Visitor notification system and visitor notification method

Abstract

To reduce costs of purchasing and installing a visitor notification system.SOLUTION: A visitor notification system 10 is configured to select a resident residing near a visitor terminal 21 as a visitor destination based on terminal location information of the visitor terminal 21 notified from the visitor terminal 21 and account information registered in a user DB of a memory circuit 12, and notify the visitor terminal 21 of a resident list indicating the selected resident. When a call request for specifying any resident selected from the resident list as a visitor destination is notified from the visitor terminal 21, the system is configured to notify the resident terminal 22 of a call from the visitor based on the visitor's account information registered in the user DB and the account information of the resident to be visited.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a visitor notification technique for notifying a resident of a visitor's arrival using a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical system for notifying residents of a visitor is the doorphone system. A doorphone system is composed of a handset installed at the entrance of the house and a base unit installed inside the house. The base unit sends out a ring tone in response to a visitor's operation on the handset, and when the resident answers the call on the base unit, the base unit and handset are connected to a line, enabling a voice call between the resident and the visitor.

[0003] As an example of such a doorphone system, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology in which a communication network such as the Internet is connected to a parent unit, and in response to a call operation by the visitor on the child unit, the parent unit notifies a pre-set mobile terminal such as a user's smartphone of a visit, and in response to a response operation on the mobile terminal, a line connection is established between the smartphone and the child unit via the communication network and the parent unit, thereby enabling voice communication between the resident and the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6353801 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires the purchase and installation of a base unit and a handset in each room and entrance of the home, which increases the purchase and installation costs of the visitor notification system. In addition, even if the resident is not at home, the handset must be used to call the visitor, which places a heavy burden on the visitor.

[0006] The present invention is made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a visitor notification technology that can reduce purchase and installation costs and ease the burden on visitors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve such an object, the visitor notification system of the present invention comprises a user database in which account information including IDs, user names, and user addresses of mobile terminals used by each of a plurality of users is registered, and a control circuit configured to call a resident terminal used by a designated resident in response to a call request from a visitor terminal used by a visitor based on the account information, wherein the control circuit comprises an account processing unit configured to select residents residing within a predetermined range of addresses from the location of the visitor terminal based on terminal location information of the visitor terminal notified from the visitor terminal and the account information registered in the user database, and to notify the visitor terminal of a resident list indicating the selected residents; The system is equipped with a call processing unit configured, when a call request specifying any resident selected from the resident list as the visitor is notified from the visitor terminal, to notify the resident terminal of the call from the visitor based on the account information of the visitor registered in the user database and the account information of the resident to be visited.

[0008] In addition, one configuration example of the above-mentioned visitor notification system of the present invention further includes a judgment processing unit in which the control circuit is configured to judge whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the operating status of the resident terminal notified from the resident terminal, and the account processing unit is configured to select as the visitor destination a resident who is determined by the judgment processing unit to be able to respond to the visitor among residents residing within a predetermined range of addresses from the location of the visitor terminal, and not to select as the visitor destination a resident who is determined to be unable to respond to the visitor.

[0009] In addition, one configuration example of the above-mentioned visitor notification system of the present invention further includes a judgment processing unit in which the control circuit is configured to judge whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the operating status of the resident terminal notified from the resident terminal, and the call processing unit is configured to notify the resident terminal of the call if the judgment processing unit judges that the resident specified as the visitor is able to respond to the visitor, and not to notify the resident terminal of the call if the judgment processing unit judges that the resident specified as the visitor is unable to respond to the visitor.

[0010] In addition, in one example configuration of the visitor notification system of the present invention, the judgment processing unit is configured to determine whether or not the resident can respond to the visitor based on whether or not the operating status has been notified from the resident terminal.

[0011] In addition, one example configuration of the visitor notification system of the present invention is configured so that the judgment processing unit compares the terminal location information of the resident terminal contained in the operation status notified from the resident terminal with the user address contained in the resident's account information, and determines whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the obtained at-home status of the resident.

