Telephone control device and response determination program in automatic answering telephone functioning

Abstract

To automatically take a response predicted to be desired by a call incoming person in accordance with an incoming telephone call in a case where an automatic answering telephone function is set.SOLUTION: At the time of call incoming, a call incoming data acquisition section 131, a text making processing section 134 and a data analysis section 136 are functioned and learning data are generated and recorded in an automatic answering response learning data storage section 109. At the time of call origination, a call origination data acquisition section 133, the text making processing section 134 and the data analysis section 136 are functioned, the learning data are identified from the automatic answering response learning data storage section 109, and a response situation of a telephone reply is updated. When an automatic answering telephone function is actuated and call incoming is generated, voice recognition of a speech voice transmitted from a call origination source is performed by a voice recognition processing section 142 and information indicating the call origination source and information indicating a call incoming destination are acquired. On the basis of the information, a response determination section 143 automatically determines a response by referring to a response situation of corresponding learning data in the automatic answering response learning data storage section 109.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a telephone control device having an answering machine function. [Background technology]

[0002] The answering machine function can be activated when you are out and cannot answer the phone, and automatically answers incoming calls, prompts you to leave a message via voice guidance, and records and retains the voice message from the caller. Answering machines are widely used not only in home telephones but also in business phone systems. In recent years, answering machines are no longer limited to recording voice messages from the caller. For example, they are now also capable of using functions such as "switching to telephone call," which transfers calls received on a mobile phone terminal, and "email notification," which notifies you of an incoming call by email.

[0003] In this case, "switching to telephone call" and "email notification" are determined by the settings on the telephone system side, so "switching to telephone call" and "email notification" are performed uniformly for all incoming calls. This is troublesome for the person setting up the answering machine function, as they end up receiving telephone calls and e-mail notifications even for calls that are not important. Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described below, it is conceivable to have the caller notify information indicating the importance of the call, and to decide whether to "switch to telephone call" or to "notify e-mail" depending on this importance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6283938 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5179446 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, as mentioned above, if the caller notifies the caller of the importance information and the decision as to whether to "switch to a phone call" or to "notify by e-mail" is made according to this importance, the importance of the call recipient is not reflected at all. Since the caller is making the call, it is highly likely that the caller thinks that the call is important, but only the recipient can determine whether the incoming call is important or not. For example, a call made by caller A to recipient B to sell product X is of high importance to caller A, but is of low importance to recipient B, who is the salesperson, if he or she has no interest in product X.

[0006] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to automatically take a response that is predicted to be desired by the callee in response to an incoming call when an answering machine function is set. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the telephone control device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises: a first text processing means for performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call, and converting the speech into text data; a first data analysis means for analyzing the text data from the first text processing means, generating learning data including information on a call source and information on a call destination, and recording the learning data in a storage means; a second text processing means for performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected telephone line in response to a call from a subordinate telephone terminal, and converting the call voice into text data; a second data analysis means for analyzing the text data from the second text processing means, detecting a call destination and a call originator, identifying learning data from the storage means in which the call destination is the call originator and the call originator is the call destination, and updating the identified learning data with a response status indicating that a call has been returned; a guidance generating means for generating and providing voice guidance for making the user hear at least the call origin and the call destination through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call after the answering machine function is activated; a voice recognition processing means for performing voice recognition of a call voice transmitted through the call line to obtain information indicating a call origin and information indicating a call destination; a response determination means for identifying corresponding learning data from the storage means based on the information indicating the call origin and the information indicating the call destination acquired by the voice recognition processing means, and determining a response in an answering machine function according to a response situation included in the learning data; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] According to the telephone control device of the invention described in claim 1, when a telephone call is received, the first text conversion means and the first data analysis means function to generate learning data including information on the caller and the callee, and record the data in the storage means. When a call is made from a subordinate telephone terminal, the second text conversion means and the second data analysis means function to identify learning data from the storage means in which the callee is the caller and the caller is the callee, and the response status of the identified learning data to the effect that a telephone reply has been made is updated. In this specification, "telephone reply" means replying to an incoming call by telephone (returning the call).

[0009] When an incoming call occurs after the answering machine function is activated, the caller and the called party are heard through guidance generated by the guidance generating means. The voice recognition means performs voice recognition on the call voice transmitted from the caller and obtains information indicating the caller and information indicating the called party. The response determination means refers to the response status of the corresponding learning data in the storage means based on the information indicating the caller and the information indicating the called party obtained by the voice recognition means, and automatically determines how to respond to the incoming call when the answering machine function is activated. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, when the answering machine function is set, a response that is expected to be desired by the callee can be automatically taken in response to an incoming call. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a telephone system configured using a telephone control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a telephone control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in an employee information DB (Data Base) of the telephone control device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in a telephone directory DB (Data Base) of the telephone control device of the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of stored data in an answering machine learning data accumulation unit in the telephone control device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining an example of data acquired in the telephone control device of the embodiment; [Figure 7] 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process for creating (generating) answering machine response learning data in the telephone control device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8]5 is a flowchart for explaining a process for creating (generating) answering machine response learning data in the telephone control device of the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process performed when an answering machine function is activated in the telephone control device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 10] 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process when an outside line transfer of an answering machine function is performed in the telephone control device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process performed when an email notification is sent by an answering machine function in the telephone control device according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process performed when normal recording is performed by an answering machine function in the telephone control device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 5 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed in a case where an answering machine function is activated in the telephone control device of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the device and program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The telephone control device according to the present invention can perform call control for calls made to individual telephone numbers, and can also perform call control for calls made to a representative telephone number (so-called broadcast calls). However, in the embodiment described below, the latter call control for calls made to a representative telephone number will be described as an example.

[0013] Furthermore, the telephone control device of the embodiment described below is equipped with an answering machine function, but does not simply record and store answering machine messages. It is capable of using functions such as "switching to telephone call" and "email notification." In the following, the function of recording and storing answering machine messages will be referred to as "answering machine recording," the function of "switching to telephone call" as "telephone forwarding," and the function of "email notification" as "email notification."

[0014] [Telephone system configuration example] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a telephone system configured using a telephone control device according to an embodiment. In Fig. 1, a wide area network 8 shown in the center includes an external telephone network 81 and an IP (Internet Protocol) network 82. The external telephone network 81 includes a public switched telephone network, a mobile phone network, etc., and mainly realizes voice communication services. The IP network 82 refers to a computer network interconnected using Internet Protocol Suite technology, and is equivalent to the so-called "Internet."

[0015] A LAN system is constituted by connecting a plurality of PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... to a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device 4 connected to an IP network 82 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 5. Each of 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... is an information processing device equipped with a communication function. The UTM device 4 efficiently and comprehensively protects a LAN system formed within a company from threats such as computer viruses and hacking, and is also called a unified threat management device. Each of the PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... can refer to web pages stored in a web server provided on the IP network 82 and send / receive e-mails through the IP network 82 via the UTM device 4.

[0016] Also, each of PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... can send and receive chat messages to and from the intended recipient via UTM device 4. In this embodiment, UTM device 4 can hold emails sent from PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... and chat messages posted from PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... for a certain period (e.g., one month) while clarifying the destination and source. Also, an employee information management device 7 is connected to LAN 5. Employee information management device 7 is a device that stores and manages various detailed information about employees, such as employee ID, name, home address, home phone number, affiliation, and employment / disembarkation of each employee.

