JPH10210080A - Internet communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of an internet telephone and to inexpensively realize various uses of the internet telephone without increasing the communication cost, the power rate, etc. SOLUTION: A constitution from a network communication controller 1 always fed and operated to an input operation part 6 is provided, and the internet telephone is connected to the telephone number of a speech destination inputted from the input operation part 6 through a public telephone line. After the internet telephone exchanges the discrimination number of a terminal required for communication connection with a communication control part 3 of a terminal 20b on the terminating side through a modem, the line connection is disconnected. It is logged on in an internet phone provider 102. The IP address of the destination is acquired based on the discrimination number of the terminal preliminarily exchanged by this logging-on. Thereafter, voice data passes an internet network 101 by IP routing and is converted to a code through a transfer function between terminals 20a and 20b by a voice processing part 5 or encoded data is converted to a voice signal, thus performing speech on the internet telephone.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an Internet communication system for transmitting a two-way telephone voice packet over the Internet connected by using a dial-up protocol and making a telephone call.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional Internet communication system. In the Internet communication system shown in FIG. 8, a communication control device including a network communication control device 1 and a modem (modulation / demodulation device) 2 is a data terminal (hereinafter, referred to as a communication terminal) having a speaker 4a for communication and a microphone 4b.
Personal computer: described as PC) 11 and PC
The communication control device is connected via the interface 12 and the public telephone line 51.

Further, a personal computer PC11
A communication control device including a network communication control device 1a and a modem 2a having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is connected via a PC interface 12a to a personal computer PC11a including a speaker 4m for communication and a microphone 4n. This communication control device is also connected to the public telephone line 51. The personal computers PC 11 and 11a, which are calling (sending) terminals or called (receiving) terminals, are connected to the Internet 101 through a public telephone line 51 and Internet service providers (Internet connection companies) 52a and 52b. Further, an Internet phone provider 102 is connected to the Internet network 101 to make a call.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a first procedure for connecting the calling terminal and the called terminal in the conventional Internet, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the conventional called terminal in the Internet. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the 2nd procedure which connects a call side terminal. The processing procedure of the first procedure shown in FIG. 9 is performed by a called terminal (personal computer PC11,
11a) and a calling terminal (one of the personal computers PC11 and 11a) performs a preliminary negotiation. In the processing procedure of the second procedure shown in FIG. 10, a call to an Internet telephone service provider is made. It is used to pre-register numbers and make service contracts.

[0005] In the processing procedure of the first procedure shown in FIG. 9, the calling terminal and the called terminal make a negotiation by telephone or e-mail (E-mail) by prior communication or message exchange.
Do with. Thereafter, the calling terminal makes a telephone call to the service provider, and the service provider responds to the call and logs in. Further, an application program for the Internet phone (telephone) is started. Then opponent I
P address designation or acquisition of the partner address from an Internet phone application server (ULS: User Location Server). Thereafter, the calling terminal and the called terminal perform speech communication by voice compression and decompression.

In the processing procedure of the second procedure shown in FIG. 10, a calling terminal and a called terminal perform registration of a telephone number and service contract with an Internet telephone service provider in advance. After this contract, the calling terminal dials the service provider. In addition, the service provider responds, establishes a gateway connection with the other party,
In addition, the telephone number of the called party is notified, and the called terminal is called. Here, the called terminal processes a response to the incoming call from the server gateway, and thereafter, the calling terminal and the called terminal perform a voice compression / decompression communication, that is, a communication via the Internet.

As described above, the current Internet phone service requires the processing procedure of the first procedure shown in FIG.
In other words, it is necessary to negotiate between the called terminal and the calling terminal in advance by calling or message exchange between the speakers during the call. Further, the processing procedure of the second procedure shown in FIG. 10 is required. That is, it is necessary to register a telephone number and a service contract with an Internet phone service provider. For this reason, it is used only in certain manias and offices where perfect information management is possible.

