Telephone trunking device, teleconferencing server, teleconferencing system, telephone trunking method, and computer-readable medium

Abstract

A telephone relay device (30) is connected to a teleconference server to allow communication with the teleconference server, which relays audio calls between participating communication terminals via an IP network. The telephone relay device includes a participation request unit (32), a call execution unit (33), and a call relay unit (34). In response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals is below a predetermined level, the participation request unit (32) requests permission from the teleconference server to participate in the teleconference. In response to permission to participate in the teleconference, the call execution unit (33) makes a call to the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal. In response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal, the call relay unit (34) relays the teleconference audio call between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to telephone trunking devices, telephone conferencing servers, telephone conferencing systems, telephone trunking methods, and computer-readable media. Background Technology

[0002] In teleconference systems operating over a network, data communication delays and losses may occur due to the communication conditions of Internet Protocol (IP) networks. In such cases, audio call malfunctions may occur, potentially hindering the progress of the teleconference. To avoid this, it has been proposed to participate in teleconferences from a telephone terminal.

[0003] However, joining a conference call from a telephone terminal requires a process, such as the speaker dialing the conference call number and entering the conference code. Furthermore, since speakers typically don't notice audio quality degradation, while this process is being performed, another participant who notices the audio interruption or delay must communicate with the speaker. Therefore, there is a risk of the conference being interrupted during this time.

[0004] Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device that monitors the communication environment by paying attention to the processing of information processing devices used by participants in a meeting, and causes a server device to change the signal transmission conditions of video and audio according to the communication environment.

[0005] Citation List

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-151889 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] However, in the information processing device described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, since audio data with a low audio quality level is received when the communication state is reduced, there is a possibility that the progress of the teleconference may be hindered.

[0010] In view of the above problems, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a telephone trunking device, telephone conference server, telephone conference system, telephone trunking method, audio call trunking method and program that can avoid hindering the progress of telephone conferences.

[0011] Solution to the problem

[0012] A telephone relay device according to aspects of this disclosure is communicatively connected to a teleconference server that relays audio calls between participating communication terminals via an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The telephone relay device includes a participation request unit, a call initiation unit, and a call relay unit. The participation request unit, in response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has fallen below a predetermined level, requests permission from the teleconference server to participate in the teleconference. The call initiation unit, in response to being granted permission to participate in the teleconference, initiates a call to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal. The call relay unit, in response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal, relays the audio call of the teleconference between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server.

[0013] A teleconference server according to aspects of this disclosure includes a server-side relay unit, a notification unit, and a participation processing unit. The server-side relay unit relays audio calls between participating communication terminals via an IP network. When the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals falls below a predetermined level, the notification unit sends an audio quality degradation notification to the teleconference relay unit. The participation processing unit allows participation in the teleconference in response to receiving a request from the teleconference relay unit. The server-side relay unit transmits audio call data of the teleconference to and receives audio call data of the teleconference from telephone terminals associated with the communication terminals via the participating teleconference relay units.

[0014] The teleconference system according to this disclosure includes the aforementioned telephone trunking device and the aforementioned teleconference server.

[0015] The telephone relay method according to an aspect of this disclosure is a telephone relay method for a telephone relay device communicatively connected to a teleconference server, the teleconference server relaying audio calls between communication terminals participating in a teleconference via an IP network. The telephone relay method includes: requesting the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference in response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has fallen below a predetermined level; making a call to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal in response to being allowed to participate in the teleconference; and relaying the audio call of the teleconference between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server in response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal.

[0016] The program according to this disclosure is a program for causing a computer to perform the above-described telephone relay method.

[0017] The audio call relay method according to this disclosure is an audio call relay method for a teleconference server, which relays audio calls between communication terminals participating in a teleconference via an IP network. The audio call relay method includes: sending an audio quality degradation notification to a teleconference relay device when the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals becomes lower than a predetermined level; allowing participation in the teleconference in response to receiving a request from the teleconference relay device; and transmitting audio call data of the teleconference to telephone terminals associated with the communication terminals via the teleconference relay device participating in the teleconference; and receiving the audio call data of the teleconference from telephone terminals associated with the communication terminals.

[0018] The program according to this disclosure is a program for causing a computer to perform the above-described audio call relay method.

