JP2002223303A - System and method for providing interpreter service - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an interpreter service providing system and method by which an interpreter service can be efficiently performed to a user. SOLUTION: When the user makes a call to an interpreter center 100, the interpreter center 100 selects, for instance, five interpreters to send an interpreter hiring mail to portable telephones 123 to 125. When the center 100 receives an application from an interpreter by telephone, the center 100 connects the interpreter to the user by voice communication to perform the interpretater service.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an interpreting service providing system having an interpreting center for receiving an interpreting request from a user, selecting an interpreter conforming to the request, and providing an interpreting service to the user. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interpreting service providing system and an interpreting service providing method capable of efficiently providing an interpreting service to users located in various places.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent progress of internationalization, many foreigners who cannot speak Japanese are staying in Japan, but such foreigners often cannot receive the same services as Japanese. . For example, if a foreigner stays in Japan for a long period of time, he or she will have to go to a real estate agent or a hospital, but due to the lack of language, they cannot rent real estate or provide satisfactory treatment. May not be available.

[0003] On the other hand, when a foreigner violates a traffic or the like, it is conceivable that a difference in language becomes an obstacle and that it takes a lot of time for a police officer to make the foreigner understand the subsequent countermeasures.

[0004] In particular, when a traffic offender or the like speaks a language that a police officer does not know at all, no conversation is established, and a situation arises in which it is impossible to know which country's language is being spoken. For this reason, the National Police Agency has specialists in each language, but since the number of such specialists is limited, it takes a lot of time for traffic violators and others to understand the countermeasures.

[0005]

For these reasons, the importance of interpreting services has recently increased, but it is actually difficult to provide such translation services.
Specifically, unlike the text translation service, such an interpreting service requires real-time processing, so it is necessary to always secure an interpreter.However, it is necessary to secure many interpreters to translate various languages. Is difficult in reality.

[0006] That is, it is true that there are many people in Japan who can speak both Japanese and other foreign languages, but since many people have different jobs, they are interpreters as full-time interpreters. Is difficult to secure. Further, even if it is possible to secure an interpreter, it is difficult to actually establish an interpreter service as a business because the labor costs increase.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides an interpreting service providing system and an interpreting service providing method capable of efficiently providing an interpreting service to a user. The purpose is to:

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, the interpreting service providing system according to the first aspect of the present invention provides an interpreting service to the user by selecting an interpreter conforming to the content of the request when receiving an interpreting request from the user. An interpreting service providing system having an interpreting center, the interpreting center comprising: an interpreting request receiving unit that receives an interpreting request call by voice through a public line network called by the user; and an interpreting request receiving unit. An interpreter selecting means for selecting an interpreter conforming to the contents of the request when an interpreter request call is received, and an e-mail transmitting means for transmitting an interpreter recruitment mail to the interpreter selected by the interpreter selecting means. ,
When a voice call originated by the interpreter is accepted in response to the interpreter recruitment e-mail transmitted by the e-mail transmission means, the voice communication means is provided with a call connection means for connecting the voice call and the interpretation request call. It is characterized by.

[0009] Also, in the interpretation service providing system according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the interpreting request receiving means receives the interpreting request call,
The translator request call is put on hold until the call connection unit connects with the voice call.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the interpreting request receiving means determines the type of language to be interpreted when the interpreting request call is received. Announcement means for announcing the selection operation to be selected to the user, and when a predetermined selection operation in response to the announcement by the announcement means is performed by the user, the language of the selected operation is translated in the requested language. Determining means for determining that there is an interpreter, wherein the interpreter selecting means selects an interpreter who can translate the language determined by the determining means.

Further, the interpreting service providing system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention provides an interpreting service for providing an interpreting service to a user by selecting an interpreter suitable for the request when the interpreting request is received from the user. An interpreting service providing system having a center, wherein the interpreting center is provided through a homepage providing means for providing the user with a homepage on the Internet related to an interpreting request, and a homepage provided by the homepage providing means An interpreter request receiving means for receiving an interpreter request from the user; an interpreter selecting means for selecting an interpreter suitable for the request content when the interpreter request receiving means receives the interpreter request call; E-mail transmitting means for transmitting an interpreter recruitment e-mail to the interpreter selected by the selecting means; When a voice call called by the interpreter is accepted in response to the interpreter recruitment mail transmitted by the file transmission means, a voice call is made to the user's telephone to connect the two voice calls. Communication connection means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the fourth aspect, wherein the interpreting request receiving means includes a telephone number of a telephone for calling a user from the interpreting center. An interpreting request is accepted via the homepage, and the call connection means calls a telephone having a telephone number included in the interpreting request.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the interpreting request receiving means transmits an interpreting request including a language and a field to be interpreted via the homepage. Accept
The interpreter selecting means selects an interpreter based on a language and a field included in the interpreter request.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the interpreting center determines a type of a language to be interpreted from speech conversation content. Further comprising
The interpreting request receiving means receives an interpreting request including a conversation content by voice, and the interpreter selecting means selects an interpreter based on the language determined by the language determining means.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the first or fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the translator selecting means selects one of a plurality of interpreters based on a preset priority. It is characterized in that an interpreter is sequentially selected.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the first or fourth aspect, wherein the interpreter selecting means selects a predetermined number of interpreters from a plurality of interpreters. In addition, the interpreter who has made a voice call in response to the interpreter recruitment mail is selected again at the next interpreting request.

The interpreting service providing system according to the tenth aspect of the present invention is the system according to the first or fourth aspect, wherein
The interpreter selecting means, when first recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the interpreter request, select a predetermined number of interpreters,
When there is no application for the recruitment, a more unselected interpreter is selected than at the time of the initial recruitment.

Further, the interpreting service providing system according to the invention of claim 11 is the invention according to claim 1 or 4,
The interpreter selecting means, when first recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the interpreter request, select a predetermined number of interpreters,
An interpreter who has failed to accept an interpreter in spite of making a voice call in response to the interpreter recruitment mail is selected again at the next interpreting request.

Further, the interpreting service providing system according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is the system according to the first or fourth aspect, wherein
The mail transmitting means transmits an interpreter recruitment mail to the interpreter selected by the interpreter selecting means, and recruits an interpreter via a homepage.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the interpreting service providing system according to the fourth aspect, when an interpreter not selected by the interpreter selecting means accesses the homepage, the priority of the selection is increased. It is characterized by the following.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the first or fourth aspect of the invention.
A billing amount calculating means for calculating a billing amount associated with the interpreting service provided by the interpreter is further provided.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the interpreting service providing system according to the fourteenth aspect, the billing amount calculating means determines the charge amount based on a connection time during which a voice call is connected by the call connecting means. It is characterized by calculating the amount.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing system according to the fourteenth or fifteenth aspect, wherein the billing amount calculated by the billing amount calculating means is added to a telephone bill and billed to each user. It is characterized by doing.

[0024] Also, in the invention according to claim 14, the interpreting service providing system according to the invention of claim 14, wherein the interpreting request accepting means accepts an interpreting request from the user via the website, , It is possible to set whether or not to notify of the telephone charge and the billing amount for the interpreter.

