WO2002052823A1

WO2002052823A1 - Telephone answering system for mobile communications

Info

Publication number: WO2002052823A1
Application number: PCT/JP2001/011280
Authority: WO
Inventors: Satoshi Shimura
Original assignee: Nec Corporation
Priority date: 2000-12-22
Filing date: 2001-12-21
Publication date: 2002-07-04
Also published as: JP2002199098A

Abstract

A telephone answering system that operates when a called mobile station is not in a condition that it can receive the calls made by calling stations. The telephone answering system produces particular information when the called mobile station is not in a condition that it can receive the calls. This particular information is used to help the user of the called mobile station identify the calling stations when the called mobile station recovers the condition that it can receive the calls. The particular information may be, for example, the phone numbers of the calling stations. The telephone answering system produces call-in history information by associating the above particular information with identification information about the called mobile station, and holds the produced call-in history information. When the called mobile station recovers the condition that it can receive the calls, the telephone answering system sends the held call-in history information to the called mobile station.

Description

Description Voice mail answering system in mobile communication

The present invention relates to an answering system for mobile communication.

Background art

In a mobile communication system, if a certain mobile station is turned off, that mobile station cannot receive a message from another mobile station. Also, when a mobile station is outside the cell site provided by the base station, the mobile station cannot receive the message. In order to cope with such a case, an answering machine is known.

Conventional answering machine answering systems can be roughly classified into two types: a method that stores messages sent from a calling station in a receiving mobile station (method 1) and a method that stores messages in a management server (method 2). Some are adopted. In method 2, the management server is connected to the mobile switching center. In the answering machine answering system adopting this method 2, if the receiving mobile station is in a state where reception is not possible, the mobile switching center stores the message from the originating station to the receiving mobile station in the management server, while the receiving mobile station stores the message. When the mobile station returns to the receivable state, the mobile switching center notifies the receiving mobile station of the message stored in the management server.

Some answering machine answering systems that use Method 1 can confirm the calling station's telephone number to the receiving mobile station even if the calling station does not enter a message. However, in the answering machine answering system that adopts method 1, when the originating station sends a message, the receiving mobile station must be able to receive and store it. In other words, if the receiving mobile station is outside the cell site, the answering machine that adopts method 1 is useless.

On the other hand, an answering machine that adopts method 2 is useful even if the receiving mobile station is outside the cell site, for example. In an answering machine that adopts Method 2, if the originating station does not enter a message, the management server There is no information stored in. Therefore, in the answering machine that adopts Method 2, if the calling station does not input a message, the user of the receiving mobile station cannot specify which calling station received the call. A similar problem occurs when a message is entered. The message is composed of voice. Therefore, depending on the message input environment, the background noise may be superimposed on the message that should be transmitted, and the message content may not be transmitted accurately. In particular, very obscure message content has the same effect as not entering the message.

Moreover, the originating station user had no way of knowing whether or not his or her message was transmitted to the receiving mobile station user.

As is clear from the above description, even if the message was not input from the source station or the input message was ambiguous, the user of the receiving mobile station did not receive the message from which source station. There is a demand for an answering machine that can specify the answering machine.

There is also a need for an answering machine answering system that enables a user of a calling station to know whether or not his / her message has reached the receiving mobile station when a message is input from the calling station. Disclosure of the invention

In the present invention, when the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state, the answering machine responds to the receiving mobile station with incoming call history information configured to include information for specifying the caller, that is, the calling station. Notify to.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an answering machine answering system interposed between a calling station and a receiving mobile station includes:

When the transmitting station makes a call to the receiving mobile station, the receiving mobile station is in a non-receivable state, a specific information generating means for generating specific information, wherein the specific information is: When the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state, a specific information generating means which is information used by a user of the receiving mobile station to specify the transmitting station; and the specific information and the receiving mobile station. Incoming call history information generating means for generating incoming call history information in association with the identification information of

Storage means for storing the incoming call history information; Notifying means for notifying the receiving mobile station of the incoming call history information when the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state;

It has.

Here, the specific information includes, for example, the telephone number of the transmitting station, and the identification information of the receiving mobile station included in the incoming call history information is, for example, the telephone number of the receiving mobile station. Further, the incoming call history information may include a message input from the transmitting station.

In the answering machine response system according to one aspect of the present invention described above, the notification means may also notify the incoming call history information to the calling station. Here, the notification by the notification means takes a form of, for example, a PUSH distribution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an answering machine answering system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the management server shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the incoming call history server shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of incoming call history information.

Fig. 5 is a signal flow used to explain the operation of the answering machine.

FIG. 6 is another signal flow used to explain the operation of the answering machine.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the management server. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings for better understanding of the present invention.

