JP2002051168A - Telephone with automatic telephone company selection function, adapter for automatic telephone company selection, data center and telephone network - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] A subscriber who newly purchases an ACR telephone receives an AC
Even if you do not apply for R registration, the latest ACR data will be automatically obtained as soon as you turn on the phone.
From the beginning, the ACR function was made available on the telephone. SOLUTION: When a newly purchased telephone 1 is set in a predetermined place and turned on, a telephone call is made to a data center 2 of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance, and after a line is established, a model identification signal and A customer identification signal is transmitted, and ACR data for each model, area, and customer downloaded from the data center 2 is stored in the ACR data storage unit 15 of the telephone 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a telephone, an adapter, a data center and a telephone network with a telephone company automatic selection function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a plurality of domestic telecommunications carriers (hereinafter, referred to as domestic telecommunication carriers)
Called "carrier". ) Has entered the line connection service of the fixed telephone network, and price competition for connection charges between carriers is being actively conducted. Telephone subscribers have been strongly demanded to select a carrier that offers the lowest connection fee to talk to the caller in the price competition of such connection fees.
In order to do this automatically, a number of telephones with an automatic selection function for the lowest-cost line or an automatic selection function for the telephone company are commercially available.

[0003] In the case of a telephone with a conventional telephone company automatic selection function, when a new telephone is purchased, a registration application form is filled in and sent to a predetermined carrier.
After confirming the acceptance on the carrier side, make a telephone call to the applicant to download the data for automatic telephone company selection, and then call the applicable telephone from the carrier side and download the above data for automatic telephone company selection. We are taking steps to save it.

Only after the telephone company stores the telephone company automatic selection data through such a procedure, if the telephone subscriber dials a normal telephone number, the telephone side refers to the telephone company automatic selection data. Then, it becomes possible to specify a carrier line with the lowest connection fee and call a telephone number obtained by adding a number for specifying the carrier line to the original calling number so as to make a call using the carrier line.

[0005]

In the case of such a telephone having a conventional telephone company automatic selection function, there are the following problems. As mentioned above, when purchasing a new telephone, fill out the registration application form attached and send it by post, and if the carrier accepts it, contact the applicant by telephone, and then call for the first time Since the data for automatic company selection will be downloaded to the phone,
After the phone is installed, the telephone company automatic selection function will not be available for a long time unless the subscriber actively performs the procedure, and even if the subscriber performs the application procedure immediately after purchasing the telephone, the telephone company automatic selection function will be disabled. It takes at least about a week before it can be used.

Normally, the manufacture and sale of such telephones with a telephone company automatic selection function are those in which the second electric power company and other carriers cooperate with telephone manufacturers to add them to ordinary telephone functions. Therefore, it is desirable for carriers to have new telephone purchasers use their own low-cost lines from the beginning.

[0007] However, as described above, even if a new telephone is installed, if one does not wait for one week or more, or if the subscriber does not apply, the line will not be used forever. There is a problem that the automatic telephone company automatic selection function is useless, and that the subscriber cannot enjoy the benefits of lowering the charge.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and when a subscriber who newly purchases a telephone or an adapter turns on the power of the apparatus, the latest telephone company is automatically selected. An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone, an adapter, and a telephone network with a telephone company automatic selection function which acquire data and enable the telephone company automatic selection function to be used from the beginning.

