Telephone exchange system

• US 5,586,172 A
• Filed: 09/20/1994
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Shigeki, Kakizawa, Katsuhiro, Tanigawa, Yoshihiro, Suzuki, Shoji, Ohuchi, Masatomo, Ohtsuka, Kuniaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US08/309,968
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/70, 379/79, 379/80, 379/211, 379/210, 379/200, 379/102, 379/212, 379/100, 379/157, 379/165, 379/156
• US Class Current: 379/88.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• 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 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message

Abstract

A telephone exchange system accommodates a plurality of central office lines and a plurality of telephones and records a telephonic communication in a recording area shared by the plurality of telephones. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, the recording is played back or transferred. The shared recording area can be utilized effectively by erasing a recording after it has been transferred, and by detecting the presence of a voice during a telephonic communication and starting and stopping the recording operation based upon the results of detection. The time at which a recording has been made can be comprehended in the form of a voice when the recording is played back.

Claims

1. A telephone exchange system capable of accommodating a plurality of extension telephones, comprising:

memory means for storing a voice message, and designating data which designates a time at which the voice message is played back; and

control means from controlling writing of a voice message in said memory means and reading of a voice message out of said memory means;

wherein said control means enables voice-outputting means of said plurality of extension telephones at the time designated by the designating data while reading the voice message out of said memory means and transmitting said voice message to the enabled voice-outputting means of the plurality of extension telephones.

2. The telephone exchange system according to claim 1, wherein said control means has timekeeping means, said control means reading the voice message out of said memory means and transmitting said voice message to the extension telephone when a time clocked by said timekeeping means and the time designated by said designating data agree.

3. A telephone exchange system accommodating a plurality of central office lines and a plurality of telephones and having recording means, which are shared by said plurality of telephones, for recording a voice during a telephonic communication, comprising:

recording control means for controlling starting and stopping of recording of the voice on said recording means;

managing means for managing the recording operation of said recording means;

specific-information storing means for storing, based upon results of management performed by said managing means, at least information designating a recording area of said recording means, information specifying one or more of the plurality of telephones, recording starting-position information and recording end position information as information specifying a recording; and

altering means for altering information, which has been stored in said specific-information storing means, in accordance with the recording operation of said recording means under the management performed by said managing means.

4. The telephone exchange system according to claim 3, wherein said recording control means has playback control means for playing back the recording, which has been recorded on said recording means, in response to a playback request, when the information stored in said specific-information storing means satisfies predetermined recording area designating, telephone specifying, recording starting position and recording end position information conditions.

5. The telephone exchange system according to claim 3, wherein said recording control means has transfer control means for transferring the recording, which has been recorded on said recording means, in response to a transfer request, when the information stored in said specific-information storing means satisfies predetermined recording area designating, telephone specifying, recording starting position and recording end position information conditions.

6. The telephone exchange system according to claim 4, wherein when a telephone designation in the playback request and the telephone-specifying information agree, said playback control means plays back a recording, playback of which has been requested, on a telephone specified by the telephone-specifying information.

7. The telephone exchange system according to claim 5, wherein when a telephone designation in the transfer request and the telephone-specifying information agree, said transfer control means transfers a recording, transfer of which as been request, to a telephone specified by the telephone-specifying information altered by said altering means.

8. The telephone exchange system according to claim 5, wherein after the recording is transferred in response to the transfer request, said transfer control means erases the recording in said recording means.

9. The telephone exchange system according to claim 3, wherein said recording control means has voice detecting means for detecting whether a voice is present during a telephone call, recording of the voice on said recording means being started and stopped based upon results of detection by said voice detecting means.

10. The telephone exchange system according to claim 9, wherein said recording control means records the voice on said recording means only when said voice detecting means detects that the voice is present.

