Message transmission device, message transmission method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides a message sending device, a message sending method, and a program that can expand the degree of freedom in the message sent to the person who will receive the call if the phone number could not be reached. [Solution] A message transmission device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a state determination means for determining whether the telephone at the recipient's location is in a state to accept incoming calls; a receiving means for receiving a message from the originating terminal device of the telephone to the person at the recipient's location if the telephone at the recipient's location is in a state to accept incoming calls; and a transmission control means for performing control to transmit the message to the person at the recipient's location.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a message transmission device, a message transmission method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a call control system that transmits a callback request notification including a telephone number to an email address set by email when a call connection with a destination cannot be established.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] With the technology of Patent Document 1, when a call to a certain telephone number cannot be connected, a message can be sent to an email associated with that telephone number. However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, the text of the transmitted email is fixed except for the portion of information related to the telephone number.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a message transmission device, a message transmission method, and a program that can increase the degree of freedom of a message sent to a person who receives a call from a telephone number that could not be connected when the call could not be connected.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] A message transmission device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a state determination means for determining whether the telephone at the recipient of a call is in a state to accept incoming calls; a receiving means for receiving a message from the originating terminal of the call to the person at the recipient's location, if the telephone at the recipient's location is not in a state to accept incoming calls, using a selected receiving method; and a transmission control means for performing control to transmit the message to the person at the recipient's location.

[0007] A message transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure determines whether the telephone at the recipient of a call is in a state to accept incoming calls, and if the telephone at the recipient is not in a state to accept incoming calls, it controls the system to receive a message from the originating terminal of the call to the person at the recipient and to send the message to the person at the recipient using a selected receiving method.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of this disclosure causes a computer to perform a state determination process that determines whether the telephone at the recipient of a call is in a state to accept incoming calls; a receiving process that, if the telephone at the recipient is not in a state to accept incoming calls, receives a message from the caller's terminal to the person at the recipient using a selected receiving method; and a transmission control process that controls the transmission of the message to the person at the recipient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] This disclosure has the effect of potentially increasing the degree of freedom in the messages sent to the person who will answer a call from a phone number that could not be reached. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device related to this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device relating to this disclosure. [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device related to this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device related to this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device according to this disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device relating to this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device relating to this disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the assignment process for the message transmission device related to this disclosure. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to this disclosure. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a computer hardware configuration that can realize a message transmission device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings of the present disclosure, the components included in the apparatus can exchange necessary information with each other as appropriate.

[0012] <First Embodiment> First, a first embodiment of this disclosure will be described.

[0013] <Structure> First, the configuration of the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device related to this disclosure.

[0015] Hereinafter, the configuration of the message transmitting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

[0016] In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the message transmitting apparatus 10 includes a state determination unit 120, a receiving unit 130, and a transmission control unit 140.

[0017] The state determination unit 120 determines whether a telephone set of a call destination is in a state of accepting an incoming call. When the telephone set of the call destination is in a state of not accepting an incoming call, the receiving unit 130 receives a message from a terminal device of a call originator to a person of the call destination by a selected receiving method, which is a selected receiving method. The transmission control unit 140 performs control to transmit the message to the person of the call destination.

[0018] <状態判定部120> As described above, the state determination unit 120 determines whether a telephone set of a call destination is in a state of accepting an incoming call.

[0019] In recent years, the use of information processing apparatuses that also operate as telephones (hereinafter also referred to as softphones) has become widespread, wherein the softphone is constituted by an information processing apparatus, a telephone terminal connected to the information processing apparatus, and software that causes the information processing apparatus connected to the telephone terminal to operate as a telephone. Note that a telephone terminal is an apparatus that has the appearance and interface of a general telephone and operates as a telephone under the control of an information processing apparatus.

[0020] The telephone receiving the above-mentioned call is, for example, a softphone. The terminal device making the call is also, for example, a softphone. However, the telephone receiving the call may not be a softphone. The terminal device making the call may also not be a softphone. Non-softphone telephones include, for example, smartphones, mobile phones, and landline phones. In the following explanation, we will mainly assume that the telephone receiving the call is a softphone and the terminal device making the call is also a softphone. Cases where the telephone receiving the call is not a softphone will be explained as appropriate. Cases where the terminal device making the call is not a softphone will also be explained as appropriate. In the following explanation, the terminal device making the call will also be referred to as the originating terminal device. The telephone receiving the call will also be referred to as the receiving terminal device.