The present invention also relates to a telephone having an automatic telephone company selection function as described above, in which a new telephone company automatically selects the latest telephone company automatic selection data when a new telephone is connected to a power supply. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a data center that obtains the information and makes it possible to use the telephone company automatic selection function from the beginning.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the telephone charge is minimized by referring to the telephone company automatic selection data stored in the own device for a dial signal originated by the own device. A telephone with an automatic telephone company selection function for determining a telephone line of a carrier, selecting the telephone line and transmitting the dial signal, wherein when a power is turned on, a telephone number of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance. It is characterized by calling a data center and storing downloaded data for automatic selection of a telephone company.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a telephone charge is interposed between a telephone and a modular jack by referring to telephone company automatic selection data stored in the telephone for a dial signal generated by the telephone. Is the lowest carrier line, the carrier line automatic selection adapter for selecting the carrier line and transmitting the dial signal, when the power is turned on, a predetermined telephone registered in advance The data center of the number is called and the downloaded data for automatic selection of the telephone company is stored.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone with an automatic telephone company selection function according to the first aspect or the telephone company automatic selection adapter according to the second aspect, which is registered in advance when the power is turned on. Call a data center with a given telephone number, send a model identification signal and a customer identification signal after establishing a line, and save the downloaded telephone company automatic selection data for each model, area, and customer. It is a feature.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the telephone set with the automatic telephone company selection function or the automatic telephone company selection adapter according to the third aspect, the customer identification signal is a default set in advance for limiting to a specific talk time. It is a signal.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the data center stores data for automatic selection of a telephone company, and when a call from any telephone is accepted, the data center automatically selects the telephone company based on the telephone number of the telephone. The data for selection is retrieved, the data for automatic selection of the telephone company for the corresponding area is extracted and downloaded to the telephone.

The data center according to the invention of claim 6 includes data required for each telephone model (model-specific data), data required for each installation area of the telephone set of the caller (data for each area), and data required for each customer of the caller. Necessary data (customer-specific data) is stored, and when a call from any telephone is accepted, a model identification signal, an area identification signal, and a customer identification signal are extracted from the incoming signal to obtain the telephone number of the source. Is stored in the customer database with the key as
The present invention is characterized in that data for automatic selection of a telephone company corresponding to a model, an area and a customer from area-specific data and customer-specific data is downloaded to a telephone set of a transmission source.

A telephone network according to a seventh aspect of the present invention comprises a telephone having a plurality of telephone company automatic selection functions according to the first, third or fourth aspect and / or an adapter for automatically selecting a telephone company according to the second, third or fourth aspect; And a data center according to claim 5 or 6 connected by a telephone line.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a telephone network according to one embodiment of the present invention. This telephone network comprises a number of telephone companies 1 with automatic telephone company selection (ACR) and a data center 2 installed by a carrier.
And a public network 2 connecting these.

The ACR telephone 1 includes an ACR function unit 11, an automatic transmission condition confirmation processing unit 12, a center confirmation processing unit 13, an AC
An R data reception / write processing unit 14 and an ACR data storage unit 15 for storing ACR data are provided.

Network control function unit 10 in ACR telephone 1
Sends out a calling signal to the public line network 3 by a subscriber's dial operation, outputs a ringing tone to an incoming telephone, and performs transmission / reception processing of a call signal and a data signal when the line is established. The ACR function unit 11 refers to the ACR data in the ACR data storage unit 15 for the dial number operated by the subscriber, specifies the telephone company with the lowest connection fee,
The call is made with the line selection number of the telephone company added to the head of the dialed number. Automatic transmission condition confirmation processing unit 12
Determines whether the conditions for receiving the download of ACR data by automatically dialing the data center 2 are satisfied.

The center confirmation processing unit 13 in the ACR telephone 1 automatically calls the data center 2 when the automatic dialing condition is satisfied and the data center 2 is automatically dialed thereafter. If so, check the data center 2. The data reception / write processing unit 14 stores the ACR data downloaded from the data center 2 in the ACR data storage unit 15.

On the other hand, the data center 2 comprises a network control function unit 20, a caller number confirmation processing unit 21, and a telephone confirmation processing unit 2.
2, a model information database 23, an area information database 24, a customer information database 25, and an ACR data download processing unit 26.

Network control function unit 2 in data center 2
0 controls transmission and reception of telephone signals. The caller number confirmation processing unit 21 confirms the telephone number of the incoming call. The telephone function confirmation processing unit 22 confirms the model of the incoming telephone.

In the model information database 23 in the data center 2, data on the type of telephone and adapter having an ACR function is registered. In the area information database 24, ACR data for each area is registered. In the customer information database 25, information for each user of the ACR function is registered.

The ACR data is classified into three as shown in Table 1. By downloading all the data, the ACR telephone 1 can correctly perform the ACR operation.

