JP4751280B2 - Relay device and relay method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay device and a relay method, and more particularly to a relay device and a relay method in which two or more telephones are connected.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an IP telephone terminal system including an adapter for connecting a telephone, and a router device whose uplink side is connected to an IP (Internet Protocol) network and whose downlink side is connected to the adapter via the network. In the IP telephone terminal system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the router device includes a call accepting device, a destination identifying device, a call transmitting device, a response receiving device, and a device for setting a call path. The call accepting apparatus accepts a call setting request addressed to itself from the adapter. The destination specifying device specifies the destination connected to the uplink from the call setting request received by the call receiving device. The call transmitting device creates and transmits a second call setting request to the destination specified by the destination specifying device based on the call setting request. The response reception device receives a response to the second call setting request created by the call transmission device. When the response received by the response receiving device is information indicating that the uplink side call has been set based on the second call setting request transmitted by itself, the device that sets the call path Set up a call path to the destination.

  According to the invention disclosed in Patent Literature 1, it is possible to perform IP voice communication from within a private IP network with an inexpensive configuration.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a telephone device that is connected to a plurality of call lines including a digital call line for performing a telephone call by digital data communication, and makes a telephone call by selectively using the plurality of call lines. The telephone device disclosed in Patent Literature 2 includes a capture device, a storage device, a detection device, and a control device. The capturing device captures incoming information. The storage device stores determination criterion information indicating a criterion for determining whether or not incoming information is captured by the capturing device. The detection device detects partner information indicating a partner of a caller of incoming information or a partner during a telephone call. When the incoming call information is received via the digital call line during a telephone call, the control device determines the reference information from the other party information based on the other party information detected by the detection device and the determination reference information stored in the storage device. When the condition is satisfied, the incoming information is captured, and when the partner information does not satisfy the criterion information, the capturing device is controlled so that the incoming information is not captured.

According to the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, when incoming information is received during a telephone call, the incoming information can be selectively captured.
JP-A-2005-160055 JP 2006-80881 A

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, since no countermeasure is taken when there is an incoming call from a third party during a call, there is a problem that the possibility of missing an important incoming call is relatively high. is there. Since a technique for notifying that an incoming call has been received from a third party during a call is widely known, this problem can be reduced by using the technique together. However, such a known technique notifies the user by a sound from the handset that an incoming call has been received from a third party. Since such a notification is implemented, there is a relatively high possibility that the important word of the other party during the call will be missed if the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 is simply combined with a conventional technique. There is.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is a problem in that an incoming call from the other party may not be captured even though an incoming call from an important party is received.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a relay device and a relay method that reduce the risk of failing to hear important information during a call.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, the relay device includes network communication means, telephone communication means, storage means, and control means. The network communication means communicates with a plurality of telephones via the network. The telephone communication means communicates with two or more telephones different from the plurality of telephones. The storage means stores information representing the priority of a plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates. The control means is configured to communicate with one of the two or more telephones during communication with any of the two or more telephones via the telephone communication means and the network communication means. When any of the telephones with which the network communication means communicates requests an incoming call, the telephone communication means and the network are configured to carry out at least one of continuation of communication and communication with the telephone requesting the incoming call based on the priority. Control the communication means.

  Further, the control means described above controls the telephone communication means and the network communication means so as to at least continue the communication when the priority of the telephone being communicated among the telephones with which the network communication means communicates satisfies the requirements. It is desirable to include means for

  Alternatively, the above-mentioned means for controlling the network communication means is such that the priority of the telephone being communicated among the telephones with which the network communication means communicates and the priority of the telephone that requested the incoming call both satisfy the requirements. It is desirable to include means for controlling the telephone communication means and the network communication means so as to carry out both the continuation of communication and the communication with the telephone that requested the incoming call.

  Alternatively, the above-mentioned means for controlling the network communication means is such that the priority of the telephone being communicated among the telephones with which the network communication means communicates satisfies the requirement, and the priority of the telephone requesting the incoming call does not satisfy the requirement. In this case, it is desirable to include means for controlling the telephone communication means and the network communication means so as to return data indicating that the call is in progress to the telephone requesting the incoming call and to continue the communication.