[0025] According to the invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing method, wherein when an interpreting center receives an interpreting request from a user, the interpreting center selects an interpreter suitable for the request and provides the interpreting service to the user. An interpreting request receiving step in which the interpreting center accepts an interpreting request call by voice via a public line network called by the user; and When receiving the request, an interpreter selecting step of selecting an interpreter conforming to the content of the request, an e-mail transmitting step of transmitting an interpreter recruitment e-mail to the interpreter selected in the translator selecting step, When a voice call originated by the interpreter is accepted in response to the interpreter recruitment email transmitted in the transmitting step, the voice call and the translation request are received. Characterized in that it includes a call connection step of connecting to talk.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the eighteenth aspect, the interpreting request receiving step includes the steps of:
The translator request call is held until a call is connected to a voice call in the call connection step.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing method according to the eighteenth or nineteenth aspect.
The interpreting request receiving step includes, when the interpreting request call is received, an announcement step of announcing a selection operation for selecting a type of language to be interpreted to the user, and a predetermined selecting operation in response to an announcement by the announcement step. When the user has performed the translation, the determining step determines that the selected language is the language requested to be interpreted. The interpreter selecting step includes translating the language determined by the determining step. It is characterized by selecting an interpreter who can do the job.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing method, wherein when an interpreting center receives an interpreting request from a user, the interpreting center selects an interpreter suitable for the request and provides the interpreting service to the user. An interpreting service providing method, wherein the interpreting center provides a home page on the Internet pertaining to an interpreting request to the user, and the use via the home page provided by the home page providing step. An interpreter request receiving step of receiving an interpreter request from a person, and when an interpreter request call is received by the interpreter request receiving step,
An interpreter selecting step of selecting an interpreter matching the request content, an e-mail transmitting step of transmitting an interpreter recruitment e-mail to the interpreter selected in the translator selecting step, A call connection step of, when receiving a voice call made by the interpreter in response to the interpreter recruiting mail, calling a voice call to the user's telephone and connecting the two voice calls. It is characterized by the following.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the interpreting request receiving step includes a telephone number of a telephone for calling a user from the interpreting center. An interpreting request is received via the homepage, and the call connection step calls a telephone having a telephone number included in the interpreting request.

[0030] The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 23 is the method of claim 21 or 22, wherein:
The interpreting request receiving step receives an interpreting request including the language and field to be interpreted via the homepage, and the interpreter selecting step selects an interpreter based on the language and field included in the interpreting request. It is characterized by the following.

[0031] The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 24 is the method of claim 21 or 22 wherein
The interpreting center further includes a language determining step of determining a type of a language to be interpreted from the conversation content by voice, the interpreting request receiving step receives an interpreting request including the conversation content by voice, and the interpreter selecting step. Is characterized by selecting an interpreter based on the language determined in the language determination step.

[0032] The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 25 is the method of claim 18 or 21, wherein
The interpreter selecting step is characterized in that an interpreter is sequentially selected from a plurality of interpreters based on a preset priority.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interpreting service providing method,
The interpreter selecting step includes selecting a predetermined number of interpreters from among a plurality of interpreters, and selecting an interpreter who has made a voice call in response to the interpreter recruitment mail at the next interpreting request. It is characterized by doing.

[0034] The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 27 is the method of claim 18 or 21, wherein:
The translator selecting step, when first recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the interpreter request, select a predetermined number of interpreters,
When there is no application for the recruitment, a more unselected interpreter is selected than at the time of the initial recruitment.

According to the invention of claim 28, the interpreting service providing method according to claim 18 or 21 is
The translator selecting step, when first recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the interpreter request, select a predetermined number of interpreters,
An interpreter who has failed to accept an interpreter in spite of making a voice call in response to the interpreter recruitment mail is selected again at the next interpreting request.

The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 29 is the method of claim 18 or 21, wherein
The e-mail transmitting step is characterized by transmitting an interpreter recruiting e-mail to the interpreter selected in the translator selecting step and recruiting an interpreter via a homepage.

According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the twenty-first aspect, when an interpreter who is not selected in the translator selecting step accesses the homepage, the priority of the selection is increased. It is characterized by the following.

The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 31 is the method of claim 18 or 21, wherein
The method further includes a charging amount calculating step of calculating a charging amount associated with the interpreting service provided by the interpreter.

Further, in the method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 32, in the invention of claim 31, the accounting calculation step is performed based on a connection time during which a voice call is connected in the call connection step. It is characterized by calculating the amount.

The method of providing an interpreting service according to the invention of claim 33 is the method of claim 31 or 32, wherein
The billing amount calculated in the billing amount calculating step is added to a telephone bill and billed to each user.

According to a thirty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the thirty-first aspect, when an interpreting request from the user is received via the home page in the interpreting request receiving step, the interpreting request is received. , It is possible to set whether or not to notify of the telephone charge and the billing amount for the interpreter.

[0042]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to the accompanying drawings, an interpreting service providing system and an interpreting service providing method according to the present invention will be described in detail below. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each interpreter has a mobile phone capable of receiving an e-mail.

(Embodiment 1) First, the concept of an interpreting service system according to Embodiment 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the interpreting service system according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the interpreting service system includes an interpreting center 100 that provides an interpreting service to a user, a user's telephone 122 and a computer 121, and mobile phones 123 to 125 owned by interpreters A to C. Network 12
0. In the present embodiment,
The case where the user's telephone 122 is a fixed telephone will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a case where a PHS or a mobile telephone is used. Also, by using a mobile phone having a simple browser such as NTT i-mode, the user's telephone 1
22 and the computer 121 may be integrated.

In this interpreting service system, interpreters A to C having mobile phones 123 to 125 are registered in the interpreting center 100 in advance, and
0, when an interpreting request is received from the user's telephone 122, an e-mail is sent to a contracted interpreter who can use the language desired by the user. Specifically, when a call is received from a user, an interpreter to send a recruiting e-mail is selected from a large number of interpreters based on selection rules such as priority.

If the interpreter who has received the recruitment e-mail can immediately start interpreting work, he or she calls the interpreter center 100. Is connected to the call from the user so that one of the responses can be engaged in the interpreting service. For example, a call connection is made between a call from an interpreter who has received the call for application first and a call from the user.

It should be noted that the interpreting center 100 can be used for a contracted user whose telephone number has been registered in advance or for dial Q2.
An unspecified number of users who make a call using a telephone number for which a charge can be collected according to the subscriber's telephone usage fee are customers.

The interpreting center 100 collects a service fee from the user according to the use time and the like, and pays the interpreter a reward according to the use time. Different rates are determined depending on the language, time zone, and quality of service. Also, the terminal 109 provided in the interpreting center 100 automatically answers the selection of a language when receiving a translation request from the user.

For example, "Thank you for using the Interpretation Center. Please select the service by telephone button. No. 1 English / Japanese interpreter service, No. 2 Korean /
Japanese interpretation service, No.3 Mandarin / Japanese interpretation service, No.4 German / Japanese interpretation service, No.5 French / Japanese interpretation service… ”
The service is specified by a button on the telephone.

As described above, in this interpreting service system, all the processes are automatically performed by the interpreting center 100 without human intervention such as an operator. However, it is not clear which language should be interpreted. In such a case, the operator determines.

Next, the structure of the interpreting service providing system shown in FIG. 1 and the detailed structure of the interpreting center 100 will be specifically described. The computer 121 is a user-owned computer capable of browsing various homepages including the homepage provided by the interpretation center 100, and the telephone 122 is a user-owned telephone that makes a voice call via a public line network.

The mobile phones 123 to 125 are interpreters A to C
Is their own mobile phone, e-mail function,
It has a simple browser function and a voice call function. Therefore, each of the interpreters A to C can use this mobile phone 123 to 125.
, The user can receive an e-mail, browse a homepage, make a voice call, and the like.