[0017] A telephone control device 1 connected to an external telephone network 81 and an IP network 82 is connected to a plurality of internal telephone terminals (hereinafter referred to as telephone terminals) 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... via an internal telephone network 2 to form a business phone system. The telephone control device 1 controls connections between internal lines and external lines and connections within internal lines. In other words, the telephone control device 1 is connected to a plurality of telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., and performs so-called call control such as connecting, disconnecting, and transferring communications between internal lines and external lines and within internal lines. The telephone control device 1 is also connected to the IP network 82 because it enables the use of IP telephone services using VoIP technology through the IP network 82.

[0018] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the telephone control device 1 and the UTM device 4 are connected via a LAN 5, and can mutually transmit and receive data, etc. As a result, the telephone control device 1 can obtain and utilize the history of e-mail transmissions and chat message postings from the UTM device 4, as will be described in detail later. In Fig. 1, the telephone control device 1 and the UTM device 4 are connected via the LAN 5, but it is of course possible to directly connect the telephone control device 1 and the UTM device 4. In addition, the telephone control device 1 and the employee information management device 7 are connected via the LAN 5, and can mutually transmit and receive data, etc. As a result, the telephone control device 1 can obtain and utilize detailed information about employees, such as whether an employee is enrolled or not.

[0019] Each of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... and the PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), ... is installed on a desk in a company office. It is predetermined which employee will use which telephone terminal and which PC, for example, telephone terminal 3(1) and PC 6(1) are used by XX, and telephone terminal 3(2) and PC 6(2) are used by YY. Therefore, an extension number is assigned to each of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ..., so that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the extension number and the user.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the wide area network 8 is connected to an outside telephone terminal 9(1) and a PC 10(1), and is also connected to a smartphone 11(1) via a base station BS(1) of a mobile phone network. In FIG. 1, only one outside telephone terminal 9(1), one PC 10(1), one smartphone 11(1), and one base station BS(1) are shown. However, in reality, many outside telephone terminals are connected, such as outside telephone terminals 9(2), 9(3), ..., PCs 10(2), 10(3), ..., and smartphones 11(2), 11(3), .... The outside telephone terminals 9(1), 9(2), 9(3), ... may be connected to the wide area network 8 like a fixed telephone terminal located in a home, or may be connected via another telephone control device and used as a part of a business phone system.

[0021] In this embodiment, the outside telephone terminal 9(1), PC 10(1), and smartphone 11(1) are used by those who call the users of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the telephone control device 1. However, the smartphones 11(2), 11(3), ... also include those used by the users themselves of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... connected to the telephone control device 1. As will be described in detail later, this is to allow the users to receive call forwarding by the answering machine function of the telephone control device 1 when they are out, for example.

[0022] As described above, the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment has an answering machine function, and when the answering machine function is activated, functions such as "answering machine recording," "call forwarding," and "email notification" can be used, but these functions are not set by the user. The telephone control device 1 of this embodiment creates (generates) answering machine response learning data on a regular basis when a call is received. Furthermore, the telephone control device 1 updates the response status of the answering machine response learning data based on data that can be obtained when a call is made, the history of e-mail transmissions from the UTM device 4, and the history of chat message postings.

[0023] When the answering machine function is activated and an incoming call occurs, the corresponding answering machine learning data is identified based on the call origin and call destination. Based on the compatibility of the identified answering machine learning data, the system automatically selects and executes whether to "record an answering machine message", "transfer the call", or "notify by e-mail". When the answering machine function is activated and an incoming call is received, the system is capable of automatically taking the action that is expected to be desired by the user at the receiving end of the call.

[0024] In addition, in the telephone control device 1, for example, outside business hours (at night, early in the morning, on holidays, etc.), the answering machine function can be activated for the entire business phone system. In this case, at least information about the caller and the callee can be retrieved, and if the answering machine function is activated for the callee's extension number, the response that is thought to be desired by the callee's user can be automatically taken.

[0025] The telephone control device 1 can also activate the answering machine function for each of the subordinate telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), (3), .... In other words, suppose that a situation occurs in which the user of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), (3), ... is unable to answer an incoming call because the user goes out or takes a vacation. In this case, the user can activate the answering machine function for an incoming call to the extension telephone used by the user from the telephone terminal 3(n) (n is an integer of 1 or more) that the user uses in advance. In this case, the system can automatically take the response that the user of the called party would expect to want in the case of a direct call to an extension telephone terminal with a specified extension number and in the case of a call to a main telephone number and being forwarded to the extension number.

[0026] The following describes an example of the configuration and operation of the telephone control device 1 used in the business phone system of this embodiment. The telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... basically have the same configuration. Therefore, unless there is a need to distinguish between them, when describing their common configurations and operations, each of the telephone terminals 3(1), 3(2), 3(3), ... will be referred to as telephone terminal 3. Also, since PCs 6(1), 6(2), 6(3), 6(1), and 6(2) can be used as commercially available products, a description of their configuration examples will be omitted, and they will be collectively referred to as PCs 6, unless there is a need to distinguish between them.

[0027] [Example of configuration of telephone control device 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a telephone control device according to an embodiment. The connection terminal 101T constitutes a connection terminal to the external telephone network 81. The communication I / F 101 is a part that performs communication processing through the external telephone network 81. That is, the communication I / F 101 converts a signal addressed to the device itself, which is transmitted through the external telephone network 81, into a signal in a format that can be processed by the device itself and takes in the signal. The communication I / F 101 also converts a signal to be transmitted from the device to a target destination into a signal in a format for transmission and sends the signal to the external telephone network 81 to transmit it to the destination. Therefore, communication through the external telephone network 81 is performed through the connection terminal 101T and the communication I / F 101.

[0028] The telephone control unit 102 is a microprocessor equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a non-volatile memory, etc. (not shown), and realizes the function of controlling each part of the telephone control device 1. The storage device 103 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) and its driver, and performs recording, changing, deleting, reading, etc. of various data. The storage device 103 stores and holds necessary data and programs, and is also used as a working area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated in various processes. The clock circuit 104 can provide the current date, current day of the week, and current time, and can also realize a timer function for measuring a predetermined time range.

[0029] Employee information DB 105 stores and holds information about employees of the company in which the business phone system of this embodiment is configured (employees who use the business phone system). FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in employee information DB 105 of telephone control device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, employee information DB 105 stores and holds the names, departments, extension numbers, mobile phone numbers, email addresses, chat accounts, and other information of people who belong to the company (employees of the company). The names are literally the names of employees, and although not shown, have both kanji and katakana spellings.

[0030] The department is information that indicates which department an employee belongs to, such as the sales department, planning department, or development department, and in reality, it is possible to manage departments in detail, such as XX Headquarters XX Department △△ Section. The extension number, mobile phone number, email address, and chat account are each information that identifies the contact person when you want to contact the employee through a communication method such as telephone, email, or chat. Other information that can be stored includes the employee ID, the employee's home address, home phone number, and various other necessary information.

[0031] The telephone directory DB 106 stores and holds information on contacts of people whom users of the business phone system shown in FIG. 1 frequently call through the telephone terminal 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of data (telephone directory data) stored in the telephone directory DB 106 of the telephone control device 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the telephone directory DB 106 has the extension number of the telephone terminal 3 used to register the telephone directory data, and the name of the registrant who is the employee who registered the telephone directory data. This information is used to manage who is registering and using the data. In other words, the registered data in the telephone directory DB 106 is basically used by the registrant through the telephone terminal 3 that registered it. Of course, the registered data registered in the telephone directory DB 106 can also be made available through other telephone terminals 3.

