Intercom system

Abstract

This system provides an intercom that can respond to the original call in situations where call forwarding is repeated. [Solution] When a call from intercom terminal 3A is forwarded to intercom terminal 3B, the receiving intercom terminal 3B determines, based on the call ID indicating the caller assigned to the incoming call, whether there was an incoming call with the same call ID between the time of the current call and a predetermined judgment time. If there was an incoming call with the same call ID before the judgment time, it refers to the count value stored in association with the call ID. If the count value is 30 or less, it increments the count value by 1, stores the time of the current call, and forwards it to intercom terminal 3C. On the other hand, if the count value exceeds 30, it does not forward the call to intercom terminal 3C and performs an incoming call action such as sounding an ringtone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an intercom system in which a plurality of intercom terminals having a calling / calling function are connected via a communication network.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as an intercom system used in business, an intercom system as described in Patent Document 1 has been devised. In each intercom terminal in the intercom system described in Patent Document 1, in order to cope with a situation where a call cannot be answered, such as when being away from the seat, a transfer setting for transferring the call to another intercom terminal when called is possible.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the intercom system described in Patent Document 1, for example, if the transfer destination intercom terminal is also transfer-set and the transfer source intercom terminal is set as the transfer destination, the transfer may be repeated between the same two intercom terminals, and no response can be made to the original call even after a long time. That is, if the situation is that the connection cannot be made, there is a possibility that the fact cannot be notified.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an intercom system that can take some action on the original call when a situation where the transfer is repeated occurs is provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is an intercom system in which three or more intercom terminals are connected to each other so that they can call and answer, wherein at least two intercom terminals are capable of forwarding calls to other intercom terminals when a call is made, and when a call from a predetermined intercom terminal is received by an intercom terminal that is set to forward calls, the receiving intercom terminal determines, based on the ID information indicating the caller assigned to the incoming call, whether there was an incoming call with the same ID information between the time of the current call and a predetermined judgment time, and if there was an incoming call with the same ID information before the judgment time, it refers to a count value stored in association with the ID information, and if the count value is below a predetermined threshold, it increments the count value by 1, stores the time of the current call, and forwards the call to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination, on the other hand, if the count value exceeds the threshold, it does not forward the call to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination and performs a predetermined operation. The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the predetermined operation is one of the following operations: an incoming call operation which is an operation when call forwarding is not set, an operation which causes the caller to hear a busy signal, or an operation which invalidates and terminates the call. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a call from a predetermined intercom terminal is received by an intercom terminal that is set to forward calls, the receiving intercom terminal determines, based on the ID information indicating the caller assigned to the call, whether there was a call with the same ID information between the time of the current call and a predetermined judgment time. If there was a call with the same ID information before the judgment time, the receiving intercom terminal refers to a count value stored in association with the ID information. If the count value is below a predetermined threshold, the count value is incremented by 1, the time of the current call is stored, and the call is forwarded to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination. On the other hand, if the count value exceeds the threshold, the call is not forwarded to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination, and a predetermined action is performed. Therefore, even if a situation occurs where forwarding is repeated between intercom terminals that are set to forward calls, the intercom system can take some action in response to the initial call by, for example, performing an incoming call notification action, an action to sound a busy signal to the caller, or an ending action to terminate the call, based on the count value which is incremented by 1 each time a call is forwarded exceeding a predetermined threshold. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a system diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the intercom system. [Figure 2] This is a functional block diagram of the intercom terminal. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart illustrating the call forwarding control process in an intercom terminal. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes in detail an intercom system, which is one embodiment of the present invention, based on the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a system diagram showing the overall configuration of the intercom system 1. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the intercom terminal 3. Figure 3 is a flowchart diagram related to call forwarding control in the intercom terminal 3. The intercom system 1 consists of multiple intercom terminals 3, 3, etc., installed in each room within the building, and the intercom terminals 3, 3 are connected to each other by LAN wiring L with a PoE switch 4 placed in the middle of the wiring. 2 is a door phone terminal installed at the entrance of the building, etc., which visitors operate to call people inside the building.

[0011] The intercom terminal 3 is a so-called hands-free type device that does not have a handset, and is equipped with a monitor 31 for displaying various information, an operation unit 32 for performing various operations such as setting the status of the intercom terminal 3, a call button 32a for responding to calls from other intercom terminals 3 or doorphone terminals 2, a microphone 33a and speaker 33b for communicating with other intercom terminals 3 or doorphone terminals 2, a call unit 34 equipped with a voice switch 34a for controlling communication, a storage unit 35 for storing settings and various states of the intercom terminal 3, an intercom terminal CPU 36 for controlling the operation of the intercom terminal 3, an intercom terminal communication IF 37 for connecting LAN wiring L, etc., and a timer 38 for measuring the time.