[0019] Advantages of the invention

[0020] According to this disclosure, a telephone relay device, telephone conference server, telephone conference system, telephone relay method, audio call relay method, and program can be provided that can avoid hindering the progress of a telephone conference due to the telephone relay device participating in the conference and relaying audio calls through a telephone terminal, even when the audio quality is degraded. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a telephone relay device according to a first example embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a teleconference system that can be applied to the telephone trunking device according to the second example embodiment;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a teleconference server according to a second example embodiment;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the association table according to the second example embodiment;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a PBX according to a second example embodiment;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing procedure of a teleconference system according to a second exemplary embodiment;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a teleconferencing system according to a third exemplary embodiment;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a teleconferencing system according to the fourth exemplary embodiment;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the association table according to the fourth example embodiment;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing procedure of a teleconference system according to a fourth exemplary embodiment;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a display of a communication terminal according to a fourth exemplary embodiment; and

[0032] Figure 12 This is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer according to the first to fourth example embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0033] In the following description, the present disclosure will be illustrated by way of exemplary embodiments, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, as a means of addressing the problem, not all configurations described in the exemplary embodiments are essential. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been appropriately omitted and simplified. In the drawings, the same elements are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0034] <First Example Implementation>

[0035] First, it will be through the use of Figure 1 The first exemplary embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a telephone relay device 30 according to a first example embodiment. The telephone relay device 30 is a computer device for relaying audio calls in a telephone conference. The telephone relay device 30 is communicatively connected to a telephone conference server. In this document, a telephone conference server is a computer device that relays audio calls between communication terminals participating in a telephone conference via an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

[0036] The telephone relay device 30 includes a participation request unit 32, a call processing unit 33, and a call relay unit 34.

[0037] In response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server, the participation request unit 32 requests the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference. The audio quality degradation notification is an indication that the audio quality of an audio call between communication terminals via an IP network has fallen below a predetermined level.

[0038] In response to allowing the telephone trunking device 30 to participate in a teleconference, the call initiation unit 33 makes a call to the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal. That is, the call initiation unit 33 calls the telephone terminal.

[0039] In response to receiving a response to a call from the called telephone terminal, the call relay unit 34 relays the audio call of the teleconference between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server.

[0040] As described above, according to the first example embodiment, in the event of an IP network condition resulting in communication delays or loss during a conference call, the telephone relay device 30 participates in the conference call, automatically establishes an audio call connection via the telephone terminal, and relays the audio call. Therefore, the telephone relay device 30 can avoid hindering the progress of the conference call and continue the conference call. On the other hand, since the user only needs to respond to calls, the burden on the user is reduced.

[0041] <Second Example Implementation>

[0042] Next, we will use Figures 2 to 6 A second exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described.

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a telephone conferencing system 1 that can be applied to a telephone trunk device according to the second example embodiment. Telephone conferencing system 1 is a computer system that provides telephone conferencing services to users of communication terminals. Telephone conferencing system 1 includes a telephone conferencing server 10, communication terminals 20, internal telephone terminals 22, and a dedicated small exchange (PBX) 30a, which is an example of a telephone trunk device 30. Although only one communication terminal 20 is shown in the figure for clarity, it can be assumed that telephone conferencing system 1 includes multiple communication terminals 20. Furthermore, although only one internal telephone terminal 22 is shown in the figure, telephone conferencing system 1 may include multiple internal telephone terminals 22.

[0044] The teleconference server 10 is a computer device, such as a server computer, that relays data communication between communication terminals 20 participating in a teleconference. The teleconference server 10 is connected to the Internet 2, an example of an IP network, and to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), an example of a telephone line. In response to receiving audio data (audio call data) and other media data from communication terminals 20 via the Internet 2, the teleconference server 10 transmits this data via the Internet 2 to another communication terminal 20 participating in the teleconference.

[0045] When the audio quality of an audio call falls below a predetermined level, the teleconference server 10 receives audio call data from the internal telephone terminal 22 accessible to the user of the communication terminal 20 via the PSTN 3.

[0046] Communication terminal 20 is a personal computer, laptop, tablet computer, or other computer device capable of inputting and outputting data, used by participants (users) of the teleconference. In this diagram, communication terminal 20 is connected to the Internet 2 via switching hub 5 and router 4. Communication terminal 20 transmits audio call data generated in response to the pickup of a user's audio to teleconference server 10 via the Internet 2, and receives audio call data from another communication terminal 20 participating in the teleconference from teleconference server 10. Furthermore, communication terminal 20 transmits other media data, such as image data, to teleconference server 10 via the Internet 2, and receives other media data from teleconference server 10.

[0047] Therefore, in a network, the communication of audio call data and other media data is mixed, which may lead to a decrease in the audio quality of audio calls.

