JPWO2001097550A1 - Telephone System - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] In response to a call from a telephone terminal 4 to a mobile terminal 1, a mobile phone network 2 checks the movement status of the called mobile terminal 1, and if it is moving, notifies the mobile terminal 1 of the incoming call, and notifies the calling telephone terminal 4 that the called mobile terminal 1 is moving, and after a predetermined time has passed, has the calling telephone terminal 1 make a re-attempt to call. If the called mobile terminal 1 is not moving, the mobile phone network 2 calls the mobile terminal 1 for the incoming call.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a telephone system equipped with a mobile terminal and a mobile phone network. BACKGROUND ART Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-98575, in which 1 is a mobile terminal, and 2 is a mobile phone network including base stations that transmit and receive to and from the mobile terminal 1. In the mobile terminal 1, 11 is a radio unit that transmits and receives to and from the mobile phone network 2, 12 is an operation unit that processes input from a microphone 13, output to a speaker 14, and input from keys 15 for various setting inputs, 16 is a control unit that controls the transmission and reception of wireless communications and also controls the reception of the microphone 13, the driving of the speaker 14, and input from keys 15 via the operation unit 12, and 17 is a moving speed detection unit that detects the moving speed of a moving object, such as an automobile, carrying the mobile terminal 1. Next, the operation will be described. When the moving speed of the moving object detected by the moving speed detection unit 17 exceeds a predetermined value,
If this state continues for a predetermined time or more, the transmission function of the radio unit 11 is stopped, and if the moving speed falls below a predetermined value and this state continues for a predetermined time or more, the stop of the transmission function of the radio unit 11 is released. Furthermore, in the state where the transmission function is stopped, communication is performed by a second communication means such as a pager (registered trademark) function, an answering machine service, a short mail service, or a call forwarding service. As a method for the moving speed detection unit 17 to detect the moving speed, for example, there is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-2002.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 15053, a method for estimating the time delay is based on changes in transmission power, and as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-149550, a method for detecting the fading pitch (period) of the standby receiving channel is disclosed. Thus, since the mobile terminal 1 determines whether the mobile terminal is moving based on the duration of a moving speed above a predetermined value, stops the transmission function, and automatically switches to the second communication means, if the mobile terminal 1 receives a call and has already switched to the second communication means, the user of the mobile terminal 1 cannot determine whether the call is urgent or not. Therefore, the user of the mobile terminal 1 does not take any voluntary action to enable the call, such as, for example, if driving a car, stopping the car on the side of the road, slowing down the moving speed below a predetermined value, and maintaining that speed for a predetermined period of time. In this case, the caller's message is received via the second communication means, but for the reasons described above, the user of the mobile terminal 1 does not necessarily take the action to check the message immediately, which can result in delaying checking the message content or even forgetting the received message. Furthermore, even when a caller needs to be called back, the user of the mobile terminal 1 may forget to do so, and the caller will have to assume that the other party has forgotten to check their message or have forgotten to call back, and will then try to call again. Because conventional telephone systems are configured as described above, there is a problem in that, even when the telephone system is in a state where a call can be connected, it is not possible to make a call as quickly and reliably as possible in an emergency, etc. This invention has been made to solve the above problem, and its object is to provide a telephone system that allows the user of the mobile terminal 1 to take voluntary action to make a call possible without the caller having to repeatedly call the mobile terminal 1, even when the telephone system is in a state where a call can be connected but the call cannot be made because the caller is moving, and that allows a call to be made quickly and reliably once the mobile terminal 1 is safely in a state where a call can be made. Disclosure of the Invention In a telephone system according to the present invention, a calling terminal and a called mobile terminal communicate via a mobile phone network, and when a call is made from the calling terminal to the mobile terminal, the mobile phone network checks the movement status of the mobile terminal, and if the mobile terminal is moving, notifies the mobile terminal of the incoming call and notifies the calling terminal that the mobile terminal is moving, and after a predetermined time has passed, has the calling terminal make a re-call, and if the mobile terminal is not moving, the mobile phone network calls the mobile terminal for the incoming call. This makes it possible to connect the call as quickly and reliably as possible even when a call is made when the mobile terminal is moving and therefore cannot be connected to the call, and