[0025]

[Table 1] (1) Model-specific data: data determined by the model of the telephone.

(2) Area-specific data: Data determined by the telephone installation area.

(3) Data per line (customer): Data determined by telephone number.

Most of the contents of the model-specific data in the above (1) are data for setting the same for all telephones (holiday setting data, etc.). I am preparing.

(1-1) Support for different data formats: Even if the format of the download data differs depending on the model, it is possible to download using the same system.

(1-2) Correspondence to different functions: Even if there is data required for functions (e-mail function, information providing function, etc.) depending on the model, downloading is possible by the same system.

[0031]

[Table 2] At the time of the download process, which data is to be downloaded is determined by specifying the model of the telephone.

Most of the contents of the above-mentioned area-specific data (2) are ACR determination fee calculation data. This fee calculation requires the following information:

(2-1) Calling area: It can be specified by the location of the telephone.

(2-2) Incoming area: can be specified when making a call (call destination).

(2-3) Talk time zone: Specifiable when making a call.

(2-4) Talk time: The call time for charge determination is set in advance (usually the default is 3 minutes,
It may be changed later by the subscriber's application).

Since the transmission area is specified by the installation location of the telephone (the area code of the transmission source), download data is prepared for each transmission area.

[0038]

[Table 3] Phone location (area code) during download process
Is determined, which data is downloaded.

When the above-mentioned (3) data for each line (customer) is first downloaded, the same contents are all set. After that, the data content can be changed according to the customer's request. The main items that can be changed are as follows.

(3-1) Addition of a telephone company to be charged.

(3-2) Call time for charge determination.

(3-3) Charge calculation considering discount service.

When the data is changed and downloaded at the request of the subscriber, the information is stored as data for each line (customer). Then, when automatically downloading to the telephone again, the same data as the previously downloaded data is downloaded.

[0044]

[Table 4] At the time of the download process, the data to be downloaded is determined by specifying the telephone number of the other party.

The ACR data download processing unit 26 in the data center 2 receives an automatic call from the telephone 1, updates registered data for each customer, updates data for each area, and the like. The corresponding ACR by referring to these databases 23 to 25
Create and download data.

Next, the operation of the telephone network having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the subscriber purchases a new ACR telephone 1 and installs it at home. Automatic call condition confirmation processing unit 12 of ACR telephone 1
Is that the power cord is connected to a live power supply, and for a certain period of time, for example, 30 minutes or 1 hour (this time is not limited, but if the telephone 1 is installed at a predetermined place and there is little possibility of changing the place, If it is necessary to continue the operation, the telephone number of the data center 2 stored in advance is automatically called (steps S100 and S1).
05).

When the center confirmation processing unit 13 confirms the establishment of the line with the data center 2 (step S110), it issues an instruction to receive the ACR data to the data reception / write processing unit 14, and the data reception / write processing unit 14 2 and downloads the ACR data 30 to the ACR data storage unit 15 (step S12).
0, S125). When the writing of the ACR data is completed, the line is disconnected (steps S130 and S13).
5).

On the other hand, when the data center 2 detects an incoming call from the telephone 1, it checks the installation area from the telephone number of the caller, checks the customer (new / registered, line type, etc.), Confirm the model name from (Step S2
05, S210).

After confirming these various information, the corresponding model-specific data, area-specific data, and customer-specific data are extracted by referring to the model information database 23, the area information database 24, and the customer information database 25, and the ACR data 30 is obtained.
(Steps S215 and S22)
0). When the download is completed and the telephone 1 disconnects the line, the line is disconnected (step S230).

Thus, after the new telephone 1 automatically acquires the ACR data and saves it in the ACR data storage unit 15, it operates as a normal ACR telephone.
That is, if the subscriber calls a normal telephone number, the ACR
The function unit 11 specifies the area of the other party from the area code of the telephone number, specifies the telephone company with the lowest connection fee by referring to the ACR data in the ACR data storage unit 15, and specifies the identification number of the telephone company. Place a call at the beginning of the calling number and place the call.

