at least before a call is returned from the called party). When a call is returned from the called terminal to the calling terminal, the terminal controller receives the pre-call notification information transmitted with the call, and the called party included in the pre-call notification information. When the telephone number of the terminal is extracted and it is confirmed that the call is from the desired called terminal, the information is transmitted to the information transmitting / receiving terminal instead of the calling terminal. Upon receiving a call, the information transmitting / receiving terminal reads the previously stored information and sends it to the called terminal via the line. Therefore, in this configuration, even in a situation where the caller cannot answer the call when the called party makes a call back, the message is stored in the information transmitting / receiving terminal in advance, so that The business can be reliably transmitted to the called party. It should be noted that a configuration may be adopted in which different types of messages are transmitted according to not only one certain called party but also the other party who made the call.

In the sixth busy call processing system according to the present invention, for example, an AC voltage 75
V, a pattern of 16 Hz continuous for 1 second and a pause of 2 seconds is repeated, and the ringing signal for the return call is a pattern in which the alternating voltage of 75 V, a frequency of 16 Hz is maintained for 1 second, and a pause of 1 second, the bell ringing interval is shorter And According to this, the caller can know before calling off-hook that the call originated from the other party who made the call first.

When the call of the called party by the fourth busy call processing system is completed and the line of the called terminal becomes empty, the line network control means calls the call stored in the storage means. Automatically initiates a call to the telephone number of the called terminal, and automatically or after receiving a response from the off-hook operation, receives the telephone number of the called terminal stored in the storage means The process of calling the called terminal by
It is not always necessary to notify the called party of information such as a telephone number in advance. That is, in the seventh busy processing system according to the present invention, when the line network control unit recognizes that the call connection is enabled by the idle / busy monitoring unit, the caller telephone number stored in the storage unit. Is used to make a call to the calling terminal, and a call is made to the called terminal after the off-hook operation is performed or a predetermined operation is performed at the calling terminal. Therefore, the same effects as those of the above-described fourth busy call processing system can be obtained.

In a pre-call number notification service, a so-called number display service or a service equivalent thereto, for example, the caller has previously provided registration,
Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the notification of the number to the called party by adding a specific number before the telephone number of the called terminal at the time of calling. In such a case, even if the calling party has requested a return call from the called party, it is necessary to avoid the number itself of the calling side terminal being notified to the called side terminal.

In the eighth busy processing system according to the present invention, without notifying the called terminal of the telephone number of the calling terminal,
The called terminal is notified at least that there has been a call connection request. In response to such a notification, an auxiliary number different from the identification number of the calling terminal, notified from the called terminal to, for example, a predetermined specific number or together with the notification of the call connection request. When a call is made to the called terminal, the return call connection assisting means connects the called terminal and the calling terminal using the identification number of the calling terminal stored in the storage means. I do. That is, according to this configuration, if the called party wants to make a return call without sending the calling terminal identification number itself to the called terminal, the called terminal and the calling terminal Are connected. Therefore, since the privacy of the calling terminal number is protected, the calling party can safely call the desired called party.

In the ninth busy processing system according to the present invention, information including an auxiliary number which is associated with the identification number of the calling terminal and is not the same is transmitted to the called terminal. By dialing the auxiliary number, the called party can make a return call at his / her desired time and for each calling terminal.

Further, in the tenth busy processing system according to the present invention, when the calling number notification is selected in the number display service as described above, the calling terminal number is transmitted to the called party. It is not possible to be informed, and a return call from the called party can be connected. In this case, if the calling number notification is selected, it may be configured to notify the called party of the number of the calling terminal, as in the first to seventh busy call processing systems.

[0039]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the busy call processing system of the present invention is applied to a public telephone network will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a busy call processing system according to a first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment 1"). Each home or office (caller home 2 in FIG. 1)
a, the called terminal 2a) (the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b in FIG. 1) are connected to the exchanges 4a and 4b via subscriber lines 5a and 5b, respectively. . The terminal is a general telephone, facsimile transceiver, personal computer or the like. Of course, when the line is a digital line network such as ISDN, an appropriate interface device such as a terminal adapter is inserted. The telephone network 3 includes a plurality of exchanges 4a and 4b and exchanges 4a and 4b.
And a common line signal network 7 connected to the exchanges 4a and 4b via the line 8.
Is connected to a control station 9.