  The network communication means described above may include means for communicating data representing a transmission source telephone number, a transmission destination telephone number, and information transmitted to the transmission destination with a plurality of telephones via the network. desirable. In addition, the storage means includes information indicating the telephone number of the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates, and whether the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates is in communication or on standby, and the transmission destination of information from the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates. It is desirable to include means for storing information representing the priority of a plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates together with information representing each telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates. In addition, the control means preferably includes an identification means, a number judgment means, a reading means, a telephone judgment means, an interrupt judgment means, an information control means, an implementation control means, and a data control means. . The identification means identifies the telephone number of the transmission source, the telephone number of the transmission destination, and the information to be transmitted to the transmission destination represented by the data received by the network communication means. The number determination means determines whether or not the destination telephone number identified by the identification means matches the telephone number of the telephone communicating with the telephone communication means based on the information stored in the storage means. The reading means reads information indicating the priority of the telephone indicated by the telephone number of the transmission source from the storage means. When the telephone number of the transmission destination identified by the identification means matches the telephone number of the telephone communicating with the telephone communication means, the telephone determination means determines whether the telephone represented by the transmission destination telephone number is based on the information stored in the storage means. Determine whether you are communicating or waiting. If the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number is in communication, the interrupt judgment means determines whether the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number and the telephone set indicated by the source telephone number are communicating via the network communication means. Determine whether. The information control means transmits when the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is on standby, and when the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is communicating with the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number via the network communication means. The telephone communication means is controlled so that the information identified by the identification means is transmitted to the telephone indicated by the previous telephone number. The execution control means is required to select one of the priority of the telephone being communicated via the network communication means with the telephone represented by the destination telephone number and the priority of the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source. Depending on whether the condition is satisfied, the network communication means and the telephone communication means are controlled so as to communicate with at least one of the telephone in communication and the telephone indicated by the telephone number of the transmission source. The data control means controls the network communication means so as to transmit data representing the content of the signal received by the telephone communication means.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the relay method is a method for relaying information in the relay device, including network communication means, telephone communication means, storage means, and control means. The network communication means communicates with a plurality of telephones via the network. The telephone communication means communicates with two or more telephones different from the plurality of telephones. The storage means stores information representing the priority of a plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates. The control means controls the telephone communication means and the network communication means. The relay method includes a communication step and a control step. In the communication step, the control means communicates with any one of the plurality of telephones via the telephone communication means and the network communication means. In the control step, when any of the telephones with which the network communication means communicates requests an incoming telephone, which is one of two or more telephones, during the communication step, the control means Based on this, the telephone communication means and the network communication means are controlled so as to carry out at least one of communication with the telephone that has requested continuation of communication and incoming call.

  The relay device and the relay method according to the present invention reduce the risk of losing important information during a call.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration and functions of an IP telephone system according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the IP telephone system according to the present embodiment allows a plurality of users to communicate with users of a plurality of IP telephones 26 and server 34 via IP telephone network 30. The “IP phone” includes a phone that uses a telephone-dedicated network and a phone that uses a general Internet network. The IP telephone network 30 may be either network, but in the present embodiment, it is assumed to be a network for the Internet.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the IP telephone system according to the present embodiment includes an IP gateway device 20, an IP telephone adapter 22, an analog telephone 24, an IP telephone 26, and a wireless telephone 28. In the present embodiment, four analog telephones 24 are connected to the IP gateway device 20, but only two analog telephones 24 are shown in FIG. The IP gateway device 20 connects the analog telephone 24 connected via the IP telephone adapter 22, the analog telephone 24 directly connected to the IP gateway device 20, the IP telephone 26, the wireless telephone 28, and the IP telephone network 30. It is a relay device that relays communication with the IP telephone 26 and the server 34 connected via the network. The IP telephone adapter 22 is an apparatus for realizing an IP telephone using the analog telephone 24. The analog telephone 24 is a device for a user to call using an analog signal. The IP telephone 26 is a device for a user to make a call according to the Internet protocol. The wireless telephone 28 is a device for a user to call by wireless communication according to the Internet protocol.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the IP gateway device 20. The IP gateway device 20 includes a WAN (Wide Area Network) communication circuit 50, a memory 52, a wireless communication circuit 54, a PHY (Physical Layer Chip) 56, a SLIC (Subscriber Line Interface Circuit) 58, and a CPU (Central processing). Unit) 60 and a power source 62.