[0012] In order to achieve this objective, the visitor notification method of the present invention is a visitor notification executed in a visitor notification system having a user database in which account information including the ID, user name, and user address of a mobile terminal used by each of a plurality of users is registered, and a control circuit configured to call a resident terminal used by a designated resident in response to a call request from a visitor terminal used by a visitor based on the account information, wherein the control circuit executes the steps of: selecting a resident residing within a predetermined range of an address from the location of the visitor terminal based on terminal location information of the visitor terminal notified from the visitor terminal and the account information registered in the user database, and notifying the visitor terminal of a resident list indicating the selected resident; and when a call request is notified from the visitor terminal specifying one of the resident selected from the resident list as a visitor destination, notifying the resident terminal of the resident of the call from the visitor based on the account information of the visitor registered in the user database and the account information of the resident to be visited. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, a resident can be notified of a visitor's arrival using the visitor's visitor terminal and the resident's resident terminal, so there is no need to purchase a master unit and a slave unit and install them in each room and entrance of the house, as in conventional doorphone systems, and it is possible to significantly reduce the purchase and installation costs of the visitor notification system. Furthermore, according to the present invention, unlike conventional doorphone systems, there is no need for the visitor to perform a call operation on the slave unit, so the burden on the visitor is significantly reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a visitor notification system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user database. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the visit notification system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen of a resident list. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen when a call is made. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating another operation of the visit notification system according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] First, a visitor notification system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The visitor notification system 10 is a general visitor notification system that performs terminal control processing to control a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet used by a user via a communication network NW consisting of a data communication network such as the Internet.

[0016] The visitor notification system 10 is configured to provide a visitor notification service that notifies residents of a visitor's arrival by controlling a visitor terminal 21 used by a visitor and a resident terminal 22 used by a resident among mobile terminals based on account information previously registered by each user.

[0017] In this invention, for ease of understanding, the mobile terminals of users that are used by visitors are referred to as visitor terminals 21, and those that are used by residents are referred to as resident terminals 22; however, these are not fixed classifications, and any user's mobile terminal can operate as a visitor terminal 21 or a resident terminal 22 depending on the situation.

[0018] In addition, the visitor terminal 21 and the resident terminal 22 are assumed to be equipped with a service app having a function for making voice calls using well-known Internet telephone technology and a function for notifying the terminal's location information, and a visitor notification service is provided from the visitor notification system 10 to the visitor terminal 21 and the resident terminal 22 using this service app.

[0019] This service app may be an existing app that is publicly available, or may be a new app created separately in accordance with the visitor notification service provided by visitor notification system 10.

[0020] [Visitor notification system configuration] Next, a detailed configuration of a visitor notification system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. This visitor notification system 10 is provided with a communication I / F 11, a memory circuit 12, and a control circuit 13 as main circuit components.

[0021] [Communication I / F] The communication I / F 11 is connected to a communication network NW and configured to perform data communication with a mobile terminal of a user who uses the communication network NW. The communication network NW is a data communication network such as the Internet.

[0022] Since the visitor is out, the visitor terminal 21 may be connected to the communication network NW via a public wireless LAN service, a public Wi-Fi service, or a mobile communication system such as 4G or 5G. In addition, the resident may connect to the communication network NW via a Wi-Fi router installed in the existing residence 22A.

[0023] [Memory circuit] The memory circuit 12 is made up of a memory circuit such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and is configured to store various processing information and a program 12P used in the terminal control processing executed by the control circuit 13.

[0024] The program 12P is a program that cooperates with the CPU of the control circuit 13 to realize various processing units for executing terminal control processing in the control circuit 13. The program 12P is read from an external device or a recording medium (neither of which is shown) connected to the visitor notification system 10 via the communication I / F 11, and is stored in the memory circuit 12 in advance.

[0025] [User DB] The main processing information stored in the memory circuit 12 is a user database (hereinafter referred to as user DB) 12A as shown in Fig. 2. The user DB 12A is a database that stores pre-registered account information for each user, and each account information registers, as main data, an ID unique to the mobile terminal used by the user, a user name, a user address, and public information.

[0026] Among these, the user ID is used for call control of mobile terminals using Internet telephone technology and for identifying users. The public information is the content of user information that is made public to visitors when they select a place to visit, and in the example of Figure 2, it includes the user's surname, address, building name, and room number.