The control station 9 monitors the state of the line or the switching unit by transmitting / receiving a specific signal via the common channel signal network 7. The function of the control station 9 can be realized by being integrated or accommodated in an existing control station called a new service processor for providing services other than circuit switching provided by the public telephone network. Alternatively, an equivalent function can be realized by adding it to an exchange. In FIG. 1, for simplicity, only the exchange 4a connected to the calling terminal 1a and the exchange 4b connected to the called terminal 1b are shown, and many other exchanges are omitted. In the following description, it is assumed that the subscriber lines 5a and 5b are push-button (so-called push-phone) lines, and the terminals 1a and 1b are telephones corresponding thereto.

Note that the busy call processing described below is a special service not provided in the conventional public telephone network.
This service is provided only to those who have previously subscribed to or provided this service (actually, terminals). Here, both the calling and called parties wished to subscribe or provide this service. It is assumed that

In order to perform busy call processing, a busy processor 10 is connected to the exchange 4a as shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the busy processing device 10.
The busy processing device 10 includes a signal receiving unit 14 and a voice output unit 1
5, a calling unit 16, a line monitoring unit 17, a call connection control unit 18, a voice message storage unit 12, a notification request registration unit 13, and a control unit 11 for controlling these units collectively. It is composed of In addition, the busy-line processing device 10 may be configured integrally with the exchange 4a on the calling side.
In addition, since the called terminal 1b may also originate a call, the exchange 4b on the called side is configured similarly to the exchange 4a on the calling side.

The voice message storage unit 12 stores a plurality of various voice messages described later in advance. The notification request registration unit 13 temporarily stores data such as the telephone number of the calling party to be notified to the called party later by the request of the calling party when the called party is busy. It is for keeping. This data takes one file format for each notification request, and as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the calling telephone number, the called telephone number, the calling date and time, the recording number , The type of the calling terminal, whether or not a return call is desired, and whether or not the return caller is charged by the caller. The record number is a number for specifying or identifying the incoming notification request data, and various numbers such as a serial number corresponding to the time when the notification request is received can be used. The type of the calling terminal is a type of a normal telephone, a facsimile transceiver, a personal computer, a public telephone, or the like, and such information can be obtained from a control signal transmitted and received through an ISDN line. Whether or not a return call is desired and whether or not the caller is charged for the return call are determined by the caller according to the voice guidance. And "No", "0" is stored. In this way, one file is registered in response to one incoming notification request.

The signal receiving section 14 receives a tone signal transmitted via a push-phone line and determines an instruction based on the signal. The voice output unit 15 reproduces and sends out the message read from the voice message storage unit 12. The calling unit 16 automatically responds to the instruction from the control unit 11 based on the calling or called telephone number stored in the notification request registration unit 13. Place a call to 1b. The line monitoring unit 17 is the control station 9
To check the availability of a predetermined line.
The call connection control unit 18 also causes the busy processing device 10 to receive a call from the calling terminal 1a or the called terminal 1b together with the exchange 4a, or the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b.
Or to be connected.

In this embodiment, a voice is used to send various messages. However, a pre-call information notifying function known as a so-called number display system is used, and various messages described later are called as character information. You may make it transmit to the side terminal 1b.

In the busy call processing system of the present embodiment, various busy processing operations can be achieved. First, a typical example will be described below. 3 and 4 are flowcharts related to this processing.

First, when the caller dials the telephone number of the called terminal 1b from the calling terminal 1a, the calling terminal 1a
Then, a call is made to the exchange 4a (step S1). In response to the call, the exchange 4a inquires of the control station 9 whether the lines (the trunk line 6 and the subscriber line 5b) necessary for making a call connection to the called terminal 1b are free (step S2). ). If the line is free, call connection, that is, the exchange 4b sends out a call signal to the called terminal 1b, and the exchange 4a returns a ringing tone to the calling terminal 1a (step S3). Then, when the called terminal 1b performs the off-hook operation, it is in a state where a call can be made (step S4). When the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b go on-hook after the end of the call, the exchanges 4a and 4b release the line used for the previous connection so that another connection can be made ( Step S5). That is, the above operation is a general call operation.