[0048] Internal telephone terminal 22 is an internal telephone terminal that can be used by the user of communication terminal 20. Internal telephone terminal 22 can be a landline or mobile phone. Internal telephone terminal 22 is a telephone terminal controlled by a so-called PBX 30a, which is connected to PBX 30a via an internal line. When the audio quality of an audio call made by communication terminal 20 degrades, the user of communication terminal 20 can continue the audio call by using internal telephone terminal 22.

[0049] PBX 30a is a dedicated small switchboard associated with a communication terminal. PBX 30a connects to PSTN 3 and internal lines. PBX 30a connects to the Internet 2 via switching hub 5 and router 4. PBX 30a is configured to participate in teleconferences and, in response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from teleconference server 10, call internal telephone terminal 22. PBX 30a relays audio calls between teleconference server 10 and internal telephone terminal 22.

[0050] Therefore, the teleconference server 10 receives audio call data from another communication terminal 20 or another internal telephone terminal 22 participating in the teleconference and sends the audio call data to the internal telephone terminal 22. Thus, even when the audio quality of the audio call conducted by the communication terminal 20 becomes low, the user of the communication terminal 20 can continue the audio call by using the internal telephone terminal 22.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a teleconference server 10 according to a second example embodiment. The teleconference server 10 includes a server-side trunk unit 11, an audio quality monitoring unit 12, a notification unit 13, a participation processing unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

[0052] Server-side trunk unit 11 performs trunk audio call processing between communication terminals 20 participating in the teleconference via the Internet 2. Furthermore, server-side trunk unit 11 transmits and receives teleconference audio call data from and from internal telephone terminals 22 associated with communication terminals 20 via PSTN 3 through PBX 30a participating in the teleconference. In other words, server-side trunk unit 11 continues trunk audio calls between communication terminals 20 using either PSTN 3 or PSDN 3 and the Internet 2.

[0053] The audio quality monitoring unit 12 monitors the audio quality of audio calls between communication terminals 20 of each user participating in the teleconference (i.e., each communication terminal 20) via the Internet 2. The audio quality monitoring unit 12 can evaluate audio quality by detecting communication delays, jitter, packet loss, etc.

[0054] When the audio quality assessed by the audio quality monitoring unit 12 falls below a predetermined level, the notification unit 13 sends an audio quality degradation notification to the PBX 30a via the Internet 2. For example, the audio quality falling below the predetermined level could be due to communication latency, jitter, or packet loss being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, or an index determined based on communication latency, jitter, and packet loss falling below a predetermined threshold. The audio quality degradation notification includes the identification information (ID) of the user of the communication terminal 20 whose audio quality has degraded, the ID of the teleconference the user is attending, and a password. The teleconference ID can be the dial-in number. This makes it easy for the PBX 30a to request permission to participate in the teleconference.

[0055] In response to receiving a request from PBX 30a to allow participation in a conference call, participation processing unit 14 performs the processing to allow participation in the conference call. In response to allowing participation in PBX 30a, participation processing unit 14 notifies PBX 30a of the ID of the internal telephone terminal 22 associated with the target user.

[0056] Storage unit 15 is a storage medium for storing the association table 16, which will be described later.

[0057] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the association table 16 according to the second example embodiment. The association table 16 associates the ID of the communication terminal 20, the ID of the internal telephone terminal 22, and the ID of the PBX 30a with each other.

[0058] The ID of communication terminal 20 can be an IP address or a media access control (MAC) address. The ID of internal telephone terminal 22 can be a telephone number or an extension number. The ID of PBX 30a can be an IP address or a MAC address.

[0059] In place of or as a supplement to the ID of communication terminal 20, association table 16 can associate a user's ID with the ID of internal telephone terminal 22 and the ID of PBX 30a. Furthermore, association table 16 can store the ID and password of a teleconference associated with the ID of communication terminal 20.

[0060] By using the association table 16, the teleconference server 10 can easily and quickly notify the PBX 30a of communication terminals 20 whose audio quality has been degraded, and can also notify the ID of internal telephone terminals 22.

[0061] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a PBX 30a according to a second example embodiment. The PBX 30a includes an IP communication unit 31, a participation request unit 32, a call processing unit 33, and a call relay unit 34.

[0062] IP communication unit 31 communicates with teleconference server 10 via the Internet 2. Specifically, IP communication unit 31 receives audio quality degradation notifications from teleconference server 10.

[0063] The requesting unit 32 requests permission from the teleconference server 10 to participate in the teleconference by using the teleconference ID and password included in the audio quality degradation notification.

[0064] The call making unit 33 makes a call to the internal telephone terminal 22 via the internal line by using the ID of the internal telephone terminal 22 associated with the communication terminal 20, which is notified in response to being allowed to participate in a teleconference.

