Queuing status reporting apparatus

• US 6,449,357 B1
• Filed: 06/15/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Sashihara, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/332,991
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.03, 379/265.01, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/309, 379/88.15, 379/67.1
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements

Abstract

A queuing status reporting apparatus delivers a report tailored to the type of a remote contact device being specified by a call-reserving user. If the contact device is a paging receiver, a report is. sent in a word phrase while if the contact device is a telephone, a report is sent in a voice phrase. The apparatus includes a user data memory for storing a pager receiver number or a telephone number as a contact number relating to each user, and a call-timing as a schedule for contacting the call-reserving user; a reporting control device connected to the user data memory for searching through call-timing data to detect a call-due user, and if a call-due user is found, to access a relevant contact number from the user data memory, and to decide whether a detected contact number is a paging receiver number or a telephone number, so that, when the contact number detected by the reporting control device is a paging receiver (or a telephone device), a pager contact device (or a phone contact device 42 sends a word-report (or a voice-report).

Claims

1. A queuing status reporting apparatus for delivering a report to a call-reserving user in a queuing line by calling a paging receiver or a telephone device specified by said call-reserving user, comprising:

a user data memory for storing a pager receiver number or a telephone number as a contact number relating to each call-reserving user, and a call-timing as a schedule for contacting each call-reserving user;

a reporting control device connected to said user data memory for searching through call-timing data to detect a call-due user, and if a call-due user is found, to access a relevant contact number from said user data memory, and to decide whether said relevant contact number is a paging receiver number or a telephone number;

a pager contact device connected to said reporting control device for delivering a word-report to a paging receiver, when said relevant contact number obtained by said reporting control device is judged to be a paging receiver; and

a phone contact device connected to said reporting control device for delivering a voice-report to a telephone device, when said detected contact number obtained by said reporting control device is judged to be a telephone device.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further provided with:

a word phrases memory for storing model word phrases; and

a voice phrases memory for storing model voice phrases; and

wherein said pager contact device is also connected to said word phrases memory, and performs a task of reporting by using a word phrase selected from said word phrases memory when said reporting control device decides that a contact number is associated with a paging receiver; and

said phone contact device is also connected to said voice phrases memory, and performs a task of reporting by using a voice phrase selected from said voice phrases memory when said reporting control device decides that a contact number is associated with a telephone device.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further provided with a ticketing device for issuing a queuing ticket to a call-reserving user;

and a user data input device for entering user data comprised by a queuing number as an identifier for said call-reserving user, a contact number and a call-timing into said user data memory.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further provided with a ticketing device for issuing a queuing ticket to a call-reserving user;

and an automated phone answering device for automatically responding to a queuing number, a contact number and a call-timing entered by said call-reserving user through a telephone circuit, and for inputting said queuing number as an identifier for said call-reserving user, said contact number and said call-timing into said user data memory.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in response to receiving a queue spot cancel notice sent through a telephone circuit by a call-reserving user, said automated phone answering device automatically deletes a queuing number, specified in said queue spot cancel notice, as well as corresponding contact number and call-timing from said user data memory.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in response to receiving a queue spot postponing notice sent through a telephone circuit by a call-reserving user, said automated phone answering device automatically revises an original call-timing, associated with a queuing number shown in said queue spot postponing request, to conform to a new call-timing specified in said queue spot postponing request.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said user data memory further stores an e-mail address as a contact number for identifying a call-reserving user, and a call-timing as a schedule to deliver a report, and

said reporting control device searches through call-timing data in said user data memory, and when a call-due user is found, said reporting control device accesses a relevant contact number from said user data memory, and determines whether a detected contact number is associated with a paging receiver, a telephone number or an e-mail address;

and

said apparatus is further provided with an e-mail reporting device (45) connected to said reporting control device so that, when said reporting control device determines that said relevant contact number is associated with an e-mail address, a word-report is sent to said email address.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus is further provided with an e-mail model phrases memory for storing model e-mail phrases, and

said e-mail reporting device is also connected to said e-mail model phrases memory so that, when said reporting control device determines that said relevant contact number is associated with an e-mail address, a report is sent to said e-mail address using a model phrase selected from said e-mail model phrases memory.

9. An apparatus according to one of claims 1, wherein said telephone device includes an analogue phone, a digital phone, and a phone connected to a wired network.