When the called terminal 1b is in another call,
Even if the called terminal 1b itself is not used, if the subscriber line 5b is occupied by another terminal sharing the subscriber line 5b with the called terminal 1b, or Even if the local terminal 1b itself is not used, if the trunk line 6 connecting the calling side exchange 4a and the called side exchange 4b is blocked, the above-described step S1 is executed.
The process proceeds from S2 to S6, and a signal indicating busy is input to the control unit 11 via the call connection control unit 18, and the call connection control unit 18 causes the calling terminal 1a to receive an incoming call to the busy processing device 10. (Step S6). Thus, the busy processor 10 and the calling terminal 1a can communicate with each other.

In response to such an incoming call, the control unit 11 fetches information on the calling side as follows. First, a predetermined message is read from the voice message storage unit 12 and input to the voice output unit 15 to notify that the called terminal 1b is busy, for example, "The telephone number you have just dialed is Sending voice guidance to calling terminal 1a, such as "1" if you want to notify the other party that there is a call, otherwise press "0". (Step S7).

When the caller wants to notify the called party that he or she has called, he receives the voice guidance as described above and presses "1" with the button of the calling terminal 1a.
The signal accepting unit 14 determines that there is a notification request to the called party when "1" is input ("Y" in step S8). If there is a notification request, the related information of the notification request is acquired by further voice guidance and button operation corresponding thereto (step S9). Specifically, the control unit 11 reads out a predetermined message from the voice message storage unit 12 and inputs the read out message to the voice output unit 15 to inquire whether a call back from the called party is desired. If you would like to call back from, please press "1", otherwise press "0". "
Such voice guidance is transmitted. Further, when the "1" button of the calling terminal 1a is pressed accordingly, for example, "from the other party" is selected to select whether or not to charge the caller for the call charge when making a return call. Please press "1" if the customer will be charged for the return phone call, "0" otherwise. "
Such voice guidance is transmitted.

In response to a signal input corresponding to each of the voice guidances, the control unit 11 stores the calling telephone number and the called telephone number as shown in FIG. Is stored (step S10). Thereby, the registration of the notification request is completed. When the above-described series of processing is completed, the call connection control unit 18 disconnects and releases the line between the calling terminal 1a and the busy processing device 10 (step S11). That is, the calling terminal 1a is ready to make a call to another terminal.

After the line is released as described above, the line monitoring unit 17 closes the line for connecting the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b with information from the control station 9. (Step S1).
2). For example, when the call ends at the called terminal 1b during another call and an on-hook operation is performed, the line is released. When the line monitoring unit 17 recognizes that the line has been opened and connection is possible, the calling unit 16 determines the called terminal based on the called telephone number stored in the notification request registering unit 13. 1b is automatically called (step S13).

If the connection line to the called terminal 1b is not opened for a long time, there is a possibility of an abnormality such as a failure. Alternatively, the process may be stopped when it is determined that the time is over. In this case, it is preferable that the calling terminal 1a be notified by a voice message or the like that the notification to the called party could not be made. Then, the calling party can confirm whether or not the called party has been contacted.

When the off-hook operation is performed by the called terminal 1b in response to the call from the busy processing device 10 in step S13, the called party is notified that there was an incoming call request during the immediately preceding call. At the same time, the control unit 11 reads a predetermined voice message from the voice message storage unit 12 and inputs the voice message to the voice output unit 15 in response to the off-hook response signal in order to inquire whether it is necessary to notify the calling side telephone number. For example, "There was a phone call at {hour}. If you want to know the telephone number of the other party, press" 1 ". Otherwise, press" 0 ". Is transmitted (step S14). When the called party selects a desired number and presses a button in response to such voice guidance, the signal receiving unit 14 determines the selection (step S15). For example, upon receiving a selection to notify the calling telephone number by pressing the “1” button (“Y” in step S15), the control unit 11 calls the call stored in the notification request registration unit 13. The side telephone number is read and input to the voice output unit 15, and the number is transmitted by voice guidance (step S16).