[0012] The intercom terminal CPU 36 functions as a call path control unit that controls communication between intercom terminals 3, 3, and operates the voice switch 34a to maintain the transmission path formation state or the reception path formation state. Furthermore, as will be described later, it counts the number of transfers during transfer, performs a predetermined transfer judgment based on the number of transfers, and performs a notification action based on the transfer judgment result. On the other hand, the storage unit 35 stores transfer settings for intercom terminal 3, which transfer calls to other intercom terminals 3 when called, as well as operation programs related to calls and transfers, thresholds related to transfer judgments, and operation programs related to notification actions.

[0013] Furthermore, the operation unit 32 is composed of a touch panel integrated with the monitor 31. For example, when setting up group call forwarding for an intercom terminal 3, the monitor 31 displays the intercom terminals 3, 3... that can be set as forwarding destinations, as well as setting buttons. Also, when making a call with another intercom terminal 3, for example, the callable intercom terminals 3, 3... are displayed on the monitor 31, and the call is initiated by selecting the call destination. The call becomes possible when the call button 32a is operated on the call destination intercom terminal 3.

[0014] Here, the call forwarding control at each intercom terminal in intercom system 1 will be explained according to the flowchart shown in Figure 3. In this embodiment, six intercom terminals 3A to 3F are installed, and intercom terminal 3A is used to call intercom terminal 3B. Intercom terminal 3B is configured for call forwarding, with intercom terminal 3C designated as the forwarding destination. Furthermore, intercom terminal 3C is also configured for call forwarding, with intercom terminal 3D designated as the forwarding destination. In addition, intercom terminal 3D is also configured for call forwarding, with intercom terminal 3B designated as the forwarding destination.

[0015] First, when a call is made on the monitor 31 of intercom terminal 3A, and the call from intercom terminal 3A is received by intercom terminal 3B (S1), the intercom terminal CPU 36 of intercom terminal 3B checks whether it is configured for call forwarding (S2). In this case, call forwarding is configured (determined as YES in S2), so the intercom terminal CPU 36 of intercom terminal 3B checks the call ID assigned to the call from intercom terminal 3A and also refers to the storage unit 35 to determine whether a call with the same call ID was received before a predetermined judgment time (for example, 1 second) prior to the current call (S3). However, since this is the first call, no call with the same call ID was received before the judgment time. Therefore, the judgment result in S3 is NO, and the count value stored in the storage unit 35 in association with the call ID related to the current call is initialized, and after storing the time of the current call in association with the call ID, the call from intercom terminal 3A is forwarded to intercom terminal 3C (S10). During this transfer, the call ID (ID information) indicating that the call originated from intercom terminal 3A is also transferred.

[0016] However, because the intercom terminals 3C and 3D have the forwarding settings described above, the call from intercom terminal 3A is forwarded to intercom terminal 3C in S10, but is then forwarded from intercom terminal 3D to intercom terminal 3B in a very short time, and arrives again at intercom terminal 3B (S1). Therefore, upon receiving this call, the intercom terminal CPU 36 of intercom terminal 3B confirms that it is set to forward (determined as YES in S2), and then refers to the storage unit 35 to determine whether a call with the same call ID had been received before the determination time prior to the current call (S3). Then, based on the call ID indicating that the call is from intercom terminal 3A and the time of the previous call associated with that call ID, it determines that the current call was received before the determination time had elapsed since the previous call (determined as YES in S3). Therefore, it then refers to the count value stored in the storage unit 35 in association with the call ID and determines whether the count value exceeds the predetermined threshold of 30 (S4). However, the count value is 0 because it was initialized last time. Therefore, the result of the judgment in S4 is NO, and after incrementing the count value by 1, the incoming call time is updated to the current incoming call time, and the call from intercom terminal 3A is forwarded again to intercom terminal 3C (S5). This forwarding from intercom terminal 3B to intercom terminal 3C is repeated until the count value reaches 31.

[0017] However, after the count value is incremented by 1 in S5 and the transfer to the intercom terminal 3C when the count value reaches 31, when the call is transferred again from the intercom terminal 3D and received (S1), after determining YES in S2 and S3 respectively, in S4 it is determined that the count value exceeds 30, that is, YES. Therefore, assuming that the control related to the transfer is in a loop, the intercom terminal CPU 36 of the intercom terminal 3B executes the same incoming call operation as the incoming call operation in the state where no transfer setting such as sounding the incoming call tone is performed without transferring the call from the intercom terminal 3A (S6). Therefore, with the execution of this incoming call operation, the state of the intercom terminal 3A also becomes the same state as when it becomes a state where any intercom terminal can respond.