  The WAN communication circuit 50 is a circuit that communicates data described below with the IP telephone 26 and the server 34 via the IP telephone network 30. The data is data representing a transmission source telephone number, a transmission destination telephone number, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination. In this embodiment, these data are communicated as packets. The memory 52 is a device that stores information to be described later. The wireless communication circuit 54 is a circuit that performs wireless communication with the wireless telephone 28. The PHY 56 is a device that mutually converts a signal that can be communicated by the IP telephone adapter 22 and the IP telephone 26 and a signal that can be used by the CPU 60. The PHY 56 operates as a device for communicating with the analog telephone 24 and the IP telephone 26 connected to the IP telephone adapter 22. The SLIC 58 is a device that mutually converts a signal that can be used by the CPU 60 and a signal that can be used by the analog telephone 24. The SLIC 58 operates as a device for communicating with a plurality of analog telephones 24. The SLIC 58 is also a device that controls the operation of the analog telephone 24 through control of signal waveforms. The CPU 60 is a device that controls the WAN communication circuit 50, the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58. The CPU 60 is also a device that performs processing necessary to control these. The power source 62 is a device that supplies power to devices and circuits that constitute the IP gateway device 20.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the CPU 60. Referring to FIG. 3, CPU 60 includes identification unit 70, number determination unit 72, reading unit 78, telephone determination unit 74, interrupt determination unit 84, information control unit 76, and implementation control unit 80. And a data control unit 82.

  The identification unit 70 identifies the content of the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50. The number determination unit 72 determines whether the transmission destination of the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50 is a telephone that communicates with the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58.

  Reading unit 78 reads information representing the priority. The telephone determination unit 74 determines whether the destination telephone of the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50 is communicating or waiting. The interrupt determination unit 84 determines whether or not the transmission destination telephone of the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50 and the transmission source telephone are communicating via the WAN communication circuit 50. When the destination telephone of the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50 is on standby, and when the destination telephone is communicating with the source telephone via the WAN communication circuit 50, the information control unit 76 The information identified by the identification unit 70 is transmitted to the telephone. The execution control unit 80 causes the telephone to perform communication depending on whether or not the priority satisfies the requirements for the class. The data control unit 82 controls the WAN communication circuit 50 so as to transmit data representing the contents of signals received by the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58.

  In the present embodiment, the identification unit 70, the number determination unit 72, the telephone determination unit 74, the information control unit 76, the reading unit 78, the implementation control unit 80, the data control unit 82, and the interrupt determination unit A virtual device 84 is realized by the CPU 60.

  The implementation control unit 80 includes a communication control unit 90 and an interrupt control unit 92. The communication control unit 90 performs communication with a telephone other than the telephone designated as the transmission destination. The interrupt control unit 92 performs control for transmitting a signal indicating that there is an incoming call to the telephone set designated as the transmission destination. Both the communication control unit 90 and the interrupt control unit 92 are virtual devices realized by the CPU 60.

  The communication control unit 90 includes a transfer control unit 96 and a network control unit 98. The transfer control unit 96 performs control for transmitting an incoming signal or the like to a telephone other than the telephone designated as the transmission destination. The network control unit 98 performs control for returning data indicating that the call is in progress. Both the transfer control unit 96 and the network control unit 98 are virtual devices realized by the CPU 60.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the contents of the priority database stored in the memory 52. The information included in the priority database represents the priority of the telephone with which the WAN communication circuit 50 communicates. In the case of the present embodiment, the priority database stored in the memory 52 includes a number, information on the other party's telephone number, and priority information. The number is information for specifying a combination of telephone number information and priority information. The information on the other party's telephone number represents the telephone number of the telephone with which the WAN communication circuit 50 communicates via the IP telephone network 30. The priority information is information indicating the priority set by the user for each telephone set indicated by the telephone number information of the other party. In the case of the present embodiment, the priority is represented by two grades. In FIG. 4, the fact that a higher grade is set among these grades is represented by the letters “high”. The fact that a lower grade is set among these grades is represented by a character string “NULL”. The memory 52 stores data corresponding to “high” or “NULL”.