As described above, the current Internet phone service requires one of the following conditions. (1) It is necessary that the power of the called terminal or the telephone terminal is turned on, the application program for connecting to the Internet is logged in, and the other party can be mutually specified. (2) It is necessary to log in to an Internet phone application server (ULS) that performs a directory service. (3) Both the calling terminal and the called terminal have subscribed to the Internet telephone service provided by the telecommunications carrier, or the private communication equipment that provides the calling terminal and the called terminal with the Internet telephone gateway function. If there,
It is necessary for this equipment to have its own terminal information registered.

Under these conditions (1), (2) and (3),
The call request from the calling terminal or telephone terminal is TCP / IP
Alternatively, it is sent as a UDP packet to the called terminal or server, and the IP address of the called terminal or dedicated terminal server is acquired directly or via the server based on the call request. Based on the IP address, the calling terminal and the called terminal establish a logical communication path of a half-duplex communication system or a full-duplex communication system, thereby enabling the subsequent TCP / IP or U
Communication using DP packets becomes possible.

With respect to this type of Internet, there is known an Internet described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-181718, "Internet Optimal Route Selection Apparatus and Route Selection Method". In the conventional example of this publication, a telegram between networks of the Internet is transmitted through an optimal route with the shortest delivery time.

[0011]

The above-mentioned conventional telephones utilizing the Internet network are compared with conventional wired telephones, simple portable telephones (PHS) and mobile telephones (hereinafter referred to as ordinary telephones). Then, there is a disadvantage that the telephone number of the other party is dialed when necessary and the connection with the other party cannot be made immediately.

[0012] A telephone using the Internet network cannot be connected immediately like a normal telephone. That is, a telephone using the Internet network passes through a telephone exchange via dialing, calls the partner terminal by linking, and a call path is established at the moment of the hook-off at the partner, and a call becomes possible. It cannot be used with the same convenience as a telephone. In a telephone using the Internet network, it is necessary to turn on the power of both the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal, log in to the Internet service provider, and start up the application program. Further, depending on the method, it is necessary to log in to the Internet phone application server (ULS) or to use a dedicated gateway server.

Usually, in a home or small office, the Internet connection is often used by dial-up because it is economically advantageous. Only when necessary, the terminal is turned on and the communication circuit is logged on. The method is heavily used. In this method, it is impossible to connect to the other party by dialing the telephone number of the other party when necessary, as in a normal telephone, except for making a contract with a communication company that provides a service exclusively for Internet telephone.

Further, in order to be able to use the telephone using the Internet network at all times, it is necessary to always turn on the power of the terminal and connect a line to an Internet provider. There is a disadvantage that the electricity bill and the communication cost increase. In other words, it is difficult to use low-cost communication and additional services using Internet telephones except in offices where the communication traffic is large enough to use a dedicated line. Note that Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
The conventional example of Japanese Patent No. 181718 also has a similar problem.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and the usability of an Internet telephone is improved in the same manner as a conventional telephone in a home or a small office where communication traffic is small. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide an Internet communication system that enables various uses of Internet telephones at a low price without increasing communication costs and electricity charges such as logging in to an Internet service provider, thereby improving convenience. .

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a network communication control device, a modulation / demodulation device, a communication control unit, a voice input / output / processing unit, and an input operation unit which operate constantly. And the terminal is connected to the public telephone network,
The Internet communication system is connected to an Internet service provider, an Internet network, and an Internet phone provider. After connecting to the destination number input from the input operation unit through the public telephone line, the communication control unit of the called terminal is exchanged with the communication control unit of the called terminal through the modem to exchange the terminal identification information necessary for communication connection. Disconnect and log on to your Internet phone provider. Also, the other party's IP address is acquired based on the identification information of the terminal exchanged in advance, and thereafter, the audio input / output / processing unit converts the audio data into a code through a transfer function between the terminals via the Internet network by IP routing. At the same time, the coded data is converted into an audio signal and a call is made.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when logging on to the Internet phone provider, the Internet communication system logs on to the nearest Internet phone provider.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the Internet communication system, the communication control unit has a TPC or UDP transfer function, packetizes the audio data encoded by the audio input / output / processing unit, and sends the packet to the terminal on the other end. Is to be sent.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the Internet communication system, an integrated service digital network is used as the public telephone line. In this case, the identification information of the terminal is exchanged through the control channel without performing the operation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the Internet communication system is connected to a computer through the communication control unit and the interface, the computer is started by a ring signal received by an Internet telephone call, and a document mail function and a document file are controlled by the communication control. The data communication with the calling side is performed by linking the functions.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the Internet communication system, the terminal includes a display unit and an e-mail display processing function, and the e-mail is displayed on the display unit on a screen.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the terminal has a display unit, a photographing unit, and an image processing function in the terminal, and the image data photographed by the photographing unit is displayed on the display unit together with the voice data.