[0032] Furthermore, the telephone directory DB 106 stores and holds information on the name, department, company telephone number, extension number, mobile phone number, email address, chat account, and other information of the other party. The department is mainly the name of the company to which the other party belongs, but may also include the name of the department to which the other party belongs. The company telephone number, extension number, mobile phone number, email address, and chat account are information that can be used to identify the other party when contacting the other party. As other information, various necessary information such as the address and postal code of the other party's company can be stored and held. Furthermore, the telephone directory DB 106 basically stores and holds information on the other party to whom a call is made by making an external call, but it is also possible to register and use the other party of an extension call.

[0033] The call voice storage unit 107 stores and holds the call voice data transmitted and received through the connected call line when the call line is connected in response to an incoming call, or when the call is connected in response to a call made and the other party answers. In the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the call voice data is stored in the call voice storage unit 107 as one call voice file for each call, together with necessary information such as the caller's telephone number, the called party's telephone number, the call line connection time, and the call line disconnection time.

[0034] When an incoming call occurs while the answering machine function is in operation, and the telephone line is connected to perform "answering machine recording," the answering machine message storage unit 108 stores and holds the voice message sent from the caller through the telephone line. In this case, answering machine voice data is stored in the answering machine message storage unit 108 as one answering machine voice file for each call, together with necessary information such as the caller's telephone number, the called party's telephone number, the time the telephone line was connected, and the time the telephone line was disconnected. The user of the called party can use his / her telephone terminal 3 to issue an instruction to the telephone control device 1 to play back the answering machine voice data (answering machine message) and listen to the played back voice.

[0035] The answering machine learning data storage unit 109 stores and holds answering machine learning data (hereinafter simply referred to as learning data) for automatically determining how to respond when an incoming call occurs while the answering machine function is in operation. Here, how to respond when an incoming call occurs while the answering machine function is in operation means, as described above, whether to "record message," "transfer call," or "notify by e-mail." The learning data stored in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109 is generated by the function of the learning data generation unit 130, which will be described later.

[0036] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of data (learning data) stored in answering machine learning data accumulation unit 109 in the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment. In Fig. 5, the data is shown divided into an upper table portion and a lower table portion, but in reality, the front end of the lower table is connected to the rear end of the upper table to form one learning data (table list) as a whole. The learning data shown in Fig. 5 is roughly divided into four information portions. The first information portion is information about the caller, and has a caller number (caller's phone number) as information indicating "where" and a caller (caller's name), mail (caller's email address), and chat (caller's chat account) as information indicating "from whom".

[0037] The second information part is information about the call destination, and has a called number (the call destination's telephone number) as information indicating "where", and has a callee (the callee's name), mail (the callee's email address), and chat (the callee's chat account) as information indicating "who". In addition, it has information indicating employment / non-employment as information indicating "status". Employment means a state of being registered with the company, and non-employment means a state of leaving the company and not being registered. This information indicating employment / non-employment is information that can be acquired from the employee information management device 7 via the LAN 5. In addition, it has information indicating requirements, etc. as information indicating "what?". The information indicating requirements, etc. is proper nouns such as product names and service names contained in the call voice, and information such as "delivery date consultation", "price negotiation", etc. In addition, the third information part is information about the time zone, and has information indicating "when" the call came in as information indicating whether it was during business hours (within business hours) or outside business hours (outside business hours).

[0038] The fourth information section is the response status to the incoming call, and whether the incoming call was handled by forwarding (phone forwarding), phone reply, email reply, no reply, or other (successful response) is understood as a response status rate (%). A successful response means that the intended recipient of the call answers the call. Forwarding (phone forwarding) means that the call was forwarded to another phone, and phone reply means that the call was replied to by phone (the call was returned). Email reply means that the call was replied to by email (the return reply was sent by email).

[0039] 5, the information about the outgoing call (first information part), the information about the call recipient (second information part), and the time period (third information part) correspond to the index part of the learning data, and the handling status of the incoming call (fourth information part) is the learning data body. As will be described in detail later, the index part of the learning data is generated when a call is received, and is basically designed not to be duplicated. The learning data body part is updated according to the handling when the call is received, the status when the call is made, and the sending history of e-mails and chats after the call is received, so that the handling status is grasped.

[0040] Each piece of learning data shown in Figure 5 will be explained below. In Figure 5, the information written in the "No. 1" row shows that the caller "AA..." with the source phone number "090..." called the recipient "XX..." with the destination phone number "042..." multiple times during business hours for the subject of "XX...". It can be seen that for these multiple calls, calls were forwarded 30% of the time, calls were replied to 20% of the time, emails were replied to 10% of the time, no reply was made 0% of the time, and normal responses were made 40% of the time.

[0041] Therefore, in the case of the information written on the "No. 1" line, the failure to reply is 0%, and even if a normal response is not possible, the call is always answered by forwarding the call, or by replying to the call by phone or by replying to email after the call line connected in response to the call is released. Therefore, it can be determined that an incoming call for which the same index information as the index information written on the "No. 1" line in Fig. 5 is formed has a high degree of urgency and should be forwarded.

[0042] Furthermore, in Figure 5, the information written in the "No. 2" row indicates that multiple calls from "BB..." with the source phone number "03..." to "YY..." with the destination phone number "042..." were made during business hours for the subject "□□...". It can be seen that for these multiple calls, the rate of call forwarding was 0%, but calls were returned 10% of the time, emails were returned 50% of the time, no reply was made 20% of the time, and a normal response was made 20% of the time.

[0043] Therefore, in the case of the information written on the "No. 2" line, there is a 20% rate of non-reply, and when a normal response is not possible, the most common response is an email after the line connected in response to the incoming call is released, with the rate of phone calls being low at 10%. Therefore, although incoming calls that form the same index information as the index information written on the "No. 2" line in Figure 5 are not very urgent, the response rate is high, and it can be determined that the recipient should be notified by email.

[0044] Also, in Figure 5, the information written on the "No. 3" line shows that multiple calls were made outside business hours from the caller "AA..." with the caller number "090..." to the recipient "XX..." with the destination number "042...". It can be seen that for these multiple calls, call forwarding and call replies were both 0%, but email replies were made 60%, no reply was made 40%, and normal responses were 0%.

[0045] Therefore, in the case of the information written on the "No. 3" line, the unanswered rate is relatively high at 40%, and no response or reply is made by phone, but in many cases an email reply is made after the telephone line connected in response to the incoming call is released. Therefore, the incoming call for which the same index information as the index information written on the "No. 3" line in Figure 5 is formed is not highly urgent, and the unanswered rate is relatively high, so it can be determined that it is sufficient to handle it with a conventional voicemail.

[0046] In addition, in FIG. 5, the information written in the "No. 4" row shows that the caller "BB..." with the call origin number "03..." called the recipient "YY..." with the destination number "042..." multiple times outside business hours for the subject "□□...". It can be seen that the call forwarding, call reply, and email reply were all 0% for these multiple calls, and the number of unreplied calls was 100%. Therefore, it can be seen that the call that forms the same index information as the index information written in the "No. 4" row in FIG. 5 is not highly urgent and does not require a reply. Therefore, it can be determined that the reply rate is also 0% based on the information written in the "No. 4" row, so that it is sufficient to provide a voice guidance that encourages the caller to call back during business hours.

[0047] In this way, when an incoming call occurs after the answering machine function is activated, the learning data shown in FIG. 5 can be used to determine how to respond based on the learning data. The email address and chat account in the information about the outgoing call are email addresses and chat accounts owned by the sender, which can be used when making contact via email or chat. The email address and chat account in the information about the incoming call are email addresses and chat accounts owned by the recipient, which can be used when making contact via email or chat. In the case of the learning data shown in FIG. 5, the information indicating the presence (employed) / absent (absent) status indicates that the recipients "XX..." and "YY..." are both employees of the company.