This has the effect of eliminating the need for the user of the calling terminal to repeatedly attempt to re-attempt the call. In the telephone system according to the present invention, the mobile terminal or the mobile phone network is equipped with a moving speed detection unit that detects the moving speed of the mobile terminal. This allows the mobile phone network to determine whether the mobile terminal is moving and control the call connection based on the determination result. In the telephone system according to the present invention, the mobile terminal, upon receiving notification of an incoming call from the mobile phone network, notifies the user of the mobile terminal. This has the effect of allowing the user of the called mobile terminal to take voluntary action to enable the call, thereby enabling the call connection to be established as quickly and reliably as possible. In the telephone system according to the present invention, when the mobile terminal is not moving and the calling terminal is re-attempting the call, the mobile phone network notifies the calling terminal of the start of the call connection. This has the effect of allowing the user of the calling terminal, who is waiting, to be notified of the start of the call connection. In the telephone system according to the present invention, a calling terminal and a called mobile terminal communicate via a mobile phone network, and when a call is made from the calling terminal to the mobile terminal, the mobile phone network checks the movement status of the mobile terminal, and if the mobile terminal is moving, notifies the mobile terminal of the incoming call, and after a predetermined time has passed, the mobile phone network checks the movement status of the mobile terminal again, and if the mobile terminal is not moving, the mobile phone network calls the mobile terminal to receive the incoming call. This makes it possible to connect the call as quickly and reliably as possible even when a call is made when the mobile terminal is moving and therefore cannot be connected to the call, and
This has the effect of eliminating the need for the user of the calling terminal to repeatedly attempt to re-attempt the call. In the telephone system according to the present invention, a mobile terminal or a mobile phone network is equipped with a moving speed detection unit that detects the moving speed of the mobile terminal. This has the effect of enabling the mobile phone network to determine whether the mobile terminal is moving and to control the call connection based on the determination result. In the telephone system according to the present invention, a mobile terminal notified of an incoming call from the mobile phone network notifies the user of the mobile terminal of the incoming call. This has the effect of enabling the user of the called mobile terminal to voluntarily take action to enable the call, thereby enabling the call connection to be established as quickly and reliably as possible. In the telephone system according to the present invention, when the mobile terminal is not moving and the mobile phone network is reconfirming the mobile terminal's moving status, the mobile phone network notifies the calling terminal of the start of the call connection. This has the effect of enabling the user of the waiting calling terminal to be notified of the start of the call connection. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In order to explain the present invention in more detail, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a telephone system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention;
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a mobile terminal, 2 denotes a mobile phone network that communicates with the mobile terminal 1, 3 denotes a general telephone network, and 4 denotes a telephone terminal connected to the general telephone network 3. The configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is the same as that shown in the conventional example in FIG. 1, and includes a moving speed detection unit 17.
The mobile phone network 2 includes base stations that directly transmit and receive data to and from the mobile terminal 1, mobile switching centers that provide switching services for each base station, and gateway mobile switching centers that interconnect with the general telephone network 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the telephone terminal 4.
The telephone system is equipped with an operation unit 42, a microphone 43, a speaker 44, keys 45, and a control unit 46, all of which are similar to those shown in FIG. 1. Operation will now be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the telephone system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, a call is made from a calling telephone terminal 4 connected to a general telephone network 3 to a mobile terminal 1 via a mobile phone network 2. In step ST1, the calling telephone terminal 4 first makes a call to the mobile terminal 1 by inputting the telephone number of the other party, etc. In step ST2, the mobile phone network 2 checks the movement status of the corresponding called mobile terminal 1 at or up to this point, and in step ST3, determines whether the called mobile terminal 1 is moving. In this case, the movement speed detection unit 17 of the called mobile terminal 1 detects its movement speed, and the mobile terminal 1 notifies the mobile phone network 2 of the detected movement speed as needed. The mobile phone network 2 determines that the mobile terminal 1 is moving if the notified movement speed is equal to or exceeds a predetermined value and continues for a predetermined period of time or longer. On the other hand, if the notified moving speed is below a predetermined value and continues for a predetermined time or longer, the mobile phone network 2 determines that the mobile terminal 1 is not moving. Then, if it is determined that the mobile terminal 1 is moving, the mobile phone network 2 notifies the called mobile terminal 1 of the incoming call in step ST4. At this time, the mobile terminal 1 automatically notifies the user of the incoming call by, for example, sound from the speaker 14, a display on a connected or built-in display, or vibration from a vibrator. Also, even if the user of the mobile terminal 1 responds to the incoming call by key operation or the like, the mobile phone network 2 does not connect the call because the mobile terminal is moving. Therefore,
The user of the mobile terminal 1 can determine that the call will not be connected because the user is currently moving, and can therefore take voluntary action to enable the call, such as stopping the car on the side of a safe road if the user is driving. In step ST5, the mobile phone network 2 notifies the calling telephone terminal 4 via the general telephone network 3 that the called mobile terminal 1 is moving. At this time, the calling telephone terminal 4 notifies the calling telephone terminal 4 that the called mobile terminal 1 is moving, for example, by sound from the speaker 44 or by displaying on a connected or built-in display.