Further, when the notification request registration unit 13 indicates that there is a request for a return call, a voice message such as "The customer of the telephone number just informed wants a return call" is sent. If the caller accepts the call-back call, then the caller will be charged for the call back.
Followed by a voice message,
Request a return call from the called terminal 1b by sending voice guidance "Please press" 1 "if you want to call the phone number just notified, otherwise press" 0 "." Is checked (step S17). If there is no request to notify the number in step S15, or if there is no request to return the call in step S17, the call connection is made after confirming that the called terminal 1b has been operated on-hook (step S24). The control unit 18 releases the line (step S22).

As the above voice guidance, if the caller has accepted the billing for the return call, "0 if the customer pays the telephone charge, Press "1". The voice guidance is transmitted to give the called party room for selection, so that even if the calling party accepts the billing for himself, the called party can select the called party. The caller may be able to bear the call fee. Of course, if the caller has not accepted his bill,
The call charge for the return call will be charged to the called party as usual (that is, the caller).

When it is confirmed in step S17 that there is a request for a return call, the control unit 11 reads the caller's telephone number stored in the notification request registration unit 13 and
6 confirms that the line is occupied in order to make a call to the caller terminal 1a while keeping the line of the called side on hold (connected) (step S18). If the calling subscriber line 5a is free, a call connection is made (step S19),
As a result, the bell of the calling terminal 1a rings. When the off-hook operation is performed in the calling terminal 1, the called terminal 1b
Is connected, and thereafter a normal call can be made (step S20). Until the ringing tone of the calling terminal 1 starts to ring, a voice message such as "I am currently connecting the telephone" may be sent to the called terminal 1b. Good.

If it is determined in step S18 that the calling terminal 1
Since it is determined that the line is blocked when a is in another call, a normal busy tone or a voice message such as "I'm busy now" is sent to the called terminal 1b ( (Step S23) After confirming that the called terminal 1b has been operated on-hook (Step S24), the call connection control unit 18 releases the line (Step S22).

As described above, with respect to charging, the called terminal 1b
Is sent to a device that manages the billing of the call (for example, provided in the control station 9), and is processed in accordance with the call time and the like after the call is completed (step S).
21). Then, either the calling party or the called party is charged. In other words, in the conventional system, even when the called party makes a return call as described above, generally, the telephone charge is charged to the calling party (that is, the called party in this case). Usually, but particularly in the present system, the system can be charged to the party who made the call earlier (that is, the caller).

The selection of whether or not to make a return call may be performed by other operations such as short hooking, for example, in addition to dialing a predetermined number as described above. Further, even if the user goes on-hook after receiving the notification of the calling-side telephone number, a return call may be made by a specific predetermined operation within a predetermined time. According to this, for example, when it takes a certain amount of time for the called party to identify the calling party from the calling telephone number, and then attempts to call the calling party, Operation can be simplified.

[Embodiment 2] Next, the operation of the busy call processing system according to the second embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment 2") will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the second embodiment, the line monitoring unit 17 monitors the occupancy of the line required for the connection between the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b, and automatically makes a call when the line is free. .

The same processing is performed up to step S11 in the first embodiment. After the line is released in step S11, the line monitoring unit 17 repeats whether or not the line for connecting the calling terminal 1a and the called terminal 1b is blocked according to information from the control station 9. Judgment (Step S3
2). For example, when the call ends at the called terminal 1b during another call and an on-hook operation is performed, the line is released. When the line monitoring unit 17 recognizes that the line has been opened and connection is possible, the calling unit 16 determines the calling terminal 1a based on the calling telephone number stored in the notification request registration unit 13. (Step S33).

When the off-hook operation is performed in the calling terminal 1a (step S34), the control unit 11 stores a predetermined message in response to the response to the voice message storage unit 12.
And input it to the voice output unit 15 and say, "You can make a call to the phone number XXX-XXXX. If you want to make a call again, press" 1 "and do not make a call. In such a case, leave the receiver as it is "is sent (step S35).
In response to this, when the caller presses the "1" button ("Y" in step S36), the control unit 11 receives the instruction via the signal receiving unit 14 and puts the line on the calling side on hold. The calling signal is sent to the called side as it is, and the bell of the called side terminal 1b rings (step S37). In other words, the state is the same as a state in which a normal call is made from the calling party to the called party, and when the off-hook operation is performed in the called terminal 1b, a state in which a normal telephone call is possible thereafter. Further, when the caller directly performs the on-hook operation in response to the voice guidance in step S35 ("N" in step S36), the control unit 11 cancels the previous busy process and releases the line (step S36). Step S3
8).