[0027] In the example of FIG. 2, the ID "1310301", the user address "Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo...", and the public information "Shirokane, Shirokane 1-17-3, Shirokane Tower 1001" are registered as the account information of the user name "Shirokane Hanako". Also, the ID "1415202", the user address "Sagamihara City, Chuo-ku...", and the public information "Sagami, Miyashita 5-12-8, Sakusa Heights 502" are registered as the account information of the user name "Sagami Taro". Also, the ID "1415203", the user address "Sagamihara City, Chuo-ku...", and the public information "Miyashita, Miyashita 5-12-8, Sakusa Heights 203" are registered as the account information of the user name "Miyashita Jiro".

[0028] [Control circuit] The control circuit 13 has a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and is configured to realize various processing units that execute terminal control processing by having the CPU work in cooperation with the program 12P of the memory circuit 12, based on the account information registered in the user DB 12A, in response to a call request from the visitor terminal 21 used by the visitor, to notify the resident terminal 22 used by the resident specified in the call request of a visitor call. The main processing sections realized by the control circuit 13 are an account processing section 13A, a determination processing section 13B, and a call processing section 13C.

[0029] [Account Processing Section] The account processing unit 13A is configured to select residents residing within a predetermined range of the location of the visitor terminal 21 based on the terminal location information of the visitor terminal 21 notified, for example, from the visitor terminal 21 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11 periodically by a service app or in response to an operation by the visitor, and the account information of each user registered in the user DB 12A, and to notify the visitor terminal 21 of a resident list indicating the selected residents via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW. As a result, the resident list is displayed on the screen of the service app of the visitor terminal 21.

[0030] It is possible to appropriately set the range of addresses from the location of visitor terminal 21 that are to be selected as residents. The same applies to the following explanation.

[0031] In addition, the account processing unit 13A may be configured to select as a visitor destination those residents whose addresses are within a specified range from the location of the visitor terminal 21 and who are determined by the judgment processing unit 13B to be able to accommodate the visitor, and not to select as a visitor destination those residents whose addresses are determined to be unable to accommodate the visitor.

[0032] In addition, when an account registration request is notified from the visitor terminal 21 or the resident terminal 22 via the communications network NW and the communications I / F 11, the account processing unit 13A is configured to receive the account information of the visitor or resident entered at the visitor terminal 21 or the resident terminal 22 via the communications network NW and the communications I / F 11, and register it in the user DB 12A of the memory circuit 12.

[0033] [Judgment processing section] The determination processing unit 13B is configured to determine whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor, based on the operating status of the resident terminal 22 notified from the resident terminal 22 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11.

[0034] At this time, based on the resident's account information obtained from the user DB12A in the memory circuit 12, the judgment processing unit 13B may use the latest operating status obtained by inquiring about the service app of the resident terminal 22 at the time of judgment, or may use the most recent operating status periodically notified by the service app of the resident terminal 22.

[0035] Regarding the determination of the suitability, the following several configurations are conceivable, and any one of these configurations or a combination of any two or more of them may be used.

[0036] As one configuration for determining whether or not a response is possible, the determination processing unit 13B may determine whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not a notification of an operating status has been received from the resident terminal 22.

[0037] In this case, if a notification of the operating status is received and it is confirmed that the service app has started, it is determined that the resident is able to respond to visitors using the visitor notification service, and if there is no notification of the operating status and it is not possible to confirm that the service app has started, it is determined that the visitor notification service is not available and the resident is unable to respond to visitors.

[0038] This makes it possible to accurately determine whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not the visitor notification service using the service app in the resident terminal 22 is available.

[0039] In addition, when the resident terminal 22 is connected to the communication network NW via a Wi-Fi router in home 22A, the judgment processing unit 13B may be configured to judge whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not the resident terminal 22 is connected to Wi-Fi, which is included in the operation status from the resident terminal 22.

[0040] In this case, if the resident terminal 22 is connected to the Wi-Fi router, it is determined that the resident is at home and able to respond to visitors, and if the resident terminal 22 is not connected to the Wi-Fi router, it is determined that the resident is not at home and unable to respond to visitors.

[0041] This makes it possible to check not only whether the visitor notification service is available, but also whether the resident is present in the residence 22A. If there is no response and the service app is not running, it may be determined that the visitor notification service is unavailable and the resident is unable to respond to the visitor, as described above.