An Internet communication system according to claim 8, further comprising a storage means for storing data in the terminal, wherein the data received by the network communication control device of the terminal in response to the automatic response is stored and read out by the storage means. Executes mail communication.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet communication system, wherein the terminal includes a transfer unit, and transfers the data stored in the storage unit through a network communication control device and a public telephone line.

[0025] Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 having such a structure.
In the Internet communication system described in 5, the network communication control device and the modulation / demodulation device are always energized and operate to perform a physical interface process with the communication network. The network communication control unit communicates with the Internet provider to establish a TPC / IP connection link. Then, after exchanging the identification information (identification number) of the terminal necessary for mutual connection with the terminal of the other party through the public telephone line, the terminal is connected to the Internet service provider and the Internet telephone provider. In this way, the Internet telephone call is automatically established without using a server or a network service that secures a telephone call link with the destination terminal using the identification information of the terminal.

As a result, the usability of the Internet telephone is improved in the same manner as a conventional ordinary telephone in a home or a small office where communication traffic is small. In addition, communication costs such as logging in to an Internet service provider and electricity costs do not increase. That is, it is not necessary to turn on the power of the terminal and always connect the line to the Internet provider so that the telephone using the Internet network as described in the related art can always be used. In other words, various uses of the Internet telephone can be performed at a low price, and the convenience is improved.

In the Internet communication system according to the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth aspects, a data terminal such as a computer and a terminal for making an Internet call are linked by communication control to perform data communication such as a document mail and a document file. The e-mail is displayed on the screen. Further, the image data is displayed on the screen together with the audio data. In addition, voice mail is executed and transferred through a public telephone line.

As a result, as described above, various uses can be made at low cost by using the Internet telephone without increasing communication costs and electricity charges such as logging in to the Internet service provider, and the convenience is improved. .

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the Internet communication system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following sentences and figures, the same components as those in FIGS. 8 to 10 in the prior art are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the Internet communication system of the present invention. The Internet communication system shown in FIG.
A terminal 20a that is a calling side or a called side that makes a call through the Internet network is connected through a PC interface 12a connected to the terminal 20a.

Further, a terminal 20b on the calling side or the called side is connected to the Internet communication system through a PC interface 12b connected to the personal computer PC 11b. Also, this terminal 20
The constant current supply units 21a and 21b that supply current so that the signals a and 20b always operate are provided. The personal computers PC 11a and 11b are data terminals that perform data communication such as document mails and document files, display screens, and execute voice mails.

The Internet communication system has a public telephone line 51 to which the terminals 20a and 20b are connected.
Are connected to Internet service providers 52a and 52b. Further, Internet service providers 52a and 52b are connected to the Internet network 101, and an Internet phone provider (Internet telephone service provider) 102 is connected to the Internet network 101.

The terminals 20a and 20b have network communication controllers 1a and 1b for controlling an automatic response when making a telephone connection via the public telephone line 51, and modems 2a and 2b for transmitting data. . Further, communication control units 3a and 3b for transmitting the e-mail address and the Internet phone identification number (identification information (ID)) of the own device (terminals 20a and 20b) and controlling connection and disconnection of the call, respectively, Speaker 4a, 4m and microphone 4
b, 4n are connected, and the speakers 4a, 4n
It has audio input / output / processing units 4q and 4r for processing impedance matching and preamplification with respect to transmission signals and reception signals at m and the microphones 4b and 4n.