  FIG. 5 shows the contents of the telephone database stored in memory 52. In the case of the present embodiment, the telephone database stored in memory 52 includes a telephone ID, information representing an outside line number, information representing whether or not a call can be made, and information representing a destination telephone number.

  The telephone ID is information for specifying a telephone with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 communicate. Of the information constituting the telephone database, information other than the telephone ID is associated with the wireless communication circuit 54 and information other than the telephone ID is associated with the telephone ID. Thus, the telephone database is represented for each telephone with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 communicate.

  The information representing the outside line number represents the telephone number of the telephone with which radio communication circuit 54, PHY 56, and SLIC 58 communicate. The information indicating whether communication is possible is information indicating whether the telephone set with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 communicate is in communication or in standby. The information indicating the telephone number of the transmission destination is information indicating the telephone set as the transmission destination of the information by telephone number. The information whose transmission destination is represented by this information is information whose transmission source is a telephone with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 communicate.

  Examples of “information from the telephone as a transmission source” include information representing voice during a call and information for control communicated at the start and end of a call. In the case of the present embodiment, control for a call follows SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). As a result, character string information such as “200 OK” is communicated as control information. Needless to say, as long as the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 are represented for each telephone that communicates, the information constituting the telephone database may be a separate independent database.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the program executed in IP gateway device 20 performs the following control regarding registration of information indicating priority.

  In step S100, in response to the user turning on a switch (not shown), the power supply 62 starts to supply power to the devices and circuits constituting the IP gateway device 20.

  In step S102, a keyboard (not shown) of the IP gateway device 20 accepts priority information. This keyboard accepts priority information for each telephone number. The received priority information is output to the memory 52 via the CPU 60. The memory 52 stores the information as the above-described priority database information.

  Referring to FIG. 7, the program executed by IP gateway device 20 performs the following control regarding a call.

  In step S110, CPU 60 waits for an incoming call. As a process for waiting for an incoming call, the following two processes are performed each time the WAN communication circuit 50 receives a packet. The first process is a process in which the identification unit 70 identifies the transmission source telephone number, the transmission destination telephone number, and the information to be transmitted to the transmission destination represented by the packet. The second process is a process in which the number determination unit 72 determines whether the destination telephone number identified by the identification unit 70 matches any of the telephone numbers of the telephones described below. The telephones are an analog telephone 24, an IP telephone 26, and a wireless telephone 28. These telephones are telephones with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 communicate. This determination is performed based on information in the telephone database stored in the memory 52. If the destination telephone number does not match any of these telephone numbers, the packet received by the WAN communication circuit 50 is ignored.

  In step S 112, reading unit 78 reads the telephone priority information represented by the telephone number from the priority database of memory 52 based on the telephone number information of the transmission source. The read priority is stored in a buffer (not shown) of the CPU 60. In the present embodiment, the telephone represented by the “transmission source telephone number” identified by the identification unit 70 in step S110 is referred to as a “calling telephone”.

  In step S114, the telephone set determination unit 74 determines whether the telephone set described below is in communication or in standby based on the information in the telephone database stored in the memory 52. The telephone is a telephone represented by the “transmission destination telephone number” identified by the identification unit 70. In this case, if such a telephone is on standby, the information control unit 76 and the data control unit 82 perform control for starting a call. That is, the information control unit 76 controls the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58 so that the information identified by the identification unit 70 is transmitted to the telephone set on standby. The data control unit 82 controls the WAN communication circuit 50 so as to transmit data representing the content of the signal received by the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58. Control for the communication is performed in accordance with SIP. In the present embodiment, the telephone set indicated by the “destination telephone number” identified by the identification unit 70 in step S110 is referred to as “the incoming telephone set”.

