Response system
First Claim
1. A communication control apparatus which is used in a response system with which, when an inquiry is sent from a caller who is a customer, that is, a user or the like, to a receiver side which is a manufacturer or the like with a communication apparatus, the receiver side responds to the inquiry, characterized by comprising:
- a connection destination instructing means which executes processing for calling communication apparatuses which several registered responders including at least one person who is a worker on said receiver side other than in-house workers use, respectively, using call information for calling the respective communication apparatuses and via an in-house leased line with respect to the communication apparatuses of the in-house workers or via a public communication line with respect to the communication apparatuses of workers other than the in-house workers, and instructs to connect a communication apparatus which has responded to the call first to the communication apparatus on the above-described caller side; and
a connection device which connects said communication apparatus which has responded to the call first and the communication apparatus on said caller side based upon the instruction of said connection destination instructing means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A response system (for example, user support system) in which a response service system (for example, a user support service system) is facilitated by incorporating a telecommuting responder so as to solve the conventional problem that it has been difficult to secure a responder on the premises. A communication control device (1), upon receiving a call of a request for support about a specific product from a videophone (12) on the user side, calls at a time a videophone (26) of a responder on the premises capable of supporting the user about the specific product and a videophone (22) of a telecommuting responder also capable of supporting the user about the product and connects the one who first responds to the videophone (12) on the user side. As a result, a user support system capable of incorporating a telecommuting responder who may be out of his or her home can be built.
25 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A communication control apparatus which is used in a response system with which, when an inquiry is sent from a caller who is a customer, that is, a user or the like, to a receiver side which is a manufacturer or the like with a communication apparatus, the receiver side responds to the inquiry, characterized by comprising:
-
a connection destination instructing means which executes processing for calling communication apparatuses which several registered responders including at least one person who is a worker on said receiver side other than in-house workers use, respectively, using call information for calling the respective communication apparatuses and via an in-house leased line with respect to the communication apparatuses of the in-house workers or via a public communication line with respect to the communication apparatuses of workers other than the in-house workers, and instructs to connect a communication apparatus which has responded to the call first to the communication apparatus on the above-described caller side; and
a connection device which connects said communication apparatus which has responded to the call first and the communication apparatus on said caller side based upon the instruction of said connection destination instructing means. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
2. A communication control apparatus which is used in a response system with which, when an inquiry is sent from a caller who is a customer, that is, a user or the like, to a receiver side which is a manufacturer or the like with a communication apparatus, the receiver side responds to the inquiry, characterized by comprising:
-
an object specification requesting means which, upon receiving a call from a communication apparatus on a caller side via a communication line, sends a signal for requesting to specify an object of inquiry or indicating a method of specifying an object of inquiry and requesting to specify the object of inquiry with the method of specification;
responder candidate designation means which, when an object specifying signal specifying an object of inquiry is sent from the communication apparatus of said caller side in response to said signal from said object specification requesting means, reads out each piece of call information for calling each communication apparatus which several responders who are expected to respond about the object of inquiry use, respectively, from responder classification storing means described below in accordance with an order of a responding ability described below based upon the object specifying signal;
responder classification storing means in which each piece of call information for calling each communication apparatus which several responders including at least one person who is a worker other than the in-house workers on said receiver side use, respectively, and an object of inquiry to which a responder relating to the call information is expected to respond are associated with each other and stored in a form with which an order of responding ability of the responders relating to those pieces of call information can be understood among the pieces of call information relating to the responders responding to an identical object of inquiry;
connection destination instructing means which continues processing for calling each communication apparatus relating to each piece of call information one by one in said order of a responding ability based upon said each piece of call information read out by said responder designation means until any one of the communication apparatuses responds to call, and instructs to connect the communication apparatus having responded to the call first and the communication apparatus on said caller side; and
a connection device which connects said communication apparatus having responded to the call first and the communication apparatus on said caller side based upon the instruction of said connection destination instructing means.
-
-
3. A communication control apparatus which is used in a response system with which, when an inquiry is sent from a caller who is a customer, that is, a user or the like, to a receiver side which is a manufacturer or the like with a communication apparatus, the receiver side responds to the inquiry, characterized by comprising:
-
object specification requesting means which, upon receiving a call from a communication apparatus on a caller side via a communication line, sends a signal for requesting specification of an object of inquiry or indicating of a method of specifying an object of inquiry and requesting specification of the object of inquiry with the method of specification;
responder candidate designation means which, when an object specifying signal specifying an object of inquiry is sent from the communication apparatus of said caller side in response to said signal from said object specification requesting means, reads out each piece of call information for calling each communication apparatus which several responders who are expected to respond about the object of inquiry use, respectively, from responder classification storing means described below based upon the object specifying signal;
responder classification storing means in which each piece of call information for calling each communication apparatus which several responders including at least one person who is a worker other than the in-house workers on said receiver side use, respectively, and an object of inquiry to which a responder relating to the call information is expected to respond are associated with each other and stored;
connection destination instructing means which calls at a time all communication apparatus relating to these pieces of call information based upon said each piece of call information read out by said responder designation means, via an in-house leased line with respect to the communication apparatuses of the in-house workers or via a public communication line with respect to the communication apparatuses of workers other than the in-house workers, and instructs connection of a communication apparatus having responded to the call first and a communication apparatus on said caller side; and
a connection device which connects said communication apparatus having responded to the call first and the communication apparatus on said caller side based upon the instruction of said connection destination instructing means.
-
-
10. A communication control apparatus, characterized by comprising:
- a connection device which connects a communication apparatus owned by a customer and one of communication apparatuses owned by a plurality of responders, the communication control apparatus selecting responders who respond to an inquiry from the customer, calling the communication apparatuses of the selected responders at a time using call information for calling the respective communication apparatuses, and making a direct call between the customer and a responder who responded to the call first possible.
- View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Specification