Communication device, communication program, communication method, and communication system

Abstract

To allow a called side to quickly search for and display information related to a matter input by a calling side in order to improve the efficiency of a call.SOLUTION: In order to solve such a problem, the present invention allows a communication device on a called side that establishes a call with an opposing device on a calling side and communicates to perform call processing based on a call control message from the opposing device. The communication device includes a call processing unit that extracts words related to the call that are included in a calling message from the opposing device, and search means that searches files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search words and displays search results.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication program, a communication method, and a communication system, and can be applied to a communication system that can link with, for example, electronic mail software (hereinafter also referred to as "mail software"). [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, when making and receiving calls using a softphone in a communication system, the receiving party could display information in advance using the softphone's message notification function. For example, when making a call, the caller inputs information as the message and sends outgoing signaling, and the receiving terminal displays the information acquired from the caller during the signaling as the message. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd. website, product and service introduction, "Application software "Com@WILL" Com@WILL softphone", searched on December 13, 2023, URL https: / / www.oki.com / jp / uc / comwill / softphone / Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned method can display the message on the receiving terminal, but cannot display information related to the message (for example, documents related to the message, e-mails related to the message, etc.). Therefore, there is a problem that the receiving party must operate a computer to search for information related to the message at the start of or after the call has started.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a communication device, a communication program, a communication method and a communication system that enable the receiving party to quickly search for and display information related to the purpose entered by the calling party in order to improve the efficiency of calls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, the first invention is a communication device on the receiving side that establishes a call with an opposing device on the calling side and communicates, characterized in that it comprises: (1) a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposing device and extracts words related to the call that are included in the call message from the opposing device; and (2) a search means that searches for files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displays the search results.

[0007] The second invention is characterized in that, in a communication program for a communication device on the receiving side that establishes a call with an opposing device on the calling side and communicates, the computer is made to function as (1) a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposing device and extracts words related to the call contained in the call message from the opposing device, and (2) a search means that searches for files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displays the search results.

[0008] The third invention is a communication method for a receiving side that establishes a call with an opposite device of a calling side and communicates, characterized in that the communication device of the receiving side (1) performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and executes a call processing step of extracting words related to the call contained in the call message from the opposite device, and (2) a search step of searching for files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing step as search terms and displaying the search results.

[0009] The fourth invention is a communication system comprising an opposite device on the calling side and a communication device on the receiving side that establishes a call between the opposite device on the calling side and communicates, wherein the communication device on the receiving side comprises: (1) a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and extracts words related to the call that are included in the call message from the opposite device; and (2) a search means that searches for files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displays the search results.

[0010] The fifth invention is a communication method in a communication system having a calling-side opposite device and a called-side communication device that establishes a call between the calling-side opposite device and communicates, characterized in that the called-side communication device (1) performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and executes a call processing step of extracting words related to the call contained in the call message from the opposite device, and (2) a search step of searching for files related to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing step as search terms and displaying the search results. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, in order to improve the efficiency of telephone conversations, the called party can quickly search for and display information related to the matter entered by the calling party. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication process according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a communication process according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a call message according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] (A) Embodiment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a communication device, a communication program, a communication method, and a communication system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] (A-1) Configuration of the embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment.

[0015] In FIG. 1, a communication system 10 includes a communication terminal 1-1, a communication terminal 1-2, and a private branch exchange 3, which are connectable to a network NT.

[0016] In the following description, the communication terminal 1-1 is the calling terminal operated by the caller, and the communication terminal 1-2 is the called terminal operated by the called party, but when describing the common configuration, they will be referred to as "communication terminal 1." Furthermore, the number of communication terminals 1 (1-1, 1-2) accommodated by the private branch exchange 3 is not limited to two.

[0017] The communication system 10 is a communication system that provides, for example, a conference system, presence indication, etc. via a network NT. Note that the services provided by the communication system 10 as a communication system are not limited to conference systems, etc., and various services that realize communication between the communication terminal 1-1 and the communication terminal 1-2 can be widely applied.

[0018] The private branch exchange 3 controls calls between multiple telephones, and in this embodiment, controls the connection between the communication terminal 1-1 and the communication terminal 1-2, both of which have softphone functionality. The private branch exchange 3 may be configured as hardware, for example, with a dedicated semiconductor chip, or may be configured as software in part or in whole, except for the communication interface.

[0019] The private branch exchange 3 accommodates a plurality of communication terminals 1, and connects the accommodated communication terminals 1 in an identifiable manner.

[0020] The private branch exchange 3 also has various functions, including a call control unit 31 and a storage unit 32 as some of these functions.