If there is no off-hook response signal from the calling terminal 1a in response to the call made in step S34, the caller can be assumed to be in a state where he cannot answer the call. Or try again after a predetermined time has elapsed. In any case, the call connection to the called terminal 1b is performed only when the caller can answer the telephone.
There is no waste that only the called party answers the phone and the calling party does not answer.

[Embodiment 3] A system according to a third embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment 3") having a different operation regarding a response on the calling side when there is a return call from the called party. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram mainly showing the caller's house 2a. In the third embodiment, for example, a so-called number display system is used as a pre-notification information notification function in the existing telephone network 3. As shown in FIG. 6, a controller 30 is inserted and installed in the subscriber line 5a of the calling terminal 1a, and the controller 30 has an audio recording / reproducing device 31 having a recording function in parallel with the terminal 1a. Is connected. As the voice recording / reproducing device 31, for example, a recording / reproducing device using an IC memory or a magnetic tape for recording a message of an answering machine can be used.

If the caller is busy at the time of placing the call, the necessary data is stored in the busy processor 10 in accordance with the procedure described above, and the return call from the called party is stored. Make it go. Further, the voice recording / reproducing apparatus 31 is activated via the controller 30 to activate the recording function, and when the called party receives a return call, a message to be transmitted to the called party is transmitted to the voice recording / reproducing apparatus 31. Let me record it. Controller 3
In 0, the telephone number of the called party to whom the message is to be transmitted is set.

Thereafter, it is assumed that the called terminal 1b originates a return call. With this call, the exchange 4a sends a start signal for starting the controller 30. In response to this start signal, the controller 30 once disconnects the calling terminal 1a and returns a primary response signal to the exchange 4a. Therefore, at this time, the bell of the calling terminal 1a does not ring.
Upon receiving this response signal, the exchange 4a sends the called party's telephone number (pre-call notification information) to the controller 30.
The controller 30 receives this information and determines whether or not the telephone number is the previously designated telephone number. If the telephone number is the telephone number, the controller 30 connects to the audio recording / reproducing apparatus 31 instead of the terminal 1a.
Further, controller 30 sends a before-call notification information reception completion signal to exchange 4a.

In response to the completion signal, the exchange 4a sends a calling signal to the voice recording / reproducing apparatus 31. In response to the call signal, the voice recording / reproducing device 31 performs an operation corresponding to an off-hook operation to enable a call, and
Start playback of the previously recorded message. As a result, the business message is transmitted to the called terminal 1b via the line, and the called party can hear the business message.
If there is a call from another terminal other than the called terminal 1b, the controller 30 discriminates the telephone number and connects to the calling terminal 1a. Make regular calls possible.

In such a configuration, even if the caller first makes a call to the called party and then goes out of the office, for example, when he goes out, the caller may be unable to answer the call. At least only the message can be transmitted to the return call.

Also, instead of the caller recording the business,
A message prepared in advance may be selectable. If the caller does not have time to record the matter, for example, if he / she is ill in an emergency and wants to contact a medical facility, etc., "I'm sick.
If you record such a message in advance and make it possible to select it by simple operation, even if you fall into a state where you can not answer the phone,
The situation can be notified to the called party. In the actual configuration, the controller 30 and the audio recording / reproducing device 31 are connected to the terminal 1
a can also be integrated.

[Embodiment 4] By the way, in the above-mentioned Embodiment 1, when the telephone is busy, the telephone number of the previous calling terminal 1a is changed when the call connection to the called terminal 1b becomes possible. Although the notification is made, it may not always be preferable to notify the telephone number. Specifically, for example, in a number display service as described above,
This is the case where the caller has selected calling number non-notification.
In such a case, it is desirable not to notify the called party of the calling side telephone number, but to allow the called party to make a return call to the calling party as necessary. A fourth embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiment 4”) which is an example of the busy call processing system according to the present invention in consideration of protection of the privacy of the caller will be described below.

