Communication control apparatus and method and communication exchange apparatus and method

• US 5,572,586 A
• Filed: 03/22/1993
• Issued: 11/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Masatomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOLINSKY, SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US08/035,191
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 379/157, 379/209, 379/234, 379/164, 379/242, 379/165, 379/245, 379/166, 379/246, 379/232, 379/243, 379/233, 379/245, 379/373, 379/374, 379/375, 379/156, 379/158, 379/159 , 379/160, 379/161, 379/162, 379/163, 379/94, 379/221, 379/67, 379/112, 379/92, 379/265, 379/266, 379/218, 379/133, 379/134, 379/137, 379/138, 379/139, 379/234, 379/219 , 379/34, 379/220, 379/113
• US Class Current: 379/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/005 with subscriber controlled access to an exchange line

Abstract

A telephone control apparatus connected to an exchange accommodating a plurality of lines. The apparatus calls a connected communication terminal in accordance with a calling signal inputted from the exchange. In the apparatus, response information corresponding to the type of calling signals is stored in RAM 12 in advance. The type of a calling signal inputted from the exchange is discriminated, and response information is read out of the RAM12 in accordance with the discrimination result, to determine a corresponding response process. Further, a telephone exchange apparatus which accommodates a plurality of outside lines and which selects and seizes one of the outside lines by outgoing calling from an extension. Upon outgoing call operation from an extension, the stored information is referred to and one of the plurality of outside line is selected based upon a number of incoming calls received on each of the outside lines or the time period each one of the outside lines has been occupied in communication. The selected outside line and the extension as an outgoing call originator are connected.

Claims

1. A communication control apparatus connected to an exchange which exchange can generate different calling signals, comprising:

an analog line interface for receiving an incoming call and one of the different calling signals from the exchange;

a communication path switch for switching the incoming call received by said analog line interface among a plurality of communication terminals coupled to the exchange;

a controller for controlling said communication path switch;

a memory for storing switching information for switching said communication path switch according to one of the different calling signals; and

an input device for setting the switching information into said memory,

wherein said controller discriminates the one of the different calling signals received by said analog line interface, retrieves said switching information from said memory corresponding to the discriminated one of the different calling signals and controls said communication path switch to connect the incoming call to one of the communication terminals in accordance with the switching information retrieved from said memory.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a voice recorder, wherein said switching information includes at least information indicating whether the incoming call is connected to a predetermined one of the plurality of terminals or to the voice recorder.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching information is provided by a dedicated communication terminal connected to the communication control apparatus.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal pattern of said one of the different calling signals depends upon the particular line on which the incoming call is received.

5. A communication control apparatus connected to an exchange which exchange can generate different calling signals, comprising:

an analog line interface connected to plural lines for receiving an incoming call and one of the different calling signals from the exchange;

a communication path switch for switching the incoming call received by said analog line interface among a plurality of communication terminals coupled to the exchange;

a controller for controlling said communication path switch; and

a memory for storing switching information for switching said communication path switch according to both the different calling signals and an analog outside line from which the incoming call is received,

wherein said controller discriminates both the one of the different calling signals received by the analog line interface and the analog line from which the incoming call is received, retrieves the switching information corresponding to the discriminated one of the different calling signals from said memory and the analog line from which the incoming call is received, and controls said communication path switch so that the incoming call is connected to one of the plurality of communication terminals in accordance with the switching information retrieved from said memory.

6. A communication control method for controlling a communication control apparatus connected to an exchange, the exchange accommodating a plurality of lines and the communication control apparatus calling a communication terminal connected to the apparatus in accordance with a calling signal from the exchange, comprising the steps of:

discriminating a format of the calling signal from the exchange and an outside line on which an incoming call is input;

determining a response process for the calling signal from the exchange in accordance with response information pre-stored in a memory, corresponding to result of discrimination, and

setting the response information into the memory.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the response information stored for the response process includes at least information indicating whether the response process is a response restricting the calling signal to predetermined communication terminals or an audio message response from a voice recorder.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the response information stored for the response process is provided by a dedicated communication terminal connected to the communication control apparatus.

9. A communication exchange apparatus which accommodates a plurality of outside lines and which selects one of the outside lines for an outgoing call originating from an extension and seizes the selected outside line, comprising:

memory means for storing information relating to a number of incoming calls which have been received from each one of the plurality of outside lines or a time period each one of the plurality of outside lines has been occupied in communication;

selection means responsive to the information stored in said memory means for the outgoing call originating from the extension for selecting one of the plurality of outside lines; and

connecting means for connecting the outside line selected by said selection means to the extension originating the outgoing call.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said memory means further includes priority information indicating a hierarchical order of selection of the outside lines, and said selection means selects an outside line to be connected in accordance with the priority information.

11. A communication exchange method for seizing one of a plurality of outside lines coupled to an exchange by off-hook operation at one of a plurality of extension terminals of the exchange, comprising the steps of:

storing information representative of a total time of incoming call communication to the extension terminals from each of the outside lines or a number of incoming calls which have been received by the extension terminals from each of the outside lines; and

selecting an outside line to be seized responsive to the stored total incoming call communication time or number of received call representative information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein in said selection step, an outside line corresponding to the least total incoming call communication time or the least number of received incoming calls is selected.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the representative information further includes priority information indicating an hierarchical order of selection of the outside lines, and in said selection step, an outside line is selected in accordance with the priority information.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the representative information further includes an average value of a time of incoming call communication to the extension terminals from each of the outside lines.

15. A communication exchange method for seizing an arbitrary outside line among a plurality of outside lines of an exchange based on an off-hook operation at an extension terminal, comprising the steps of:

judging whether the off-hook operation is an instruction for an outgoing call to an outside line;

responsive to pre-stored information relating to either of a total time of incoming call communication through each of the outside lines or a number of incoming calls which have been received through each of the outside lines and to a communication priority of each of the outside lines, first selecting an outside line, of which at least either of the total received incoming call time or the number of received incoming calls is the least, if the off-hook operation is the instruction for an outgoing call to an outside line;

selecting an outside line of a highest communication priority based on the pre-stored information if an outside line cannot be selected in said first selection step; and

connecting the selected outside line to the extension.