[0021] The call control unit 31 controls call connections using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). The call control unit 31 performs call connection processing using subscriber data of the communication terminal 1 accommodated by the private branch exchange 3.

[0022] The storage unit 32 stores processing programs, data required for processing, subscriber data, call control data, call logs, etc. Here, the subscriber data is information including a telephone number, authentication parameters (e.g., a user ID, a password, etc.), and an IP address. Note that the subscriber data is not limited to these items and may also include subscriber contract information, location information of the communication terminal 1, etc.

[0023] The communication terminals 1 (1-1, 1-2) are terminals with softphones, and may be, for example, personal computers, smartphones, tablet terminals, wearable terminals, etc. A softphone is a function that enables voice communication via the network NT using dedicated application software installed on a computer.

[0024] The communication terminal 1 (1-1, 1-2) has a control unit 11 (11-1, 11-2), a memory unit 12 (12-1, 12-2), a display unit 13 (13-1, 13-2), an input unit 14 (14-1, 14-2), and a communication unit 15 (15-1, 15-2).

[0025] The control unit 11 is responsible for various functions performed by the communication terminal 1. For example, the control unit 11 can be a circuit device having a CPU, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, an input / output interface unit, etc., and the functions of the communication terminal 1 are realized by the CPU (computer) executing a processing program (for example, a communication program).

[0026] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 executes application software provided by the communication system, and performs, for example, softphone calls, e-mails, conferences, presence indication, document sharing, and audio and video recording.

[0027] Here, the control unit 11 includes at least a call processing unit 11a that performs call processing, and an email processing unit 11b that has a search unit 111. Also, the call processing unit 11a can be linked to the email processing unit 11b as email software.

[0028] The call processing unit 11a performs call processing via the call control unit 31 to establish a call connection between the communication terminal 1-1 and the communication terminal 1-2. Here, for example, a case where call processing is performed using SIP is illustrated, but the protocol is not limited to SIP. After a call is established, the call processing unit 11a has a call function as a softphone. The call processing unit 11a can apply video conferencing software, telephone software, messaging (social networking service) software such as "LINE (registered trademark)", chat software, and the like.

[0029] The email processing unit 11b can use email software such as Outlook (registered trademark) from Microsoft Corporation (registered trademark) and Gmail (registered trademark) from Google (registered trademark) LLC. The email processing unit 11b also has a search unit 111 that searches for words related to calls extracted by the call processing unit 11a as search terms.

[0030] The storage unit 12 stores processing programs, data necessary for processing, etc. The storage unit 12 stores sent and received emails sent and received by the email software.

[0031] An organic electroluminescence (organic EL) display, a liquid crystal display, etc. can be used as the display unit 13. An input device such as a keyboard or a mouse can be used as the input unit 14. Note that an input / output device including both the display unit 13 and the input unit 14, such as a touch panel display, can also be used.

[0032] The communication unit 15 transmits and receives information via the network NT in accordance with a communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0033] (A-2) Operation of the embodiment Next, a communication method in the communication system 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a communication process according to the embodiment, and Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the communication process according to the embodiment.

[0035] In the following, it is assumed that the SIP URL of the calling communication terminal 1-1 is "test@192.168.0.1" and the SIP URL of the called communication terminal 1-2 is "test@192.168.0.2".

[0036] It is also assumed that software for a call processing unit 11a is pre-installed in each of the communication terminals 1-1 and 1-2. The software for the call processing unit 11a is capable of cooperating with the software for the email processing unit 11b.

[0037] Here, a case will be described in which the call processor 11a is activated by the caller in the communication terminal 1-1, and the caller makes a call to the communication terminal 1-2 of the recipient using the softphone of the call processor 11a.

[0038] [Steps S101 and S102] First, the caller inputs the matters related to the call into the softphone function display screen displayed on display unit 13-1 (step S101), designates communication terminal 1-2 as the destination, and performs a call operation, such as pressing the call button displayed on display unit 13-1 (step S102).

[0039] Here, the matters related to the call (hereinafter also referred to as "words related to the call") are the subject of the call between the caller and the callee, keywords related to the subject of the call, etc. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the display screen 511 of the softphone has a subject input section 512 where the subject can be input. In this case, the caller inputs the subject related to the call into the subject input section 512 on the display screen 511. For example, when having a meeting about a patent, the caller inputs a character string such as "patent XX."

[0040] [Step S103] In communication terminal 1-1, call processing unit 11a inserts (writes) words related to the call entered by the caller into the Subject field of the call message, creates a call message addressed to communication terminal 1-2, and sends it to call control unit 31 (step S103).

