JPH04280549A - Message distributer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To send a message to a prescribed opposite party at a desired time independently of the state of a caller. CONSTITUTION:A voice message sent via a subscriber line 2 is stored in a message memory 7. A distribution date, a distribution time and a distribution destination telephone number designated via the subscriber line 2 are stored in a management information memory 8 prior to a voice message. A voice message whose distribution time the same as the time counted by a clock is designated is sought. When a relevant voice message is in existence, the distribution destination telephone number of the voice message is dialed by an automatic dial section 12. When a reply is made to the call, the voice message is sent to a subscriber line 13.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a new message delivery device capable of delivering a voice message to a specified destination at a specified time.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Currently, telephones are a common means of transmitting voice messages to remote locations. Furthermore, a system has been constructed in which a person sending a message can register a voice message with a service bureau, and a person receiving the message can call the service bureau and listen to the voice message.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the former case, if the sender of the message wants to send a message at a certain time, he or she must wait for the relevant time and make a telephone call to the other party. Therefore, the message may not be delivered at the scheduled time due to circumstances such as the caller inadvertently passing the scheduled time, or the caller being unable to make a call due to being in a vehicle, etc. be.

[0004] In the latter case, although it is possible to convey a message regardless of the state of the sender, the receiver must know the telephone number of the service station, the fact that there is a message, and the time at which it should be received. It's inconvenient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to convey a message to a predetermined party at a desired time, regardless of the state of the sender. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a message delivery device that can perform the following tasks.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention detects an incoming call from a communication network such as a public telephone network via an incoming communication line such as a subscriber line, and responds to the incoming call. response processing means such as an automatic response section; the message storage means for storing message information transmitted via the incoming communication line after a response is made by the automatic response processing means; Management information generation for generating predetermined delivery management information including at least delivery destination information and delivery time information based on delivery designation information including at least delivery destination designation information and delivery time designation information transmitted via a reliable communication line. management information storage means for storing the distribution management information generated by the management information generation means in association with the message information;
a clock means for measuring time; a detection means for detecting from the management information stored in the management information storage means whether delivery time information corresponds to the time measured by the timer means; A call processing means, such as an automatic calling section, is provided to make a call to a distribution destination corresponding to the included distribution destination information via a distribution communication line such as a subscriber line, In response to a response to the call made by the processing means, message information stored in the message storage means that corresponds to the management information detected by the detection means is transmitted via the distribution communication line. and then send it.

[0007]

[Operation] By taking such measures, the message information transmitted via the incoming communication line is stored in the message storage means, and at least the delivery destination designation information specified for this message information is stored. Delivery designation information including delivery time designation information is stored in the management information storage means. When the time measured by the clock means reaches the time indicated by the delivery time designation information, the calling means calls the delivery destination indicated by the delivery destination designation information, and if a response is received, the above message stored in the message storage means is Message information is sent to the transmission communication line. Therefore, a pre-registered message is delivered to a pre-registered destination at a pre-registered time.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a message delivery device according to this embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a line connection section. This line connection section 1 is a subscriber line 2 of a public telephone network.
is connected to close/release the DC loop. The line connection section 1 also has an automatic response section 1a. The automatic answering section 1a detects a calling signal transmitted via the subscriber line 2, and automatically closes the DC loop when the calling signal is detected (when an incoming call occurs). Further, when the automatic response section 1a automatically closes the DC loop, the line connection section 1 notifies the control section 3 that an incoming call has occurred.

[0009] The audible signal transmitted via the subscriber line 2 (
(audio signal and DTMF signal) are provided to the interface section 4 via the line connection section 1. The interface section 4 performs interface processing such as level adjustment of the audible signal, and provides the processed audible signal to the analog-digital converter 5 and the DTMF recognition section 6.

The analog-to-digital converter 5 digitizes the applied audible signal (analog signal) and provides it to the control section 3. The DTMF recognition unit 6 detects D in the audible signal.
It recognizes the numerical information etc. indicated by the TMF signal and notifies the control unit 3 of this.