[0048] Returning to the explanation of the other components, the connection end 110T constitutes a connection end to the internal telephone network 2. The connection I / F (Interface) 110 enables communication between the telephone control device 1 and each of the telephone terminals 3 accommodated in the telephone control device 1 through the internal telephone network 2. Thus, signals from the telephone terminals 3 are converted by the connection I / F 110 into signals in a format that can be processed by the device itself and then taken in. Furthermore, signals from the telephone control device 1 to the telephone terminals 3 are converted by the connection I / F 110 into signals in a format for transmission and then transmitted to the telephone terminals 3. Thus, communication through the internal telephone network 2 is carried out through the connection end 110T and the connection I / F 110.

[0049] The connection end 111T constitutes a connection end to the LAN 5. The LAN I / F (Interface) 111 enables communication between the telephone control device 1 and the UTM device 4 through the LAN 5. Therefore, a signal from the telephone control device 1 to the UTM device 4 is converted by the LAN I / F 111 into a signal in a transmission format and transmitted to the UTM device 4. Also, a signal from the UTM device 4 is converted by the LAN I / F 111 into a signal in a format that can be processed by the device itself and then taken in. Therefore, communication through the LAN 5 is performed through the connection end 111T and the LAN I / F 111.

[0050] The line control unit 120, under the control of the telephone control unit 102, performs call control such as outgoing calls, incoming calls, responses, and disconnections of the subordinate telephone terminals 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the line control unit 120 includes an outgoing call control unit 121 and an incoming call control unit 122. When the line control unit 120 receives an outgoing call (outgoing call request) from the subordinate telephone terminal 3, the outgoing call control unit 121 functions to call the specified destination, and when the destination responds, the line is connected to enable the call.

[0051] Furthermore, when the line control unit 120 receives an incoming call addressed to itself (a call notification from the other party), the incoming call control unit 122 functions to notify the subordinate telephone terminal 3 of the incoming call. As a result, a ring tone is emitted at the telephone terminal 3 to notify the occurrence of the incoming call. When an operation to answer the incoming call (off-hook operation) is performed at the telephone terminal 3, the incoming call control unit 122 detects this, answers the incoming call, and connects a call line to the subordinate telephone terminal 3 that was off-hook, enabling the call.

[0052] In the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the processes of putting the connected telephone line on hold, transferring, and releasing are processed under the control of the telephone control unit 102 in response to requests from the subordinate telephone terminals 3. In addition, the telephone control unit 102 also controls the turning on / off of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) provided in the subordinate telephone terminals 3 and the display on the display. Therefore, the telephone control unit 102 receives notifications from the line control unit 120 and is aware of the connection, holding, and release states of the telephone line.

[0053] In the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the learning data generating unit 130 is a unit that realizes the function of generating learning data to be stored in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109 described with reference to Fig. 5. Also, the answering machine response unit 140 is a unit that, when the answering machine function is activated, determines and executes a response to be taken based on the response status to an incoming call in the learning data stored in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109 described with reference to Fig. 5. The learning data generating unit 130 and the answering machine response unit 140 will be described below.

[0054] The learning data generation unit 130 includes an incoming call data acquisition unit 131, an operation data acquisition unit 132, an outgoing call data acquisition unit 133, a text processing unit 134, an email or other information acquisition unit 135, and a data analysis unit 136. The incoming call data acquisition unit 131 acquires incoming call data when a call is received by the business phone system. The incoming call data includes the caller's telephone number and the called party's telephone number notified at the time of the call, and the date and time of the call acquired from the clock circuit 104 at the time of the call.

[0055] The operation data acquisition unit 132 acquires operation data performed at the subordinate telephone terminal 3 after an off-hook operation is performed at the subordinate telephone terminal 3 to connect the telephone line after an incoming call is received. The operation data includes operation information such as putting the call on hold, and the telephone number of the called party, such as an input outside telephone number or an extension number. The telephone number of the called party includes a telephone number input using the numeric keypad, a telephone number selected from telephone directory data stored in the telephone directory DB 106, a telephone number assigned to a function key input by pressing the function key, and the like.

[0056] The outgoing call data acquisition unit 133 acquires outgoing call data at the time of outgoing call, which is when an outgoing call operation is performed through the subordinate telephone terminal 3. The outgoing call data includes the input destination telephone number, the source telephone number (in this case, the main telephone number accommodated in the telephone control device 1, etc.), and the outgoing date and time acquired from the clock circuit 104 at the time of outgoing call. The input destination telephone number includes one input using the numeric keypad, one selected from telephone directory data stored in the telephone directory DB 106, one assigned to a function key input by pressing the function key, etc.

[0057] In the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the telephone control unit 102 accumulates (records) the telephone voice sent and received through the connected telephone line in the telephone voice accumulation unit 107. The telephone voice is accumulated both when an incoming call occurs at the business phone system and the telephone line is connected, and when an outgoing call is made from the business phone system and the telephone line is connected, and is accumulated on an incoming call and outgoing call basis. The text conversion processing unit 134 performs speech recognition on the telephone voice accumulated in the telephone voice accumulation unit 107, converts it to text, and extracts the necessary information when the telephone line is connected due to an incoming call and when the telephone line is connected due to an outgoing call.

[0058] When a call is received and a telephone line is connected, the text processing unit 134 extracts the caller's affiliation and name, the callee's affiliation and name, proper nouns related to the requirements, and whether or not the caller can respond. Here, the caller's affiliation and name are information such as "AA from GG Co., Ltd.", and the callee's affiliation and name are information such as "XX from the sales department, please." The proper nouns related to the requirements are information such as "Regarding adapter X123" or "Regarding the delivery date of ABCD." Of course, only proper nouns such as "adapter X123" or "ABCD," which are product names or project names, may be used, but the words before and after the product names may also be included so that the outline of the requirements can be understood. The whether or not the caller can respond is information such as "I will transfer the call to you" or "Unfortunately, I am out."

[0059] Furthermore, when a telephone line is connected by an outgoing call, the text processing unit 134 extracts the affiliation and name of the called party, the affiliation and name of the caller, proper nouns related to the requirements, information on the fact that it is a call back, and the like. Here, the affiliation and name of the called party is information such as "AA from the development department, please.", and the affiliation and name of the caller is information such as "YY from HH Co., Ltd." Proper nouns related to the requirements are information such as "Regarding adapter X123" or "Regarding the delivery date of ABCD." In this case, too, only proper nouns such as "adapter X123" or "ABCD," which are product names or project names, may be used, but the words before and after them may also be included so that the outline of the requirements can be understood. Information on the fact that it is a call back is information such as "You called earlier," or "I was not at home and was unable to answer the phone."

[0060] The mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 accesses the UTM device 4 on the LAN 5 via the LAN I / F 111 and the connection terminal 111T, obtains the transmission data of e-mail and chat from its own system, and extracts the necessary data. The mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 functions to grasp the fact that a reply was made by e-mail or chat when an incoming call was not answered.

[0061] For this reason, the mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 acquires data on emails and chats sent from the PC 6 of its own system, and acquires the destination email address, the sender email address, the destination chat account, the sender chat account, and the sending date and time. The mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 also acquires proper nouns related to the subject from the text of the sent message, information indicating that it is a response to a missed call, and the like.

[0062] In this case, the local system means a system connected through the LAN 5, and the PC 6 of the local system means the PC 6 connected to the LAN 5. The proper nouns related to the subject acquired by the mail information acquisition unit 135 are information such as "Regarding adapter X123" or "Regarding the delivery date of ABCD" as described above. In this case, the proper nouns, which are the product name or project name such as "adapter X123" or "ABCD", may be used alone, but the words before and after the proper nouns may be included so that the outline of the requirement is clear. The information indicating that the response is to a missed call is, for example, information such as "Sorry for taking your call" or "Regarding your inquiry over the phone."

