Telephone conversation relay server, voice telephone conversation system, and voice telephone conversation relay method

• US 8,588,390 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kurashima, Akihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): HONG, HARRY S
• Application Number:
  US12/919,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,726 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 37921101-21201, 455/414.1, 455/417
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

A call relay server comprises a usage status management unit that, when a user starts using a system from a main terminal and the notification is received from the main terminal and if a sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered, confirms the user via the main terminal whether to delete the registration of the sub terminal and, if a deletion instruction is received, deletes the registration of the sub terminal.

Claims

1. A call relay server comprising:

a usage status management unit that, when a user starts using a system from a main terminal and a notification of starting is received from the main terminal and if a sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered, confirms the user via the main terminal whether to delete a registration of the sub terminal and, if a deletion instruction is received, deletes the registration of the sub terminal;

a call control information storage unit that stores, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on said main terminal and said sub terminal; and

a call control unit that, when a call start request is received from a terminal, judges if the terminal is said main terminal or said sub terminal based on terminal identification information on a request source, establishes a call with said main terminal or said sub terminal and then makes a call to a call destination using the proxy phone number of the user, and forwards an incoming call, addressed to the proxy phone number, to said sub terminal if terminal identification information on said sub terminal is stored but, otherwise, forwards the incoming call to said main terminal.

2. The call relay server as defined by claim 1, wherein, when the user starts using the system from said main terminal or said sub terminal, said usage state management unit receives a notification of starting along with a proxy phone number from said main terminal or said sub terminal and, if said main terminal or said sub terminal is not registered as a phone terminal of the proxy phone number, confirms the user via said main terminal or said sub terminal whether said main terminal or said sub terminal will be used as a sub terminal of the proxy phone number;

and if a request to use the terminal as a sub terminal is received, registers the terminal as a sub terminal.

5. The call relay server as defined by claim 1, further comprising a call control information storage unit that stores, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on a main terminal and a sub terminal, wherein

said usage state management unit references said call control information storage unit to judge whether the sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered or not.

6. A voice call system comprising:

a plurality of phone terminals; and

the phone relay server as defined by claim 1, said phone relay server relaying a call among said plurality of phone terminals.

3. A voice call relay method comprising:

when a user starts using a system from a main terminal, receiving by a call relay server a notification of starting from said main terminal;

if a sub terminal related to said main terminal is registered, confirming by said call relay server the user via said main terminal whether to delete the registration of said sub terminal; and

if a deletion instruction is received, deleting by said call relay server a registration of said sub terminal;

storing, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on said main terminal and said sub terminal;

when a call start request is received from a terminal, judging if the terminal is said main terminal or said sub terminal based on terminal identification information on a request source, establishing a call with said main terminal or said sub terminal and then making a call to a call destination using the proxy phone number of the user; and

forwarding an incoming call, addressed to the proxy phone number, to said sub terminal if terminal identification information on said sub terminal is stored but, otherwise, forwarding the incoming call to said main terminal.

4. The voice call relay method as defined by claim 3,

further comprising:

when the user starts using the system from said main terminal or said sub terminal, receiving by said call relay server a notification of starting along with a proxy phone number from said main terminal or said sub terminal;

if said main terminal or said sub terminal is not registered as a phone terminal of the proxy phone number, confirming by said call relay server the user, via said main terminal or said sub terminal, whether said main terminal or said sub terminal will be used as a sub terminal of the proxy phone number; and

if a request to use the terminal as a sub terminal is received, registering by said call relay server the terminal as a sub terminal.

7. The voice call relay method as defined by claim 3,

further comprising:

storing by said call relay server, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on a main terminal and a sub terminal as user terminal information; and

referencing by said call relay server the user terminal information to judge whether the sub terminal related to the main terminal is registered or not.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to perform processing of a voice relay method, the method comprising:

when a user starts using a system from a main terminal, receiving by a call relay server a notification of starting from said main terminal;

if a sub terminal related to said main terminal is registered, confirming by said call relay server the user via said main terminal whether to delete the registration of said sub terminal; and

if a deletion instruction is received, deleting by said call relay server a registration of said sub terminal;

storing, for each user, a proxy phone number and terminal identification information on said main terminal and said sub terminal;

when a call start request is received from a terminal, judging if the terminal is said main terminal or said sub terminal based on terminal identification information on a request source, establishing a call with said main terminal or said sub terminal and then making a call to a call destination using the proxy phone number of the user; and

forwarding an incoming call, addressed to the proxy phone number, to said sub terminal if terminal identification information on said sub terminal is stored but, otherwise, forwarding the incoming call to said main terminal.