The network 120 is a network including a public telephone line network and an Internet communication network.
For this reason, it is possible to use the network 120 to make a voice call, send and receive an e-mail, and the like.

The interpreting center 100 is a center for providing an interpreting service to the user in cooperation with the interpreters A to C, etc., and includes a digital exchange 101, a control unit 102, a language recognition device 103, and an interpreter registration file. 104, a user registration file 105, and an interpreter charge file 106
And usage rate file 107 and homepage file 1
08, a terminal 109, a mail server 110, and an Internet server 111. It should be noted that the interpretation request receiving means and the call connection means of claim 1 are digital exchange 1
01, the interpreter selecting means corresponds to the control unit 102, and the mail transmitting means corresponds to the mail server 110.

The digital exchange 101 performs automatic incoming call, automatic answer, hold of voice call and connection of voice call originated from the user's telephone 122 or the interpreter's mobile phones 123 to 125, and a terminal adapter. The exchange also has the function of:

More specifically, the digital exchange 101 accepts a voice interpretation request call from the user's telephone 122 via the public line network in the network 120, and also receives telephone calls from the telephones 123 to 125 of the interpreters A to C. The outgoing voice call is connected to the voice call from the user. Further, when an interpreting request call from the user is received, a selection operation for selecting the type of language to be interpreted is announced to the user. Furthermore, during the time of selecting and recruiting an interpreter who performs an interpreting service, the voice call from the user is held.

The control unit 102 is a control unit that performs overall control of the interpreting center 100. Specifically, when a voice call is received from the user's telephone 122, an interpreter to whom an interpreter solicitation mail should be sent is sent. Is selected, and when a voice call for applying for an interpreter recruitment mail is received from the interpreter's mobile phone 123 to 125, the digital exchange 101 is instructed to make a call connection.

When there are many interpreters who can perform the same interpreting service when the control unit 102 selects an interpreter, a plurality of interpreters are selected based on a predetermined priority. Note that this priority is updated as appropriate. For example, if the interpreter did not apply for the previous interpreter recruiting mail, the priority of this interpreter is lowered, and it is not selected next time. If another interpreter is given priority and cannot use the interpreting service despite the fact that the interpreter has applied in response to the interpreter recruitment mail, the priority is increased and the next time is selected. Interpreters who are out of turn can enter the home page and make a request to raise the priority.

In the control unit 102, since there is not always an application in the first recruitment of an interpreter, an interpreter recruiting for the second time is also selected. Interpreters recruited for the second time will be selected from those not selected for the first time.

The language recognizer 103 uses a conjunction, a prefix, a tail, and frequently used words, for example, frequently used words such as "and", "we", "I", and "they" in English. This is a device that automatically determines how many words are spoken from words to be spoken and outputs a determination result to the control unit 102.

The language recognition device 103 operates when it is received from the user that the user does not know the language of the other party to be interpreted. For this reason, when the user requests such language recognition, the user performs a predetermined telephone operation at the time of the interpreting request call and, at the same time, talks to the interpreting center 100 by talking on the telephone 122 or talking to the telephone. I will send you. In addition,
If the language cannot be recognized by the language recognition device 103, the operator determines the type of language.

The interpreter registration file 104 is a file in which the contracted interpreters are registered, and the interpreter A shown in FIG.
To C are also registered in the interpreter registration file 104. Although a detailed description of the interpreter registration file 104 will be described later, based on the ID of the registered interpreter, a language that can be interpreted,
The day of the week that can be interpreted, the time that can be interpreted, the interpreting priority, the e-mail address, the telephone number, the address, the name, the account number of the paying bank, and the amount of the interpreting fee paid per point are registered. If the interpreter can translate in a plurality of languages, the number of interpretable languages is also registered. Such a registration operation is performed from the terminal 109.

The user registration file 105 is a file for recording the telephone number, date of use, start time of use, language used, time of use, and points of use of a user who has requested an interpreter via the network 120. The data on each user is stored in the user registration file 105 for a predetermined period, and is deleted after the period has elapsed.

By using the user registration file 105 and receiving a contractor's credit card or David card approval on a monthly basis, a service fee can be collected from the user. When the user is a corporation, a service use contract can be made with a telephone number to be used, and a bill can be issued to each corporation based on the user registration file 105. This eliminates the need to enter a user ID or password at the time of use.
In the case where a charge is made by contracting the dial 99, the data of the user registration file 105 is used as a copy.

The interpreter fee file 106 is a file for storing fees (points) to be paid to the interpreter. Specifically, the amount of the yen is determined for each point, and the time when the interpreter starts, the time when the call is connected for the interpreter, and the points for the call are recorded in the interpreter fee file 106 for each registrant ID. Is done. In addition, a log of the interpreter's work, the amount paid to the interpreter for each call (before tax), and the total amount are also recorded.

The reason why the points are recorded in the interpreter fee file 106 is that the amount of payment for one point is changed in accordance with the quality of work and the language in which the interpreter can be interpreted, and an appropriate interpreter fee is given to the interpreter. It is to be able to pay. However, the addition of points based on the interpreting time is common to all interpreters, for example, 1
One point is counted in minutes.

For this reason, the payment to the interpreter is calculated by the following formula: payment to the interpreter = basic contract money per minute x number of points.

The utilization rate file 107 stores the unit time (1
This is a file for setting the magnification based on the day of the week and time per minute. As will be described later in detail, when the interpreter of English and Japanese is set to 1, the rate of the fee according to the interpreting language used is set.

The homepage file 108 includes the computer 121 owned by the user and the mobile phone 123 of the interpreter.
The data in the homepage file 108 is read out by the Internet server 111.

The terminal 109 is a terminal device for performing maintenance of various files 104, maintenance of a control program of the control unit 102, registration of users, input of contract contents, setting of priorities, and the like.

The mail server 110 receives the interpreting request from the user, and when the control unit 102 selects an interpreter,
This is a server device that sends an interpreter recruitment mail to this interpreter. The mail server 110 also sends and receives contact mail and business communication mail.

The Internet server 111 provides a home page to a computer having a browser via an Internet WWW (World Wide Web).
Server, specifically the homepage file 108
It operates by reading data from.

By using the interpreting center 100 and the interpreting service providing system having the above configurations, when an interpreting request is received from the user's telephone 122, an interpreter suitable for the content is selected and an interpreter solicitation mail is transmitted. Then, the voice call of the interpreter who called in response to this interpreter recruitment email was connected to the voice call with the user,
Interpretation services can be provided efficiently.

Next, the interpreter registration file 1 shown in FIG.
04 will be described in further detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the interpreter registration file 104 shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, this interpreter registration file 104
Language that can be interpreted (LANG CODE), interpretable field (FIELD), interpretable day of the week (DAY), interpretable time zone (START TIME, END TIME), interpreter priority (RANK), email address for each interpreter ID (EMAIL), status (S
TATUS), number of operations, phone number (TEL NO), name (NAM
E), address (ADDR), paying bank account number (ACCOUNT
NO) Interpreting fee paid per point (RAT
E) and the password (Password) are stored.

The ID is a code for identifying an interpreter.
Each interpreter is assigned a unique number. LA
The NG CODE is used when selecting an interpreter, and codes are assigned such as 1: English, 2: Korean, and 3: Chinese so that a search can be performed in a short time.

The FIELD indicates a field that the interpreter is good at, and a plurality of fields can be registered. For example, 1 is for medical and pharmaceutical, 2 is for police, 3 is for daily life, and 4 is for financial. This field is referred to when the field is specified at the time of the interpretation request from the user.