As a result, it is possible to select a line of a telephone company which is considered to have the lowest connection fee from the area of the caller to the area of the callee, and connect the line.

The ACR telephone 1 is not limited to the case where the ACR data is newly installed. The ACR data is lost when the backup battery of the telephone 1 is consumed due to a power failure or the like, or the ACR data is replaced by replacing the backup battery. In the case where is lost, the ACR data acquisition operation is automatically performed by the subsequent power connection, as in the case of the new installation.

In the above-described embodiment, the ACR telephone 1 automatically makes an outgoing call only when a predetermined time elapses after the power is turned on and no ACR data is stored in the ACR data storage unit. However, this means that, especially in the case of new installations, the location in the house is changed everywhere before deciding on the installation location, and the power outlet is thereby changed several times in a short time. Therefore, the data center 2 can be accessed after a lapse of time in which it can be considered that the installation location has been determined to some extent, and confusion that the line is frequently disconnected during downloading of the ACR data can be avoided.

Further, the telephone 1 was installed somewhere and used for a while, provided that the ACR data was not stored in the ACR data storage unit. Change power outlet)
If you turn on the power again in a short time,
Since it can be regarded as a change of the installation location in the same house, in such a case, it is possible to avoid waste of downloading the ACR data again.

However, if the function of the ACR telephone 1 is to be simplified, an automatic call is made to the data center 2 every time the power is turned on, immediately or immediately after a predetermined time. May be stored in the ACR data storage unit as an automatic call condition.
It is not necessary to include that the CR data is not stored.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ACR data is constituted by data for each model, each area, and each customer. However, if it is necessary to simplify the system, the telephone (or adapter) to be installed may be used. ) May be composed only of data for each area (for each area code).

[0057]

As described above, according to the ACR telephone of the first aspect of the present invention, when the power is turned on, a call is made to the data center of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance, and
As we download and save R data,
When purchasing a new telephone, the subscriber does not need to fill in the registration form, apply for the use of the ACR function to the telephone company, and download the ACR data from the data center after receiving the application. It is possible for both the subscriber and the telephone company to save labor in downloading the ACR data.

According to the ACR adapter of the second aspect, when the power is turned on, a call is made to a data center having a predetermined telephone number registered in advance, and the telephone company automatic selection data to be downloaded is downloaded. When a new adapter is installed, the subscriber fills out a registration form, applies for the ACR function to the telephone company, and downloads the ACR data from the data center after receiving the application. There is no need to take time, and both the subscriber and the telephone company can save labor in downloading ACR data.

The ACR telephone or the ACR according to the third aspect of the present invention.
According to the adapter, when the power is turned on, a call is made to a data center having a predetermined telephone number registered in advance,
After the line is established, the model identification signal and the customer identification signal are transmitted, and the data for automatic selection of the telephone company for each model, area, and customer to be downloaded are stored.
When a CR telephone or ACR adapter is installed, the subscriber enters the necessary model name, area name, customer name, etc. in the registration form, applies for the use of the ACR function to the telephone company, and from the data center after accepting the application There is no need to download ACR data for each model, area, and customer, and both subscribers and telephone companies can download ACR data by model, area, and customer. Labor saving can be achieved.

The ACR telephone or the ACR according to the fourth aspect of the present invention.
According to the adapter, the customer identification signal is a default signal set in advance to limit to a specific talk time, so that no operation is required on the subscriber side when first downloading and saving the ACR data. Without increasing the usability.

According to the data center of the fifth aspect, the ACR data is stored, and when a call from any telephone is accepted, the ACR data is searched based on the telephone number of the telephone. Since the ACR data for the corresponding area is extracted and downloaded to the telephone, when the subscriber newly installs an ACR telephone or an ACR adapter, the subscriber fills out a registration form and sends the ACR to the telephone company. It is not necessary to download the ACR data from the data center after the procedure for applying for the use of the function, and after receiving the application, it is possible to save labor for the subscriber and the telephone company in downloading the ACR data.

According to the data center of the present invention, the model-specific data, the area-specific data, and the customer-specific data are stored, and when a call from any telephone is accepted, the model is determined from the incoming signal. The identification signal, the area identification signal, and the customer identification signal are extracted and stored in a customer database using the telephone number of the source as a key, and the corresponding model, area, and customer are obtained from the model-specific data, the area-specific data, and the customer-specific data. ACR data is downloaded to the originating telephone or adapter, so when a new ACR telephone or ACR adapter is installed, the subscriber enters the necessary model name, area name, customer name, etc. in the registration form And apply for the ACR function to the telephone company, and after receiving the application, from the data center, select the applicable model, area,
There is no need to download the ACR data for each customer, and the subscriber and the telephone company can save labor in downloading the ACR data for each model, each area, and each customer.

According to the telephone network of the invention of claim 7, a plurality of ACR telephones of claim 1, 3 or 4 and / or the ACR adapter of claim 2, 3 or 4 are connected to these by a telephone line. When a new telephone is purchased, the subscriber fills in a registration form and applies for the use of the ACR function to the telephone company.
There is no need to download the CR data, and both the subscriber and the telephone company can save labor in downloading the ACR data.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a telephone network according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an automatic download process of ACR data of the telephone network.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 ACR telephone 2 Data center 3 Public line network 10 Network control function unit 11 ACR function unit 12 Automatic transmission condition confirmation processing unit 13 Center confirmation processing unit 14 Data reception / write processing unit 15 ACR data storage unit 20 Network control function unit 21 Transmission User number confirmation processing unit 22 Telephone confirmation processing unit 23 Model information database 24 Area information database 25 Customer information database 26 ACR data download processing unit 30 ACR data

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yuji Sakai 2-3-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo F-term in K-DDY Corporation (reference) 5K025 AA08 AA09 BB06 CC01 KK08 5K036 DD32 DD39 DD48 HH08 5K101 MM07 NN21

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A telephone line of a carrier having the lowest call charge is determined by referring to telephone company automatic selection data stored in the own device for a dial signal originated by the own device, and A telephone company with a telephone company automatic selection function for transmitting the dial signal by selecting a data center of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance when the power is turned on. A telephone with a telephone company automatic selection function, which stores data for automatic company selection. 2. A carrier which is interposed between a telephone and a modular jack and has a lowest call charge by referring to telephone company automatic selection data stored in the telephone itself for a dial signal transmitted by the telephone. An automatic telephone company selection adapter for selecting the carrier line and transmitting the dial signal by selecting the carrier line. When the power is turned on, a data center of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance is used. An automatic telephone company selection adapter for storing telephone company automatic selection data to be transmitted and downloaded. 3. When the power is turned on, a call is made to a data center of a predetermined telephone number registered in advance, and after a line is established, a model identification signal and a customer identification signal are transmitted. 3. The telephone with automatic telephone company selection function according to claim 1, wherein the telephone for automatic selection of telephone company or the adapter with automatic telephone company selection according to claim 2, wherein data for automatic selection of telephone company for each area and each customer are stored. 4. The telephone set with a telephone company automatic selection function according to claim 3, wherein the customer identification signal is a default signal set in advance to limit the communication time to a specific talk time. adapter. 5. The telephone company automatic selection data is stored, and when a call from any telephone is accepted, the telephone company automatic selection data is searched based on the telephone number of the telephone. A data center for extracting telephone company automatic selection data for an area to be downloaded and downloading the data to the telephone. 6. Necessary data for each telephone model (model-specific data), required data for each installation area of a calling telephone (data for each area), and data required for each calling customer (data for each customer) When a call from any telephone is accepted, the model identification signal, area identification signal, and customer identification signal are extracted from the incoming signal and saved in the customer database using the telephone number of the source as a key. And a data center which downloads data for automatic selection of a telephone company for a model, an area, and a customer from the model-specific data, the area-specific data, and the customer-specific data to a telephone of a transmission source. 7. A telephone with an automatic telephone company selection function according to claim 1, 3 or 4, and / or a telephone with automatic selection function.
7. A telephone network comprising the telephone company automatic selection adapters and the data center according to claim 5 connected to these adapters by telephone lines.