[0065] In response to a response from internal telephone terminal 22, call trunk unit 34 relays audio calls of the teleconference between internal telephone terminal 22 and teleconference server 10 via internal lines and PSTN 3.

[0066] As mentioned above, because the PBX 30a relays audio calls using a telephone line different from the Internet 2, it avoids mixing with other media data and prevents audio quality degradation. Furthermore, since users continue audio calls via the PBX 30a, call charges can be borne by the organization (company).

[0067] Figure 6 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing procedure of a teleconference system 1 according to a second exemplary embodiment.

[0068] First, a user of communication terminal 20 joins a teleconference from the teleconference application on communication terminal 20 and performs audio calls and other data communications. At this time, the server-side relay unit 11 of the teleconference server 10 relays the audio call of communication terminal 20 to the communication terminal 20 to be used by another participant via the Internet 2 (step S10). Then, assuming that the audio quality monitoring unit 12 of the teleconference server 10 detects a decrease in audio quality (step S11), the notification unit 13 of the teleconference server 10 refers to the association table 16 in the storage unit 15, identifies the PBX 30a to be targeted and associated with the ID of communication terminal 20, and sends an audio quality decrease notification to PBX 30a via the Internet 2 (step S13). The audio quality decrease notification includes the dial-in number and password for the teleconference.

[0069] In response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the IP communication unit 31 of PBX 30a, the participation request unit 32 dials a conference call and requests permission to participate in the conference call from the conference call server 10 by using a password (step S14).

[0070] The participation processing unit 14 of the teleconference server 10 allows PBX 30a to participate in the teleconference and sends a participation permission notification to PBX 30a via PSTN 3 (step S15). Therefore, PBX 30a is in a state of having participated in the teleconference. The participation processing unit 14 sends a participation preparation notification indicating that PBX 30a is allowed to participate in the teleconference to the communication terminal 20 (step S16). Therefore, the user of the communication terminal 20 can quickly switch to audio calls via the internal telephone terminal 22. Furthermore, the participation processing unit 14 refers to the association table 16 in the storage unit 15, specifies the telephone number of the internal telephone terminal 22 associated with the ID of the communication terminal 20, and notifies PBX 30a of the telephone number via the Internet 2 (step S17). This step can be performed in parallel with step S15.

[0071] Then, the call processing unit 33 of PBX 30a makes a call to the internal telephone terminal 22 via the internal line using the telephone number of the internal telephone terminal 22 (step S18). At this time, the call processing unit 33 can instruct the internal telephone terminal 22 to disconnect the audio call between the communication terminal 20 and the teleconference server 10. Therefore, audio repetition can be avoided, and the audio call can be switched smoothly.

[0072] Internal telephone terminal 22 responds to incoming calls via user operation (step S19).

[0073] Having received a response, the call trunk unit 34 of PBX 30a connects the call path between the teleconference server 10 and the internal telephone terminal 22 (step S20). Therefore, the call trunk unit 34 begins relaying the audio call between the teleconference server 10 and the internal telephone terminal 22 via the internal line and PSTN 3 (step S21).

[0074] On the other hand, in response to an incoming call, the user disconnects the audio call between the communication terminal 20 and the teleconference server 10 via user operation (step S22). Thus, the audio call is switched over, and audio repetition is avoided.

[0075] When the server-side trunk unit of the teleconference server 10 begins sending audio call data to and receiving audio call data from the internal telephone terminal 22, the server-side trunk unit can automatically disconnect audio calls to and from the communication terminal 20 associated with the internal telephone terminal 22. Therefore, audio calls can be smoothly switched, reducing the burden on the user.

[0076] Furthermore, although in step S17, the participation processing unit 14 of the teleconference server 10 notifies the PBX 30a of the phone number of the internal telephone terminal 22, it may alternatively notify the ID of the communication terminal 20 or the user's ID. The PBX 30a, having received the notification, stores a table in a storage unit (not shown) that associates the ID of the communication terminal 20 or the user's ID with the phone numbers of the telephone terminals the user can use, and can identify the phone number of the telephone terminal making the call by using this table. In this case, the ID of the internal telephone terminal can be omitted from the association table 16 of the teleconference server 10.

[0077] As described above, according to the second example embodiment, during the establishment of a conference call, when a communication delay or loss of IP network status occurs, the conference call system 1 switches the audio call to a telephone line with stable audio quality. Therefore, it is possible to avoid hindering the progress of the conference call and to continue the conference call.