The answering machine answering system according to the present embodiment includes a mobile switching center 3, a management server 5, and an incoming call history server 6, as shown in FIG. The mobile switching center 3 is provided with an interface 5a for communication with the management server 5, and similarly, the incoming call history server It has an interface 6a for communication with 6.

The originating mobile station 1 in the present embodiment is a mobile phone, but may be, for example, a public phone installed in a train. The originating mobile station 1 exists in the cell site 81 provided by the base station 8 and is connected to the mobile switching center 3 via the base station 8. The communication between the base station 8 and the originating mobile station 1 is wireless communication, while the communication between the base station 8 and the mobile switching center 3 is wired communication. The mobile switching center 3 has an interface 8 a for communication with the base station 8.

The originating non-mobile station 7 is, for example, a fixed telephone, and is connected to the mobile switching center 3 via a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 2. Communication between the transmitting non-mobile station 7 and the PSTN and communication between the PSTN and the mobile switching center 3 are both wired communications. The mobile switching center 3 has an interface 2a for communication with the PSTN.

The receiving mobile station 4 in the present embodiment is a mobile phone, but may be, for example, a public phone installed in a train. The receiving mobile station 4 exists in the cell site 91 provided by the base station 9 and is connected to the mobile switching center 3 via the base station 9. The communication between the base station 9 and the receiving mobile station 4 is wireless communication, while the communication between the base station 9 and the mobile switching station 3 is wired communication. The mobile switching center 3 has an interface 9 a for communication with the base station 9.

In FIG. 1, only two base stations 8, 9 are shown as base stations for simplicity. However, in reality, there are more base stations, and the transmitting mobile station 1 and the receiving mobile station 4 may move to another cell site provided by a base station (not shown). .

The mobile switching center 3 is provided with a switching device 10, a processor 11, and a location registration device 12 in addition to the interfaces 2a, 5a, 6a, 8a, 9a described above. The switching device 10 selects the base station 9 closest to the receiving mobile station 4 when the calling mobile station 1 or the calling non-mobile station 7 makes a call request to the receiving mobile station 4, and selects a base station 9 with the base station 9. It is for establishing communication between them. The processor 11 is for controlling the operation of the switching device 10. The location registration device 12 is for registering information for specifying which base station a mobile station such as the originating mobile station 1 or the receiving mobile station 4 currently belongs to. . The management server 5 is provided for the user of the receiving mobile station 4 to receive the answering service by the answering machine by the answering machine of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the management server 5 has management means 13, CPU 14, storage means 15, and interface:! : Equipped with 16 The management means manages registered user information (the telephone number of the receiving mobile station 4, the address of the user of the receiving mobile station 4, the registration date, and the like). The CPU 14 generates information necessary for identifying the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7 (for example, the telephone number of the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7) as identification information, and generates the specific information. This serves as a specific information generating means for notifying the incoming call history server 6 of the incoming call, and also controls the overall processing of the management server 5. The storage means 15 stores a message to be sent to the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7 when the receiving mobile station 4 is in a reception-disabled state (for example, “This is an answering machine response. Service. ", Hereafter called" answer message J ". Interface 16 is connected to mobile switching center 3, especially interface 5a, and This is to enable communication between the server 5 and the mobile switching center 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the incoming call history server 6 includes a CPU 20, a storage unit 21, and an interface 22. CPU 20 is for controlling the overall processing of the incoming call history server 6. The storage means 21 is for storing incoming call history information. The interface 22 is connected to the mobile switching center 3, in particular, the interface 6a, and enables communication between the incoming call history server 6 and the mobile switching center 3.

Specifically, when a call is made from the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7, the CPU 20 transmits information indicating the history of incoming calls for the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7 (incoming history information). ) Operates as an incoming call history information generating means for generating. In the present embodiment, the incoming call history information includes at least information necessary for specifying the calling mobile station 1 or the calling non-mobile station 7. Specifically, the CPU 20 according to the present embodiment generates incoming history information in a format as shown in FIG. 4, and stores the generated incoming history information in the storage unit 21. In addition, "the telephone number of the calling station" in FIG. 4 is specifically either "the telephone number of the calling mobile station" or "the telephone number of the calling non-mobile station". In addition, the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile The information required to identify the station 7 is the telephone number of the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7, but, for example, an identification code or password unique to the originating mobile station 1 or the originating non-mobile station 7. And so on.

