Private branch exchange

• US 7,463,728 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Handa, Tomohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/799,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20040179670A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 379/142.15, 379/142.17, 379/198, 379231-234
• US Class Current: 379/234
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

It is one objective of the present invention to provide a private branch exchange that can identify calls to be routed to an extension phone group.

A private branch exchange according to this invention comprises: a caller information detector for, when a call is received, obtaining caller information; a group incoming call table in which two or more extension numbers are correlated with an extension incoming call group number; and an incoming call group controller for, when a call received through the telephone line is for an extension incoming call group number, extracting from the group incoming call table extension numbers that are correlated with the extension incoming call group number and transmitting an incoming call signal to extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers, and also for storing, in a group incoming call log table, a caller number that is obtained by the caller information detector.

Claims

1. A private branch exchange that can coordinate and manage connections for a plurality of extension phones, the private branch exchange comprising:

a caller information detector for, when a call is received through a telephone line, obtaining caller information;

a group incoming call table in which at least two extension numbers are correlated with an extension incoming call group number;

a group incoming call log storage unit that stores a caller number obtained by the caller information detector;

a first display controller for displaying a no answer message on a first display unit of each extension phone corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number;

a second display controller for displaying an incoming time and the caller number, which is extracted from the group incoming call log storage unit, on a second display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number; and

a controller for, when the call received along the telephone line is for the extension incoming call group number, transmitting an incoming call signal to the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number and stores the caller number in the group incoming call log storage unit, wherein;

when none of the extension phones to which the incoming call signal is routed is answered, the controller stores an incoming time and the caller number in the group incoming call log storage unit and the first display controller displays the no answer message on the first display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, and

when an incoming call log display request is received from at least one of the extension phones to which the incoming call signal is routed, the second display controller extracts the incoming time and the caller number from the group incoming call log storage unit and displays the incoming time and the caller number on the second display unit of the at least one extension phone and the first display controller cancels the display of the no answer message on the first display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number.

2. A private branch exchange which has plurality of extension phones and manages connections for the plurality of extension phones, the private branch exchange comprising:

a caller information detector for, when a call is received through a communication line, obtaining caller information;

a group incoming call log storage unit in which the caller information is correlated with an extension incoming call group number;

a group incoming call table in which at least two extension numbers are correlated with the extension incoming call group number;

a first display controller for controlling to display a no answer indication on a first display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number; and

a controller for, when the call received through the communication line corresponds to the extension incoming call group number, extracting the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number from the group incoming call table, transmitting the call to the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, and storing the caller information of the call in the group incoming call log storage unit, wherein

the first display controller controls to display the no answer indication on the first display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, when none of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number answers to the call.

3. The private branch exchange according to claim 2, wherein the communication line is a telephone line.

4. The private branch exchange according to claim 2, wherein the caller information comprises the caller number.

5. The private branch exchange according to claim 2 further comprising:

a second display controller for controlling to display an indication of the caller information on a second display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, wherein

when an incoming call log display request is received from one of the plurality of extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, the second display controller extracts the caller information from the group incoming call log storage unit and controls to display the caller information on the second display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number.

6. The private branch exchange according to claim 5, wherein based on the indication of the caller information, the first display controller cancels the display of the no answer indication.

7. The private branch exchange according to claim 2, wherein, when one of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number responds to the call, the controller stores response information and the caller information in the group incoming call log storage unit.

8. A private branch exchange which has a plurality of extension phones and manages connections for the plurality of extension phones, the private branch exchange comprising:

a caller information detector for, when a call is received through a communication line, obtaining caller information;

a group incoming call log storage unit in which the caller information obtained by the caller information detector is correlated with an extension incoming call group number;

a group incoming call table in which at least two extension numbers are correlated with the extension incoming call group number;

a first display controller for controlling to display a no answer indication on a first display unit of each extension phone corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number;

a second display controller for controlling to display information obtained by the group incoming call log storage unit on a second display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number; and

a controller for, when the call received through the communication line corresponds to the extension incoming call group number, extracting the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number from the group incoming call table, transmitting the call to the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, and storing the caller information of the call in the group incoming call log storage unit, wherein;

the first display controller controls to display the no answer indication on the first display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number when none of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number answers to the call, and

when an incoming call log display request is received from one of the plurality of extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, the second display controller extracts the caller information from the group incoming call log storage unit and displays the caller information on the second display unit of each of the extension phones corresponding to the extension numbers correlated with the extension incoming call group number, and the first display controller cancels the display of the no answer indication.