System providing control of a function via telephone network

• US 20030181197A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Division Metria Lantmateriverket
• Original Assignee: Division Metria Lantmateriverket
• Inventors: Larsson, Jarl
• Application Number:
  US10/381,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181197A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72

Abstract

The invention relates to a function control system (1) in which a function practitioner (4) included among a plurality of available function practitioners is able to report his/her position and/or customer-related function to a common unit (3) via a telephone network (2) for control purposes, wherein said unit is adapted to handle communication from a mobile telephone apparatus (4a) belonging to respective function practitioners. In connection with a customer (10), the function practitioner (4) shall activate, via his/her mobile telephone apparatus (4a), a call, via the telephone network (2), to said common unit (3), which is adapted to receive and register control signals sent 4a from the telephone network, said signals having the form of ringing signals originating from the call from said function practitioner (4), and to register selected criteria relating to the call concerned, such as A-number identification, B-number identification, and/or the time at which the call was received. The common unit (3) thus registers at least the function practitioner (4) and the customer (10) connected via a signal exchange relating to said control signals associated with the call and generated in the telephone network.

Claims

1. A function control system (1) in which one of a number of available function practitioners (4) is able to report to a common unit (3) via a telephone network (2) a position and/or customer-related function, wherein said unit (3) is adapted to handle communication at least from mobile telephone apparatus activated within the telephone network and belonging to respective function practitioners, wherein

(a) the function practitioner (4) shall activate a customer-connected call to said common unit (3) via his/her mobile telephone apparatus through the telephone network, said unit (3) therewith receiving a customer-allocated fictive telephone number activated by the function practitioner (4);

(b) wherein said common unit (3) is adapted to receive and register control signals which are sent from the telephone network and which originate from the call initiated by said function practitioner;

(c) wherein the common unit (3) is adapted in a known way to register chosen call-related criteria, such as at least the time at which the call was initiated, the function practitioner and the customer concerned; and

(d) wherein the common unit (3) functions to register at least the function practitioner and the customer concerned via a signal exchange related to said control signals and associated with the call delivered by and generated in the telephone network.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the common unit is coupled to one or more subordinate units.

3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the customers or corresponding entities associated with a function practitioner are coordinated in a SIM card belonging to said mobile telephone apparatus.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the function practitioner (4) activates a call to the common unit (3) with the aid of a telephone number adapted to permit access to a time recording system.

5. A system according to claim 4, characterised in that information received by the common unit is transferred to a subordinate unit for storage therein.

6. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that in order to carry out step “

(a)”

, the function practitioner selects the name of a customer on a display belonging to the telephone apparatus and initiates a call.

7. A system according to claim 1 or 6, characterised in that the common unit (3) is adapted for the transmission of information to a subordinate unit with respect to the function practitioner and the customer concerned;

and that this information is registered together with the time at which the information was registered.

8. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the function practitioner sends to the common unit and/or to a chosen subordinate unit through the medium of a call, information concerning the commencement of each selected function and/or service.

9. A system according to claim 8, characterised in that said call is activated by means of a card number.

10. A system according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that upon termination of a function and/or service, the function practitioner makes a further call to transmit information with the aid of a status number relating to said termination of the function or service.

11. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that the function practitioner activates a call to the common unit with the aid of a telephone number adapted for exiting from a time recording system.

12. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that in the event of an emergency the function practitioner activates a call number, stored as a card number, to said unit, said unit being in contact with a manned work management centre.

13. A system according to claim 1 or 12, characterised in that the geographical location of the function practitioner and his/her geographical position is determined on the basis of information obtained in step “

(a)” and

can be transferred to a work management centre.

14. A system according to claim 1 or 12, characterised in that in the event of a call to the unit and/or to the work management centre being unanswered within a predetermined time interval, a call to a rescue service is activated.

15. A system according to claim 1 or 12, characterised in that when a customer considers himself/herself to be in urgent need of help, a call associated with the telephone network is made to said unit which is in contact with the manned work management centre in which the co-ordinates of the geographical position of each customer is stored, wherein the nearest and/or the best available function practitioner can be summoned on the basis of the co-ordinates relating to each function practitioner.

16. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that each customer in the form of a care receiver is registered in a customer register with the aid of a fictive unit-allocated telephone number.

17. A system according to claim 3, characterised in that the SIM card is updated with the aid of a computer-based card support, where the address of the care receiver is registered together with his/her name and a fictive telephone number allocated to the customer.

18. A system according to claim 1, 3 or 17, characterised in that an arrival at a chosen customer or corresponding entity is registered by calling the fictive telephone number of the customer via the internal register of the mobile telephone apparatus.

19. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that a telephone number allocated to several function practitioners is adapted to represent a specific type of function or event.

20. A system according to claim 1, characterised in that one and the same fictive telephone number is allocated a client for several home carers or for each home carer;

and in that each customer can be determined clearly by determining a subscriber number allocated to the mobile telephone apparatus of the home carer.