In step ST6, the process waits until a predetermined time T1 has elapsed, and then the process returns to step ST1, where the telephone terminal 4 automatically makes a call again to the mobile terminal 1 on the called side.
The predetermined time T1 may be a predetermined time, or may be a different time each time by a method such as random number generation. If it is determined in step ST3 that the called mobile terminal 1 is not moving, the mobile phone network 2 determines in step ST7 whether the call-request process for the calling telephone terminal 4 has already been performed in steps ST4 to ST6. If the call-request process has already been performed, the user of the calling telephone terminal 4
Since the predetermined time T1 has elapsed and the standby state has been reached, in step ST8,
The mobile phone network 2 notifies the user of the calling telephone terminal 4, which is waiting, via the public telephone network 3, that a call connection to the called mobile terminal 1 will be initiated. In step ST9, the mobile phone network 2 initiates an incoming call to the called mobile terminal 1. If the re-call process has not been performed in step ST7, the user of the calling telephone terminal 4 has not been in a waiting state for the predetermined time T1, so step ST8 is omitted and step ST9 is performed. In step ST10, when the user of the called mobile terminal 1 responds to the incoming call by pressing a key or the like, in step ST11 the mobile phone network 2 and the public telephone network 3 establish a call path between the calling telephone terminal 4 and the called mobile terminal 1, and a call is initiated between the users. In this embodiment, a call is made from a calling telephone terminal 4 connected to the general telephone network 3 to a mobile terminal 1 connected to the mobile phone network 2. However, a call made from another mobile terminal 1 connected to the mobile phone network 2 instead of the calling telephone terminal 4 connected to the general telephone network 3 can also be processed in the same manner. As described above, according to this embodiment 1, even if a call is received while the call cannot be connected because the user is moving, the notification in step ST4 will prompt the user of the called mobile terminal 1 to take voluntary action to enable the call, such as stopping the car on the side of a safe road if driving, thereby achieving the effect of ensuring the call connection as quickly and reliably as possible. Furthermore, according to this embodiment 1, the user of the calling telephone terminal 4, i.e., the caller, is automatically notified when the called mobile terminal 1 becomes available for call connection and the call is connected, eliminating the need to repeatedly attempt to call back in case the other party forgets to call back. Embodiment 2 The configuration of the telephone system according to this embodiment 2 is the same as that of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 2, the configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is the same as that of the conventional mobile terminal 1 shown in Fig. 1, and the configuration of the telephone terminal 4 is the same as that of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 3. Next, the operation will be explained. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the telephone system according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. The processing from step ST1 to step ST4 is the same as that of embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 4. In this embodiment, after the processing of step ST4,
In step ST21, the mobile phone network 2 waits for a predetermined time T1, and then proceeds to step ST2, where it again checks the movement status of the called mobile terminal 1. Then, in step ST3, if the called mobile terminal 1 is not moving,
In step ST22, the mobile phone network 2 determines whether the mobile terminal 1 of the called party has already performed the process of reconfirming the mobile status of the called party. If the process has already been performed, the user of the calling party's telephone terminal 4 is in a standby state for the predetermined time T1. In step ST8, the mobile phone network 2 notifies the user of the calling party's telephone terminal 4, who is waiting, via the general telephone network 3, that a call connection to the called party's mobile terminal 1 will be initiated. In step ST9, the mobile phone network 2 initiates the call to the called party's mobile terminal 1. In step ST22, if the mobile terminal 1 has not performed the process of reconfirming the mobile terminal 1's mobile status, the user of the calling party's telephone terminal 4 is not in a standby state for the predetermined time T1, so the process skips step ST8 and proceeds to step ST9. The other steps ST10 and ST11 are the same as those in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. As described above, according to this second embodiment, even if a call is received when the mobile terminal 1 is moving and therefore a call connection cannot be established, the notification in step ST4 allows the mobile phone network 2 to initiate the call.