  In step S116, the data control unit 82 controls the WAN communication circuit 50 so as to transmit data representing the content of the signal received by the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58. When the WAN communication circuit 50 receives the packet, the identification unit 70 identifies the transmission source telephone number, transmission destination telephone number, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination indicated by the packet between the control of the data control unit 82. To do. When the information is identified, the number determination unit 72 determines whether or not the destination telephone number identified by the identification unit 70 in this step matches one of the telephone numbers of the telephones described below. The telephones are an analog telephone 24, an IP telephone 26, and a wireless telephone 28. These telephones are telephones with which the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58 communicates. When the telephone number of the transmission destination identified by the identification unit 70 in this step matches any of the telephone numbers of such telephones, the telephone determination unit 74 uses the information in the telephone database stored in the memory 52 to It is determined whether the telephone set described below is communicating or waiting. The telephone is a telephone represented by the destination telephone number identified by the identification unit 70 in this step. When the telephone is busy, the interrupt determination unit 84 determines whether or not the telephone and the telephone described below are communicating via the WAN communication circuit 50. The telephone is a telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source identified by the identification unit 70. As a result, the interrupt determination unit 84 determines whether or not there is an incoming call from a third-party telephone with respect to the above-mentioned “incoming-side telephone”. If it is determined that there is an incoming call from a third-party telephone (YES in step S116), the process proceeds to step S118. If not (NO in step S116), the process proceeds to step S122. In the present embodiment, the telephone represented by the “transmission source telephone number” identified by the identification unit 70 in this step is referred to as a “third party telephone”.

  In step S118, the reading unit 78 reads the priority information of the third party telephone from the priority database in the memory 52 based on the information on the telephone number of the transmission source identified by the identification unit 70 in step S116. put out. The read priority is stored in a buffer (not shown) of the CPU 60. As a result, the priority information of the third party telephone is read out.

  In step S120, the execution control unit 80 performs processing according to the difference between the priority read by the reading unit 78 in step S112 and the priority read by the reading unit 78 in step S118. In this process, the execution control unit 80 performs communication of at least one of the telephones of the calling party and the third party depending on which of the telephones satisfies the priority. As described above, the following two types of lines are controlled. Of the “two types of lines described below” described above, the first “line etc.” means the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58. The second type “line etc.” means the WAN communication circuit 50. This process corresponds to the process from step S130 to step S142 described later.

  In step S122, execution control unit 80 determines whether or not to continue the call based on signals received by analog telephone 24, IP telephone 26, or wireless telephone 28 from wireless communication circuit 54, PHY 56, and SLIC 58. To do. If it is determined that the call is to be continued (YES in step S122), the process proceeds to step S116. If not (NO in step S122), the process ends.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the program executed in IP gateway device 20 performs the following control regarding the call.

  In step S130, communication control unit 90 determines whether the priority of the telephone on the calling side is a higher one of the two levels. If it is determined that the priority of the calling telephone is high (YES in step S130), the process proceeds to step S132. If not (NO in step S130), the process proceeds to step S140. By the processing after step S132, the communication control unit 90 controls the circuit described below when the requirement that the priority of the telephone on the calling side is a higher one of the two levels is satisfied. It becomes. “Circuit described below” means the WAN communication circuit 50 and the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58. By controlling these circuits, communication is performed with respect to telephones other than the incoming call telephone.

  In step S132, transfer control unit 96 determines whether the priority of the third-party telephone is a higher one of the two levels. If it is determined that the priority of the third-party telephone is a higher one of the two levels (YES in step S132), the process proceeds to step S134. If not (NO in step S132), the process proceeds to step S142. By the processing after step S134, the transfer control unit 96 controls the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58 when the following requirements are satisfied. The requirement is a requirement that the priority of the telephone on the calling side and the priority of the third-party phone are both higher than the two levels. By this control, the information to be transmitted to the incoming side telephone is transmitted to a telephone other than the incoming side telephone.