[0042] In addition, the judgment processing unit 13B may be configured to compare the terminal location information of the resident terminal 22 contained in the operation status from the resident terminal 22 with the user address contained in the resident's account information registered in the user DB 12A, and determine whether the resident can respond to a visitor based on the obtained resident's at-home status.

[0043] In this case, if the resident terminal 22 is located within a certain range from the user address, it is determined that the resident is at home and able to respond to visitors, and if the resident terminal 22 is not located within the certain range from the user address, it is determined that the resident is unable to respond to visitors.

[0044] This makes it possible to accurately determine whether the resident is available to accommodate visitors at home 22A. Note that, as for the terminal location information of resident terminal 22, the latest terminal location information acquired by determination processing unit 13B inquiring of the service app of resident terminal 22 at the time of determination may be used, or the most recent terminal location information periodically notified from the service app of resident terminal 22 may be used.

[0045] [Call Processing Section] The call processing unit 13C is configured, when a call request specifying any resident selected from the resident list as the visitor is notified from the visitor terminal 21 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11, to notify the resident terminal 22 of the call from the visitor via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW, based on the visitor's account information and the account information of the resident to be visited, both registered in the user DB 12A of the memory circuit 12. The call processing unit 13C may be configured to add an image or video to the notification of the call from the visitor to the resident terminal 22.

[0046] In addition, the call processing unit 13C may be configured to notify the resident terminal 22 of the call when the judgment processing unit 13B determines that the resident specified as the visitor is available to accommodate the visitor, and not to notify the resident terminal 22 of the call when the judgment processing unit 13B determines that the resident specified as the visitor is unavailable to accommodate the visitor.

[0047] In addition, the call processing unit 13C is configured to relay a voice call path between the visitor terminal 21 and the resident terminal 22 when a response to a call to the resident terminal 22 is notified from the resident terminal 22 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11, to realize a voice call between the visitor and the resident.

[0048] [Operation of the first embodiment] Next, the operation of the visitor notification system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Here, it is assumed that the control circuit 13 of the visitor notification system 10 has the account processing unit 13A, the judgment processing unit 13B, and the call processing unit 13C shown in Fig. 1 realized by the CPU of the control circuit 13 and the program 12P of the storage circuit 12 working together. It is also assumed that the account information as shown in Fig. 2 is registered in the user DB 12A of the storage circuit 12.

[0049] When the visitor terminal 21 notifies the visitor terminal 21 of its terminal location information via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11 periodically by the service app or in response to the visitor's operation (step 100), the account processing unit 13A in the visitor notification system 10 refers to the account information of each user registered in the user DB 12A, selects residents who live within a predetermined range of addresses from the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 (step 101), generates a resident list based on the public information registered in the account information of the selected residents (step 102), and notifies the visitor terminal 21 via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW (step 103).

[0050] In addition, in the aforementioned step 102, when generating the resident list, the account processing unit 13A may select as destinations those residents who reside within a specified range of addresses from the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 and who are determined by the judgment processing unit 13B to be able to accommodate the visitor, and may not select as destinations those residents who are determined to be unable to accommodate the visitor.

[0051] This allows residents who are unable to respond to a call to be removed from the resident list, allowing visitors to know that the resident is unable to respond before calling the resident, thereby reducing unnecessary visitor burdens such as calling the resident.

[0052] Regarding the judgment by the judgment processing unit 13B as to whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor, as described above, the judgment processing unit 13B may be configured to judge whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not a notification of the operating status has been received from the resident terminal 22.

[0053] In addition, when the resident terminal 22 is connected to the communication network NW via a Wi-Fi router in home 22A, the judgment processing unit 13B may be configured to judge whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not the resident terminal 22 is connected to Wi-Fi, which is included in the operation status from the resident terminal 22.

[0054] In addition, the judgment processing unit 13B may be configured to compare the terminal location information of the resident terminal 22 contained in the operation status from the resident terminal 22 with the user address contained in the resident's account information registered in the user DB 12A, and determine whether the resident can respond to a visitor based on the obtained resident's at-home status.

[0055] The visitor terminal 21 uses the service app to display the resident list notified by the visit notification system 10 on its screen (step 104). As shown in Fig. 4, the screen of the visitor terminal 21 displays user addresses of residents residing within a predetermined range from the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 as destination selection buttons.

[0056] In this case, the destination selection button may display the resident's user name, for example, the family name, but by displaying the user's address number as in Figure 4(a), it is possible to prevent personal information from being made public. Also, if the user's address is an apartment building, the building name and room number of the apartment building may be displayed as in Figure 4(b). The content displayed in the destination selection button may be set using the public information registered in each user's account information.

[0057] When a visitor selects a destination by pressing a destination selection button (step 110), the service app on the visitor terminal 21 sends a call request specifying one of the resident as the destination to the visitor notification system 10 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11 (step 111).

[0058] In this way, unlike a conventional doorphone system consisting of a master unit and a slave unit, a visitor can call the resident of the destination without operating the slave unit installed in the residence 22A of the resident of the destination, so the burden on the visitor is significantly reduced compared to a conventional doorphone system consisting of a master unit and a slave unit. This is particularly useful when visiting multiple destinations in an apartment building, etc.

[0059] In the visitor notification system 10, in response to a call request from the visitor terminal 21, the call processing unit 13C obtains the visitor's account information registered in the user DB 12A in the memory circuit 12 (step 112), and also obtains the account information of the resident to be visited (step 113), and notifies the resident terminal 22 of the call from the visitor, including the visitor's name, via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW (step 114).

[0060] The resident terminal 22 displays the call notified by the visitor notification system 10 on the screen using the service application, and outputs the ringtone from the speaker (step 115). As shown in Fig. 5, the visitor's name is displayed on the screen as a response button.

[0061] When the resident responds using the response button (step 116), the service application of the visitor terminal 21 notifies the response to the visit notification system 10 via the communication network NW and the communication I / F 11 (step 117).

[0062] In the visitor notification system 10, in response to a response from the resident terminal 22, the call processing unit 13C relays a voice call path between the visitor terminal 21 and the resident terminal 22 (step 118), thereby realizing a voice call between the visitor and the resident (step 119).

[0063] As a result, the visitor will explain the purpose and reason for the visit to the resident by voice, and depending on the resident's permission for the visit, the visitor will actually visit the resident's residence 22A.

[0064] In the above, we have explained an example in which the judgment processing unit 13B uses the judgment of whether a resident can respond to a visitor when generating the resident list in step 102, but as shown in Figure 6, the judgment of whether a resident can respond to a visitor may also be used when notifying the resident terminal 22 of a call.

[0065] In this case, after obtaining the visitor's account information and the account information of the resident to be visited in steps 112 and 113 described above, the call processing unit 13C obtains from the judgment processing unit 13B a ​​judgment of whether the resident to be visited can accommodate the visitor (step 120), and then checks the judgment result (step 121).

[0066] Here, if the judgment result indicates that the visitor can be accommodated (step 121: YES), the process proceeds to the above-mentioned step 114, and the call from the visitor, including the visitor's name, is notified to the resident terminal 22 via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW.

[0067] On the other hand, if the determination result indicates that the resident cannot be accommodated (step 121: NO), the call processor 13C notifies the visitor terminal 21 of the call failure via the communication I / F 11 and the communication network NW (step 122). As a result, the service app displays a message on the visitor terminal 21 indicating that the call has failed (step 123), and the visitor is notified that the resident he or she is visiting cannot be called.

[0068] [Advantages of the first embodiment] In this way, the visitor notification system 10 of this embodiment is configured so that, in the control circuit 13, the account processing unit 13A selects a resident residing within a predetermined range of the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 as the visitor destination based on the terminal location information of the visitor terminal 21 notified from the visitor terminal 21 and the account information registered in the user DB12A of the memory circuit 12, and notifies the visitor terminal 21 of a resident list indicating the selected resident, and when the call processing unit 13C or the visitor terminal 21 notifies a call request specifying one of the resident selected from the resident list as the visitor destination, the resident terminal 22 of the call from the visitor is notified based on the visitor's account information registered in the user DB12A and the account information of the resident to be visited.

[0069] This allows the resident to be notified of the arrival of a visitor using the visitor's visitor terminal 21 and the resident's resident terminal 22. This eliminates the need to purchase a master unit and a slave unit and install them in each room and at the entrance of the house, as was the case with conventional doorphone systems, and makes it possible to significantly reduce the purchase and installation costs of the visitor notification system.

[0070] In addition, unlike conventional doorphone systems consisting of a master unit and a slave unit, a visitor can call the resident of the destination without operating the slave unit installed in the residence 22A of the resident of the destination, so the burden on the visitor is significantly reduced compared to conventional doorphone systems consisting of a master unit and a slave unit. This is particularly useful when visiting multiple destinations in an apartment building or the like.

[0071] Furthermore, in the visitor notification system 10, if multiple users' account information is registered in the user DB 12A, it can be shared by many users. Therefore, the purchase, installation, and operation costs of the visitor notification system 10 can be distributed among many users, and as a result, the visitor notification service can be provided to many users at low cost. Furthermore, if the storage capacity of the user DB 12A is increased, the number of users can be increased, making it possible to achieve high scalability.

[0072] In addition, in this embodiment, when generating a resident list, the account processing unit 13A may be configured to select as destinations those residents who reside within a specified range of addresses from the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 and who are determined by the judgment processing unit 13B to be able to accommodate visitors, and not to select as destinations those residents who are determined to be unable to accommodate visitors.

[0073] This allows residents who are unable to respond to a call to be removed from the resident list, allowing visitors to know that the resident is unable to respond before calling the resident, thereby reducing unnecessary visitor burdens such as calling the resident.

[0074] [Second embodiment] Next, a visit notification system 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, as a method for determining whether a resident can respond to a visitor by the determination processing unit 13B, a method for determining whether a resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not a notification of an operation status is made from the resident terminal 22, a method for determining whether a resident can respond to a visitor based on whether or not the resident terminal 22 is connected to Wi-Fi, which is included in the operation status from the resident terminal 22, and a method for comparing the terminal location information of the resident terminal 22, which is included in the operation status from the resident terminal 22, with the user address included in the account information of the resident registered in the user DB 12A, and determining whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor based on the obtained at-home status of the resident have been described.

[0075] These methods of determining whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor are based on the operating status of the resident terminal 22. However, there are also user requests for residents to be able to individually specify whether or not each visitor can respond, regardless of the operating status of the resident terminal 22. The present embodiment is intended to fulfill such requests.

[0076] That is, in the visit notification system 10 according to the present embodiment, the user DB 12C is configured to store, for each user's account information, a whitelist indicating users who are permitted to call the user, or a blacklist indicating users who are prohibited from calling the user, as a visitor permission list. In this case, the user names and IDs of users who are subject to visit permission may be registered in the whitelist or blacklist. Moreover, the determination processing unit 13B is configured to determine whether or not the resident can accommodate a visitor, based on a visitor approval list included in the resident's account information, instead of the operating status of the resident terminal 22.

[0077] [Operation of the second embodiment] Next, the operation of the visitor notification system 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0078] [Whitelist] First, the operation when a whitelist is registered as a visitor permission list in the resident's account information will be described.

[0079] The judgment processing unit 13B checks whether the visitor is registered on the resident's whitelist, and if so, judges that the resident can accommodate the visitor, and if not, judges that the resident cannot accommodate the visitor.

[0080] 3, in a case where the determination by determination processing unit 13B of whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor is used to determine whether or not the visitor can be included in the resident list, only if a whitelist is registered in the account information of a resident who lives in an address within a predetermined range from the terminal location of visitor terminal 21 and the visitor is registered in the whitelist, does account processing unit 13A select the resident and add him to the resident list (step 102) and notify visitor terminal 21 (step 103). On the other hand, if the visitor is not registered in the whitelist, account processing unit 13A does not select the resident and does not add him to the resident list (step 102), and therefore the resident is not notified to the visitor via the resident list.

[0081] Also, in step 120 of Figure 6 described above, in the case where the judgment by the judgment processing unit 13B as to whether the resident can accommodate the visitor is used to determine whether a call needs to be made to the resident terminal 22, the judgment processing unit 13B judges that the visitor can be accommodated (step 120) only if a whitelist is registered in the account information of the resident specified as the visitor and the visitor is registered on that whitelist, and the call processing unit 13C, in accordance with its judgment that the visitor can be accommodated (step 121: YES), notifies the resident terminal 22 of the resident of the call from the visitor (step 114).