The system of the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of FIG. 1 and FIG.
And the contents stored in the notification request registration unit 13 are slightly different. That is, in this busy call processing system, instead of notifying the calling telephone number after the connection line to the called terminal 1b is opened, the busy processing device 10
A temporary (ie, temporary) number that can receive the call and identify the calling terminal 1a, and responds to the provisional number when the number is dialed in response to a return call request. The connection is made to the original calling terminal 1a.

A detailed description will be given based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 corresponding to FIGS. 3 and 4. 7 and 8
2 are the same or corresponding processes, and the description thereof is omitted. If there is an incoming call in the busy processing device 10 in step S6, it is checked whether or not the calling number is not notified (either line-specific non-notification or call-specific non-notification). If it is a calling number notification,
The same processing as in the first embodiment may be executed. However, when the calling number is not notified, the following processing is executed.

That is, when there is a notification request to the called party in step S8, the relevant information of the notification request is obtained as described above (step S9), and this is stored in the notification request registration unit 13. However, at this time, apart from the calling side telephone number, another number capable of identifying the calling side terminal 1a is assigned,
This is also stored in the notification request registration unit 13 (step S4).
0. This number is an identification number for receiving a return call from the called terminal 1b, and has a time limit (for example, only for a predetermined period after receiving a telephone call, or until a return call is executed once). Since this is the identification number of the period, it is hereinafter referred to as a temporary identification number. The temporary identification number may be, for example, a serial number assigned in the order of incoming calls for each incoming line or for each incoming line group in which a plurality of incoming lines are bundled. Even if a large number of busy calls occur in a relatively short period of time, a sufficiently large number (that is, a number with a large number of digits) should be set so that a different number can be assigned to each incoming request. Is desirable.

The process proceeds to steps S11 → S12 → S13,
When the line monitoring unit 17 recognizes that the connection to the called terminal 1b is possible, the calling unit 16 calls the telephone based on the called telephone number stored in the notification request registration unit 13. A call is automatically made to the terminal 1b. When an off-hook operation is performed on the called terminal 1b in response to the outgoing call, the control unit 11 responds to the off-hook response signal by a predetermined voice in order to notify that there was an incoming call request during the immediately preceding call. The message is read out from the voice message storage unit 12 and input to the voice output unit 15, for example, "There was a call at {hour}. The telephone number of the other party cannot be notified because the number is not notified. "1" if you want to know the reference number to call
Press "0" otherwise. Is transmitted (step S4).
1).

When the called party selects a desired number and presses the button in accordance with such voice guidance, the signal receiving section 1
4 judges the selection, and receives the selection of notifying the reference number by pressing the “1” button (“Y” in step S42), and the control unit 11 sends the notification request registration unit 13
The temporary identification number stored in the telephone number is read out, and a reference number obtained by adding the temporary identification number to a specific telephone number that can be called to the busy processing device 10 is input to the audio output unit 15, and the number is input to the voice guidance. (Step S4)
3). Thereafter, the line is released (step S44).

If the called party who has received such a notification wishes to make a return call to the previous calling party, dial the reference number notified by the called terminal 1b (step S4).
5). At this time, the reference number is merely an auxiliary for making a return call, and the called party cannot guess the calling telephone number. The call by the called party is once received by the busy processor 10 (step S46).
In the busy processing device 10, the control unit 11 searches the received temporary identification number against the information stored in the notification request registration unit 13 and searches for the corresponding calling telephone number. The call connection control unit 18 calls the calling terminal 1a by using the calling telephone number as the called number (step S47). If the line is free (“Y” in step S48) and the calling terminal 1a is operated off-hook, the called terminal 1b and the calling terminal 1a are connected (step S47), and a call is possible. State.

In step S46, the busy processor 10 confirms whether the telephone number of the called terminal 1b that has made the return call is the same as the registered called telephone number. You may do so. According to this, if the temporary identification number no longer corresponds to the caller who has already called back and the caller to whom the return call should be made, an inappropriate Connection can be avoided. However, in this case, it becomes impossible for the called party who has been notified of the busy incoming call request to make a return call from another terminal.

As in the first embodiment, immediately after the busy processing device 10 notifies the called terminal 1b of the reference number, it is checked whether the called party has requested a return call. If there is a request for a return call, the call connection may be made immediately.