[0063] The data analysis unit 136 analyzes the data acquired by the incoming call data acquisition unit 131, the operation data acquisition unit 132, the outgoing call data acquisition unit 133, the text processing unit 134, and the email or other information acquisition unit 135, and performs processing to form learning data. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of data acquired in the learning data generation unit 130 of the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment.

[0064] When a call is received by the business phone system, as shown in Fig. 6(A), incoming call data is obtained by incoming call data acquisition unit 131 and operation data is obtained by operation data acquisition unit 132. Furthermore, text data of the call voice is obtained through text conversion processing unit 134. These data are supplied to data analysis unit 136, which generates index information of the learning data (information on the call origin, information on the call destination, and time period) as described with reference to Fig. 5.

[0065] In addition, if the operation data is in a hold state and an outside telephone number or an internal telephone number is input, it can be understood that the call has been forwarded, and if the other party answers in this case, it can be understood that the response has been normal. Based on these facts, the response status rates for call forwarding and others (normal response) in the "response status to incoming calls" in the learning data are updated. Also, based on the name and affiliation of the callee, the information stored in the employee information management device 7 on the LAN 5 can be referenced to obtain information indicating whether the employee is currently employed or not, and input to the corresponding section (status column) of the learning data. For example, for a call that specifies an employee who has left the company (left the company), the information in the status column of the learning data can be used to connect the call to another person in charge (supervisor) in the department without forwarding the call or sending an email notification.

[0066] Furthermore, when a call is made from the business phone system, as shown in Fig. 6(B), outgoing call data is acquired by outgoing call data acquisition unit 133, and text data of the call voice is acquired through text conversion processing unit 134. These data are supplied to data analysis unit 136, and the response status rate for telephone replies in the column for response status to incoming calls in the learning data is updated, as explained using Fig. 5.

[0067] Also, at any time, for example, at a predetermined time after business hours, the mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 acquires data on communication means other than telephone (email, chat) as shown in Fig. 6(C). In this embodiment, the mail etc. information acquisition unit 135 acquires the destination, sender identification data, sending date and time, and text data of emails and chats sent from its own system. These data are supplied to the data analysis unit 136, and the response status rate for email replies in the column of response status to incoming calls in the learning data described with reference to Fig. 5 is updated.

[0068] It should be noted that the total number of incoming calls is grasped for each learning data numbered No. 1, No. 2, etc., and the percentages of call forwarding, call replies, email replies, and others (successful responses) are calculated based on this. For this reason, in the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the no-reply rate is also updated when the response status rate for email replies is updated. This is done by setting the total number of incoming calls at 100% and subtracting the percentages of forwarding, call replies, email replies, and others (successful responses) to calculate the no-reply rate, which is updated in the "no-reply" column. It should be noted that in FIG. 5, the term "email replies" includes not only replies by email, but also replies by chat.

[0069] Furthermore, the data analysis unit 136 refers to the telephone directory DB 106 (FIG. 4) based on the calling number (originating telephone number) and the caller's name, acquires the originating email address and chat account, and inputs them into the mail (email address) and chat (chat account) fields of information related to the originating call of the learning data. Similarly, the data analysis unit 136 refers to the employee information DB 105 (FIG. 3) based on the called number (recipient's telephone number) and the recipient's name, acquires the destination's email address and chat account, and inputs them into the mail (email address) and chat (chat account) fields of information related to the destination of the learning data.

[0070] In this way, in the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, the learning data generating unit 130 functions to generate learning data (FIG. 5) and record it in the answering machine response learning data storage unit 109, and to update the column of the response status to the incoming call. By using the learning data prepared in this way, when an incoming call occurs while the answering machine function is operating, it is possible to automatically take the response that is predicted to be desired by the call destination (recipient).

[0071] The answering machine response unit 140 includes a guidance generation unit 141, a voice recognition processing unit 142, a response decision unit 143, a forwarding processing unit 144, a mail etc. sending unit 145, and a recording processing unit 146. When the answering machine function is activated, the guidance generation unit 141 realizes a function of generating various voice guidance corresponding to the answering machine function and providing it to the caller through the connected telephone line. Specifically, the guidance generation unit 141 generates and transmits voice guidance notifying that the answering machine is being answered, and voice guidance for confirming (listening to) the caller and the callee. The guidance generation unit 141 also generates and transmits voice guidance notifying that the call will be forwarded, voice guidance notifying that the callee will be notified by e-mail etc., and voice guidance encouraging the caller to leave a message on the answering machine.

[0072] The voice recognition processing unit 142 has a working memory, and performs voice recognition on the call voice transmitted from the caller in response to the voice guidance from the guidance generating unit 141, and performs processing to identify the caller, the call destination, the subject, etc. The response determining unit 143 acquires the caller, the call destination, and the subject identified by the voice recognition processing unit 142. The response determining unit 143 also identifies whether or not the call is within business hours, which is determined based on the incoming call time acquired from the clock circuit 104. The response determining unit 143 refers to the learning data in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109 based on the acquired information and the identified information, and identifies the corresponding learning data.

[0073] The response determination unit 143 determines how to respond based on the "response status to an incoming call" of the identified learning data. Specifically, the response determination unit 143 determines whether to forward the call, notify by e-mail, record the call as usual, or provide only audio guidance. When the response determination unit 143 determines to forward the call, it controls the forwarding processing unit 144 to forward the call. In this case, the forwarding processing unit 144 controls the line control unit 120 to put the call on hold, obtain the mobile phone number of the callee (recipient) from the employee information DB 105, make a call using the mobile phone number, and when the call is answered, connect a call line to the caller. As a result, even when the answering machine function is activated, important calls can be made by calling the recipient's smartphone (mobile phone terminal) to enable the call.

[0074] In this case, the guidance generating unit 141 provides the caller with voice guidance such as "Your call will be forwarded. Please wait a moment." Furthermore, if the call to the destination mobile phone terminal does not connect, the forwarding processing unit 144 notifies the response determining unit 143 of the failure to connect. In this case, the response determining unit 143 can change the decision to notify by e-mail or the like. Note that, in this embodiment, the destination mobile phone number is obtained from the employee information DB 105, but if the destination mobile phone number is stored in the learning data, this may be used.

[0075] Furthermore, when the response decision unit 143 decides to send an e-mail notification, it controls the e-mail sending unit 145 to notify the call destination of the incoming call by e-mail or chat. In this case, the transfer processing unit 144 forms a message body such as, for example, "There was a call from AA of GG Co., Ltd. regarding the adapter X123." The formed message body is sent as e-mail or chat using the e-mail address or chat account of the call destination of the corresponding learning data. In this case, the guidance generating unit 141 provides the call source with a voice guidance such as, "We will contact the sales department XX to inform you of the call." Here, e-mail or chat is used, but the user of the call destination may set in advance in the telephone control device 1 whether to use e-mail or chat. Of course, both e-mail and chat may be used.

[0076] Furthermore, when the response decision unit 143 decides to record a message on the answering machine, it controls the recording processing unit 146 to execute a process of recording a voice message from the caller in the answering machine message storage unit 108. In this case, the function of the guidance generation unit 141 provides the caller with a voice guidance such as "Please leave a message after the beep." After this, the recording processing unit 146 records the voice message transmitted from the caller in the answering machine message storage unit 108 through the connected telephone line.