  In step S134, the transfer control unit 96 determines whether there is a free line based on the telephone database stored in the memory 52. In the present embodiment, “empty line” means a telephone that is on standby among telephones that communicate with the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, and the SLIC 58. If it is determined that there is a free line (YES in step S134), the process proceeds to step S136. If not (NO in step S134), the process proceeds to step S140.

  In step S136, the transfer control unit 96 controls the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58 so as to transmit a calling signal to the free line.

  In step S138, when the wireless communication circuit 54, PHY 56, or SLIC 58 receives the response signal from the idle line, the transfer control unit 96 starts the telephone call with the third party, so that the wireless communication circuit 54, PHY 56, or The SLIC 58 and the WAN communication circuit 50 are controlled.

  In step S140, interrupt control unit 92 controls radio communication circuit 54, PHY 56, or SLIC 58 so as to transmit a signal indicating that there has been an incoming call from a third-party telephone to the incoming telephone. To do. On the other hand, when a signal indicating response to an incoming call from a third-party telephone is returned from the incoming telephone, the interrupt control unit 92 holds the call with the outgoing telephone, Processing to enable a telephone call to the person's telephone. The interrupt control unit 92 is a signal indicating that a call is being made to the third party's telephone until a signal indicating that the incoming telephone is responding to the incoming call from the third party's telephone is returned. , The WAN communication circuit 50 is controlled. In the present embodiment, this control is referred to as “interrupt processing”.

  In step S142, network control unit 98 controls WAN communication circuit 50 so as to send back data indicating that a call is in progress to a third-party telephone. In the present embodiment, this control is referred to as “busy processing”.

  An operation of the IP gateway device 20 based on the above structure and flowchart will be described.

[For forwarding incoming calls from a third-party phone to an available line]
CPU 60 waits for an incoming call (step S110). When there is an incoming call, the reading unit 78 reads information on the priority of the telephone on the calling side (step S112). When the priority information is read, after the determination by the telephone determination unit 74, the information control unit 76 and the data control unit 82 carry out control for starting a call (step S114).

  Thereafter, the interrupt determination unit 84 determines whether or not there is an incoming call from a third party telephone (step S116). If there is no incoming call from a third party telephone (NO in step S116), execution control unit 80 determines whether or not to continue the call (step S122). While the call is continued (YES in step S122), the processes in step S116 and step S122 are repeated.

  Thereafter, if there is an incoming call from a third party telephone (YES in step S116), reading unit 78 reads the priority information of the third party telephone (step S118). When the priority information is read, the communication control unit 90 determines whether or not the priority of the caller telephone is higher than the two levels (step S130). In this case, assuming that the priority of the telephone on the calling side is a higher one of the two levels (YES in step S130), transfer control unit 96 has a two-level priority for the third-party telephone. It is judged whether it is a high grade among these (step S132). In this case, if the priority of the third-party telephone is also a higher one of the two levels (YES in step S132), transfer control unit 96 determines whether there is a free line (step S132). S134). In this case, if there is an available line, the transfer control unit 96 controls the wireless communication circuit 54, the PHY 56, or the SLIC 58 so as to transmit a calling signal to the available line (step S136). After the call signal is transmitted, when the user picks up the receiver of the vacant line, the transfer control unit 96 starts a call with a third party (step S138).

  When a call with a third party is started, after step S122 is performed once, step S116, step S118, step S130 to step S142, and step S122 are repeated. Thereafter, when the call with the other party whose call is first started is terminated (NO in step S122), the process ends. However, when the call with the other party who has received the call is continued, the call with the other party is continued.

[When returning a packet indicating that you are busy]
Through the processing up to step S130, the transfer control unit 96 determines whether the priority of the third-party telephone is a higher one of the two grades (step S132). In this case, if the priority of the third-party telephone is a lower one of the two levels (NO in step S132), network control unit 98 is talking to the third-party telephone. The WAN communication circuit 50 is controlled so as to send back data representing this (step S142). Thereafter, once the process of step S122 is performed, the processes of step S116 and step S122 are repeated.

