Unattended automatic contract reception system using a selection unit to automatically select a client terminal that sends request and data to an output unit

• US 6,009,461 A
• Filed: 09/15/1997
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamano, Nanako
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US08/929,666
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 348/15, 348/705, 345/328, 709/204, 709/205, 709/225, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An unattended automatic contract reception system according to thepresent invention comprises a plurality of client terminals 10, 10a etc. at which a client enters prescribed contract data, to make unattended contract with a host enterprise, and also a monitor terminal connected with each of those client terminals via a communication line network 20. Each of those client terminals 10, 10a etc. comprises: client data capture units 12 and 13 which capture the client'"'"'s image data and speech data as client data; a data transmission unit 14 which sends contract data and client data; and an output request transmission unit 15 which sends out output requests concerning the client data, while the monitor terminal 30 comprises: a plurality of data reception units 31 which receive data sent from each client terminal; an output unit 34 which outputs image data and speech data; and selection units 32 and 33 which choose a client terminal which provides an output via the output unit according to an output request received by the data reception unit. Such a configuration will enables the system to automatically switch both image data and speech data sent from a plurality of client terminals as occasion demands and then output the data at the monitor terminal, reducing burden on the operator at that terminal.

Claims

1. An unattended automatic contract reception system comprising:

a plurality of client terminals at which a user enters a prescribed contract data, to make an unattended contract with a host enterprise; and

a monitor terminal connected with each of said plurality of client terminals via a communications line network, wherein

each of said plurality of client terminals comprises;

a client-data capture unit which captures image data and speech data of a client as client data;

a data transmission unit which sends said contract data and said client data; and

an output request transmission unit which sends an output request concerning said client data; and

said monitor terminal comprises;

a plurality of data reception units which receive data sent from respective ones of said client terminals;

an output unit which sends out image data and speech data; and

a selection unit which is connected to said data reception units and which, whenever said monitor terminal receives an output request from one of the client terminals, automatically selects the client terminal that sent the output request and outputs image data and speech data from the selected client terminal to at least said output unit.

2. The unattended automatic contract reception system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said output unit displays the contents of a screen displayed at a client terminal chosen by said selection unit.

3. The unattended automatic contract reception system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said output unit has a screen having an overlay display of the image data of client data concerning a client terminal chosen by said selection unit.

4. The unattended automatic contract reception system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selection unit automatically switches said client data fed out to said output unit each time said output request occurs.

5. The unattended automatic contract reception system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said monitor terminal is provided with a division-type image display unit that can simultaneously display various image data of said client data sent from said each client terminal on one screen.