In the fourth embodiment, since the called party is not notified of the calling telephone number, it is substantially impossible for the called party to estimate who has called before calling back. Impossible. In that sense, when making a return call immediately, the notification of the reference number is not necessary, and there may be a case where the return call can be made to the calling terminal 1a anyway. For example, in call centers such as telephone shopping and ticket sales reception, such a request may be made so as not to lose sales opportunities. Then, you may deform | transform as follows.

In the above step S41, the following message is displayed: "There were five telephone calls during the current talk. If you want to make a return call to the other party in turn, enter" 1 ". If you do not need it, enter" 0 ". Please press Is transmitted. When a request for a return call is received by pressing the "1" button for such voice guidance, the call request is stored in the notification request registration unit 13 while the connection line of the called terminal 1b is held. The connection is repeated by using the current calling telephone number as the called number, and each time one call ends, the connection is performed using the other calling telephone number as the called number.

In the case of making a return call to a plurality of callers in order as described above, for example, the connection may be made from the oldest order of the incoming request temporally, or conversely, the connection may be made sequentially from the newest order. It is preferable that the called party can select one of them. The former is useful in terms of equalizing the waiting time of each of the plurality of callers as much as possible. On the other hand, the latter has a disadvantage that the waiting time of the caller who made the call earlier becomes longer, but there is a possibility that the caller is still in the vicinity of the calling terminal 1a for a call that is close in time. Expected high, which can be useful in more reliably contacting the caller.

As another modified example, step S
At 41, "I have 5 calls during the talk. If you want to call the other party back,
Please make a call to the number 1xx. Is transmitted, and the line is once released. Thereafter, when the called party makes a call from the called terminal 1b to the above number 1xx, the incoming call is once received by the busy processing device 10, and the calling telephone to which the return call is to be connected from the called telephone number. You may search for a number and perform call connection sequentially.

When a plurality of calls are made from the same calling terminal 1a during a call, if all of the calls are registered in the busy processing device 10 each time, a return call will be made later. Is likely to be wasted. Therefore, even if there is a plurality of connection requests from the same calling terminal 1a during a continuous call, it is preferable to process the connection requests as one return call request.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment and its modification, even if the calling party does not notify the calling number, the caller requests the return call without transmitting the telephone number, and The party can make a return call if necessary.

In the description of the first to fourth embodiments, the busy-state processing device 10 is a subject that achieves the function according to the present invention, and the busy-state processing device 10 is configured to be connected to the exchange. The means for accomplishing the functions of the invention may be located anywhere in the telephone network in a broad sense.

Further, the public telephone network PSTN is composed of one or a plurality of exchanges, and the plurality of exchanges are connected to each other by a trunk line, a common line signal network, etc., and are substantially operated integrally. Obviously, the present invention can be easily applied.

A public telephone line network PSTN is constituted by a plurality of exchanges, and a device for realizing the function according to the present invention (for example, the above-mentioned busy processing device) is connected to or provided to an exchange different from the exchange provided. If the subscriber line is connected and it is not possible to directly monitor the occupancy of the called subscriber line (that is, if the control station does not exist), the called subscriber line is connected. It is possible to judge whether the telephone is busy or vacant by trying a call connection operation at a predetermined time interval from the side of the exchange to which the function is added.

Further, the present invention employs a communication method for performing line switching such that a calling line and a called line are always connected during a call, such as a portable telephone line network as well as a public telephone line network. It can be applied to all communication networks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a busy call processing system according to an embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the busy processing device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of busy call processing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of busy call processing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of busy call processing according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a busy call processing system according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of busy call processing according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of busy call processing according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a Calling terminal 1b Called terminal 2a Caller's house 2b Called person's house 3 Telephone network 4a, 4b Switch 5a, 5b Subscriber line 6 Trunk line 7 Common line signal Network 8 Line 9 Control station 10 Busy processing unit 11 Control unit 12 Voice message storage unit 13 Notification request registration unit 14 Signal reception unit 15 Voice output unit 16 Calling unit 17 Line monitoring unit 18 call connection control unit 30 controller 31 voice recording / reproducing device