An action by the user of the mobile terminal 1 on the called side to enable the call voluntarily,
For example, if the caller is driving a car, the caller can take measures such as stopping the car on a safe side of the road, thereby achieving the effect of connecting the call as quickly and reliably as possible. Furthermore, according to this embodiment 2, the user of the calling telephone terminal 4, i.e., the caller, is automatically notified when the called mobile terminal 1 becomes available for connection, and the call is connected. This eliminates the need for the caller to repeatedly attempt to call back in case the called party forgets to call back. Furthermore, according to this embodiment 2, since there is no need to incorporate a process for performing call re-call processing into the calling telephone terminal 4, the present invention can be applied without changing the specifications of the conventional telephone terminal 4. Embodiment 3. The telephone system configuration according to this embodiment 3 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 of embodiment 1, and the telephone terminal 4 is the same as that shown in FIG. 3 of embodiment 1. Figure 6 shows the configuration of the mobile terminal 1 and mobile phone network 2 according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the above embodiments 1 and 2, the mobile terminal 1 was equipped with a moving speed detection unit 17, but in this embodiment, the mobile phone network 2 is equipped with a moving speed detection unit 31 that detects the moving speed of each mobile terminal 1. Next, the operation will be described. The flowchart showing the processing flow of the telephone system according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in Fig. 4 of the first embodiment or Fig. 5 of the second embodiment, and basically the same processing as that of the first or second embodiment is performed. However, in step ST2 of Fig. 3 or Fig. 4, in the first or second embodiment, the moving speed detected by the mobile terminal 1 is notified to the mobile phone network 2 as needed, but in this embodiment, the moving speed detection unit 3 of the mobile phone network 2
Since the mobile terminal 1 detects the moving speed of the mobile terminal 1, there is no need for the mobile terminal 1 to notify the mobile phone network 2 of the moving speed. As described above, according to this embodiment 3, even if a call is received while the mobile terminal 1 is moving and therefore unable to connect the call, the notification in step ST4 allows the user of the called mobile terminal 1 to take voluntary action to enable the call, such as stopping the car on the side of a safe road if the user is driving, thereby achieving the effect of connecting the call as quickly as possible. Furthermore, according to this embodiment 3, the user of the calling telephone terminal 4, i.e., the caller, is automatically notified and the call is connected when the called mobile terminal 1 becomes available for connection, eliminating the need for repeated attempts to call back in case the other party forgets to call back. Furthermore, according to this embodiment 3, since the mobile phone network 2 detects the moving speed of the mobile terminal 1, the present invention can be applied even when the mobile terminal 1 remains in its conventional specifications. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the telephone system of the present invention is suitable for enabling the user of the mobile terminal 1 on the receiving side to take voluntary action to enable the call and to connect the call as quickly as possible, even when a call is received while the user is on the move and the call cannot be connected.

[Brief explanation of the drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional telephone system. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone terminal according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the telephone system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the telephone system according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a telephone system according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Continued from the front page (51)Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Symbol FI H04M 11/00 302 H04M 11/00 302 H04Q 7/38 H04B 7/26 109G 109L H04Q 7/04 D (Note) This publication is based on the gazette published internationally by the International Bureau (WIPO). The effect of the international publication of the Japanese language patent application (Japanese language utility model registration application) related to this publication arises pursuant to Article 184-10, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Act (Article 48-13, Paragraph 2 of the Utility Model Act) and is unrelated to this publication.

Claims (8)

[Claims] [Claim 1] A telephone system in which a calling terminal and a called mobile terminal communicate via a mobile phone network, wherein when a call is made from the calling terminal to the mobile terminal, the mobile phone network checks the movement status of the mobile terminal, and if the mobile terminal is moving, notifies the mobile terminal that there has been an incoming call, and notifies the calling terminal that the mobile terminal is moving, and after a predetermined time has passed, has the calling terminal make a re-call, and if the mobile terminal is not moving, the mobile phone network makes an incoming call to the mobile terminal. 2. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal or the mobile phone network comprises a moving speed detection unit for detecting the moving speed of the mobile terminal. 3. The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein a mobile terminal notified of an incoming call from a mobile phone network notifies the user of said mobile terminal of said incoming call. [Claim 4] The telephone system according to claim 1, wherein when the mobile terminal is not moving and the calling terminal is making a re-call, the mobile phone network notifies the calling terminal of the start of a call connection. [Claim 5] A telephone system in which a calling terminal and a called mobile terminal communicate via a mobile phone network, wherein when a call is made from the calling terminal to the mobile terminal, the mobile phone network checks the movement status of the mobile terminal, and if the mobile terminal is moving, notifies the mobile terminal of the incoming call, and after a predetermined time has passed, rechecks the movement status of the mobile terminal, and if the mobile terminal is not moving, the mobile phone network makes an incoming call to the mobile terminal. 6. The telephone system according to claim 5, wherein the mobile terminal or the mobile phone network comprises a moving speed detection unit for detecting the moving speed of the mobile terminal. 7. The telephone system according to claim 5, wherein a mobile terminal notified of an incoming call from a mobile phone network notifies the user of said mobile terminal of said incoming call. [Claim 8] The telephone system described in claim 5, characterized in that when the mobile terminal is not moving and the mobile phone network is reconfirming the movement status of the mobile terminal, the mobile phone network notifies the calling terminal of the start of the call connection.