[When performing interrupt processing]
Through the processing up to step S118, the communication control unit 90 determines whether or not the priority of the calling side telephone is a higher one of the two grades (step S130). In this case, if the priority of the calling telephone is the lower of the two levels (NO in step S130), interrupt control unit 92 performs an interrupt process (step S140).

  As described above, when there is a new incoming call from a third party to the telephone being talked to, the IP gateway device according to the present embodiment gives priority to the telephone of the third party and the telephone that is currently talking. The various degrees of control are performed so that at least one communication is performed based on the comparison result. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents of processing according to the priority of the partner who first received the call and the priority of the partner who received the call later. Thereby, when an incoming call is received from an important party during a call, it is possible to prevent the incoming call from being missed. As a result, it is possible to provide an IP gateway device and a method of relaying a call by the IP gateway device that reduce the risk of failing to hear important information during a call.

  In addition, the IP gateway device according to the present embodiment performs control for satisfactorily performing a call with an important party. This reduces the risk that a call from an important party may be lost or information from an important party may be missed due to a call from a third party. As a result, it is possible to provide an IP gateway device and a method for relaying a call by the IP gateway device that reduce the risk of failing to hear important information during a call due to a call from a third party.

  In addition, the IP gateway device according to the present embodiment causes a call from the latter to be received on an empty line when another important party makes a call during a call with an important party. As a result, when a call is made by another important party during a call with an important party, there is a risk that the opportunity for a call with the other party during the call will be lost, or the information from the other party may be missed. It also reduces the risk of losing the opportunity to talk to another important party or losing information from that party. As a result, it is possible to provide an IP gateway device that reduces the risk of failing to hear important information from a plurality of parties during a call, and a call relay method using the IP gateway device.

  In addition, the IP gateway device according to the present embodiment notifies a call from the latter when there is a call from an important partner during a call with a certain partner. As a result, there is a reduced risk that a call from an important party may be lost or information from an important party may be missed due to a call from an unimportant party. As a result, it is possible to provide an IP gateway device and a method for relaying a call by the IP gateway device that reduce the risk of failing to hear important information during a call due to a call with an unimportant party.

  As a modification of the present invention, the priority information stored in the memory 52 is input as a signal from the analog telephone 24 connected via the IP telephone adapter 22 via the IP telephone adapter 22 and the PHY 56. May be. Similarly, the priority information stored in the memory 52 may be input as a signal from the analog telephone 24 directly connected to the IP gateway device 20 via the SLIC 58. It may be input from the IP telephone 26 via the PHY 56. It may be input from the wireless telephone 28 via the wireless communication circuit 54.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a figure showing the structure and function of the IP telephone system which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the hardware constitutions of the IP gateway apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of CPU which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the content of the priority database which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the content of the telephone database which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of control of the priority registration process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of control of the incoming call process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of control of the call process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the content of the process of the IP gateway apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  20 IP gateway device, 22 IP telephone adapter, 24 analog telephone, 26 IP telephone, 28 wireless telephone, 30 IP telephone network, 34 server, 50 WAN communication circuit, 52 memory, 54 wireless communication circuit, 56 PHY, 58 SLIC, 60 CPU, 62 power supply, 70 identification unit, 72 number determination unit, 78 reading unit, 74 telephone determination unit, 84 interrupt determination unit, 76 information control unit, 80 execution control unit, 82 data control unit, 90 communication control unit, 92 Interrupt control unit, 96 transfer control unit, 98 network control unit.

Claims (2)