In DAY, a plurality of days can be designated. Here, 0: whole week, 1: Sunday, 2: Monday,
3: Tuesday, 4: Wednesday, 5: Thursday, 6: Friday, 7: Saturday. When a plurality of days are specified, a different time zone can be specified for each day.

[0086] START TIME and END TIME indicate time periods (start time, end time) during which the interpreter may perform interpretation. Therefore, no recruitment e-mail is sent outside of this time period.

RANK indicates the ranking according to the quality of the interpreter. The priority is determined based on the skills at the time of recruitment, the results of monitoring the interpreter's status, the course attendance history, the contents of the complaint mail, and the like. You. In order to provide the highest quality service possible, an interpreter who sends an e-mail for translators is selected taking this priority into account. Here, the rank is set to five levels from 1 to 5, and 1 is the highest level. For this reason, at first, the interpreters are selected in order from the person of rank 1 and if there is no application from the interpreter of rank 1, the interpreters are selected in order of rank 2 and rank 3.

[0079] The e-mail address of each interpreter is registered in EMAIL, and an e-mail for translator is sent to this address. STATUS indicates the current status of the interpreter, "0" indicates that the user is currently on standby and is not the e-mail recipient, "1" indicates the next e-mail recipient, and "2" indicates the current e-mail recipient. Indicates the person to be called, "3"
Indicates that the operation is in progress. When the interpreter responds to the interpreter application mail, the rank of the interpreter is raised to “1”.

The number of times of operation indicates the number of times an interpreter has performed an interpreter in the past. If there is no application for the first recruitment (interpreter recruitment e-mail) for an interpreter request and the second translator recruitment e-mail is sent, you will need to select an interpreter who works frequently to increase the application rate Become.

TEL NO indicates the telephone number of the interpreter, and NAME
Indicates the interpreter's name, and ADDRESS indicates the interpreter's address. ACCOUNT NO is the account number used to transfer the interpreting fee to the interpreter, and RATE is the daytime fee of the interpreter's payment per minute.
Is input when the interpreter confirms and changes the contents of his / her own declaration, changes the day of the week and time when he / she can work, and browses the business statement. If the interpreter wants to be the subject of e-mails for recruitment of interpreters, use this password to enter the homepage and perform the change procedure.

Next, the usage rate file 107 shown in FIG.
Will be described in more detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the usage rate file 107 illustrated in FIG. As shown in the figure, each language to be translated (LANG CODE)
From 18:00 to 18:00 (DAY TIME), From 18:00 to 23:00 at night (EVENIN)
G), 23: 00-2pm at night (LATE EVENING), 2-5am midnight (MID NIGHT), 5-7am early morning (EARLY MORNIN)
G) The usage rate from 7 am to 9 am (MORNING) is stored.

In the case where the utilization rate file 107 shown in FIG. 3 is used, if the English-Japanese interpreter is interpreted from 9:00 to 18:00 in the daytime, it is 1.3 times in the nighttime from 18:00 to 23:00. The charge is 1.5 times from 23:00 to 2:00 at night, doubles from 2:00 to 5:00 at midnight, and from 5:00
1.5 times until 7:00, 1.3 from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning
It is an extra charge such as double. In the case of Chinese-Japanese, it is 1.5 times of English, in the case of Korean-Japanese, it is 1.5 times of English, and in the case of French-Japanese, it is 1.3 times of English. Become.

By using such a utilization rate file 107, it is necessary to calculate a fee to be charged to a user and a wage to be paid to an interpreter according to a basic charge (English and Japanese during the daytime) × a utilization rate × a utilization time (minutes). Can be. The number of points is calculated as follows: number of points = utilization rate × utilization time (minutes).

Next, the processing procedure of the interpreting center 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the interpreting center 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the user
The homepage of the interpreting center 100 is downloaded and displayed using the computer 121 as needed (step S401). Note that browsing this homepage can be omitted for those who use it frequently. Then, when a call is made to the interpreting center 100 using the telephone 122 (step S402), a voice call is established with the interpreting center 100, and a message related to language selection and a message related to a fee are automatically announced (step S403). ).

On the other hand, when the interpreting center 100 receives the incoming call (step S404), the telephone number of the caller is stored in the user billing file 106 (step S405), and then the translator is listed from the interpreter list. A predetermined number of interpreters (for example, five) are selected (step S406),
An interpreter recruitment e-mail is transmitted to the selected interpreter (step S407). Thereafter, the next interpreter is selected (step S408) and the timer is started (step S409) in case there is no application from the interpreter.

When the interpreter accepts the interpreter recruitment mail (step S410), it is determined whether or not to apply (step S411). If the application is not to be applied (step S411: No), the application is left and the application is performed. (Yes at Step S411), a call is made to the interpreting center 100 (Step S412).

More specifically, when an interpreter recruitment mail arrives at the contracted interpreter, the telephone vibrates or a melody is heard depending on the setting, and the incoming mail is transmitted. Clicking on the phone number in the email will connect you to the center.

If the interpreter center 100 does not receive a telephone call from the interpreter before the time expires (steps S413 to S414), a second interpreter recruitment mail is transmitted (step S415), and the time is up. By this time, it is confirmed whether or not a telephone call from an interpreter has been received (steps S416 to S417). If there is no application even in the second recruitment, the voice of "I'm busy now" is provided to the user (step S418), and then the voice communication with the user is disconnected (step S419). ).

On the other hand, if an interpreter applies for the first or second recruitment, the calling telephone number is stored (step S420), and the start time is stored (step S421). The voice call of the person is connected to the voice call of the interpreter (step S422).

Thereafter, the interpreting service by the interpreter is started, and the user receives the interpreting service until the call is disconnected (steps S424 to S425), and the interpreter performs the interpreting service during that time (steps S426 to S42).
7).

When the interpreting service is completed (Yes at step S423), the end time is stored (step S428), and then the billing file and the fee file are updated (step S429), and the recruitment priority is corrected (step S429). S430).

Next, the processing procedure when the interpreting center 100 receives an application from an interpreter will be described in more detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the interpreting center 100 receives an application from an interpreter.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the interpreting center 100 accepts the telephone call, it is checked whether or not the telephone is from the interpreter who sent the interpreter recruiting mail (step S60).
1) If the call is not from the interpreter who sent the interpreter recruitment mail (No at Step S601), the message "To be rejected and not accepted" is sent to disconnect the call (Step S602).

On the other hand, if the call is from the interpreter who has sent the interpreter recruitment mail (Yes at step S601), it is confirmed whether or not the applicant is the earliest applicant (step S601).
603), if it is not the first applicant (step S6)
03 No), the status is changed after annunciating by voice that the call will be made next time (step S604).
To S605), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the applicant is the earliest applicant (Yes at step S603), after changing the status (step S606), log collection is started (step S607), and the charging mode is set to collect an interpreting fee. After the transition (step S608), connection is established with the user's voice call (step S609), and an interpreting service is provided to the user (step S610).

When the call is disconnected (step S611), the status is changed to clear the in-service flag, the log is ended, the fee is calculated, and the reward of the interpreter is calculated (step S612). . If the charge notification is specified (Yes at Step S613), the user is notified of the charge by calling, and then the call is disconnected (Step S614).

Note that the user's telephone charge is only a normal telephone charge until the call is connected to the interpreter's voice call, but after the call is connected to the interpreter, the points will be reduced to the points already described. Charges are made in units of minutes accordingly. Also,
It is assumed that the interpreter 100 bears the telephone charges for the interpreter to call the interpreter center 100, and does not impose any burden on the interpreter. When the interpreter is determined, the request cancellation mail is sent to the other interpreter who sent the request mail.