[0041] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a call message according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 shows an example of the configuration of an INVITE message as a call message from a source communication terminal 1-1 (SIP URL "test@192.168.0.1") to a destination communication terminal 1-2 (SIP URL "test@192.168.0.2").

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, the caller enters "Patent XX" in the Subject field of the INVITE message. The Subject field provides the concept of the call or indicates the nature of the call. By describing the call-related matter in the Subject field, it is possible to indicate that the message is a call message about the call-related matter.

[0043] [Steps S104, S105, S106] The call message (INVITE) sent from communication terminal 1-1 is given to call control unit 31 (step S104). Call control unit 31 analyzes the destination of the call message and transfers the received call message (INVITE) to communication terminal 1-2, which is the destination (step S105). In addition, call control unit 31 transmits 100 Trying to communication terminal 1-1, which is the caller (step S106).

[0044] [Steps S107, S108, S109, S110] When the communication terminal 1-2 receives the INVITE message, the communication terminal 1-2 sounds a ringing tone (step S107) and transmits a 180 Ringing message to the call control unit 31 (step S108).

[0045] The call control unit 31 transmits the 180 Ringing message from the communication terminal 1-2 to the originating communication terminal 1-1 (step S109). When the originating communication terminal 1-1 receives the 180 Ringing, the communication terminal 1-1 sounds a ringing tone (step S110).

[0046] [Steps S111, S112, S113] In the communication terminal 1-2 on the receiving side, the call processing unit 11a extracts the subject matter described in the Subject field of the received INVITE message (step S111) and calls the search unit 111 as a search function of the email processing unit 11b. Then, the call processing unit 11a provides the extracted subject matter to the email processing unit 11b.

[0047] In the email processing unit 11b, the search unit 111 is called as a search function, and the search unit 111 searches for matters related to the extracted call using a search term (search key) (step S112), and displays the search results on the display unit 13-2 (step S113).

[0048] Here, the search process by the email processing unit 11b can utilize a search function installed in the email software.

[0049] For example, the email processing unit 11b searches for emails containing the extracted subject matter from the past email history using the search term (search key). If a file is attached to the searched email, the email processing unit 11b opens the attached file. This allows the display unit 13 to automatically search for materials (e.g., emails, attached files, etc.) that are thought to be related to the subject matter (topic, etc.) of the call before the call begins or at the start of the call.

[0050] That is, the email processing unit 11b searches for emails containing the search term that is the subject of the search, and if the email is found, displays the email as the search result. Furthermore, the email processing unit 11b checks whether the searched email has a file attached, and if a file is attached, opens the file, and if no file is attached, displays the email as is as the search result. Note that if the email cannot be found, the email processing unit 11b displays that fact as the search result.

[0051] In the example of FIG. 3, the email processing unit 11b searches for emails from the history of past emails using "Patent XX" written in the Subject field as a search term (search key). In this example, three emails with the subject "Patent Number XX Meeting" are searched for, and these three emails are displayed. Furthermore, the email processing unit 11b checks whether the most recent email of the three emails has a file attached. In this case, since the most recent email has a file attached, the email processing unit 11b opens and displays the file attached to the most recent email.

[0052] In this way, by searching for a word indicating the subject as a search term and displaying emails and / or attachments containing the search term as search results, it is possible to improve the efficiency of calls with the caller.

[0053] The timing of displaying search results depends on the processing time required for the search and the timing of the call received by the recipient. For example, if the email and / or attachments are searched for before the recipient answers the call, the email and / or files can be displayed before or at the start of the call. On the other hand, if it takes a long time to search for emails, etc., and the recipient answers the call first, the email and / or files will be displayed after the recipient answers the call. In this way, the timing of displaying search results is affected by the processing time required for the search and the timing of the call received. However, whereas recipients previously manually searched for the necessary materials, this embodiment allows the materials to be automatically searched for and displayed.

[0054] Here, the search target can be either sent emails or received emails, or both, depending on the user (e.g., recipient, etc.). Also, the search item for whether or not the search term is included is the subject of the email in this embodiment, but it is not limited to this and may also be the sender of the email, the entire body of the email, etc.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the email processing unit 11b applies a partial match search of the words that make up the search term (for example, a search that includes the word "patent" and the word "○○" as part of "patent ○○"), but this is not limited to this, and an exact match search (only a match search of the search term "patent ○○") may also be performed.

[0056] 3, if there are multiple emails containing the search term, the email processing unit 11b displays a list of the searched emails. However, this is not limiting, and the email with the highest priority among the multiple emails may be displayed according to a predetermined priority order.