11. A telephone exchange system accommodating a plurality of central office lines and a plurality of telephones and having recording means, which are shared by said plurality of telephones, for recording a voice during a telephonic communication, comprising:

recording sensing means for sensing whether there is a recording for a specific telephone in said recording means;

display means for displaying, on said specific telephone, and based upon results of sensing performed by said recording sensing means, a message to the effect that there is a recording for this specific telephone;

acknowledging means for acknowledging a connect request from said specific telephone while said recording means is recording the voice during the telephonic communication; and

connection control means for connecting the telephone which has issued the connect request and the calling party when said acknowledging means acknowledges the connect request.

12. The telephone exchange system according to claim 11, wherein said connection control means controls to stop the recording of the voice on said recording means after said connection control means connects the telephone which has issued the connect request and the calling party.

13. A telephone exchange system comprising:

first memory means in an exchange for storing a voice message;

connecting means for connecting a plurality of telephones; and

transfer means for transferring the voice message stored in said first memory means in the exchange to a first telephone of the plurality of telephones,

wherein said transfer means transfers the voice message stored in said first memory means in the exchange to second memory means in a second telephone of the plurality of telephones, said second telephone being specified by the first telephone.

14. A method of operating a communication system for communicating with a plurality of terminals comprising the steps of:

storing a voice message into a memory, said voice message having a designated one of the plurality of terminals at which the voice message is played back,

controlling said designated one of the plurality of terminals so that a user of said designated one of the plurality of terminals can notice that the voice message is being stored, and

connecting a sender of the voice message who is being connected to the memory and is storing the voice message, to said designated one of the plurality of terminals according to a request received from said designated one of the plurality of terminals.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the controlling step said designated one of the plurality of terminals is informed to visibly indicate that the voice message is being stored.

16. A telephone exchange system comprising:

memory means for storing a voice message;

connecting means for connecting a selected one of a plurality of extensions and said memory means to a communication partner via an external line; and

control means for controlling said connecting means so as to connect a designated one of the plurality of extensions at which the voice message which is being stored should be played back and the communication partner according to a request of said designated one of the plurality of extensions in a state in which the communication partner is storing the voice message into said memory means when said memory means and the communication partner are connected by said connecting means.

17. The telephone exchange system according to claim 16, wherein said control means comprises informing means for informing said designated one of the plurality of extensions of the fact that said memory means is storing the voice message for said designated one of the plurality of extensions.

18. The telephone exchange system according to claim 16, wherein the request of said designated one of the plurality of extensions is an off-hook operation.

19. A telephone exchange system capable of accommodating a plurality of extension telephones, comprising:

memory means for storing a voice message; and

control means for controlling writing of a voice message in said memory means and reading of a voice message out of said memory means,

wherein said control means writes specifying data into a management table in a form correlated with an address of said memory means in which said voice message is stored, said specifying data being used to specify an extension telephone to which said voice message is to be transferred, and

said control means rewrites said specifying data, which has been written in management table in a form correlated with the address, upon an instruction from said specified extension telephone, reads said voice message out of said memory means in accordance with the address, and transmits said voice message to an extension telephone specified by said rewritten specifying data.

20. A telephone exchange system according to claim 19, wherein said control means selects, based upon said specifying data, from a plurality of voice messages stored in said memory means, a voice message to be transmitted to an extension telephone requesting playback.

21. A telephone exchange system according to claim 19, wherein said control means writes designating data which designates a time, at which said voice message is to be played back and one of the plurality of extension telephones to which said voice message is to be played back, in said memory means in a form correlated with said voice message, and said control means reads said voice message out of said memory means and transmits said voice message to an extension telephone designated by said designating data at the time designated by said designating data.

22. A telephone exchange system according to claim 21, wherein said control means has timekeeping means, said control means reading said voice message out of said memory means and transmitting said voice message to said extension telephone designated by said designating data when a time clocked by said timekeeping means and the time designated by said designating data agree.

23. A telephone exchange system according to claim 22, further comprising converting means for converting the time clocked by said time keeping means into an audible voice.

24. A telephone exchange system according to claim 23, wherein said control means writes the time which has been converted into the audible voice into said memory means, whenever a voice message is written into said memory means.