[0018] After the execution of the incoming call operation in S6, similar to the case of receiving an incoming call in a state where no transfer is set, with the response operation on the intercom terminal 3B (determined YES in S7), a call state between the intercom terminal 3A and the intercom terminal 3B becomes possible (S8). Also, the call ends with the call end operation (S9).

[0019] Note that the intercom terminals 3C and 3D, which are similarly transfer - set like the intercom terminal 3B, also execute the same transfer control (S1 to S10) as the intercom terminal 3B. That is, for the intercom terminal 3C, when receiving a call with a call ID indicating that it is a call from the intercom terminal 3A from the intercom terminal 3B, and for the intercom terminal 3D, when receiving a call with a call ID indicating that it is a call from the intercom terminal 3A from the intercom terminal 3C, it is determined whether a call with the same call ID has been received before the determination time of this incoming call, and based on the determination result, the count value is initialized, incremented by 1, or the incoming call time is stored while repeating the transfer.

[0020] According to the intercom system 1 having the above configuration, when a call from the intercom terminal 3A arrives at the intercom terminal 3B where call transfer is set, the incoming intercom terminal 3B determines whether an incoming call with the same call ID was within a predetermined determination time before the current incoming time based on the call ID indicating the caller assigned to the incoming call. If there was an incoming call with the same call ID before the determination time, it refers to the count value stored in association with the call ID. If the count value is 30 or less, it increments the count value by +1, stores the current incoming time, and transfers the call to the intercom terminal 3C set as the transfer destination. On the other hand, if the count value exceeds 30, it does not transfer the call to the intercom terminal 3C and executes an incoming call operation such as sounding an incoming call tone. Therefore, even if a situation occurs where transfers are repeated among the intercom terminals 3B, 3C, and 3D with transfer settings, the intercom system 1 can be configured such that when the count value incremented by +1 each time a transfer is made exceeds 30, some response can be taken for the initial call from the intercom terminal 3A.

[0021] Note that the intercom system according to the present invention is not limited to the aspects of the above embodiment. Not only the overall configuration of the intercom system but also the configuration related to transfer control in each intercom terminal can be appropriately changed as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0022] For example, in the above embodiment, it is assumed that when the count value exceeds the threshold, an incoming call operation is executed. However, instead of the incoming call operation, an operation of sounding the same notification tone as the notification tone sounded to the caller when the called party was busy at the time of the call or an operation of ending the call may be executed. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the count value is initialized if no other calls with the same call ID have been received up to a predetermined judgment time before the current incoming call. However, a configuration may be adopted in which the count value is initialized after a predetermined initialization time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed since the last incoming call, and the timing of when the count value is initialized can be changed in the design.

[0023] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a situation in which transmissions are repeatedly made between three intercom terminals, the present invention can naturally also suitably handle situations in which transmissions are repeatedly made between two intercom terminals. Furthermore, the system may be configured to allow group forwarding, enabling the designation of multiple intercom terminals as forwarding destinations.

[0024] Furthermore, since a door phone terminal is a type of intercom terminal, there is no problem in applying the same configuration when calling an intercom terminal from a door phone terminal. In addition, although the above embodiment employs a hands-free type intercom terminal, it goes without saying that an intercom terminal equipped with a handset may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1. Intercom system, 2. Door phone terminal (intercom terminal), 3. Intercom terminal, 31. Monitor, 32. Control unit, 35. Memory unit, 36. Intercom terminal CPU.

Claims

1. An intercom system comprising three or more intercom terminals connected to each other in a call / response manner, At least two of the aforementioned intercom terminals are configured to forward calls to other aforementioned intercom terminals when a call is received. An intercom system characterized in that, when a call from a predetermined intercom terminal is received by the intercom terminal that is set to forward calls, the receiving intercom terminal determines, based on the ID information indicating the caller assigned to the incoming call, whether there was an incoming call with the same ID information assigned to it between the time of the current call and a predetermined judgment time. If there was an incoming call with the same ID information assigned to it before the judgment time, it refers to a count value stored in association with the ID information. If the count value is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it increments the count value by 1, stores the time of the current call, and forwards the call to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination. On the other hand, if the count value exceeds the threshold, it does not forward the call to the intercom terminal set as the forwarding destination and performs a predetermined operation.

2. The intercom system according to claim 1, characterized in that the predetermined operation is one of the following operations: an incoming call operation which is an operation when the forwarding setting is not configured, an operation which causes the caller to hear a busy signal, or an operation which invalidates and terminates the call.

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