[0078] <Third Example Implementation>

[0079] Next, we will use Figure 7 A third exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described. The third exemplary embodiment is characterized in that PBX 30a relays audio calls between teleconference server 10 and internal telephone terminal 22 via the Internet 2 instead of PSTN 3.

[0080] Figure 7This is a schematic configuration diagram of a teleconferencing system 1b according to a third example embodiment. Teleconferencing system 1b differs from teleconferencing system 1 in that PBX 30a is connected to the Internet 2 via router 4 and a switching hub 6 (different from switching hub 5), instead of PSTN 3. In router 4, data (audio call data) passing through switching hub 6 is preferentially transmitted via priority control, or domains are divided and processed for audio call data and data (other media data) passing through switching hub 5. Therefore, audio quality degradation can be avoided.

[0081] Therefore, instead Figure 6 In step S14, the IP communication unit 31 of PBX 30a requests permission from the teleconference server 10 to participate in the teleconference via the Internet 2. Instead of... Figure 6 In step S15, the participation processing unit 14 of the teleconference server 10 sends a participation permission notification to the PBX 30a via the Internet 2. (Instead of...) Figure 6 In step S21, the call relay unit 34 relays audio calls between the teleconference server 10 and the internal telephone terminal 22 via the internal line and the Internet 2.

[0082] As described above, the same effect as in the second example embodiment was achieved in the third example embodiment.

[0083] <Fourth Example Implementation>

[0084] Next, we will use Figures 8 to 11 The fourth exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is explained. The fourth exemplary embodiment is characterized by telephone relay processing in a situation where a user of communication terminal 20 can use multiple telephone terminals of different types.

[0085] Figure 8 This is a schematic configuration diagram of a teleconference system 1c according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. The teleconference system 1c has essentially the same configuration and functions as the teleconference system 1, but differs from the teleconference system 1 in that the teleconference system 1c includes a mobile phone terminal 24 and a PBX 30c instead of a PBX 30a.

[0086] Mobile phone terminal 24 is a telephone terminal that can be used by the user of communication terminal 20, in addition to internal telephone terminal 22. Mobile phone terminal 24 can be a mobile phone, smartphone, etc., that can connect to PSTN 3. When the audio quality of an audio call conducted by communication terminal 20 deteriorates, the user of communication terminal 20 can choose either internal telephone terminal 22 or mobile phone terminal 24 to continue the audio call.

[0087] PBX 30c has essentially the same configuration and functionality as PBX 30a, but differs in that the call processing unit 33 obtains the terminal type information of the telephone terminal selected by the user from the teleconference server and determines the line to be used for the call to the telephone terminal based on this terminal type information. For example, the line used for the call may be an external line or an internal line.

[0088] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the association table 16 according to the fourth example embodiment. The association table 16 according to the fourth example embodiment associates the ID of the communication terminal 20, the ID of the telephone terminal, the terminal type, and the ID of the PBX 30c with each other. The terminal type is information indicating the type of telephone terminal, and is, for example, an internal telephone or a mobile phone. The ID of the telephone terminal is the ID of the internal telephone terminal 22 or the mobile phone terminal 24, and for example, when the terminal type is an internal telephone, it may indicate an extension number, and when the terminal type is a mobile phone, it may indicate a mobile phone number. In this diagram, the communication terminal 20 with the ID "UE002" is associated with two telephone terminals (i.e., internal telephone terminal 22 and mobile phone terminal 24) with different terminal types. The ID of the communication terminal 20 may be associated with multiple telephone terminals of the same terminal type.

[0089] Figure 10 This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing procedure of a teleconference system 1c according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 The same steps are represented by the same symbols, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0090] First, the teleconference system 1c performs steps S10 to S16.

[0091] Then, the participation processing unit 14 of the teleconference server 10 refers to the association table 16 of the storage unit 15, and when there are multiple telephone terminals associated with the target communication terminal 20, requests the communication terminal 20 to select the telephone terminal to use (step S30).

[0092] The communication terminal 20, having received the selection request, selects a telephone terminal to be used through user operation and notifies the teleconference server 10 of the selected telephone terminal (step S31). When the internal telephone terminal 22 is selected, it can perform operations related to... Figure 6 The same process applies to steps S17 through S22. In this example, it is assumed that mobile phone terminal 24 is selected.

[0093] The participant processing unit 14 of the teleconference server 10 refers to the association table 16 of the storage unit 15, obtains the information of the selected telephone terminal, and sends the telephone terminal information to the PBX 30c via the Internet 2 (step S32). The telephone terminal information includes the terminal type information of the telephone terminal. In this example, the telephone terminal information includes the terminal type being a mobile phone and the mobile phone number of the mobile phone terminal 24. This allows the PBX 30c to smoothly determine the line.