[0021] If a person's phone number is assigned as the phone number for a softphone controlled by the information processing device that the person is logged into, and the person is logged into the information processing device acting as a softphone, then calls to that phone number will connect to the softphone. However, if, for example, the person is not logged into the information processing device (for example, if another person is logged into the information processing device), then calls to that person's phone number will not connect. Also, if a person is logged into a specific information processing device, and that device acts as a softphone that connects calls to that person's phone number, then if that device is powered off, then calls to that person's phone number will not connect. If a softphone system is configured so that an information processing device that a person is logged into acts as a softphone that connects calls to that person's phone number, then if the person is not logged into any information processing device, then calls to that person's phone number will not connect.

[0022] The status determination unit 120 may determine whether the phone to receive a call is in a state to accept incoming calls by, for example, identifying whether there is an active information processing device that is logged in and operating as a softphone, and which has the person to whom the incoming phone number is assigned logged in. Specifically, the status determination unit 120 determines that the phone to receive a call is in a state to accept incoming calls if, for example, there is an active information processing device that is logged in and operating as a softphone, and which has the person to whom the incoming phone number is assigned logged in. The status determination unit 120 determines that the phone to receive a call is not in a state to accept incoming calls if, for example, there is no active information processing device that is logged in and operating as a softphone, and which has the person to whom the incoming phone number is assigned logged in. In other words, the status determination unit 120 determines that in this case the phone to receive a call is in a state where it will not accept incoming calls.

[0023] In this embodiment, the message transmission device 10 may be connected, for example, via a communication network, to a server that controls incoming calls to the softphone and an information processing device that operates as a softphone under the control of the server. The message transmission device 10 may also be incorporated into the server that controls incoming calls to the softphone.

[0024] The status determination unit 120 may determine that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it does not accept incoming calls if the phone receiving the call does not enter a call state within a predetermined time after information indicating an incoming call is sent to the phone receiving the call. The status determination unit 120 determines that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it accepts incoming calls if it does accept the incoming call.

[0025] <Receiving section 130> As described above, if the receiving telephone is not accepting incoming calls, the receiving unit 130 receives a message from the caller's terminal device to the person receiving the call using the selected receiving method.

[0026] The method of receiving the message is, for example, a method of receiving the message from the terminal device that initiated the phone call. The terminal device that initiated the phone call is, for example, a smartphone, mobile phone, landline phone, or softphone. The method of receiving the message is, for example, a method of receiving the message via text. The method of receiving the message is, for example, a method of receiving the message via voice. The method of receiving the message may be, for example, a method selected by the person using the terminal device that initiated the phone call when the receiving phone is not accepting incoming calls. This case will be explained in the second embodiment. The method of receiving the message may be, for example, a method selected in advance by the person using the terminal device that initiated the phone call.

[0027] If the selected receiving method is to receive a text message, the receiving unit 130 receives the text data of the message from the originating terminal device. If the selected receiving method is to receive a voice message, the receiving unit 130 receives the voice data of the message from the originating terminal device. The receiving unit 130 further generates a text message from the received voice data using speech recognition. This speech recognition is one of various existing speech recognition technologies.

[0028] The receiving of messages by the receiving unit 130 will be explained in more detail.

[0029] For example, if the method of receiving a message is to receive the message via text, the receiving unit 130 provides a user interface for inputting a text message to the originating terminal device of the phone call (i.e., the originating terminal device).

[0030] If the originating terminal device is a softphone, the receiving unit 130 may display a screen for message input on the display of the information processing device that is operating the originating terminal device as a softphone (i.e., the display of the originating terminal device). The originating terminal device displays the screen for message input. The originating terminal device sends a text message, entered by the person using the originating terminal device (also referred to as the caller) on the message input screen using the input device of the originating terminal device, to the receiving unit 130.

[0031] Information about the recipient of a message intended for the person making the phone call (for example, an email address or a chat system account) may be pre-registered in the message sending device 10. The receiving unit 130 may send an input instruction message to the registered message recipient of the person making the phone call, prompting the recipient to enter a message.

[0032] The input instruction message may include information (e.g., URL: Uniform Resource Locator) indicating a webpage for entering a text message. The person using the originating terminal device accesses the webpage for entering a text message, for example, using the originating terminal device. When the receiving unit 130 receives the webpage for entering a text message, it causes the originating terminal device to display a webpage containing an interface for entering a text message. The person using the originating terminal device enters a text message through the interface for entering a text message. The receiving unit 130 receives the entered text message.