[0077] Furthermore, when the response determining unit 143 determines to respond only with voice guidance, it controls the guidance generating unit 141 to generate voice guidance such as, for example, "Please call again during business hours." The generated voice guidance is provided to the caller via the connected telephone line.

[0078] In this way, when an incoming call is received while the answering machine function is in operation, the answering machine response unit 140 identifies the corresponding learning data from among the learning data stored in the answering machine response learning data storage unit 109. Based on the "response status to an incoming call" of this identified learning data, the system is able to automatically take the response that is predicted to be desired by the call recipient.

[0079] [Details of the processing performed by the telephone control device 1] The following describes the processing performed in the telephone control device 1 described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. The following describes the processing divided roughly into two parts: a processing for generating learning data, and a processing for utilizing the answering machine function using the generated learning data.

[0080] [Process to generate learning data] Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of creating (generating) learning data in the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment. In Fig. 7, the parts enclosed in a square at the top indicate the components of the learning data generation unit 130 of the telephone control device 1 and the storage unit used by the learning data generation unit 130. In Fig. 7, the data acquisition units on the right side represent the incoming call data acquisition unit 131, the operation data acquisition unit 132, and the outgoing call data acquisition unit 133. As described above, the incoming call data acquisition unit 131 and the operation data acquisition unit 132 function when an incoming call is received by the business phone system of this embodiment, and the outgoing call data acquisition unit 133 functions when an outgoing call is received from the business phone system of this embodiment.

[0081] That is, as explained with reference to FIG. 6, each of the data acquisition units 131, 132, 133 acquires predetermined data at the time of incoming or outgoing calls (step S1) and provides this to the data analysis unit 136 (step S2). Also, the call voice storage unit 107 records and stores the call voice transmitted and received through the call line connected by incoming or outgoing calls (step S3). Therefore, when the call line is connected by incoming or outgoing calls, the text conversion processing unit 134 acquires the recorded data (call voice) stored in the call voice storage unit 107 (step S4) and converts it to text. This text-converted recorded data (call voice) is provided to the data analysis unit 136 (step S5).

[0082] Furthermore, the mail information acquisition unit 135 collects information on e-mails and incoming calls sent from the PC 6 connected to the LAN 5 from the UTM device 4 (step S6) and provides this to the data analysis unit 136 (step S7). As described above, the data analysis unit 136 analyzes the data provided from each unit (step S8). Based on the analysis results, the data analysis unit 136 generates the learning data described with reference to FIG. 5 and records it in the answering machine learning data accumulation unit 109, or updates the recorded learning data (step S9). As a result, the learning data described with reference to FIG. 5 is created in the answering machine learning data accumulation unit 109 (step S10).

[0083] In addition, the sequence diagram in Fig. 7 shows that the incoming call data, outgoing call data, recorded data of the call voice, and information such as e-mail are sequentially provided to the data analysis unit 136. However, as described above, when a call line is connected in response to an incoming call, the incoming call data and the recorded call voice are used to generate or update the learning data. Also, when a call line is connected in response to an outgoing call, the outgoing call data and the recorded call voice are used to update the response rate of telephone replies in the learning data. Also, information such as e-mail is acquired at a predetermined timing, for example, after the end of business hours, and provided to the data analysis unit 136, and the response rate of e-mail replies in the learning data is updated.

[0084] Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the process of creating (generating) learning data in the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 8 clarifies the overall process explained using Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, the learning data generating unit 130 of the telephone control device 1 executes a first process (Pr1), a second process (Pr2), and a third process (Pr3). In the first process (Pr1), the incoming call data acquiring unit 131, the operation data acquiring unit 132, and the outgoing call data acquiring unit 133 function to acquire the call origin, incoming call destination, incoming call date and time, outgoing call date and time, and operation data as telephone control related data (step Pr11).

[0085] In the second process (Pr2), the text processing unit 134 functions to obtain, as call recording data, the call origin, call destination, incoming date and time, outgoing date and time, proper nouns related to the subject, etc. from the recorded voice (step Pr21). In the third process (Pr3), the email etc. information acquisition unit 135 functions. The email etc. information acquisition unit 135 obtains, as email and chat related data, the call origin, call destination, sending date and time, proper nouns related to the subject, etc. from emails and chat posts sent from the PC 6 connected to the LAN 5 from the UTM device 4 (step Pr31).

[0086] These pieces of information are supplied to the data analysis unit 136, which analyzes the contents (step PrX2). The analysis results are stored and learned in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109, and the learning data is organized into a table list as explained with reference to Fig. 5 (step PrX3). In this way, the learning data (Fig. 5) is formed in the answering machine learning data storage unit 109. [Processing to utilize the answering machine function using the generated learning data] Figures 9 to 12 are sequence diagrams for explaining the processing when the answering machine function is activated in the telephone control device of the embodiment. In Figures 9 to 12, among the parts enclosed in a square at the top, the leftmost part indicates the answering machine setup person who is the user of the telephone terminal 3 of the business phone system, and the rightmost part indicates an external caller who calls the business phone system from outside. The other parts enclosed in a square are components of the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment.

[0087] When the answering machine setup person, who is the user of the telephone terminal 3 of the business phone system, is unable to answer the phone because he / she is out of the office or when business hours have ended, he / she sets the answering machine in the telephone control device 1 (step S21). Setting the answering machine refers to an operation for activating the answering machine function in the telephone control device 1, and is an operation performed through the telephone terminal 3 connected to the internal telephone network 2. The telephone control device 1, to which the setting of the answering machine has been instructed, activates the answering machine function in accordance with the instruction.

[0088] The answering machine function can be activated for the entire business phone system after business hours or on holidays. The answering machine function can also be activated for each telephone terminal 3 to which an extension number is assigned (i.e., for each extension number). For simplicity's sake, it will be assumed here that the answering machine function is activated for a specific extension number during business hours. Therefore, the answering machine function will be activated when an extension number is specified, an outside call is received, or a call is received to the main telephone number, and the call is then forwarded to that extension number.

[0089] After activating the answering machine function, the telephone control unit 102 controls the learning data generating unit 130 to request a table listing of responses (step S22). The process of step S22 mainly refers to an update process of the response status rate for email replies to incoming calls in the learning data, using unused email and other information. Of course, by storing and holding a series of information on incoming call information and a series of information on outgoing calls for each extension number, the learning data generating process described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 can be executed at the timing of step S22.

[0090] After that, suppose that an outside call is made from an outside caller specifying the extension number, or that a call is made to a main telephone number and then transferred to the extension number (step S23). However, the call is not answered through the telephone terminal 3 of the extension number, and this fact is notified to the telephone control unit 102 (step S24). In this case, the telephone control unit 102 instructs the answering machine response unit 140 to answer the call for the extension number (step S25).

[0091] In this case, the line control unit 120 connects a telephone line between the caller (originator) and the telephone control device 1, and activates the guidance generating unit 141 of the answering machine response unit 140 to provide the caller with a response guidance (step S26). The response guidance notifies the caller that the callee is unable to answer the phone, and includes a question for identifying the caller. In response to the response guidance, the caller transmits voice information (step S27), which is received by the voice recognition processing unit 142 of the answering machine response unit 140 and performs voice recognition (step S28) to identify the caller.

[0092] Next, the guidance generating unit 141 of the answering machine handling unit 140 generates a response guidance including a question for identifying the subject and provides this to the caller (step S29). In response to this response guidance, the caller transmits voice information in response (step S30), and the voice recognition processing unit 142 of the answering machine handling unit 140 receives this and performs voice recognition (step S31) to identify the subject.