As described above, in the first embodiment, when a user calls the translation center 100, the translation center 100 selects, for example, five interpreters, sends an interpreter recruiting mail, and When an application is received by telephone from, an interpreter service is provided by connecting the voice call from the interpreter to the voice call from the user to perform the interpreting service, so that the interpreting service can be performed efficiently.

In this case, the user sets the language by the automatic answering of the interpreter center 100, but frequently used English, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, etc. For, it is desirable to set a dedicated telephone number.

In this embodiment, both the language before translation and the language after translation, such as Japanese-English, are designated. However, the language before translation is designated as the native language of the country where the user is located. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the translation destination language is selected by an automatic answer phone. In this case, for example, "Please press the corresponding number with the button of the telephone. 1st English, 2nd Chinese, 3rd Korean, 4th Spanish, 5th French, 7th German" become.

In this embodiment, the interpreter who has received the interpreter application mail calls the interpreter center 100 directly, but each interpreter replies the mail as it is.
Interpretation center 100 can receive this and select one interpreter and call the interpreter. At this time, other applicants will be sent an e-mail stating "This time has already been decided, so please wait next time." In such a case, if the interpreting center 100 receives applications by e-mail from a plurality of interpreters, the person with the highest priority is given priority.

Further, in the case of using the dial 99 for billing, it is desirable that the simultaneous charge collection system of the telephone company can be used. This is because it can be used even when a public telephone or a prepaid mobile phone is used.

Further, in the case of providing an interpreting service to a frequently used customer at a real estate agent or the like, a flat rate is required for the interpreting service of 20 minutes per month, and a fee of 300 yen per minute is applied for the service beyond that. A scheme can also be used. Alternatively, a fixed fee may be used for up to ten requests, and a predetermined fee may be collected for each request.

(Embodiment 2) By the way, in Embodiment 1 described above, the case where the user makes an interpretation request to the interpretation center 100 by telephone has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an interpreter can be requested to the interpreter center 100 using such a method. Therefore,
In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which an interpreter request is made via a homepage.

First, the processing procedure of the interpretation center 100 and the like according to the second embodiment will be described. FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the interpretation center 100 and the like according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the user
If necessary, the homepage of the interpreting center 100 is downloaded and displayed using the computer 121 (step S701), and an interpreting request is transmitted to the interpreting center 100 using this homepage (step S702). The request is received and analyzed (step S703), and the content is transmitted (step S704). Then, the user's computer 121 downloads this content and displays a message about the fee (step S705).

Then, after having stored the telephone number of the caller in user billing file 105 (step S706), interpreting center 100 selects a predetermined number (for example, 5) of interpreters from the list of interpreters (step S706). Step S707),
Send the interpreter recruitment email to the selected interpreter (step S
708). Start the timer (step S70)
9).

If the interpreter has received an interpreter recruitment e-mail (step S710), it is determined whether or not to apply (step S711). (Yes at step S711), a call is made to the interpreting center 100 (step S712).

If the interpreter center 100 does not receive a call from the interpreter before the time is up (steps S713 to S714), the next interpreter is selected in case there is no application from the interpreter. (Step S7)
15) Send the second interpreter recruitment email (step S)
716) It is confirmed whether or not a telephone call from the interpreter is received before the time is up (steps S717 to S71).
8). And if there is no application in the second recruitment,
After giving guidance to the user that "I am busy now" (step S719), the voice communication with the user is disconnected (step S720).

On the other hand, if there is an application from the interpreter in the first or second recruitment, after storing the calling telephone number (step S721), it is determined whether the applicant is qualified to apply. Is confirmed (step S722). If there is no applicant who has the qualification to apply (No at Step S722), a message “Busy” is displayed (Step S723), and the process is stopped.

On the other hand, if there is an application from an interpreter who is qualified to apply (Yes at step S722), the user who requested the interpretation is called and the name of the interpreter is displayed on the homepage (steps S724 to S724). S72
5). Then, the start time is stored (step S72).
6) The user's voice call is connected to the interpreter's voice call (step S727).

Thereafter, the interpreting service is started by the interpreter. If the user confirms that the service is a paid service (Yes at step S728), the user receives the interpreting service until the call is disconnected (steps S729 to S730). ),
The interpreter performs an interpreting service during that time (step S7).
31 to S732).

When the interpreting service is completed (Yes at step S733), the end time is stored (step S734), the billing file and the fee file are updated (step S735), and the recruitment priority is corrected (step S735). S736). Thereafter, if there is a notice of the charge setting (step S737), the charge is notified to the user via the homepage (steps S738 to S739).

As described above, in the second embodiment, the interpreting service is performed while using the homepage properly, and a display example of the homepage will be specifically described below.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the homepage screen of the interpreting center 100. Here, a case is shown in which a home page is displayed in a window on the computer 122 of the user. A display example in which a homepage is displayed on a mobile phone having a simple browser will be described later.

When the user activates the computer 122 to connect to the Internet and inputs the IP address of the interpreting center 100, the interpreting center 100 shown in FIG.
Is displayed on the display.

On this home page screen 900, the type of the interpreting service to receive the service, the field of the interpreting service, the setting of the presence or absence of the notice of the interpreting fee, and the like are designated. An input frame for inputting a number is provided. If such a homepage is used, even when a client visits a small and medium-sized business from abroad and requires a somewhat specialized interpreter, the interpreter service field can be designated, so that an appropriate interpreter can be received.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a help screen which pops up when the help key is pressed. The help screen 1000 shown in FIG. 10 is used when selecting a language to be interpreted. For example, if it is not known which language the language is, a foreigner can select a language by a national flag.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed when “English / Japanese interpreter service” is selected on the homepage shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the display screen 1100 displays a message regarding the result of selecting an interpreting service and charging.

By the way, in this embodiment, an interpreter who performs an interpreting service is determined by using an interpreter recruiting mail. However, an interpreter can be recruited using a display screen shown in FIG. . Therefore, an example of a display screen used in such a case will be described.

FIG. 12 shows the interpreter's mobile phones 123 to 12.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on No. 5; Here, since the interpreter's mobile phones 123 to 125 are equipped with a simple browser, these mobile phones 123 to 1
From 25, the homepage of the interpretation center 1200 can be browsed.

However, to enter this homepage, I
D and a password are required, and reading is not permitted to anyone other than the contracted interpreter. Then, if the contracted interpreter instructs “display application status” on this homepage screen 1200, the ID of the applicant for each serial number is LO.
Displayed in G format. This shows how many translators are applying.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed when the interpreter wants to change the transmission priority of the application mail. When the display screen shown in the figure is displayed and the priority order change button is clicked, for example, the status (STATUS) shown in FIG. 2 is changed from “0” to “2”. However, in order for the registered interpreter to enter this display screen page, the user must enter an ID and a password.
From this ID, it is possible to know from which interpreter the request for changing the priority order is issued.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the interpretation center 10.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a homepage screen presented to a user while an interpreter is being selected by 0.
As shown in FIG. 14, the display screen 1400 displays to the user that the interpreter is being called and that the interpreter 100 calls the telephone 122 specified by the user. .