[0057] Furthermore, although the email processing unit 11b checks whether a file is attached to the most recent email, this is not limiting. For example, it may check whether a file is attached to all of the multiple emails. Also, for example, when multiple emails have files attached, it may open the file of the oldest email.

[0058] Furthermore, when different types of files are attached to an email, the email processing unit 11b may open each file type separately. For example, when Word (registered trademark) and PDF (registered trademark) files are attached to an email, the email processing unit 11b may open each file type separately.

[0059] [Steps S114, S115, S116, S117, S118] A ring tone is ringing at the communication terminal 1-2. When the call is answered by the called party (step S114), the communication terminal 1-2 transmits a 200 OK message to the call control unit 31 (step S115).

[0060] The call control unit 31 transmits the 200 OK message from the communication terminal 1-2 to the originating communication terminal 1-1 (step S116).

[0061] Then, when communication terminal 1-1 transmits an ACK message to communication terminal 1-2 (step S117), a call is established between communication terminal 1-1 and communication terminal 1-2, and then a call between the caller and the callee begins (step S118).

[0062] (A-3) Effects of the embodiment As described above, according to this embodiment, as soon as the recipient answers the call, the softphone on the receiving side automatically searches the email software for text related to the subject contained in the Subject field, thereby eliminating the need to manually search for emails related to the subject of the incoming call and improving the efficiency of calls when they come in.

[0063] (B) Other embodiments Although various modified embodiments have been mentioned in the above-described embodiment, the following embodiments can also be applied to the present invention.

[0064] (B-1) In the above-described embodiment, a communication system for making calls using a softphone is described as being linked to email software. However, if it is possible to link with email software, it can also be applied to a conference system, a call center system, etc. In other words, if it is possible to link with email software, it can be applied to various communication systems.

[0065] (B-2) In the above-described embodiment, search unit 111 utilizes the search function of email processing unit 11b. However, search unit 111 is not limited to the search function of email processing unit 11b, and various means can be applied to search unit 111 as long as it can search using the words extracted from the call message by call processing unit 11a as search terms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10...Communication systems, 1 (1-1, 1-2)...communication terminal, 11 (11-1, 11-2)...control unit, 11a...call processing unit, 11b...email processing unit, 111...search unit, 12 (12-1, 12-2)...storage unit, 13 (13-1, 13-2)...display unit, 14 (14-1, 14-2)...input unit, 15 (15-1, 15-2)...communication unit, 3...private branch exchange, 31...call control unit, 32...storage unit, 511...display screen, 512...message input unit.

Claims

1. In a communication device on a receiving side that establishes a call with an opposite device on a calling side and communicates, a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and extracts words related to a call included in the call control message from the opposite device; a search means for searching files relating to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displaying search results; A communication device comprising:

2. 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the search means searches for e-mails containing words related to the call from among history information of e-mails and displays the search results.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the search means searches for multiple emails containing words related to the call from among the email history information, the most recent email of the multiple emails searched is displayed.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the search means searches for multiple emails containing words related to the call from among the email history information, a list of the multiple emails found is displayed.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the search means searches for emails containing words related to the call from email history information, and if the searched email has a file attached, displays the searched electronic file and opens and displays the file.

6. A communication program for a communication device on a receiving side that establishes a call with an opposite device on a calling side and communicates with the opposite device, Computer, a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and extracts words related to a call included in the call control message from the opposite device; a search means for searching files relating to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displaying search results; A communication program characterized by functioning as follows.

7. A communication method for a communication device on a receiving side that establishes a call with an opposite device on a calling side to perform communication, The communication device of the receiving side, an extraction step of extracting words related to a call included in a call control message from the opposite device, the extraction step being for performing call processing based on the call control message from the opposite device; a search step of searching for files related to the call using the word related to the call extracted by the call processing step as a search term and displaying the search results; A communication method comprising:

8. A communication system including an opposite device on a calling side and a communication device on a called side that establishes a call with the opposite device on the calling side and communicates, The communication device on the receiving side a call processing unit that performs call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device and extracts words related to a call included in the call control message from the opposite device; a search means for searching files relating to the call using the words related to the call extracted by the call processing unit as search terms and displaying search results; A communication system comprising:

9. A communication method in a communication system including a calling-side device and a called-side communication device that establishes a call with the calling-side device and communicates, The communication device of the receiving side, a call processing step for performing call processing based on a call control message from the opposite device, the call processing step extracting words related to a call included in the call message from the opposite device; a search step of searching for files related to the call using the word related to the call extracted by the call processing step as a search term and displaying the search results; A communication method comprising:

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