TELEPHONE CONVERSATION RELAY SERVER, VOICE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION SYSTEM, AND VOICE TELEPHONE CONVERSATION RELAY METHOD

• US 20110007886A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kurashima, Akihisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,588,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

A call relay server includes a call control information storage unit that stores, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on a main terminal and a sub terminal; and a call control unit that, when a call start request is received from the main terminal or the sub terminal, judges if the terminal is a main terminal or a sub terminal based on terminal identification information on a request source, establishes a call with the main terminal or the sub terminal and then makes a call to a call destination using the proxy phone number of the user, and forwards an incoming call, addressed to the proxy phone number, to the sub terminal if terminal identification information on the sub terminal is stored but, otherwise, forwards the incoming call to the main terminal.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A call relay server comprising a usage status management unit that, when a user starts using a system from a main terminal and a notification of starting is received from the main terminal and if a sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered, confirms the user via the main terminal whether to delete a registration of the sub terminal and, if a deletion instruction is received, deletes the registration of the sub terminal.

16. The call relay server as defined by claim 15, wherein, when the user starts using the system from said main terminal or said sub terminal, said usage state management unit receives a notification of starting along with a proxy phone number from said main terminal or said sub terminal and, if said main terminal or said sub terminal is not registered as a phone terminal of the proxy phone number, confirms the user via said main terminal or said sub terminal whether said main terminal or said sub terminal will be used as a sub terminal of the proxy phone number;

and if a request to use the terminal as a sub terminal is received, registers the terminal as a sub terminal.

18. The voice call relay method as defined by claim 16, further comprising:

when the user starts using the system from said main terminal or said sub terminal, receiving by said call relay server a notification of starting along with a proxy phone number from said main terminal or said sub terminal;

if said main terminal or said sub terminal is not registered as a phone terminal of the proxy phone number, confirming by said call relay server the user, via said main terminal or said sub terminal, whether said main terminal or said sub terminal will be used as a sub terminal of the proxy phone number; and

if a request to use the terminal as a sub terminal is received, registering by said call relay server the terminal as a sub terminal.

19. The call relay server as defined by claim 15, further comprising a call control information storage unit that stores, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on a main terminal and a sub terminal, wherein

said usage state management unit references said call control information storage unit to judge whether the sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered or not.

20. A voice call system comprising:

a plurality of phone terminals; and

the phone relay server as defined by claim 15, said phone relay server relaying a call among said plurality of phone terminals.

21. The voice call relay method as defined by claim 16, further comprising:

storing by said call relay server, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on a main terminal and a sub terminal as user terminal information; and

referencing by said call relay server the user terminal information to judge whether the sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered or not.

22. A program causing a computer to perform processing of the steps of the voice relay method as defined by claim 16.

17. A voice call relay method comprising:

when a user starts using a system from a main terminal, receiving by a call relay server a notification of starting from said main terminal;

if a sub terminal related to said main terminal is registered, confirming by said call relay server the user via said main terminal whether to delete the registration of said sub terminal; and

if a deletion instruction is received, deleting by said call relay server a registration of said sub terminal.