[0011] The control unit 3 generally controls this message distribution device. This control section 3 includes a message memory 7.
, a management information memory 8 and a clock 9 are connected thereto.

The message memory 7 stores digitized voice signals (voice messages) and digitized DTMF signals. The message memory 7 is divided into a large number (n) of message storage areas as shown in FIG. Each message storage area has a capacity corresponding to a voice message for a predetermined period of time (for example, 20 seconds).

The management information memory 8 stores management information generated by the control section 3. The management information memory 8 is divided into the same number (n) of management information storage areas as the message storage areas of the message memory 7, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, each management information storage area contains the distribution date,
It is divided into areas for storing information such as delivery time and delivery destination telephone number.

[0014] The clock 9 measures the time.

10 is a digital-to-analog converter. This digital/analog converter converts the digital audible signal given from the control section 3 into an analog signal and supplies it to the interface section 11 . The interface unit 11 performs interface processing such as level adjustment of the audible signal, and sends the processed audible signal to the subscriber line 13 of the public telephone network via the line connection unit 12.

The line connection section 12 closes/disconnects the DC loop of the subscriber line 13. The line connection section 12 also has an automatic calling section 12a. Based on instructions from the control unit 3, the automatic calling unit 12a transmits the DTMF signal corresponding to the specified telephone number to the subscriber line 1 after closing the DC loop.
3 and automatically makes a call. and line connection part 1
notifies the control unit 3 whether or not a response has been made to the call made by the automatic calling unit 12a.

By the way, the control section 3 has, for example, a microcomputer as a main control circuit, and has management information generation means 3a, distribution message detection means 3b, and distribution control means 3c. Of these, the management information generation means 3a generates management information corresponding to the delivery date, delivery time, and delivery destination telephone number specified by the DTMF signal via the subscriber line 2. The delivery message detection means 3b detects a message whose delivery time has arrived, based on the management information stored in the management information memory 8 and the time measured by the clock.
In other words, a message to be delivered is detected. Further, the distribution control means 3c distributes a message to be distributed when the distribution message detection means 3b detects a message to be distributed.

Next, the operation of the message distribution apparatus configured as described above will be explained according to the processing procedure of the control section 3. First, in a standby state, the control section 3 monitors the occurrence of an incoming call in step a, and detects a message to be distributed in steps b and c, as shown in FIG. Here, the detection of the message to be delivered in steps b and c involves taking in the time measured by the clock 9 in step b, and searching the management information memory 8 for management information having the same delivery time as this time. It is done by doing. The processing of steps b and c is performed by the distribution message detection means 3b.

When the line connection unit 1 notifies the occurrence of an incoming call, the control unit 3 executes the processing from step a to step d.
to move to. In step d, the control unit 3 receives various delivery specifications (delivery date, delivery time, and delivery destination telephone number) specified by the DTMF signal via the subscriber line 2. Specifically, these distribution specifications are specified by the sender of the message (the user of the service provided by the message distribution device) by operating a push button on the telephone. For example, the sender of a message makes a call to this message delivery device, and then sends the message on the delivery date (
For example, the current day is "0", the next day is "1"), the delivery time (4
Digit number. For example, if you want to specify 3:00 p.m., "1
500'') and the delivery destination phone number. In other words, if you specify that a message should be delivered at 3:00 pm on the same day to a telephone number "0994110119," for example, "0#1500#0994"
110119#". Note that here, "#" indicates the end of inputting one item. The information input in this way is transmitted through the subscriber line 2 as a DTMF signal,
It is recognized by the DTMF recognition unit 6 and inputted to the control unit 3 as a symbol string as described above.

Subsequently, in steps e and f, the control section 3 creates management information based on the delivery designation taken in in step d. Specifically, each numerical value is cut out from the above-mentioned symbol strings separated by "#" as one unit, and stored in each area of the management information memory 8. In other words, “0#1500#0994110119
The symbol string "#" is "0", "1500", "0994110"
119'' and each is stored in a storage area for delivery date, delivery time, and delivery destination telephone number in one management information storage area as shown in FIG.