[0093] Response decision section 143 of answering machine response section 140 can grasp the caller identified in step S28, the requirements identified in step S31, and in this example, the callee's extension number is identified, so the callee can be determined from the extension number, and the call date and time from clock circuit 104. The caller's detailed information can be identified by referring to telephone directory DB 106, and the callee's detailed information can be identified by referring to employee information DB 105 based on the extension number. Response decision section 143 identifies the corresponding learning data by referring to answering machine response learning data accumulation section 109 based on the caller, callee, subject, and time period that have been grasped, and decides on a response based on the "response to incoming calls" in this learning data (step S32).

[0094] In the telephone control device 1 of this embodiment, in the response decision process of step S32, it is decided to perform one of the following: call forwarding, e-mail notification, and voicemail recording. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process when the answering machine function transfers the call to an outside line in the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment. In the response decision process of step S32, if the response rate of call forwarding or call reply is high in the "response status to incoming calls" of the referenced learning data, it is decided to forward the call. In this case, the guidance generation unit 141 of the answering machine response unit 140 functions to provide the caller with a response message such as "You are being called. Please wait a moment" (step S33).

[0095] After this, the forwarding processing unit 144 of the answering machine response unit 140 functions to control the line control unit 120 to make a call to the mobile phone terminal of the called party (the person who set up the answering machine) (step S34). Here, the telephone number of the mobile phone terminal of the called party (the person who set up the answering machine) can be specified by referring to the employee information DB 105 based on the extension number and name of the specified called party. This causes the outgoing call control unit 121 of the line control unit 120 to function to make an outside call to the mobile phone terminal of the called party (step S35). In response to this, it is assumed that the called party performs an operation to answer the incoming call on his / her own mobile phone terminal (step S36). In this case, a call line is connected between the telephone terminal used by the caller and the mobile phone terminal of the called party (the person who set up the answering machine) via the telephone control device 1, and the call can be made (step S37).

[0096] In this way, the call forwarding function in the answering machine function is automatically selected, and the call line can be connected by the call forwarding function to make the call. When the call is ended, the call line between the caller's telephone terminal and the telephone control device 1 and the call line between the telephone control device 1 and the called party's mobile phone terminal are released, and the state returns to the state before the call from the caller.

[0097] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process when an email notification is performed by the answering machine function in the telephone control device of the embodiment. In the response decision process in step S32, if the response status rate of email reply is high in the "response status to incoming calls" of the referenced learning data, it is decided to reply by email. In this case, the guidance generation unit 141 of the answering machine response unit 140 functions to provide the caller with a response message such as "We are notifying you that you have received a call" (step S38). In this case, the call line connected between the caller's telephone terminal and the telephone control device 1 is released.

[0098] Furthermore, the mail etc. sending unit 145 of the answering machine handling unit 140 functions to generate an e-mail addressed to the e-mail address of the callee (the person who set up the answering machine), and this is sent via the LAN 5 and the UTM device 4 (step S39). In this case, the body of the e-mail may be, for example, "May 18th, 2:15 PM, Mr. AA of GG Co., Ltd. called regarding adapter X123." An e-mail headquarters is formed.

[0099] In this way, the email notification function in the answering machine function is automatically selected, and when the answering machine function is set to operate by email notification, the recipient (answering machine set-up person) can be notified of an incoming call.

[0100] 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process when normal recording of the answering machine function is performed in the telephone control device of the embodiment. In the response decision process of step S32, if the response situation rate of no reply or normal response is high in the "response situation to incoming calls" of the referenced learning data, it is decided to perform normal voicemail recording. In this case, the guidance generation unit 141 of the answering machine response unit 140 functions to provide the caller with a response message such as "Please leave a message after dialing is on" (step S40).

[0101] As a result, a voice message is sent from the caller through the caller's telephone terminal (step S41). In this case, the recording processor 146 of the answering machine response unit 140 functions to record (record) the voice message from the caller in the answering machine message storage unit 108 (step S42). In this case, the voice message is stored for each incoming call together with information indicating the date and time of the incoming call. After the voice message is recorded, the call line connected between the caller's telephone terminal and the telephone control device 1 is released.

[0102] In this way, the answering machine function in the answering machine function is automatically selected, and the conventionally used answering machine can be used. Note that, in this example, the normal answering machine is used when the response rate of no reply or normal response is high in the "response to incoming calls" in the referenced learning data, but this is not limited to this. For example, when the response rate of normal response is high, the normal answering machine is used, but when the response rate of no reply is high, it is possible to provide only a message such as "I am not currently available to answer the phone. Please try again later" and not use the answering machine.

[0103] Fig. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the process when the answering machine function is activated in the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment, and is a flowchart for explaining in more detail the process of steps S26 to S32 in the sequence diagram of Fig. 9. That is, assume that after the answering machine function is activated in the telephone control device 1, an incoming call is received from an outside line. In this case, the guidance generating unit 141 of the answering machine handling unit 140 functions to send a response guidance such as "This is XX. Please state your name" to the caller (step S26).

[0104] In response, the caller sends a voice message such as "This is AA from GG Co., Ltd.", which is received (step S27), and the voice recognition processing unit 142 functions to perform voice recognition and identify information about the caller (step S28). In step S28, if the incoming call information contains a calling number (caller's telephone number), this is acquired, and the time of the incoming call is also acquired through the clock circuit 104. Next, the guidance generating unit 141 functions to send a response guidance such as "Thank you. What may I do for you?" to the caller (step S29).

[0105] In response to this, the caller sends a voice message such as "YY from the sales department has a question about adapter X123," and this is received (step S27), and the voice recognition processor 142 functions to perform voice recognition and identifies information about the callee, proper nouns related to the requirements, etc. (step S31). In step S31, the called number (callee's telephone number) included in the call information is obtained.

[0106] Next, the response determination unit 143 uses the information identified in steps S28 and S31 to refer to the answering machine response learning data accumulation unit 109, and determines the response based on the "response to incoming calls" in the corresponding learning data (step S32). In step S32, it is determined whether to forward the call, notify by e-mail, record the call on the answering machine, or send only guidance. Based on the decision of the response determination unit 143, any one of the forwarding processing unit 144, the e-mail sending unit 145, the recording processing unit 146, and the guidance generating unit 141 functions to execute the determined response (steps S33 to S42). In this way, when the answering machine function is set, the response that is expected to be desired by the callee can be automatically taken in response to an incoming call.

[0107] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the telephone control device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 6, learning data is generated and stored based on data acquired upon instruction of incoming call, data acquired upon outgoing call, and data acquired regarding communication means other than telephone. As a result, when the answering machine function is operated, when an incoming call occurs from the same caller to the same destination with similar requirements, it is possible to predict what kind of response the destination will desire by referring to the corresponding learning data. According to this prediction, it is possible to automatically select and execute the response predicted to be desired by the destination. In other words, it is possible to intelligently switch the response when an incoming call occurs while the answering machine function is operating.

[0108] This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary phone call forwarding or notification by e-mail or chat. However, for incoming calls with a high level of importance or urgency, the system can automatically forward the call or send an e-mail notification. This effectively prevents loss of opportunities. In addition, since it is possible to know whether an incoming call has been handled (replied to) by e-mail or chat, it is possible to more accurately determine when an e-mail notification should be sent.

[0109] Furthermore, in Japanese companies, new employees and office workers are in charge of answering and forwarding calls. However, when the answering machine function is activated, the guidance generating unit 141 functions to create and provide appropriate response guidance. This response guidance can be made more precise using, for example, artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Therefore, the telephone answering and forwarding work that was previously performed by humans can be transferred to a business phone system in which the telephone control device 1 of the above-described embodiment functions.