25. A telephone exchange system according to claim 19, wherein said memory means comprises specific-information storing means for storing said specifying data, recording area information, recording starting-position information and recording end-position information as specific information specifying said voice message, said specific information being rewritten in accordance with a voice message written by said control means.

26. A telephone exchange system according to claim 25, wherein said control means comprises voice control means for playing back said voice message which has been stored in said memory means, in response to a playback request, when said specific information stored in said specific-information storing means satisfies predetermined conditions.

27. A telephone exchange system according to claim 25, wherein said control means comprises transfer control means for transferring said voice message, which has been stored in said storing means, in response to a transfer request, when said specific information stored in said specific-information storing means satisfies predetermined conditions.

28. A telephone exchange system according to claim 26, wherein when said playback request and said specific information agree, said voice control means plays back a voice message, the playback of which has been requested, on an extension telephone specified by said specifying data.

29. A telephone exchange system according to claim 27, wherein when said transfer request and said specific information agree, said transfer control means transfers a voice message, the transfer of which has been requested, to an extension telephone specified by said rewritten specifying data.

30. A telephone exchange system according to claim 27, wherein after said voice message is transferred in response to said transfer request, said transfer control means erases said voice message in said storing means.

31. A telephone exchange system according to claim 25, wherein said control means has voice detecting means for detecting whether a voice is present during a telephone call, writing of said voice in said memory means being started and stopped based upon results of detection by said voice detecting means.

32. A telephone exchange system according to claim 31, wherein said control means stores said voice message in said memory means only when said voice detecting means detects that said voice message is present.

33. A telephone exchange system according to claim 19, further comprising sensing means for sensing whether a voice message for a specific extension telephone is stored in said memory means, display means for displaying a message on said specific extension telephone, based upon the results of sensing performed by said sensing means, in order to indicate that there is a voice message for said specific extension telephone, acknowledging means for acknowledging a connect request from said specific extension telephone while said voice message is being written into said memory means during a telephone conversation, and connection control means for connecting the extension telephone which has issued said connect request and calling party when said acknowledging means acknowledges said connect request.

34. A telephone exchange method for operating a plurality of telephones, comprising the step of:

storing a voice message in a memory means;

writing specifying data for specifying a telephone, to which said voice message is to be transferred, into a management table in a form correlated with an address of said memory means in which said voice message is stored; and

rewriting said specifying data written in said management table in a form correlated with the address, upon an instruction from said specified telephone, reading said voice message out of said memory means in accordance with the address, and transmitting said voice message to a telephone specified by said rewritten specifying data.

35. A voice message transfer method for transferring messages, comprising the steps of:

making a management table in which a first destination and a message, included in messages, to be transmitted to a first destination are specified; and

remaking the management table, upon an instruction from the first destination, such that a second destination is specified for transferring the message.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the management table, including destination data for specifying the first destination and message specifying data for specifying the message, is made in said making step, and the destination data is rewritten in said remaking step.

37. The method according to claim 35, wherein the management table, including position data indicating a position where the message is stored, is made in said making step.

38. A message transfer method for transferring messages, comprising the steps of:

making management data for specifying a first destination and a message included in messages, to be transmitted to the first destination; and

remaking the management data, upon an instruction from the first destination, such that a second destination is specified for transferring the message.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the management data, including destination data for specifying the first destination and message specifying data for specifying the message, is made in said making step, and the destination data is rewritten in said remaking step.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein the management data, including position data indicating a position where the message is stored, is made in said making step.

41. A message transfer method for transferring messages, comprising the steps of:

making a management table in which a first destination and a message, included in messages, to be transmitted to the first destination are specified;

transferring the message to the first destination based on the management table made in said making step;

remaking the management table, upon an instruction from the first destination, such that a second destination is specified for transferring the message; and

transferring the message to the second destination based on the management table remade in said remaking step.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the management table, including destination data for specifying the first destination and message specifying data for specifying the message, is made in said making step, and the destination data is rewritten in said remaking step.

43. The method according to claim 41, wherein the management table, including position data indicating a position where the message is stored, is made in said making step.