Management information is thus generated and stored in the management information memory 8. The above processing of step e and step f is performed by the management information generation means 3a.

After that, in step g, the control section 3 performs the following steps.
A voice message (voice signal) transmitted via the subscriber line 2 following the above-mentioned symbol string transmitted as a DTMF signal is captured. Specifically, the sender of the message makes various distribution specifications by operating the push buttons as described above, and then generates the message within a predetermined period (for example, 20 seconds). Therefore, the control section 3
During this period, the analog-to-digital converter 5 captures the digitized voice message.

Next, in step h, the control unit 3 stores the voice message taken in in step g into a message storage area corresponding to the management information storage area in which the management information is stored, among the message storage areas in the message memory 7. Store. Specifically, the first message storage area and the first management information storage area, the second message storage area and the second management information storage area..., the nth message storage area and the nth management information storage area. are corresponding to each other, and at 3:00 pm on the same day, "0994110119"
The voice message designated for delivery to the number is stored in the first message storage area. After this, the control unit 3 ends the process and returns to the standby state.

On the other hand, when a message to be delivered is detected in the standby state, the control section 3 shifts the process from step c to step i. In step i, the control unit 3 reads the corresponding management information from the management information memory 8. Specifically, if the time measured by the clock 9 is 15:00, the management information including the delivery time "1500" (the management information stored in the first management information storage area in FIG. 3) is read. put out.

Next, in step j, the control unit 3 transmits the call destination telephone number (for example, "0994110119") included in the management information read in step i to the automatic calling unit 12.
Notify a. In response to this, the automatic calling unit 12a closes the DC loop, generates a TDMF signal corresponding to the notified telephone number, and sends it to the subscriber line 13.
Make a call. Furthermore, the automatic calling unit 12a waits for a response to the call made as described above for a predetermined period of time, and notifies the control unit 3 whether or not a response has been made.

In step k, the control unit 3 determines whether a response has been made based on the notification from the automatic calling unit 12a. If a response is received, the control section 3 shifts the process to step l. In step l, the control unit 3 reads the corresponding voice message (specifically, the voice message stored in the first message storage area) from the message memory 7 and sends the read voice message to the digital-to-analog converter 10. is output. The voice message (digital state) outputted from the control unit 3 to the digital-to-analog converter 10 in this way is converted back to an analog signal by the digital-to-analog converter 10, and then subjected to interface processing in the interface unit 11. It is sent to the subscriber line 13. Therefore, the voice message is sent from the handset of the destination telephone.

After the processing in step m, the control section 3 erases the corresponding management information from the management information memory 8 in step n. Thereafter, the process ends and returns to the standby state.

On the other hand, if there is no response to the call, the control section 3 moves from step k to step o,
In this step o, the delivery time in the corresponding management information is rewritten 15 minutes later. Specifically, the delivery time "1500" stored in the first management information storage area is rewritten to "1515". Therefore, an attempt will be made to deliver the message to the same delivery destination 15 minutes later. In addition,
The above processes from step i to step o are performed by the distribution control means 3c.

As described above, according to this embodiment, a voice message transmitted via the subscriber line 2 (public telephone network) is managed by management information regarding its delivery (delivery date, delivery time, and delivery destination telephone number). The voice message whose delivery time has arrived is delivered to the telephone having the designated delivery destination telephone number, that is, to the user of the telephone.

[0030] Therefore, after calling the message delivery device, the sender of the message specifies the delivery date, delivery time, delivery destination telephone number, etc. by operating the push button, and also speaks the message and sends the voice message. By registering the message in the message delivery device, the message can be delivered to the desired recipient at the desired time. As a result, by registering a voice message in advance, there is no need to worry about the scheduled time at which the message should be sent, and the scheduled time will not be missed. Furthermore, even if you are unable to make a call at the scheduled time, you can accurately convey your message to the desired person. At this time, the message delivery device makes a call and delivers the message, so the person receiving the message does not need to know that the message has been registered, and there is no need to perform any special work to retrieve the message. .

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention, including the following various modifications.