Hereinafter, the operation of the answering machine with the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the user of the transmitting mobile station 1 inputs the telephone number of the receiving mobile station. As a result, an outgoing call a with the receiving mobile station 4 as a call partner is generated. The generated call a is the base station closest to the place where the calling mobile station 1 is located, that is, the base station 8 which can capture the radio wave output from the calling mobile station 1 most strongly among the plurality of base stations. It is caught by the antenna and transmitted to the mobile switching center 3 from there. In mobile switching center 3, Intuff :! : When a call a is received via the contact 8a, the call a is input to the location registration device 12, and the cell site to which the receiving mobile station 4 for the call a currently belongs is searched. The search result, that is, information on the cell site (base station) to which the receiving mobile station 4 belongs is transmitted to the switching device 10 together with the call a.

Upon receiving the outgoing call a and the cell site information, the switching device 10 transmits a call signal b to a general call zone including a predetermined number of cell site groups. The simultaneous call zone is a plurality of cell sites including the cell site 91 to which the receiving mobile station 4 belongs at present. For example, seven petal-shaped cell sites consisting of the cell site 91 and the six cell sites surrounding the cell site 91 constitute the general call zone. When the paging signal b is transmitted to the paging zone, if the receiving mobile station 4 is in a receivable state, a response (Response) signal is returned via a plurality of base stations. The processor 11 compares the signal levels from the respective base stations and determines that the cell site 91 of the base station 9 having the highest level is the cell site to which the receiving mobile station 4 actually belongs.

However, when the user of the receiving mobile station 4 cannot receive the signal because the user of the receiving mobile station 4 is intentionally turned off because the user is on a train, is in a movie theater, or is in a meeting, or the like. However, in a state where reception is impossible due to an environment such as an underpass or a distant place, a response signal is not returned from the receiving mobile station 4. In such a case, the processor 11 determines that the receiving mobile station 4 is in a reception disabled state, and transmits a connection request c to the management server 5 via the interface 5a. The management server 5 Upon receiving the connection request c, the processing is executed as follows according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When receiving the connection request c from the processor 11 via the interface 16, the CPU 14 of the management server 5 accesses the management means 13 to read the registered user information (step S 1), It is determined whether the user of the receiving mobile station 4 corresponding to the outgoing call a is registered (step S2). If the user of the receiving mobile station 4 has not been registered, the CPU 14 notifies the mobile switching center 3 that the user has not been registered (step 3), and ends the processing. On the other hand, if the user of the receiving mobile station 4 has been registered, the CPU 14 accesses the storage means 15 to read a response message, and transmits the response message d to the mobile switching center 3. Here, the CPU 14 may send a notification to the effect that the user has been registered to the mobile switching center 3 simultaneously with the transmission of the response message.

Further, the CPU 14 sends a call notification e to the incoming call history server 6. The outgoing call notification e is a notification indicating that the outgoing mobile station 1 has made the outgoing call a to the receiving mobile station 4, and is accompanied by transmission of information for specifying the outgoing mobile station. In the present embodiment, the information for specifying the calling mobile station 1 includes the telephone number of the calling mobile station 1. In the present embodiment, the call notification e is performed on condition that there is a call a from the calling mobile station 1 and that the receiving mobile station 4 corresponding to the call a is registered. Therefore, whether or not a message has been input from the originating mobile station 1 is not a condition. When this call notification e is transmitted, the processing of the management server 5 ends. Upon receiving the response message d from the management server 5 via the interface 5a, the mobile switching center 3 transmits the response message f to the originating mobile station 1, and accepts the message input from the originating mobile station 1.

When the originating mobile station 1 receives the response message f, the user of the originating mobile station 1 inputs the message in his / her own voice as necessary. Thereafter, the information g including the message is transmitted to the mobile switching center 3 through the base station 8, the wired communication path, and the interface 8a. Upon receiving the information g, the processor 11 of the mobile switching center 3 transmits the message h included in the information g to the incoming call history server 6 via the interface 6a. In this embodiment, even when no message is input from the originating mobile station 1, the message h is transmitted to the incoming call history server 6. When the message 20 is received from the mobile switching center 3, the CPU 20 of the incoming call history server 6 receives data such as shown in FIG. 4 based on the message and the information on the corresponding call notification e. It generates incoming call history information having a structure, and stores the generated incoming call history information in the storage means 21. That is, the CPU 20 operates as an incoming call history information generating unit. The incoming call history server 6 generates incoming call history information, stores it in a database, and stores it in the storage means 21 as long as the receiving mobile station continues to be in a non-receivable state thereafter.

The incoming call history information generated at this time includes the telephone number of the calling mobile station, the recording date and time (that is, the date and time when the call was made from the calling mobile station), the message, and the telephone number of the receiving mobile station.