[0094] Then, the call processing unit 33 of PBX 30c determines to make a call using an external line (i.e., PSTN3) based on the terminal type information, uses the telephone number of mobile phone terminal 24, and makes a call to mobile phone terminal 24 by using PSTN3 (step S33).

[0095] Mobile phone terminal 24 responds to a call through user operation (step S34).

[0096] Having received a response, the call relay unit 34 of PBX 30c connects the call path between the teleconference server 10 and the mobile phone terminal 24 (step S35). Therefore, the call relay unit 34 begins relaying the audio call between the teleconference server 10 and the mobile phone terminal 24 via PSTN 3 (step S36).

[0097] Figure 11 This is a figure illustrating an example of the display of a communication terminal 20 according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. The display unit (not shown) of the communication terminal 20 receives a participation preparation notification and a terminal selection request from the teleconference server 10 and displays the screen as shown in the figure.

[0098] For example, the figure shows a display screen for a teleconference application (web conferencing application) that displays a pop-up prompting the user to switch the terminal to use for an audio call. When the user selects a terminal to switch to from the displayed terminals, the selected terminal is called from PBX 30c. Note that in response to the user selecting a terminal to switch to, the audio output of communication terminal 20 can be muted or the audio call can be disconnected.

[0099] As described above, according to the fourth example embodiment, the teleconferencing system 1c can handle various telephone terminals while achieving the same effect as the second example embodiment. Furthermore, since the user continues the audio call via the PBX 30c, the organization can bear the call costs even when using an external line. For example, even when a user participates in a teleconferencing session from outside his / her company using a personal mobile terminal due to remote work, the call costs can be borne by the company.

[0100] It should be noted that this disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from its spirit.

[0101] Although this disclosure has been interpreted as a hardware configuration in the above exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. This disclosure can also implement various processes related to telephone relay methods by causing a processor to execute computer programs.

[0102] Figure 12 This is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer 900 according to the first to fourth example embodiments.

[0103] Computer 900 includes processor 100, read-only memory 101 (ROM), random access memory 102 (RAM), and interface unit 103 (IF). Processor 100, ROM 101, RAM 102, and interface unit 103 are interconnected via data bus, etc.

[0104] Processor 100 functions as an arithmetic device for performing control processing, arithmetic processing, etc. Processor 100 may be a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), digital signal processor (DSP), or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination thereof. ROM 101 stores control programs, arithmetic programs, etc., executed by processor 100. RAM 102 temporarily stores processed data, etc. Interface unit 103 receives signals from and outputs signals to the outside via wired or wireless means. Furthermore, interface unit 103 receives user input data and displays information to the user. For example, interface unit 103 of teleconference server 10 communicates with interface unit 103 of communication terminal 20 and interface unit 103 of PBX 30a.

[0105] In the above examples, when loaded onto a computer, the program includes a set of instructions (or software code) that causes the computer to perform one or more functions described in the example embodiments. The program may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example, but not limitation, computer-readable media or tangible storage media include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drives (SSDs) or other memory technologies, CD-ROMs, digital versatile optical discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs (registered trademark) or other optical disc storage devices, magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tapes, disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transferred on a transient computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example, but not limitation, transient computer-readable media or communication media include electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0106] In the above example embodiment, computer 900 includes a computer system, which includes a personal computer, a word processor, etc. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the computer may consist of a local area network (LAN) server, a host computer (personal computer) communication system, a computer system connected to the Internet, etc. Furthermore, functions can be distributed among devices on a network, and computers can be configured throughout the network.

[0107] Some or all of the above example embodiments may be described as supplementary descriptions, but are not limited thereto.

[0108] (Supplementary Note 1)

[0109] A telephone relay device is communicatively connected to a teleconference server configured to relay audio calls between participating communication terminals via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the telephone relay device comprising:

[0110] A participation request unit is configured to request the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference in response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has become lower than a predetermined level.

[0111] A call-making unit configured to make a call to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal in response to being granted permission to participate in the conference call; and

[0112] A call relay unit configured to relay the audio call of the teleconference between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server in response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal.

[0113] (Supplementary Note 2)

[0114] According to Supplementary Note 1, the telephone relay device relays the audio call between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server via a telephone line.

[0115] (Supplementary Note 3)

[0116] According to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, the telephone relay device is a dedicated small exchange associated with the communication terminal.