[0082] On the other hand, if the visitor is not registered on the whitelist, the judgment processing unit 13B judges that the visitor cannot be accommodated (step 120), and the call processing unit 13C, in response to the judgment that the visitor cannot be accommodated (step 121: NO), notifies the visitor terminal 21 of the visitor that the call has failed (step 122), so that the call from the visitor is not notified to the resident terminal 22 of the resident.

[0083] [Blacklist] Next, the operation when a blacklist is registered as a visitor permission / denial list in the resident's account information will be described.

[0084] The judgment processing unit 13B checks whether the visitor is registered on the resident's blacklist, and if so, judges that the resident cannot accommodate the visitor, and if not, judges that the resident can accommodate the visitor.

[0085] As a result, in step 102 of Figure 3 described above, in cases where the judgment processing unit 13B's judgment on whether or not a resident can respond to a visitor is used to judge whether or not to include the visitor in the resident list, only if a blacklist is registered in the account information of a resident residing within a specified range of the terminal location of the visitor terminal 21 and the visitor is not registered on that blacklist, the account processing unit 13A selects that resident and adds him or her to the resident list (step 102) and notifies the visitor terminal 21 (step 103).

[0086] On the other hand, if the visitor is registered on the blacklist, the account processing unit 13A does not select the resident and does not add him / her to the resident list (step 102), and therefore the resident is not notified to the visitor via the resident list.

[0087] Furthermore, in step 120 of Figure 6 described above, in the case where the judgment by the judgment processing unit 13B as to whether or not a resident can accommodate a visitor is used to judge whether or not a call needs to be made to the resident terminal 22, the judgment processing unit 13B judges that the visitor can be accommodated (step 120) only if a blacklist is registered in the account information of the resident specified as the visitor and the visitor is not registered on that blacklist, and the call processing unit 13C, in accordance with its judgment that the visitor can be accommodated (step 121: YES), notifies the resident terminal 22 of the resident of the call from the visitor (step 114).

[0088] On the other hand, if the visitor is registered on the blacklist, the judgment processing unit 13B judges that the visitor cannot be accommodated (step 120), and the call processing unit 13C, in response to the judgment that the visitor cannot be accommodated (step 121: NO), notifies the visitor terminal 21 of the visitor that the call has failed (step 122), so that the resident terminal 22 of the resident will not be notified of the call from the visitor.

[0089] [Advantages of the second embodiment] In this manner, the visitor notification system 10 of this embodiment is configured such that the user DB 12A of the memory circuit 12 stores, for each piece of account information, a whitelist indicating users who are permitted to call the user, or a blacklist indicating users who are prohibited from calling the user, as a visitor approval / disapproval list, and the judgment processing unit 13B is configured to judge whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on the visitor approval / disapproval list included in the resident's account information instead of the operating status of the resident terminal 22.

[0090] This allows the resident to individually specify whether or not each visitor can visit, regardless of the operating status of the resident terminal 22. This allows the resident to more flexibly set whether or not to respond to visitors according to the resident's intention, making it possible to provide a practical and highly useful visitor notification service.

[0091] [Extended embodiment] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the respective embodiments can be implemented in any combination within a range that does not contradict each other.

[0092] In the first embodiment described above, when the configuration in which the judgment processing unit 13B determines whether or not a visitor can be accommodated is used in which the judgment processing unit 13B compares the terminal location information of the resident terminal 22 contained in the operation status from the resident terminal 22 with the user address contained in the resident's account information registered in the user DB 12A, and determines whether or not the resident can accommodate a visitor based on the obtained at-home status of the resident, it can be confirmed whether the resident is at home or away at home 22A.

[0093] For this reason, in the case where the determination by the determination processing unit 13B of whether the resident can respond to the visitor as shown in Fig. 6 above is used to determine whether a call needs to be made to the resident terminal 22, if it is confirmed that the resident is not at home (step 120), the call processing unit 13C may notify the visitor terminal 21 of the call failure in response to the determination that the visitor cannot be responded to (step 121: NO) that the resident is not at home (step 122). As a result, the visitor is notified by the visitor terminal 21 that the resident is not at home (step 123), and the resident can know the specific reason for the call failure.