Thereafter, the user of the receiving mobile station 4 turns on the power of the receiving mobile station 4 or moves to a place where the radio wave from the base station 9 reaches, thereby returning to a state where the receiving mobile station 4 can receive. I do. In this case, the processing shown in FIG. 6 is performed. Details are as follows.

Each of a plurality of base stations including the base station 9 periodically transmits broadcast information. When the receiving mobile station 4 returns to the receivable state, it identifies the cell site (base station) to which it belongs based on the broadcast information. As a result, the receiving mobile station 4 transmits a location registration request に対して to the mobile switching center 3 via the base station to which the receiving mobile station 4 belongs. Upon receiving the position registration request i, the mobile switching center 3 updates the content stored in the position registration device 12 based on the position registration request i.

In addition, mobile switching center 3 determines that receiving mobile station 4 has returned to the receivable state by receiving location registration request ί, and transmits transmission instruction j of reception history information to reception history server 6. I do. Here, the transmission instruction j of the incoming call history information is transmitted from the incoming call history information stored in the storage means 21 of the incoming call history server 6 to the receiving mobile station 4 including the telephone number of the receiving mobile station 4. This is to select outgoing call history information that has not been received and to transmit it to the receiving mobile station 4.

When receiving the incoming instruction information transmission instruction j, the CPU 20 of the incoming call history server 6 operates as a notification unit for notifying the incoming call history information. This notification of the incoming call history information is performed by "PUSH delivery" which is performed unilaterally without a request from the receiving mobile station 4, for example, by short mail, e-mail, instant message, or the like. Will be

At the same time, CPU 20 in the present embodiment transmits the same incoming call history information I to originating mobile station 1. Thereby, the user of the calling mobile station 1 can confirm that his or her call a has been transmitted to the receiving mobile station 1.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Obviously, various modifications are possible by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the incoming call history information has a data structure as shown in FIG. 4, but information for discriminating whether or not the user of the calling mobile station has left a message. According to such incoming call history information, when no message is recorded, the user of the receiving mobile station does not need to confirm the message. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which a call is made from the calling mobile station 1 to the receiving mobile station 4, but the same applies to a case where a call is made from the fixed telephone 7 to the receiving mobile station 4.

The entire disclosure of the specification, claims, drawings and abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-31091 filed on Feb. Reference to the entirety forms a part of the present invention.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An answering machine answering system interposed between a calling station and a receiving mobile station, wherein when the calling station calls the receiving mobile station, the receiving mobile station cannot receive. The specific information generating means for generating specific information, wherein the specific information specifies a user of the receiving mobile station when the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state. Specific information generating means, which is information used for generating, and incoming call history information generating means for generating incoming call history information by associating the specific information with the identification information of the receiving mobile station;

Storage means for storing the incoming call history information;

Notifying means for notifying the receiving mobile station of the incoming call history information when the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state;

An answering machine answering system.

2. The answering machine response system according to claim 1, wherein the specific information includes a telephone number of the calling station.

3. The answering machine response system according to claim 1, wherein the incoming call history information includes a message input from the calling station.

4. The answering machine response system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the receiving mobile station included in the incoming call history information is a telephone number of the receiving mobile station.

5. The answering machine response system according to claim 1, wherein said notifying means also notifies said incoming call history information to said calling station.

6. The answering machine response system according to claim 1, wherein the notification by said notification means takes a form of PUSH distribution.

7. A mobile switching center interposed between the originating station and the receiving mobile station, and a management server connected to the mobile switching center, wherein if the receiving mobile station is in a reception-disabled state, it is stored in advance. A management server for transmitting the response message set to the originating station, and a receiving history server connected to the mobile switching center.

The specific information generation means is provided in the management server,

The incoming call history information generating means, the storage means and the notifying means are provided with the Provided in the server,

An answering machine according to claim 1.

8. An incoming call history server connected to a mobile switching center interposed between the originating station and the receiving mobile station,

When the receiving mobile station returns to a receivable state, the user of the receiving mobile station receives specific information that is information used for specifying the transmitting station, and the specific information and the receiving mobile station are received. An incoming call history information generating means for generating incoming call history information in association with station identification information;

Storage means for storing the incoming call history information;

An incoming call history server.

9. The incoming call history server according to claim 8, wherein the specific information includes a telephone number of the transmitting station.

10. The incoming call history server according to claim 8, wherein the incoming call history information includes a message input from the transmitting station.

11. The incoming call history server according to claim 8, wherein the identification information of the receiving mobile station included in the incoming call history information is a telephone number of the receiving mobile station.

12. The incoming call history server according to claim 8, wherein said notifying means notifies said incoming call history information also to said transmitting station.

13. The incoming call history server according to claim 8, wherein the notification by said notification means takes a form of PUSH distribution.