Further, the terminals 20a and 20b are connected to the speech processing units 5a and 5b for amplifying the transmission signal and the reception signal and the side tone processing and the communication control units 3a and 3b, respectively. Input operation units 6a and 6b for inputting a telephone number to a service provider, registering an ID number, and the like are provided.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the terminal 20a is the calling side, and the terminal 20b
Will be described as a called party. The input operation units 6a and 6b perform input operations such as input of a telephone number to a communication partner or a service provider, registration of an identification number (ID), and the like. In order to make an Internet telephone call between the terminal 20a serving as the calling side and the terminal 20b serving as the called side, it is necessary to capture their respective IP addresses.

In dial-up communication performed by this embodiment, the Internet service provider obtains the IP addresses of the terminals 20a and 20b and enables communication each time. In this case, the called terminal 20b
The IP address of the calling party is 2 if the communication is not actually performed.
However, in this embodiment, the IP address is obtained by the following first and second procedures.

First, in the first procedure, both parties log on to the directory provided by the Internet phone provider 102, and register the self-identification numbers of the terminals 20a and 20b previously exchanged in the first communication by the modem as the Internet phone access code in the directory. Then, after the reconnection, the identification number is designated and the IP address is obtained from the directory provided by the Internet phone provider 102. In the second procedure, the IP address assigned to the e-mail sent by the normal Internet service providers 52a and 52b is inserted and mutually transmitted to obtain the IP address.

The calling terminal 20a is connected to the network communication control device 1a.
The called terminal 20b and the public telephone line 51 through the control of
Make a connection by telephone call via. In response to this call, the network communication control device 1b of the terminal 20b performs a control operation and automatically responds to perform data transmission between the modems 2a and 2b of the terminals 20a and 20b. The e-mail address and Internet phone identification number (ID) of 20b are transmitted, and when the call connection is completed, the call is disconnected.

Next, a call is made from the terminals 20a and 20b to the Internet service provider 52a (52b) to log on. This logon is the Internet network 101
Upon completion, the user logs on to the Internet phone provider 102. When the log-on at the Internet phone provider 102 is completed, the terminal 20
The internet telephone identification number (ID) exchanged between the Internet service provider a and the Internet service provider 52b is designated, and the other party's IP address is obtained from the Internet service provider 52a (52b). Thereafter, the Internet network 10 is controlled by IP routing.
1 exchanges voice data encoded by the message transmission / reception processing of the terminals 20a and 20b. That is, a telephone call via the Internet through the terminals 20a and 20b is performed.

This call is performed by using the speakers 4a and 4m and the microphone 4 of the terminals 20a and 20b.
b, 4n, voice input / output processing units 4q, 4r and voice processing units 5a, 5b. Voice input / output processing unit 4q,
4r, speakers 4a and 4m and microphones 4b and 4
n, processing impedance matching and pre-amplification for the transmission signal and the reception signal at n.
In b, processing such as side tone processing in a call and amplification of a transmission signal and a reception signal are performed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a first procedure for connecting such a calling terminal and a called terminal. In the processing procedure of the first procedure shown in FIG. 2, a telephone number is input from the terminal 20a on the calling side to the terminal 20b on the called side of the other party from the input operation unit 6a, and the modem 2a of each of the terminals 20a and 20b is input. , 2b in the communication mode.

In this communication mode, an automatic response mode for performing control processing similar to the facsimile communication control is set in the called terminal 20b, and the name of the self terminal 20b is registered to the Internet service providers 52a and 52b when an incoming call is received. To communicate with the terminal 20 of the other party.
Get the registered name of a. Next, both terminals 20a, 20
In step b, the telephone call is disconnected, and connection to the desired Internet service provider 52a (52b) is started. Here, the automatic answering mode can be manually set, but the automatic answering mode is basically used for making a telephone call with the same connection as a normal telephone.