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, when the process of the interpreter progresses, the arrows shown in the figure are sequentially increased so that the user can grasp the calling status of the interpreter. However,
If an interpreter is not found when this arrow reaches "*", a message "busy" is displayed on the display screen 1300.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen presented to the user when the interpreter is determined. As shown in the figure, the display screen 1600 displays the name of the interpreter in charge, the fee for the interpreter service, and the like. For this reason, when the user accepts a telephone call from the interpretation center 100,
Interpretation service can be received smoothly.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a use statement display mail for communicating with the user by mail. As shown in the figure, in this mail 1700, the date, time, service type and fee for receiving the interpreting service are notified. When the usage statement is displayed on the homepage, anyone can see the usage statement of another person, and therefore, an e-mail is used here.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the user makes an interpreting request on the homepage provided by the interpreting center 100, and can check the progress and the next response on the homepage. Since the user can receive the interpreting service from the interpreting center 100 using a desired telephone, the user can smoothly receive the interpreting service.

In the second embodiment, the technical field and the like are specified on the homepage screen of the interpreting center 100. However, as shown on the homepage screen 1800 of FIG. 18, these input frames are deleted and displayed. The content can be simplified.

In this embodiment, the interpretation center 1
00 is displayed on the display of the computer, but when the mobile phone itself has a simple browser like a mobile phone called i-mode by NTT Corporation, the home page is browsed with this mobile phone. be able to. In this case, a display screen 1900 as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed. Such a display screen 190
When the cursor is moved to the telephone number displayed at 0 and clicked, a call can be made to the corresponding telephone number.

[0133]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the interpreting center accepts a voice-based interpreting request call via the public line network, the contents of the request are received. When a translator recruiting e-mail is sent to the selected translator and a voice call made by the translator in response to the transmitted translator recruitment e-mail is received, the (1) Fixed telephone or PHS
Alternatively, a mobile phone can be used to provide interpreting services to users located in a wide range of areas, and (2) the number of interpreters who will be recruited by e-mail in consideration of the circumstances of the interpreters (3) An interpreter service providing system capable of reducing costs associated with interpreters and providing inexpensive interpreter services to users because the interpreter is not always kept on standby. The effect is obtained.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when an interpreting request call is accepted, the interpreting request call is held until the call is connected, so that the call load of the user at the interpreting center is reduced. It is possible to obtain an interpreting service providing system which can reduce the number of interpreters and thereby enable an interpreter to perform an interpreting in a short time.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when an interpreting request call is accepted, a selection operation for selecting the type of language to be interpreted is announced to the user, and a predetermined selection operation in response to the announcement is performed. When done by the user,
Since the selected language is determined to be the language requested to be interpreted, and an interpreter capable of translating the determined language is selected, the operator who requests the interpreter to the interpreting center for interpretation is arranged. Interpretation service can be reduced, and an interpreting service providing system that allows a user to quickly receive an interpreting service can be obtained.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the interpreting center provides the user with a home page on the Internet related to the interpreting request and receives the interpreting request from the user via this home page. , Select an interpreter that meets the request, send an interpreter recruitment email to the selected interpreter, and accept a voice call made by the interpreter in response to the sent interpreter recruitment email. ,
Since the voice call is made to the user's telephone and the two voice calls are connected, an interpreting service providing system that allows the user to request an interpreter efficiently using the Internet is obtained. Play.

According to the invention of claim 5, an interpreting request including a telephone number of a telephone for making a voice call to the user is received from the interpreting center via the homepage, and the telephone number included in the interpreting request is received. Since the interpreting center is configured to make a call to the telephone having the same, it is possible to obtain an interpreting service providing system in which a user can receive an interpreting service using a desired telephone.

According to the invention of claim 6, an interpreter request including a language and a field to be interpreted is received via a homepage, and an interpreter is selected based on the language and the field included in the interpreter request. With this configuration, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing system is provided in which a user can receive an interpreting service by an interpreter who is familiar with the language and field to be interpreted.

Further, according to the invention of claim 7, when an interpreting request including the conversation content by voice is received, the type of language to be interpreted is determined from the conversation content by voice,
Since the system is configured to select an interpreter based on the determined language, an advantage is obtained in that an interpreting service providing system is provided in which the user can receive an interpreting service even when the user does not know the language to be interpreted. To play.

According to the invention of claim 8, the translator is sequentially selected from a plurality of translators based on a preset priority, so that the translator can be selected smoothly and quickly. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing system capable of performing the above is obtained.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined number of interpreters are selected from a plurality of interpreters,
Interpreters who make a voice call in response to an interpreter recruitment email are configured to be selected again at the next interpreting request, so an interpreting service providing system that can increase the incentive for each interpreter to apply for a recruitment is provided. The effect is obtained.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined number of interpreters are selected when recruiting an interpreter corresponding to an interpreter request for the first time, and when there is no application for the recruitment, Interpretation service that is configured to select more interpreters who were not previously selected than at the time of the initial recruitment, so that there is no application corresponding to the recruitment and users can not receive translation services There is an effect that a providing system can be obtained.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, when initially recruiting an interpreter corresponding to an interpreter request, a predetermined number of interpreters are selected, and a voice call is made in response to the interpreter recruitment mail. Interpreters who were unable to accept an interpreter after calling were selected so that they would be re-selected at the next interpreting request, thus avoiding the situation where the interpreter applied but never got a job. Thus, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing system capable of avoiding a situation in which the number of interpreters decreases is obtained.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, an interpreter recruiting e-mail is transmitted to the selected interpreter and an interpreter is recruited via the homepage. And an interpreting service providing system capable of reducing the waiting time of the user is obtained.

Further, according to the thirteenth aspect, when an unselected interpreter accesses the homepage, the priority of the selection is increased, so that the interpreter who wants to receive an interpreter job is given priority. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing system capable of performing the above is obtained.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, an interpreting service providing system capable of eliminating a human labor involved in calculating an interpreting cost, since the billing amount for the interpreting service by the interpreter is calculated. Is obtained.

According to the fifteenth aspect, the billing amount is calculated based on the connection time during which the voice call is connected. Therefore, an appropriate interpreter can be used based on the time when the interpreter is restrained. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing system capable of calculating costs can be obtained.

Further, according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, since the calculated billing amount is added to the telephone bill and billed to each user, it is possible to reduce the labor required for collecting the interpreting cost. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing system capable of performing the above is obtained.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the invention, when an interpreting request is received from a user via a home page, it is possible to set whether or not to notify of a telephone charge and a billing amount for the interpreter on the home page. Therefore, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing system is provided in which a user can appropriately grasp a telephone bill and an interpreting cost as needed.

According to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, when the interpreting center accepts an interpreting request call by voice through the public line network called by the user, an interpreter matching the request contents is determined. Select, send an interpreter recruitment email to the selected interpreter, and connect the voice call with the interpreter request call when accepting a voice call made by the interpreter in response to the transmitted interpreter recruitment email Therefore, (1) it is possible to provide an interpreting service to users located in a wide area using a fixed telephone, a PHS or a mobile telephone, and (2) taking into account the circumstances of the interpreter. Interpreters are recruited by e-mail, so the number of translators can be increased. (3) Since translators are not kept on standby at all times, the cost of translators can be reduced, and inexpensive translators can be provided. Interpretation service providing method capable of providing scan the user an effect that can be obtained.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, when an interpreting request call is accepted, the interpreting request call is held until the call is connected, so that the call burden on the user at the interpreting center is reduced. This provides an effect of providing an interpreting service providing method capable of reducing the number of interpreters and enabling an interpreter to perform an interpreter in a short time.

According to the twentieth aspect, when an interpreting request call is accepted, a selection operation for selecting the type of language to be interpreted is announced to the user, and a predetermined selection operation responding to the announcement is performed. When performed by the user, the interpreted language is determined to be the language requested to be interpreted, and an interpreter capable of translating the determined language is selected. This makes it possible to reduce the number of exchanges with the operator when requesting an interpreter, thereby providing an interpreting service providing method that allows the user to quickly receive the interpreting service.

According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, the interpreting center provides the user with a home page on the Internet related to the interpreting request, and receives the interpreting request from the user via the home page. , Select an interpreter that meets the request, send an interpreter recruitment email to the selected interpreter, and accept a voice call made by the interpreter in response to the sent interpreter recruitment email. In addition, since a voice call is made to the user's telephone and the two voice calls are connected, an interpreting service providing method that allows the user to efficiently request an interpreter using the Internet is obtained. To play.

According to the invention of claim 22, an interpreting request including a telephone number of a telephone for calling a user from the interpreting center is received from the interpreting center via the homepage, and the telephone number included in the interpreting request is received. Since the interpreting center is configured to make a call to the telephone having the same, it is possible to obtain an effect of providing an interpreting service providing method in which a user can receive an interpreting service using a desired telephone.

According to the twenty-third aspect of the present invention, an interpreting request including a language and a field to be interpreted is received via a homepage, and an interpreter is selected based on the language and the field included in the interpreting request. With this configuration, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing method is provided in which a user can receive an interpreting service by an interpreter who is familiar with the language and field to be interpreted.

Further, according to the invention of claim 24, when an interpreting request including the contents of the conversation by voice is received, the type of the language to be interpreted is determined from the contents of the conversation by voice and based on the determined language. Since the configuration is such that the interpreter is selected, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing method capable of receiving an interpreting service can be obtained even if the user does not know the language to be interpreted.

According to the twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, an interpreter is sequentially selected from a plurality of interpreters based on a preset priority, so that an interpreter can be selected smoothly and quickly. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing method capable of performing the above is obtained.

According to the twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined number of interpreters are selected from a plurality of interpreters, and the next interpreter who has made a voice call in response to the interpreter recruitment mail is sent to the next interpreter. Is selected again at the time of requesting an interpreter, so that there is an effect that an interpreting service providing method capable of increasing the incentive for each interpreter to apply for a recruitment is obtained.

Further, according to the invention of claim 27, when recruiting an interpreter for a translator request for the first time, a predetermined number of translators are selected, and if there is no application for the recruitment, Interpretation service that is configured to select more interpreters who were not previously selected than at the time of the initial recruitment, so that there is no application corresponding to the recruitment and users can not receive translation services This has the effect of providing a providing method.

According to the invention of claim 28, when initially recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the interpreter request, a predetermined number of interpreters are selected, and a voice call is made in response to the interpreter recruitment mail. Interpreters who were unable to accept an interpreter after calling were selected so that they would be re-selected at the next interpreting request, thus avoiding the situation where the interpreter applied but never got a job. Thus, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing method capable of avoiding a situation in which the number of interpreters decreases is obtained.

According to the twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, an interpreter recruiting e-mail is transmitted to the selected interpreter, and an interpreter is recruited via a homepage. And an interpreting service providing method capable of reducing the waiting time of the user can be obtained.

Further, according to the invention of claim 30, when an unselected interpreter accesses the homepage, the priority of the selection is raised, so that the interpreter who currently wants to receive an interpreter job is given priority. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing method that can perform is provided.

Further, according to the invention of claim 31, the billing amount for the interpreting service provided by the interpreter is calculated, so that there is provided an interpreting service providing method capable of eliminating human labor involved in calculating the interpreting cost. Is obtained.

Further, according to the invention of claim 32, the billing amount is calculated based on the connection time during which the voice call is connected, so that an appropriate interpreter is used based on the time when the interpreter is restrained. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing method capable of calculating costs is obtained.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 33, since the calculated billing amount is added to the telephone bill and billed to each user, the human labor involved in collecting the interpreting cost can be reduced. There is an effect that an interpreting service providing method that can perform is provided.

Further, according to the invention of claim 34, when an interpreting request from a user is received via a homepage, it is possible to set whether or not to notify of a telephone charge and a billing amount for the interpreter by the homepage. Therefore, there is an effect that an interpreting service providing method is provided in which the user can appropriately grasp telephone charges and interpreting costs as needed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an interpreting service system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of an interpreter registration file shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a utilization rate file illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a processing procedure of the interpreting center and the like shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a processing procedure of the interpreting center and the like shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the interpreting center receives an application from an interpreter.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a processing procedure of an interpreting center or the like according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a processing procedure of the interpreting center and the like according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a homepage screen of the interpreting center.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a help screen that pops up when a help key is pressed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed when “English / Japanese interpreter service” is selected on the homepage shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on a mobile phone of an interpreter.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed when an interpreter wants to change the transmission priority of an application mail.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a homepage screen presented to a user while an interpreter is selecting an interpreter or the like by an interpreting center.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a homepage screen presented to a user while an interpreter is selecting an interpreter or the like by an interpreting center.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen presented to a user when an interpreter is determined.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage statement display email that communicates with a user by email.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of a homepage screen.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a homepage displayed on a mobile phone having a simple browser.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Interpretation center 101 Digital exchange 102 Control unit 103 Language recognition device 104 Interpreter registration file 105 User billing file 106 Interpreter charge file 107 Utilization file 108 Homepage file 109 Terminal 110 Mail server 111 Internet server 120 Network 121 User computer 122 User's phone 123-125 Interpreter's mobile phone

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akiyoshi Takenaka 1-3-1 Shimoteno, Himeji-shi, Hyogo Glory Industries Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5K015 AA06 AA07 AA10 AD01 AD05 AF07 GA07 5K024 AA02 AA76 BB01 BB03 BB04 BB07 CC01 CC09 CC11 DD01 DD04 EE09 FF06 GG01

Claims (34)

[Claims] 1. An interpreting service providing system having an interpreting center for receiving an interpreting request from a user, selecting an interpreter suitable for the request, and providing an interpreting service to the user. The center is adapted to receive an interpreting request call by voice via the public line network, which is called by the user, and to interpret the request when the interpreting request receiving means receives the interpreting request call. Translator selecting means for selecting an interpreter to be interpreted; mail transmitting means for transmitting an interpreter recruiting mail to the interpreter selected by the interpreter selecting means; responding to the interpreter recruiting mail transmitted by the mail transmitting means. And a call connection means for connecting the voice call and the translation request call when receiving a voice call originated by the interpreter. Interpretation service providing system characterized and. 2. The translator request receiving unit, when receiving the translator request call, suspends the translator request call until it is connected to a voice call by the telephone connection unit. Interpretation service providing system described in 1. 3. An interpreting request receiving means, when receiving the interpreting request call, announcing means for announcing a selection operation for selecting a type of language to be interpreted to the user, and responding to an announcement by the announcing means. Determining means for determining, when the predetermined selection operation has been performed by the user, the language for which the selected operation has been requested to be interpreted, the interpreter selection means determining by the determination means 3. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 1, wherein an interpreter capable of translating the selected language is selected. 4. An interpreting service providing system having an interpreting center for providing an interpreting service to a user by selecting an interpreter suitable for the content of the interpreting request when the interpreting request is received from the user. A center providing means for providing the user with a homepage on the Internet pertaining to an interpreting request to the user; and an interpreting request receiving means for receiving an interpreting request from the user via the homepage provided by the homepage providing means. An interpreter selecting means for selecting an interpreter suitable for the contents of the interpreting request when the interpreting request receiving means receives an interpreting request call; and interpreting the interpreter selected by the interpreter selecting means. An e-mail transmitting unit for transmitting an e-mail, and responding to the interpreter recruitment e-mail transmitted by the e-mail transmitting unit A call connection means for calling a voice call to the user's telephone and connecting the two voice calls when receiving a voice call originated by the interpreter. Service delivery system. 5. The interpreting request accepting means accepts, via the website, an interpreting request including a telephone number of a telephone for calling a user from the interpreting center, and the call connecting means receives the interpreting request in response to the interpreting request. 5. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 4, wherein a call is made to a telephone having the telephone number included. 6. The interpreting request receiving means receives an interpreting request including a language and a field to be interpreted via the homepage, and the interpreter selecting means determines the interpreting request based on the language and the field included in the interpreting request. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein an interpreter is selected. 7. The interpreting center further includes a language determining unit that determines a type of a language to be interpreted from voice conversation content, wherein the interpretation request receiving unit receives an interpreting request including voice conversation content, 6. The translator according to claim 4, wherein the translator selects a translator based on the language determined by the language determiner.
Interpretation service providing system described in 1. 8. The interpreting service providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said interpreter selecting means sequentially selects an interpreter from a plurality of interpreters based on a preset priority. system. 9. The translator selecting means selects a predetermined number of translators from among a plurality of translators and, for a translator who has made a voice call in response to the translator recruitment mail, sets the next translator. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 1, wherein the interpreting service is selected again when an interpreting request is made. 10. The translator selecting means selects a predetermined number of translators when recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the translator request for the first time. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 1 or 4, wherein a larger number of interpreters who have not been selected last time are selected than at the time of recruitment. 11. The translator selection means selects a predetermined number of translators when recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the translator request for the first time, and makes a voice call in response to the translator recruitment mail. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 1 or 4, wherein an interpreter who has failed to receive an interpreter despite calling is selected again at the next interpreting request. 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mail transmitting means transmits an interpreter solicitation mail to the interpreter selected by said interpreter selecting means, and solicits an interpreter via a homepage. 4. The interpreting service providing system according to 4. 13. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 4, wherein when an interpreter who is not selected by the interpreter selecting means accesses the homepage, the priority of selection is increased. 14. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a billing amount calculating means for calculating a billing amount associated with the interpreting service provided by the interpreter. 15. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 14, wherein said billing amount calculating means calculates a billing amount based on a connection time during which a voice call is connected by said call connecting means. 16. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 14, wherein the billing amount calculated by said billing amount calculating means is added to a telephone bill and billed to each user. 17. When the interpreting request receiving means receives an interpreting request from the user via a homepage, it is possible to set whether or not there is a notification of a telephone charge and a billing amount for the interpreter on the homepage. The interpreting service providing system according to claim 14. 18. An interpreting service providing method, wherein when an interpreting center receives an interpreting request from a user, the interpreting center selects an interpreter conforming to the request and provides an interpreting service to the user. An interpreting request receiving step of receiving an interpreting request call by voice through the public line network called by the user, and, when the interpreting request receiving step receives the interpreting request call in the interpreting request receiving step, an interpreter that matches the request content An interpreter selecting step of selecting a translator, an e-mail transmitting step of transmitting an interpreter recruiting e-mail to the interpreter selected by the translator selecting step, and responding to the translator recruiting e-mail transmitted by the e-mail transmitting step. A call connection step of connecting the voice call and the translation request call when receiving a voice call originated by the interpreter. Interpretation service provides methods for. 19. The interpreting request receiving step, when the interpreting request call is received, suspends the interpreting request call until a voice call is connected to the voice call in the call connecting step. Interpretation service providing method described in. 20. An interpreting request receiving step, wherein when the interpreting request call is received, an announcement step of announcing a selection operation for selecting a type of language to be interpreted to the user, and responding to an announcement by the announcement step Determining that the selected language is a language requested to be interpreted when the predetermined selection operation is performed by the user, wherein the interpreter selection step is determined by the determination step. 20. The method of providing an interpreting service according to claim 18, wherein an interpreter capable of translating the selected language is selected. 21. An interpreting service providing method, wherein when an interpreting center receives an interpreting request from a user, the interpreting center selects an interpreter conforming to the contents of the request and provides an interpreting service to the user. A homepage providing step of providing the user with a homepage on the Internet pertaining to an interpreting request, and an interpreting request receiving step of receiving an interpreting request from the user via the homepage provided by the homepage providing step. An interpreter selecting step of selecting an interpreter that matches the request when the interpreter request receiving step receives an interpreter request call; and an interpreter recruiting mail to the interpreter selected by the interpreter selecting step. An e-mail transmitting step of transmitting an e-mail. A voice call to the user's telephone when the voice call originated by the user is accepted, and a call connection step of connecting the two voice calls to each other. . 22. The interpreting request accepting step accepts, via the homepage, an interpreting request including a telephone number of a telephone for calling a user from the interpreting center. 22. The method according to claim 21, wherein a call is made to a telephone having the included telephone number. 23. The interpreting request accepting step accepts an interpreting request including a language and a field to be interpreted via the homepage, and the interpreter selecting step includes a step of selecting based on the language and the field included in the interpreting request. 23. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 21, wherein an interpreter is selected. 24. The interpreting center further includes a language determining step of determining a type of a language to be interpreted from voice conversation content, wherein the interpretation request receiving step receives an interpreting request including voice conversation content, 23. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 21, wherein the interpreter selecting step selects an interpreter based on the language determined in the language determining step. 25. The interpreter selecting step includes sequentially selecting an interpreter from among a plurality of interpreters based on a preset priority.
2. The method of providing an interpreter service according to 1. 26. The translator selecting step includes selecting a predetermined number of translators from among a plurality of translators, and setting the next translator who has made a voice call in response to the translator invitation mail. 22. The method of providing an interpreting service according to claim 18, wherein the selecting is performed again at the time of requesting the interpreting. 27. The translator selection step is to select a predetermined number of translators when recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the translator request for the first time, and to initially select if there is no application for the recruitment. 22. Select more interpreters who have not been selected last time than at the time of recruitment.
Interpretation service providing method described in. 28. The translator selecting step selects a predetermined number of translators when recruiting an interpreter corresponding to the translator request for the first time, and makes a voice call in response to the translator recruitment mail. 22. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 18, wherein an interpreter who has failed to accept an interpreter despite calling is selected again at the next interpreting request. 29. The method according to claim 18, wherein in the mail transmitting step, an interpreter solicitation mail is transmitted to the interpreter selected in the interpreter selecting step, and an interpreter is invited via a homepage. 21. The method of providing an interpreter service according to 21. 30. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 21, wherein when an interpreter who is not selected in the interpreter selecting step accesses the homepage, the priority of the selection is raised. 31. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 18, further comprising a charge calculating step of calculating a charge for the interpreting service provided by the interpreter. 32. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 31, wherein the billing amount calculating step calculates a billing amount based on a connection time during which a voice call is connected in the call connecting step. 33. The interpreting service providing method according to claim 31, wherein the billing amount calculated in the billing amount calculating step is added to a telephone bill and billed to each user. 34. In the case where an interpreting request from the user is accepted via a homepage in the interpreting request accepting step, whether or not notification of a telephone charge and a billing amount for interpreting can be set on the homepage can be set. The method for providing an interpreting service according to claim 31.