[0033] The receiving unit 130 may use a pre-prepared chat system account for the message sending device 10 to send an input instruction message to the account of the person using the sending terminal device. The person using the sending terminal device uses the sending terminal device to input a text message from their account in the chat system to the account for the message sending device 10. The receiving unit 130 receives the text message that was input as a message to the account for the message sending device 10.

[0034] If the selected receiving method is to receive a voice message, the receiving unit 130 may generate voice messages indicating that the recipient is unavailable for calls and providing instructions to enter a message. In this case, the receiving unit 130 plays the generated voice messages back to the originating terminal device as a response to the call to the recipient. The receiving unit 130 receives the voice messages from the person on the originating terminal device as a response to the played-back voice messages. Playing back the voice messages back to the originating terminal device in this case means, for example, sending voice signals or voice data to an originating terminal device that plays back the voice indicated by the voice signals or voice data upon receiving them. Generating voice means generating the voice signals or voice data to be transmitted.

[0035] The receiving unit 130 may receive messages by methods other than those described above.

[0036] Furthermore, when the receiving unit 130 receives a voice message and the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of the voice message to the recipient, the receiving unit 130 does not need to generate a text message from the voice message. In this case, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of the voice message acquired by the receiving unit 130 to the recipient.

[0037] <Transmission Control Unit 140> As described above, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of a message to the recipient. In this embodiment, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of a message to the recipient according to a predetermined method for transmitting a message.

[0038] The message may be, for example, an email message. The message may be, for example, a message in a chat system. The message may be a voice message.

[0039] The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by sending a text message as an email to the recipient's email address. The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by typing a text message into the recipient's account in a chat system. The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by sending a voice message (i.e., audio data of the message) as an email attachment to the recipient's email address. The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by typing a voice message (i.e., audio data of the message) into the recipient's account in a chat system. The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by sending audio data representing the message as voicemail (e.g., recorded data for an answering machine) to a terminal device to which a predetermined telephone number has been assigned. The method of sending a message to a recipient may, for example, be by sending an audio signal representing the message to a terminal device to which a predetermined telephone number has been assigned. In these cases, the telephone number may be different from the telephone number assigned to the phone to which the call is received. In these cases, the telephone number may be the same as the telephone number assigned to the phone receiving the call. In this case, the transmission control unit 140 may, after the phone receiving the call becomes ready to receive an incoming call, perform control to send an audio signal representing the message to the phone to which the phone receiving the call is assigned.

[0040] The transmission control unit 140 has in advance information about the recipient of a message to various people who may be recipients (for example, an email address, a chat system account, or a phone number).

[0041] In this embodiment, the method for sending a message to the recipient is predetermined.

[0042] The transmission control unit 140 may, for example, control the terminal device used by the caller to send a message to the recipient. In this case, the transmission control unit 140 may send information representing the message, information representing how to send the message to the recipient, and information representing the recipient's address to which the message will be sent to the terminal device used by the caller. The transmission control unit 140 may then send an instruction to the terminal device used by the caller to send the information representing the message to the recipient's address according to the method for sending the message to the recipient. The recipient can be an email address, a chat system account, or a telephone number.

[0043] For example, the transmission control unit 140 may send information representing the message to the recipient in accordance with the method for sending a message to the recipient.

[0044] <Operation> Next, the operation of the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0045] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device relating to this disclosure.

[0046] The operation of the message transmission device according to the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 2.

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 2, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S11). If the receiving telephone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the receiving unit 130 receives the message from the originating terminal device to the person receiving the call according to the selected receiving method (step S12). The transmission control unit 140 performs control to send the message to the person receiving the call (step S13).

[0048] In step S12, if the phone receiving the call is a softphone, the status determination unit 120 may determine in step S12 that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it does not accept incoming calls if the information processing device that implements the softphone to which the phone number of the receiving call has been assigned is not running. If the phone receiving the call is a softphone, the status determination unit 120 may determine in step S12 that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it accepts incoming calls if the information processing device that implements the softphone to which the phone number of the receiving call has been assigned is running. The status determination unit 120 may determine that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it does not accept incoming calls if the phone receiving the call does not enter a call state within a predetermined time after information indicating an incoming call has been sent to the phone receiving the call. If the phone receiving the call accepts an incoming call, the status determination unit 120 determines that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it accepts incoming calls. If the status determination unit 120 determines that the phone receiving the call is in a state where it accepts incoming calls, the message sending device 10 may terminate its operation.