Internet service provider 52a
When the connection to (52b) is completed, the Internet service provider 52a (52b) connects to the Internet telephone provider (ULS provider) 102, which is another Internet service, to the Internet network 101.
And selects the called terminal 20b from the registered counterparties (ULS providers) and acquires the IP address of the called terminal 20a of the called party.

At this time, the calling side and called side terminals 20a,
10b must be connected to the same or mutually linked Internet service provider 52a (52b). When the acquisition of the IP address is completed, a call is made to the called terminal 20b, which is the other party, and a call is made using the IP packet.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure of the first procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, in this sequence, the same processing procedure as the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is executed. That is, the communication control unit 3a, the modem 2a, and the network communication control device 1a of the calling terminal 20a and the communication control unit 3b, the modem 2b, and the network communication control device 1b of the called terminal 20b respectively perform the first procedure. Processing is being performed.

In this case, in obtaining the IP address through the electronic mail, first, the calling terminal 20a connects to the called terminal 20b by calling the telephone via the public telephone line 51. When an automatic response is made by the control operation of the network communication control devices 1a and 1b, data transmission is performed between the modems 2a and 2b, and the communication control units 3a and 3b mutually transmit their own devices (terminal 2).
0a, 20b), and sends information indicating that a telephone call is to be made, and disconnects the call.

Next, a call is made from each terminal 20a, 20b to the Internet service provider 52a (52b).
Logon is performed, and after the logon is completed, the terminal 2 is connected to the Internet service provider 52a (52b).
0a is obtained. The IP address of the terminal 20a is described in the data of the e-mail, and the e-mail is transmitted to the called terminal 20b. This called terminal 20
b sends an e-mail in the same manner, so that both terminals 20
A and 20b make it possible to mutually confirm whether or not the other party is ready.

In order to receive an e-mail, it is necessary to start up an e-mail program and make a connection for receiving the e-mail. Depending on the e-mail program, an e-mail acquisition command is repeatedly generated. You need to run the program. After obtaining the IP address, the voice data encoded by the message transmission / reception processing of the terminals 20a and 20b is exchanged via the Internet network 101 by IP routing. That is, a telephone call is made on the terminals 20a and 20b by Internet telephone.

As described above, since the identification number of the other party is automatically obtained by a series of processing of the call from the terminal 20a and the automatic response, etc., the call or the call as shown in FIG. It is possible to omit the prior negotiation between the called side and the calling side by message exchange. As a result, an operation closer to that of a normal telephone can be performed, and there is no need to pre-register or contract a telephone number with an Internet phone provider as shown in FIG. Calls can be made.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a second procedure for connecting a calling terminal and a called terminal on the Internet in the embodiment. In FIG. 4, the calling terminal 20a dials the telephone number of the called party (called terminal 20b), and the connection is established in the communication mode by the modems 2a and 2b.

In this communication mode, the called terminal 20b
Is set to an automatic response mode such as facsimile communication control, the e-mail address of its own terminal 20b is notified, and the e-mail address of the calling terminal 20a, which is the destination, is acquired. Next, both terminals 20a, 2
0b disconnects the telephone call, and each initiates connection to the desired Internet service provider 52a (52b). Here, the automatic answering mode can be manually set, but the automatic answering mode is basically used to make a connection similar to a normal telephone.

Internet service provider 52a
When the connection with (52b) is completed, an application program for the Internet phone service is started. And Internet Service Provider 5
2a (52b) to obtain temporary IP addresses of the terminals 20a and 20b. Next, the IP address is used as an e-mail message as the destination terminal 20a,
The e-mail is sent to the terminal 20a and the IP addresses of the terminals 20a and 20b are set in an automatic acquisition mode. When the acquisition of this IP address is completed,
The calling terminal 20b is called to make a call using an IP packet.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure of the second procedure shown in FIG. 5, the same processing procedure as the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is executed. That is, the communication control unit 3a and the modem 2 of the calling terminal 20a
a, the communication control unit 3a, the modem 2b, and the network communication control device 1b of the network communication control device 1a and the terminal 20b on the called side execute processing for the second procedure.