(1) In the above embodiment, the message to be registered has been explained as a voice message (voice), but a message indicated by a DTMF signal can be handled in exactly the same way, for example, when selected as a call destination. It is also possible to specify a paging receiver and send a text message to this selective paging receiver.

(2) If there are multiple messages with the same delivery time, each message may be delivered sequentially (for example, in the order of reception). Furthermore, if a plurality of subscriber lines for transmission are provided, each message can be transmitted simultaneously.

(3) In the above embodiment, a receiving subscriber line 2 and a calling subscriber line 13 are provided as communication lines,
Although the incoming communication line and the outgoing communication line are each dedicated, they may also be shared. Further, the number of communication lines to be accommodated may be arbitrary.

(4) In the above embodiment, only one calling destination can be set, but it is also possible to set multiple calling destinations and broadcasting to each calling destination. .

(5) Make it possible to set a password,
It is also possible to have the destination enter a PIN number at the time of distribution, and send the message only when the password matches. In this way, when the recipient is a telephone shared by multiple people, it becomes possible to send the message only to a specific person.

(6) In the above embodiment, the transmission date is either the same day or the next day, but it may also be possible to specify the month, day, or year, month, and day.

[0038]

According to the present invention, an incoming call from a communication network such as a public telephone network is detected via an incoming communication line such as a subscriber line, and an automatic response system that responds to the call is detected. a response processing means such as an automatic response processing means, the message storage means for storing message information transmitted via the incoming communication line after a response is made by the automatic response processing means, and the incoming communication together with the message information. management information generation means for generating predetermined delivery management information including at least delivery destination information and delivery time information based on delivery designation information including at least delivery destination designation information and delivery time designation information transmitted via a line; , a management information storage means for storing the delivery management information generated by the management information generation means in association with the message information, a clock means for measuring time, and a delivery from the management information stored in the management information storage means. A detection means for detecting time information that corresponds to the time measured by the timer means, and a detection means for detecting time information corresponding to the time measured by the timer means, and a detection means for detecting the time information corresponding to the time measured by the timer means, and a detection means for detecting the time information corresponding to the time measured by the timer means, and for the distribution destination corresponding to the distribution destination information included in the management information detected by this detection means. A call processing means such as an automatic calling unit that makes a call via a communication line for distribution, and in response to a response to the call made by the call processing means, a message storage means is provided. Of the stored message information, the one corresponding to the management information detected by the detection means is transmitted via the distribution communication line, so that the message can be sent at the desired time regardless of the state of the sender. In other words, it becomes a message delivery device that can send a message to a predetermined recipient.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a message delivery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a memory map of message memory 7 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a memory map of the management information memory 8 in FIG. 1.

4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the control unit 3 in FIG. 1. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1... Line connection section, 1a... Automatic response section, 2... Subscriber line, 3
...Control unit, 3a...Management information generation means, 3b...Distribution message detection means, 3c...Distribution control means, 4...Interface section, 5...Analog-digital converter, 6...DTMF
recognition unit, 7... message memory, 8... management information memory,
9...Clock, 10...Digital-to-analog converter, 11...
Interface section, 12... line connection section, 12a... automatic calling section, 13... subscriber line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Response processing means for detecting and responding to an incoming call from a communication network via an incoming communication line; said message storage means for storing message information transmitted via a line; and delivery specification information including at least delivery destination specification information and delivery time specification information, transmitted together with said message information via said incoming communication line. management information generation means for generating predetermined delivery management information including at least delivery destination information and delivery time information based on the information; and management for storing the delivery management information generated by the management information generation means in association with the message information. information storage means, timer means for measuring time, detection means for detecting from the management information stored in the management information storage means that distribution time information corresponds to the time measured by the timer means; a call processing means for making a call via a delivery communication line to a delivery destination corresponding to the delivery destination information included in the management information, and a response to the call made by the call processing means; distribution control means for transmitting message information stored in the message storage means that corresponds to the management information detected by the detection means via the distribution communication line in response to the message information stored in the message storage means. A message delivery device characterized by: