Communication system, communication management system and method

• US 20010022788A1
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Akira, Itabashi, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,113,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/462
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/90 using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2083 Confirmation by serviced party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/353 where the information comprises non-audio but is provided over voice channels protocols for multimedia information services per se H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/016 Billing using Intelligent Networks [IN] or Advanced Intelligent Networks [AIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

A communications system, a communication management system and method are disclosed. Distribution information is distributed to communication terminal devices to which communication lines are connected. And a privilege is assigned to a user of the communication terminal device to which the distribution information is distributed.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

line connection means for connecting lines between communication terminal devices;

communication management means for managing communication between the communication terminal devices through said line connection means;

information supply means for supplying distribution information to said communication management means;

information distribution means, provided in said communication management means, for distributing the distribution information to a corresponding communication terminal device; and

privilege assignment means, provided in said communication management means, for assigning a privilege to a user of the communication terminal device to which the distribution information is distributed.

2. The communication system according to

claim 1

wherein said privilege assignment means assigns a privilege after said distribution information is confirmed to have been browsed or viewed by a user of the communication terminal device.

3. A communication management system for managing communication between communication terminal devices, said system comprising:

information distribution means for distributing distribution information to said communication terminal devices to which communication lines are connected; and

privilege assignment means for assigning a privilege to a user of said communication terminal device to which the distribution information is distributed.

4. The communication management system according to

claim 3

wherein said communication terminal device is a telephone.

5. The communication management system according to

claim 3

wherein said information distribution means distributes said distribution information by temporarily suspending the communication while said communication terminal device is communicating.

6. The communication management system according to

claim 3

wherein said information distribution means distributes the distribution information in parallel with voice information in said communication while said communication terminal device is communicating.

7. The communication management system according to

claim 3

wherein said communication terminal device comprises keyword extraction means for extracting a keyword by recognizing the voice of said user in a conversation.

8. The communication management system according to

claim 7

wherein said information distribution means selects corresponding distribution information from among plural pieces of said distribution information based on an extraction result by said keyword extraction means, and supplies said distribution information to said communication terminal device.

9. The communication management system according to

claim 3

, further comprising position detection means for detecting the position of said user.

10. The communication management system according to

claim 9

wherein said information distribution means selects corresponding distribution information from among plural pieces of said distribution information based on an extraction result by said keyword extraction means, and supplies the distribution information to said communication terminal device.

11. A communication management method for managing communication between communication terminal devices, said method comprising:

a first step of distributing distribution information to said communication terminal devices to which communication lines are connected; and

a second step of assigning a privilege to a user of said communication terminal device to which the distribution information is distributed.

12. The communication management method according to

claim 11

wherein in said second step, after said distribution information is confirmed to have been browsed or viewed by a user of said communication terminal device, a privilege is assigned according to the result of the confirmation.

13. The communication management method according to

claim 11

wherein said communication terminal device is a telephone;

and in said first step, said distribution information is distributed by temporarily suspending the communication during the communication between the telephones.

14. The communication management method according to

claim 11

wherein said communication terminal device is a telephone;

and in said first step, said distribution information is distributed in parallel with voice information in the communication during the communication between the telephones.

15. The communication management method according to

claim 11

wherein said communication terminal is a telephone, and in said first step, after extracting a predetermined keyword by recognizing voice in a conversation of said user between said telephones, distribution information is selected from among plural pieces of said distribution information based on the extraction result, and the distribution information is distributed to said communication terminal device.

16. The communication management method according to

claim 11

wherein in said first step, after detecting the position of said user, corresponding distribution information is selected from among plural pieces of said distribution information based on the detection result, and the distribution information is distributed to said communication terminal device.

17. A communication system comprising:

plural communication terminal devices for communicating with each other via a channel;

information supplying means for supplying information to a designated communication terminal device among said communication terminal devices; and

privilege assignment means for, after being notified by said communication terminal device that said information is confirmed by a user of said communication terminal device, assigning a privilege to the notified communication of said communication terminal device.

18. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said information supplying means comprises means for recording a distribution history of said supplied information, and means for updating said distribution history when notified by said designated communication terminal device.

19. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said information supplying means temporarily suspends the communication of at least one of said communication terminal devices after communication starts and supplies said information during said suspended period, or supplies said information in synchronization with said communication or after said communication.

20. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said communication terminal device for, when said information is supplied from said information supplying means, outputting a notification of said information as confirmation information based on a predetermined operation and/or a voice that is inputted externally.

21. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said information supplying means comprises keyword extracting means for, while recognizing the communication contents of said communication terminal device which is communicating, selectively extracting a keyword contained in said communication contents, and wherein based on the keyword extracted by the keyword extracting means, supplying information corresponding to said keyword to a corresponding communication terminal device.

22. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said communication terminal device comprises keyword extracting means for, while recognizing the communication contents being communicated, selectively extracting a keyword contained in said communication contents, and outputting means for outputting language information based on the keyword extracted by the keyword extracting means to said information supplying means;

and said information supplying means supplies information corresponding to said language information given from said communication terminal device to a corresponding communication terminal device.

23. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said information supplying means comprises position detection means for detecting the position of said designated communication terminal device, and based on the position information given from the position detection means supplies information corresponding to said position information to a corresponding communication terminal device.

24. The communication system according to

claim 17

wherein said communication terminal device comprises position detection means for detecting the position of said communication terminal device, and means for outputting the position information detected by the position detection means to said information supplying means;

and said information supplying means, based on the position information given from said communication terminal device, supplies information corresponding to said position information to a corresponding communication terminal device.

25. A communication management method for managing the communication of communication terminal device connected via a channel, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying information via the channel corresponding to said communication terminal device to a said designated communication terminal device; and

receiving a confirmation result that said information supplied from said communication terminal device has been confirmed.

26. The communication management method according to

claim 25

wherein in said step of supplying information, a distribution history of said information is stored, and in said step of receiving the confirmation result, said distribution history is updated when said confirmation result is received from said designated communication terminal device.

27. The communication management method according to

claim 25

wherein said communication terminal device, when said information is supplied, outputs a confirmation result of said information as confirmation information based on a predetermined operation and/or a voice that is inputted externally.