In the sequence of the second procedure, since it does not depend on a specific service provider or a specific service provided by the service provider, a series of procedures for automatically responding to a call (call) from the calling terminal 20a is performed. The identification information (ID) of the other party is automatically obtained from the Internet service provider 52a (52b). Therefore, prior negotiation between the called terminal 20b and the calling terminal 20a by a telephone call or message exchange as shown in FIG. 9 in the prior art can be omitted.

Further, in the sequence of the second procedure,
The telephone number registration / service contract to the Internet phone provider shown in FIG. As a result, the operation is not limited to a particular enthusiast or a well-managed advanced office as in the Internet communication device shown in FIG. Internet phone service will be available in a wide range.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an application example of the Internet communication system. The application example shown in FIG.
A message storage unit 7 for storing a message in the Internet communication system is added. Since the other terminal 20b has the same configuration, it is not shown. Even on Internet telephones, messages when you are away are stored (recorded by answering machine)
Functions such as forwarding to the individual and circulation by broadcast transmission are required.

Regarding the handling at the time of absence, an incoming message can be accumulated in conjunction with the electronic mail. According to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to select between real-time Internet telephone transfer and Internet message-absent transfer for transferring stored messages depending on the status of the other party and the own terminal.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another application example of the Internet communication system. The application example shown in FIG.
An integrated services digital network (ISDN) is used as a transmission medium (interface) for the Internet communication device having the configuration shown in FIG. Note that the other terminal 20b
Portions have the same configuration, and are not shown. In this application example, the network communication control device 1a in FIG.
An ISDN interface (I / F) unit 1d is provided instead of (1b). The same applies to the other terminal 20b (not shown). Here, a service utilizing the data (B) channel (ch) in ISDN, that is, two channels is performed.

In this case, one of the data (B) channels is used for negotiations such as exchange of an identification number (ID) with a connection partner terminal, and the other channel is used for communication with an Internet service provider. This allows Internet telephone calls without apparently breaking the telephone call. Further, by exchanging the negotiation using the control (D) channel (ch), a procedure such as disconnection after calling, which is a problem in this embodiment, becomes unnecessary. That is, by negotiating with the Internet service provider by using the control channel, it is possible to reduce telephone call charges and to monitor for 24 hours at a low charge.

In this embodiment, the terminals 20a, 20
b, the personal computers PC11a and PC11, respectively.
b is provided. Personal computer PC11
Reference numerals a and 11b are activated by a ring signal due to an incoming Internet telephone call, and perform data communication with a calling side by linking a document mail function and a document file function by communication control. Further, a display process of a message in the e-mail is performed, and the e-mail message is displayed on the input operation unit 6 (not shown).
A screen is displayed on a display unit provided at a, 6b or the like.

In this embodiment, image communication is also possible by providing the personal computers PC 11a and 11b with a display unit, a photographing means such as a video camera, and an image processing function. In this case, the image pickup data taken together with the audio data is subjected to a display process, and is displayed on a screen provided by a not-shown input operation unit 6a, 6b or the like.

An answering machine is also possible. A memory as storage means for storing data for the answering machine processing and a memory for storing an answering machine message of the synthesized voice data are provided, and the data received by the terminals 20a and 20b automatically responding is stored in the memory and read out. Perform voicemail communication. It is also possible to process data stored in the memory and the like by the network communication devices 1a and 1b and the communication control devices 3a and 3b, and to transfer the data through a public telephone line.

[0062]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the Internet communication system according to the first to fifth aspects, terminal identification information necessary for mutual connection with a terminal of a called party is exchanged through a public telephone line. After that, it connects to the Internet service provider and the Internet phone provider and automatically establishes an Internet telephone call without using a server or network service that secures a call link with the terminal of the other party using the terminal identification information. Have gone to.