[0117] (Supplementary Note 4)

[0118] According to any one of Supplementary Descriptions 1 to 3, in the telephone relay device, the call processing unit obtains terminal type information of the telephone terminal from the teleconference server, and determines the line for making a call to the telephone terminal based on the terminal type information.

[0119] (Supplementary Note 5)

[0120] According to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, in a telephone relay device, the call processing unit requests the telephone terminal to disconnect the audio call between the communication terminal and the teleconference server.

[0121] (Supplementary Note 6)

[0122] A teleconferencing server includes:

[0123] Server-side relay unit, configured to relay audio calls between communication terminals participating in a teleconference via an Internet Protocol (IP) network;

[0124] A notification unit, configured to send an audio quality degradation notification to a telephone relay device when the audio quality of an audio call between the communication terminals becomes lower than a predetermined level; and

[0125] A participation processing unit, configured to allow participation in the conference call in response to receiving a request from the telephone trunking device to participate in the conference call.

[0126] The server-side relay unit transmits audio call data of the teleconference to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal via the telephone relay device participating in the teleconference, and receives audio call data of the teleconference from the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal.

[0127] (Supplementary Note 7)

[0128] According to the teleconferencing server described in Supplementary Note 6, when the server-side relay unit begins sending and receiving audio call data with the telephone terminal, the server-side relay unit disconnects the audio call with the communication terminal associated with the telephone terminal.

[0129] (Supplementary Note 8)

[0130] According to the teleconference server described in Supplementary Note 6 or 7, the participation processing unit sends a participation preparation notification to the communication terminal, the participation preparation notification indicating that the telephone trunk device is allowed to participate in the teleconference.

[0131] (Supplementary Note 9)

[0132] According to the teleconference server described in Supplementary Explanation 8, when there are multiple telephone terminals associated with the communication terminal, the participation processing unit requests the communication terminal to select a telephone terminal to be used and sends the information of the selected telephone terminal to the telephone relay device.

[0133] (Supplementary Note 10)

[0134] According to Supplementary Note 9, the information of the telephone terminal includes the terminal type information of the telephone terminal.

[0135] (Supplementary Note 11)

[0136] The teleconference server according to any one of Supplementary Notes 6 to 10 further includes an audio quality monitoring unit configured to monitor the audio quality of audio calls between the communication terminals.

[0137] (Supplementary Note 12)

[0138] A teleconferencing system, comprising:

[0139] The telephone relay device according to any one of Supplementary Descriptions 1 to 5; and

[0140] Teleconference server as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 6 to 11.

[0141] (Supplementary Note 13)

[0142] A telephone relay method for a telephone relay device communicatively connected to a teleconference server configured to relay audio calls between participating communication terminals via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the telephone relay method comprising:

[0143] In response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has fallen below a predetermined level, the user requests the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference.

[0144] In response to being granted permission to participate in the teleconference, a call is made to the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal; and

[0145] In response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal, the audio call of the teleconference is relayed between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server.

[0146] (Supplementary Note 14)

[0147] The telephone relay method described in Supplementary Note 13 further includes relaying the audio call between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server via a telephone line.

[0148] (Supplementary Note 15)

[0149] The telephone relay method described in Supplementary Note 13 or 14 also includes:

[0150] Obtain the terminal type information of the telephone terminal from the teleconference server, and

[0151] The line for making a call to the telephone terminal is determined based on the terminal type information.

[0152] (Supplementary Note 16)

[0153] According to any one of Supplementary Notes 13 to 15, the telephone relay method further includes requesting the telephone terminal to disconnect the audio call between the communication terminal and the teleconference server.

[0154] (Supplementary Note 17)

[0155] A program for causing a computer to execute a telephone relay method according to any one of Supplementary Descriptions 13 to 16.

[0156] (Supplementary Note 18)

[0157] An audio call relay method for a teleconference server, the teleconference server being configured to relay audio calls between communication terminals participating in a teleconference via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the audio call relay method comprising:

[0158] When the audio quality of an audio call between the communication terminals becomes lower than a predetermined level, an audio quality degradation notification is sent to the telephone relay device.

[0159] In response to receiving a request from the telephone trunking device to allow participation in the telephone conference, and allowing participation in the telephone conference; and

[0160] The audio call data of the teleconference is transmitted to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal via the telephone relay device participating in the teleconference, and the audio call data of the teleconference is received from the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal.

[0161] (Supplementary Note 19)

[0162] The audio call relay method according to Supplementary Note 18 further includes disconnecting the audio call with the communication terminal associated with the telephone terminal when audio call data is started to be sent to and received from the telephone terminal.