[0094] Also, after notifying that the resident is away, the determination processing unit 13B may check the presence or absence of the resident for a certain period of time, and when it is confirmed that the resident is at home, i.e., has returned home, the call processing unit 13C may notify the visitor terminal 21 that the resident has returned home. This makes it possible to make a call request to the resident if the visitor is within a predetermined range from the resident's address.

[0095] In addition, when the determination processing unit 13B is configured to determine whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor based on the presence or absence of Wi-Fi connection of the resident terminal 22, which is included in the operation status from the resident terminal 22, as the configuration for determining whether or not the resident can respond to a visitor, the presence or absence of Wi-Fi connection can also be regarded as whether the resident is at home or away in the home 22A. Therefore, using such a configuration, the visitor terminal 21 may be notified that the resident is away in the same manner as described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 10...visitor notification system, 11...communication I / F, 12...memory circuit, 12A...user database (user DB), 12P...program, 13...control circuit, 13A...account processing unit, 13B...judgment processing unit, 13C...call processing unit, 21...visitor terminal, 22...resident terminal, 22A...home, NW...communication network.

Claims

1. A visitor notification system comprising: a user database in which account information including IDs, user names, and user addresses of mobile terminals used by each of a plurality of users is registered; and a control circuit configured to call a resident terminal used by a designated resident in response to a call request from a visitor terminal used by a visitor based on the account information, The control circuit includes: an account processing unit configured to select residents residing within a predetermined range of addresses from the location of the visitor terminal based on terminal location information of the visitor terminal notified from the visitor terminal and the account information registered in the user database, and to notify the visitor terminal of a resident list indicating the selected residents; a call processing unit configured, when a call request specifying any one of the residents selected from the resident list as a visitor is notified from the visitor terminal, to notify the resident terminal of the call from the visitor based on the account information of the visitor registered in the user database and the account information of the resident to be visited. Visitor notification system.

2. The control circuit includes: a determination processing unit configured to determine whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the operation status of the resident terminal notified from the resident terminal, The account processing unit is Among residents residing within a predetermined range of addresses from the location of the visitor terminal, a resident determined by the determination processing unit to be able to accommodate the visitor is selected as the visit destination, and a resident determined to be unable to accommodate the visitor is not selected as the visit destination.

2. The visitor notification system according to claim 1.

3. The control circuit includes: a determination processing unit configured to determine whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the operation status of the resident terminal notified from the resident terminal, The call processing unit includes: When the determination processing unit determines that the resident designated as the visitor is available to receive the visitor, the determination processing unit notifies the resident terminal of the call, and when the determination processing unit determines that the resident designated as the visitor is unavailable to receive the visitor, the determination processing unit does not notify the resident terminal of the call.

2. The visitor notification system according to claim 1.

4. The determination processing unit: The system is configured to determine whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on whether or not the resident terminal has notified the user of the operating status.

4. The visitor notification system according to claim 2 or 3,

5. The determination processing unit: The system is configured to compare the terminal location information of the resident terminal included in the operation status notified from the resident terminal with the user address included in the account information of the resident, and to determine whether the resident can respond to the visitor based on the obtained at-home status of the resident.

4. The visitor notification system according to claim 2 or 3,

6. A visitor notification method executed in a visitor notification system including a user database in which account information including IDs, user names, and user addresses of mobile terminals used by each of a plurality of users is registered, and a control circuit configured to call a resident terminal used by a designated resident in response to a call request from a visitor terminal used by a visitor based on the account information, comprising: The control circuit includes: a step of selecting residents who reside within a predetermined range of addresses from the location of the visitor terminal based on terminal location information of the visitor terminal notified from the visitor terminal and the account information registered in the user database, and notifying the visitor terminal of a resident list indicating the selected residents; when a call request specifying any one of the residents selected from the resident list as a visitor is notified from the visitor terminal, notifying the resident terminal of the resident of the call from the visitor based on the account information of the visitor registered in the user database and the account information of the resident to be visited; Run How to notify visitors.

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