Network communication means for communicating with a plurality of telephones via a network;
Telephone communication means for communicating with two or more telephones different from the plurality of telephones;
Storage means for storing information representing priorities of the plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates;
Via the telephone communication means and the network communication means, any one of the two or more telephones is communicating with any one of the plurality of telephones, and the telephone being in communication is one of the two or more telephones. On the other hand, when any of the telephones with which the network communication means communicates requests an incoming call, based on the priority, at least one of the continuation of communication and the communication with the telephone that has requested the incoming call is performed. A telephone communication means and a control means for controlling the network communication means ,
The network communication means includes means for communicating data representing a transmission source telephone number, a transmission destination telephone number, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination with the plurality of telephones via the network,
The storage means includes information representing a telephone number of the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates, and a destination of information from the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates whether the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates is in communication or on standby And means for storing information representing the priority of the plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates together with information representing each telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates,
The control means includes
Identification means for identifying the telephone number of the transmission source, the telephone number of the transmission destination, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination represented by the data received by the network communication means ;
Number judging means for judging whether or not the telephone number of the destination identified by the identifying means matches the telephone number of the telephone communicating with the telephone communication means based on the information stored in the storage means ,
Reading means for reading the information indicating the priority of the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source from the storage means;
When the destination telephone number identified by the identification means matches the telephone number of the telephone communicating with the telephone communication means, the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number communicates based on the information stored in the storage means. A telephone determination means for determining whether the telephone is on standby or waiting;
When the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number is in communication, it is determined whether the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number and the telephone set indicated by the source telephone number are communicating via the network communication means. An interrupt determination means for determining;
When the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is on standby, and when the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is communicating with the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number via the network communication means, the transmission Information control means for controlling the telephone communication means so as to transmit the information identified by the identification means to the telephone represented by the previous telephone number;
Which of the priorities is the priority of the telephone that is communicating with the telephone represented by the destination telephone number and the network communication means, and the priority of the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source For controlling the network communication means and the telephone communication means so as to communicate with at least one of the communicating telephone and the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source according to whether the requirement is satisfied Implementation control means;
And a data control means for controlling the network communication means so as to transmit data representing the content of the signal received by the telephone communication means . Network communication means for communicating with a plurality of telephones via a network;
Telephone communication means for communicating with two or more telephones different from the plurality of telephones;
Storage means for storing information representing priorities of the plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates;
The look-containing and control means for controlling telephone communication means and the network communication means,
The network communication means has means for communicating data representing a transmission source telephone number, a transmission destination telephone number, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination with the plurality of telephones via the network,
The storage means includes information representing a telephone number of the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates, and a destination of information from the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates whether the telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates is in communication or on standby And a means for storing information representing the priority of the plurality of telephones with which the network communication means communicates together with information representing each telephone with which the telephone communication means communicates. There,
The relay method is:
A communication step in which any one of the two or more telephones communicates with any of the plurality of telephones via the telephone communication means and the network communication means;
During the communication step, when any of the telephones with which the network communication means communicates requests an incoming telephone that is one of the two or more telephones, the control means based on, to perform at least one of communication with the telephone that requested the continuation and incoming communication, and a control step of controlling the telephone communication means and the network communication means,
The control step includes
An identification step for identifying the telephone number of the transmission source, the telephone number of the transmission destination, and information to be transmitted to the transmission destination represented by the data received by the network communication means ;
A number determination step for determining whether or not the destination telephone number identified in the identification step matches the telephone number of the telephone communicating with the telephone communication means based on the information stored in the storage means;
A reading step for reading information indicating the priority of the telephone set indicated by the transmission source telephone number from the storage means;
When the telephone number of the destination identified by the identifying step matches the telephone number of the telephone that communicates with the telephone communication means, the telephone represented by the destination telephone number is based on the information stored in the storage means. A telephone determination step for determining whether communication or waiting;
When the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number is in communication, it is determined whether the telephone set indicated by the destination telephone number and the telephone set indicated by the source telephone number are communicating via the network communication means. An interrupt determination step to determine;
When the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is on standby, and when the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number is communicating with the telephone indicated by the destination telephone number via the network communication means, the transmission An information control step for controlling the telephone communication means to transmit the information identified in the identification step to the telephone represented by the previous telephone number;
Which of the priorities is the priority of the telephone that is communicating with the telephone represented by the destination telephone number and the network communication means, and the priority of the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source Implementation control for controlling the network communication means and the telephone communication means so as to communicate with at least one of the telephone in communication and the telephone represented by the telephone number of the transmission source according to whether the requirement is satisfied Steps,
Wherein as telephone communication means for transmitting data representing the content of the received signal includes a data control step of controlling the network communication means, a relay method.

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