[0163] (Supplementary Note 20)

[0164] The audio call relay method according to Supplementary Note 18 or 19 further includes sending a participation preparation notification to the communication terminal, the participation preparation notification indicating that the telephone relay device is allowed to participate in the telephone conference.

[0165] (Supplementary Note 21)

[0166] The audio call relay method described in Supplementary Note 20 also includes:

[0167] When multiple telephone terminals are associated with the communication terminal, the communication terminal is requested to select a telephone terminal to be used; and the information of the selected telephone terminal is sent to the telephone relay device.

[0168] (Supplementary Note 22)

[0169] According to the audio call relay method described in Supplementary Note 21, the information of the telephone terminal includes the terminal type information of the telephone terminal.

[0170] (Supplementary Note 23)

[0171] A program for causing a computer to perform an audio call relay method according to any one of Supplementary Descriptions 18 to 22.

[0172] Although the invention has been explained with reference to exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto. Various modifications to the configuration and details of the invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, are possible within the scope of this invention.

[0173] This application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-193385, filed on November 20, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0174] For example, a telephone relay device, a telephone conference server, and a telephone conference system according to this example embodiment can be used to relay audio calls in a telephone conference.

[0175] List of reference numerals

[0176] 1, 1b, 1c Teleconference System

[0177] 2. Internet

[0178] 3 PSTN

[0179] 4. Router

[0180] 5 and 6 Switching hubs

[0181] 10 Teleconference Servers

[0182] 11 Server-side relay units

[0183] 12 audio quality monitoring units

[0184] 13 Notification Units

[0185] 14 Participating Processing Units

[0186] 15 storage units

[0187] 16 Related Tables

[0188] 20 communication terminals

[0189] 22 Internal Telephone Terminals

[0190] 24 mobile phone terminals

[0191] 30 telephone relay devices

[0192] 30a and 30c PBX

[0193] 31 IP Communication Unit

[0194] 32 Participation Request Unit

[0195] 33 Calling Unit

[0196] 34 call relay units

[0197] 100 processors

[0198] 101 ROM

[0199] 102 RAM

[0200] 103 Interface Unit (IF)

[0201] 900 Computers

Claims

1. A telephone relay device communicatively connected to a teleconference server configured to relay audio calls between participating communication terminals via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the telephone relay device comprising: A participation request unit is configured to request the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference in response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has become lower than a predetermined level. A call-making unit configured to make a call to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal in response to being allowed to participate in the teleconference; as well as A call relay unit configured to relay the audio call of the teleconference between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server in response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal.

2. The telephone relay device according to claim 1, wherein, The call relay unit relays the audio call between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server via a telephone line.

3. The telephone relay device according to claim 1, wherein, The telephone relay device is a dedicated small exchange associated with the communication terminal.

4. The telephone relay device according to claim 1, wherein, The call processing unit obtains the terminal type information of the telephone terminal from the teleconference server, and determines the line for making a call to the telephone terminal based on the terminal type information.

5. The telephone relay device according to claim 1, wherein, The call processing unit requests the telephone terminal to disconnect the audio call between the communication terminal and the teleconference server.

6. A teleconferencing server, comprising: Server-side relay unit, configured to relay audio calls between communication terminals participating in a teleconference via an Internet Protocol (IP) network; A notification unit is configured to send an audio quality degradation notification to a telephone relay device when the audio quality of an audio call between the communication terminals becomes lower than a predetermined level. as well as A participation processing unit, configured to allow participation in the conference call in response to receiving a request from the telephone trunking device to participate in the conference call. The server-side relay unit transmits audio call data of the teleconference to a telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal via the telephone relay device participating in the teleconference, and receives audio call data of the teleconference from the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal.

7. The teleconferencing server according to claim 6, wherein, The participation processing unit sends a participation preparation notification to the communication terminal, which instructs the telephone relay device to participate in the telephone conference.

8. A teleconferencing system, comprising: The telephone relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and The teleconference server according to claim 6.

9. A telephone relay method for a telephone relay device communicatively connected to a teleconference server configured to relay audio calls between participating communication terminals via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, the telephone relay method comprising: In response to receiving an audio quality degradation notification from the teleconference server indicating that the audio quality of the audio call between the communication terminals has fallen below a predetermined level, the user requests the teleconference server to allow participation in the teleconference. In response to being granted permission to participate in the teleconference, a call is made to the telephone terminal associated with the communication terminal; and In response to receiving a response to the call from the telephone terminal, the audio call of the teleconference is relayed between the telephone terminal and the teleconference server.

10. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform the telephone relay method according to claim 9.

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