[0110] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, when a call is made, the telephone reply column of the learning data is updated, and the sending history of e-mails and chats is acquired at a predetermined timing to update the e-mail reply column. In this case, it is determined that it is a reply to an incoming call based on the wording that indicates that it is a reply to a call, which is included in the voice of the call, the body of the e-mail, or the body of the chat. However, the longer the time that has passed since the call was received, the higher the possibility that it is not a reply to the call. Therefore, a reply by telephone within a certain time (e.g., 24 hours or 48 hours) from the date and time of the call may be recognized as a telephone reply, and a reply by e-mail or chat may be recognized as a mail reply. In this case, the learning data may have the latest date and time of the call.

[0111] In addition, the learning data in the above-mentioned embodiment is configured to aggregate the information on the caller, the information on the call destination, and the calls that have the same time period, which are index information, into one learning data, to grasp the response status rate. However, this is not limited to this. Learning data may be generated for each incoming call, and the aggregated learning data described with reference to FIG. 5 may be generated from this at a predetermined timing (for example, the timing of step S22 in FIG. 9). In this case, it is possible to have the date and time of the incoming call in each piece of learning data generated for each incoming call. If the reply possible period is set based on the date and time of the incoming call, the fact that a phone call or email reply has been made can also be updated in the learning data for each incoming call.

[0112] Furthermore, learning data may be generated using data or voice that can be acquired when a call is received when the answering machine function is activated.

[0113] [others] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the function of the first text conversion processing means in the claims is realized by cooperation between the incoming data acquisition unit 131 and the text conversion processing unit 134 of the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment. The function of the second text conversion processing means in the claims is realized by cooperation between the outgoing data acquisition unit 133 and the text conversion processing unit 134 of the telephone control device 1 of the embodiment. In addition, the functions of the first and second data analysis means in the claims are realized by the data analysis unit 136 of the telephone control device 1.

[0114] In addition, the function of the claimed guidance generation means is realized by the guidance generation unit 141 of the telephone control device 1, and the function of the claimed voice recognition processing means is realized by the voice recognition processing unit 142 of the telephone control device 1. In addition, the function of the claimed decision means is realized by the response decision unit 143 of the telephone control device 1. In addition, the function of the claimed operation data acquisition means is realized by the operation data acquisition unit 132 of the telephone control device 1, and the function of the claimed third data analysis means is realized in cooperation with the data analysis unit 136 of the telephone control device 1. In addition, the function of the claimed email, etc. information acquisition means is realized by the email, etc. information acquisition unit 135 of the telephone control device 1, and the function of the claimed fourth data analysis means is realized in cooperation with the data analysis unit 136 of the telephone control device 1.

[0115] Also, the functions of the units constituting the learning data generating unit 130 of the telephone control device 1 shown in Fig. 2 can be realized as functions of the telephone control unit 102 by a program executed by the telephone control unit 102. Similarly, the functions of the units constituting the answering machine handling unit 140 of the telephone control device 1 shown in Fig. 2 can be realized as functions of the telephone control unit 102 by a program executed by the telephone control unit 102. Therefore, the program that performs the processing described using the flowcharts in Fig. 8 and Fig. 13 is an embodiment of the handling decision program for the answering machine function according to this invention.

[0116] The telephone control device can also be realized as a telephone control device (so-called cloud PBX) that runs on a personal computer. Therefore, the response decision program for the answering machine function includes those executed by the telephone control unit, which is a computer, that functions in a telephone control device such as a cloud PBX. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1...telephone control device, 101T...connection end, 101...communication I / F, 102...telephone control unit, 103...storage device, 104...clock circuit, 105...employee information DB, 106...telephone directory DB, 107...call voice storage unit, 108...answering machine message storage unit, 109...answering machine learning data storage unit, 110...connection I / F, 110T...connection end, 111...LAN I / F, 111T...connection end, 120...line control unit, 121...calling control unit, 122...receiving call control unit, 130...learning data generation unit, 131...receiving call data acquisition unit, 132...operation data acquisition unit, 133...calling data data acquisition unit, 134...text processing unit, 135...email etc. information acquisition unit, 136...data analysis unit, 140...answering machine response unit, 141...guidance generation unit, 142...voice recognition processing unit, 143...response decision unit, 144...forwarding processing unit, 145...email etc. transmission unit, 146...recording processing unit, 2...extension telephone network, 3, 3(1), 3(2), 3(3)...telephone terminal, 4...UTM device, 5...LAN, 6, 6(1), 6(2), 6(3)...PC, 7...employee information management device, 9(1)...external telephone terminal, 10(1)...PC, 11(1)...smartphone (mobile phone terminal)

Claims

1. a first text processing means for performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call, and converting the speech into text data; a first data analysis means for analyzing the text data from the first text processing means, generating learning data including information on a call source and information on a call destination, and recording the learning data in a storage means; a second text processing means for performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected call line in response to a call from a subordinate telephone terminal and converting the call voice into text data; a second data analysis means for analyzing the text data from the second text processing means, detecting a call destination and a call originator, specifying learning data from the storage means in which the call destination is the call originator and the call originator is the call destination, and updating the response status of the specified learning data to indicate that a call has been returned; a guidance generating means for generating and providing voice guidance for making the user hear at least the call origin and the call destination through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call after the answering machine function is activated; a voice recognition processing means for performing voice recognition of a call voice transmitted through the call line to obtain information indicating a call origin and information indicating a call destination; a response determination means for identifying corresponding learning data from the storage means based on the information indicating the call origin and the information indicating the call destination acquired by the voice recognition processing means, and determining a response in an answering machine function according to a response situation included in the learning data; A telephone control device comprising:

2. 2. The telephone control device according to claim 1, an operation data acquisition means for acquiring operation data indicating an operation performed on a subordinate telephone terminal when a telephone line is connected in response to an incoming call; a third data analysis means for analyzing the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition means, and when it is determined that the call line has been put on hold and transferred to an outside line or an internal line, updating the learning data recorded and processed in the storage means by the first data analysis means to indicate that the call has been transferred; A telephone control device comprising:

3. 2. The telephone control device according to claim 1, An information acquisition means for acquiring transmission data of one or both of email and chat; a fourth data analysis means for analyzing the transmission data acquired through the email or other information acquisition means, detecting a destination and a sender, identifying learning data from the storage means in which the destination is a sender and the sender is a recipient, and updating a response status to the effect that a reply has been made to the identified learning data by email or the like; A telephone control device comprising:

4. A program for determining a response when using an answering machine function executed by a telephone control unit that is a computer, a first text processing step of performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call, and converting the speech into text data; a first data analysis step of analyzing the text data converted in the first text processing step, generating learning data including information on a call source and information on a call destination, and recording the learning data in a storage means; a second text processing step of performing speech recognition on a call voice transmitted and received through a connected telephone line in response to a call from a subordinate telephone terminal and converting the call voice into text data; a second data analysis step of analyzing the text data converted in the second text processing step, detecting a call destination and a call originator, identifying learning data from the storage means in which the call destination is the call originator and the call originator is the call destination, and updating the identified learning data to indicate that a call has been returned; a guidance generating step of generating and providing voice guidance for hearing at least a call origin and a call destination through a connected telephone line in response to an incoming call after the answering machine function is activated; a voice recognition processing step of performing voice recognition on the call voice transmitted through the call line to obtain information indicating a call source and information indicating a call destination; a response determination step of identifying corresponding learning data from the storage means based on the information indicating the caller and the information indicating the call destination acquired in the voice recognition processing step, and determining a response in an answering machine function according to a response situation included in the learning data; A program for determining how to respond when an answering machine is activated.

Images