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A calling terminal in a communication network including one or a plurality of exchanges connected to each other by a trunk line and one or more terminals connected to each exchange via a terminal line. A call connection request from a calling terminal to a called terminal, and processing of the call when the line for the connection is blocked. Accumulating means for accumulating information including identification numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal in response to the calling; and b) an empty for detecting that the connection to the called terminal is enabled. C) monitoring means; and c) opening a line after storing predetermined information in the storage means, and detecting that the connection to the called terminal is detected by the idle / busy monitoring means. Network control means for making a call connection to a calling terminal; d) the called side Busy call processing system, characterized in that it comprises after connecting to the end, and notifying means for sending at least a portion of said had been stored in the storage means information on said called party terminal. 2. The busy call processing system according to claim 1, wherein said line network control means, after notification by said notification means, responds to a predetermined operation on said called terminal. A busy call processing system having a function of assisting a return call to the calling terminal using information stored in the call terminal. 3. The busy call processing system according to claim 1, further comprising charging control means for charging the calling terminal for the call charge of the return call. Processing system. 4. The busy call processing system according to claim 1, wherein said line network control means uses information stored in said storage means after the notification by said notification means, and uses the information stored in said storage means. A busy call that has a function of making a call to a terminal, and making a call to the called terminal to connect to the calling terminal after the calling terminal answers. Processing system. 5. The busy call processing system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network has a function of transmitting / receiving pre-call notification information after a call connection and before a call, and e) the call origination. A terminal controller inserted into a terminal line for connecting the calling terminal and the exchange, monitoring the pre-call notification information before the call, and controlling the connection between the calling terminal and the exchange; f) the terminal Connected to the controller in parallel with the calling terminal,
An information transmitting terminal for storing predetermined information in advance, wherein the terminal controller determines, when there is a return call from the called terminal, a determination result of pre-call notification information accompanying the call. A busy call processing system characterized in that the information transmitting terminal receives an incoming call in response to the request, and the information transmitting terminal transmits predetermined information to the called terminal. 6. The busy call processing system according to claim 1, wherein at the time of the return call, a ring tone can be distinguished from a ring tone at the time of a normal call. A busy call processing system. 7. A calling terminal in a communication network including one or a plurality of exchanges connected to each other by a trunk line and one or more terminals connected to each exchange via a terminal line. A call connection request from a calling terminal to a called terminal, and processing the call when the line for the connection is blocked. Storage means for storing information including the identification number of the calling terminal; b) vacancy monitoring means for detecting that connection to the called terminal has become possible; c) predetermined information stored in the storage means. When the line is opened after storing the information and when it is detected that the connection is possible by the air / bus monitoring means, the information is stored in the storage means and the calling terminal is first used. Make a call to the calling party, and after the calling terminal answers, A line network control means for making a call to the called terminal to connect to the terminal. 8. A calling terminal in a communication network including one or a plurality of exchanges connected to each other by a trunk line and one or more terminals connected to each exchange via a terminal line. A call connection request from a calling terminal to a called terminal, and processing of the call when the line for the connection is blocked. Accumulating means for accumulating information including identification numbers of the calling terminal and the called terminal in response to the calling; and b) an empty for detecting that the connection to the called terminal is enabled. C) monitoring means; and c) opening a line after storing predetermined information in the storage means, and detecting that the connection to the called terminal is detected by the idle / busy monitoring means. Network control means for making a call connection to a calling terminal; d) the called side Notification means for notifying the called terminal that there has been a call connection request at least at the time of the previous line blockage after the connection to the terminal, e) a return call from the called terminal receiving the notification. Receiving a request and using the identification number of the calling terminal stored in the storage means to connect the called terminal and the calling terminal with a return call connection assisting means. A busy call processing system. 9. The busy call processing system according to claim 8, wherein said notifying means stores information associated with an identification number of said calling terminal and including an auxiliary number which is not the same as said called terminal. And the loopback call connection assisting means specifies the identification number of the calling terminal in accordance with the auxiliary number received at the time of loopback calling. 10. The busy call processing system according to claim 8, wherein the notifying means and the loopback are provided when the calling terminal selects non-notification in the calling number notification function before calling. A busy call processing system, wherein the call connection assisting means operates.