As a result, the usability of the Internet telephone is improved in the same manner as a conventional ordinary telephone in a home or small office where the communication traffic is small. In addition, communication costs and electricity charges for logging in to an Internet service provider do not increase, and various uses of Internet telephones can be performed at low cost, thereby improving convenience.

In the Internet communication system according to the sixth to ninth aspects, a data terminal such as a computer and a terminal making an Internet telephone are linked by communication control to perform data communication such as a document mail and a document file, and to transmit an electronic mail. The image is displayed on the screen, the image data is displayed together with the voice data on the screen, and the voice mail is executed and transferred through the public telephone line.

As a result, various uses of the Internet telephone can be performed at a low price without increasing communication costs and electricity charges such as logging in to the Internet service provider, and the convenience is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration in an embodiment of an Internet communication system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a first procedure for connecting a calling terminal and a called terminal on the Internet in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure of a first procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a second procedure for connecting a calling terminal and a called terminal on the Internet in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure of a second procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an application example of the Internet communication system in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing another application example of the Internet communication system in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional Internet communication system.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a first procedure for connecting a calling terminal and a called terminal in the conventional Internet.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a second procedure for connecting a calling terminal and a called terminal in the conventional Internet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b Network communication control unit 1d ISDN I / F unit 2a, 2b Modem 3a, 3b Communication control unit 4a, 4m Speaker 4b, 4n Microphone 4q, 4r Input / output / processing unit 5a, 5b Audio processing unit 6a, 6b Input operation unit 7 Message storage unit 11a, 11b Personal computer 12a, 12b PC interface 20a, 20b Terminal 21a, 21b Constant power supply unit 51 Public telephone line 52a, 52b Internet service provider 101 Internet network 102 Internet phone provider

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04Q 11/04 H04Q 11/04 R

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A network communication control device, a modulation / demodulation device, a communication control unit, a voice input / output / processing unit, and an input operation unit which are always operated, a terminal connected to a public telephone line network, an Internet service provider, and an Internet network And an Internet communication system connected to a line of an Internet phone provider, wherein after connecting to a called party number input from the input operation unit through a public telephone line, communication control of a called terminal through the modem. Exchanges the identification information of the terminal required for communication connection with the unit, thereafter disconnects the line connection and logs on to the Internet phone provider, and acquires the partner IP address based on the identification information of the terminal exchanged in advance, After this, the sound is transmitted through the transfer function between terminals via the Internet network by IP routing. Internet communication system, which comprises carrying out with the audio input / output processing section converts the sign data, the call and converts the encoded data to the audio signal. 2. The Internet communication system according to claim 1, wherein when logging on to the Internet phone provider, the user logs on to the nearest Internet phone provider. 3. The Internet communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit has a TPC or UDP transfer function,
An Internet communication system, characterized in that voice data encoded by a voice input / output / processing unit is packetized and transmitted to a terminal on the other end. 4. The Internet communication system according to claim 1, wherein an integrated service digital network is used as the public telephone line, and a network communication control device, a modulation / demodulation device, and a communication control unit execute interface processing for the integrated service digital network. An internet communication system for exchanging terminal identification information through a control channel without making a call. 5. The Internet communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit is connected to a computer through an interface, the computer is activated by a ring signal received by an Internet telephone call, and a document mail function is performed by communication control. An internet communication system for performing data communication with a caller by linking a document file function. 6. The Internet communication system according to claim 5, wherein the terminal includes a display unit and an e-mail display processing function,
An Internet communication system, wherein an electronic mail is displayed on a screen on the display unit. 7. The Internet communication system according to claim 5, wherein the terminal includes a display unit, a photographing unit, and an image processing function,
An internet communication system, wherein image data captured by an image capturing means is displayed on a screen of the display unit together with audio data. 8. The Internet communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing data in the terminal, wherein the storage unit stores data received in response to an automatic response from a network communication control device of the terminal. And an Internet communication system for performing voice mail communication for reading. 9. The Internet communication system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal includes a transfer unit, and the data stored in the storage unit is transferred through a network communication control device and a public telephone line.