[0049] <Effects> This disclosure has the effect of potentially increasing the degree of freedom in the messages sent to the person who will answer a call from a phone number that could not be reached.

[0050] The reason is that, if the receiving telephone is not accepting incoming calls, the receiving unit 130 receives the message from the caller's terminal device to the person receiving the call using the selected receiving method. Then, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of the message to the person receiving the call. By the receiving unit 130 receiving the message using the selected receiving method, the degree of freedom for the person sending the message is increased compared to when the method by which the receiving unit 130 receives the message is fixed. Also, by the receiving unit 130 receiving the message, the degree of freedom regarding the content of the message is increased compared to when the content of the message is fixed.

[0051] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0052] <Structure> First, the configuration of the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0053] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device related to this disclosure.

[0054] The configuration of the message transmission device according to the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0055] In the example shown in Figure 3, the message transmission device 100 includes a telephone reception unit 110, a status determination unit 120, a receiving unit 130, a transmission control unit 140, a receiving candidate presentation unit 150, a transmission candidate presentation unit 151, and a selection receiving unit 160. The status determination unit 120, the receiving unit 130, and the transmission control unit 140 in this embodiment are the same as the status determination unit 120, the receiving unit 130, and the transmission control unit 140 in the first embodiment, respectively, except for the differences described below.

[0056] <Telephone reception 110> The telephone reception unit 110 controls incoming calls. Specifically, the telephone reception unit 110 receives incoming calls to telephone numbers under the management of the message transmission device 100 (specifically, the telephone reception unit 110). When the telephone reception unit 110 receives an incoming call (i.e., when it receives an incoming call), it identifies the telephone number to which the call is being received. The telephone reception unit 110 identifies the telephone (e.g., a softphone) to which that telephone number is assigned. The telephone reception unit 110 then attempts to connect the call to the identified telephone.

[0057] In this embodiment, the message transmission device 100 (specifically, for example, the telephone reception unit 110) operates as a server that controls incoming calls to a softphone. This server is, for example, a server that controls incoming calls to telephones (e.g., softphones) managed by an organization such as a company, group, ministry, or local government. The server may also be a server that controls incoming calls to telephones managed by an organization within the aforementioned organization. Controlling incoming calls means that when a call is received, the system controls the connection of that call to the telephone to which the incoming call's telephone number is assigned.

[0058] As described above, when a call is received, the telephone reception unit 110 identifies the telephone number of the recipient. Next, the status determination unit 120, described later, may determine whether the telephone at the recipient's location is in a state to accept incoming calls. If the telephone at the recipient's location is in a state to accept incoming calls, the telephone reception unit 110 may attempt to connect the call to the identified telephone. If the telephone at the recipient's location is not in a state to accept incoming calls (i.e., the telephone at the recipient's location is not in a state to accept incoming calls), the telephone reception unit 110 does not need to attempt to connect the call to the identified telephone.

[0059] <State determination unit 120> The state determination unit 120, similar to the state determination unit 120 of the first embodiment, determines whether or not the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0060] <Receipt candidate presentation section 150> The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 presents the originating terminal device, which is the terminal device that initiated the telephone call, with a list of possible receiving methods for receiving the message from the originating terminal device. The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may present the originating terminal device with a list of possible receiving methods for receiving the message from the originating terminal device if the telephone to which the call is to be received is not in a state to accept incoming calls. The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may present the originating terminal device with a list of possible receiving methods for receiving the message from the originating terminal device if requested by the originating terminal device. The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may present the terminal device with a list of possible receiving methods for receiving the message from that terminal device if requested by the terminal device. Note that for the terminal device (and the person using the terminal device), this receiving is the transfer of the message from the terminal device to the message sending device 100.

[0061] Possible methods of receiving data may include receiving data as text and receiving data as audio.

[0062] The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may display information representing the receiving method candidates on the display of the originating terminal device. In this case, the user of the originating terminal device uses the input device of the originating terminal device to select one receiving method (i.e., a method for receiving messages from the originating terminal device) from the presented receiving method candidates (i.e., the displayed receiving method candidates). The selected receiving method may be, for example, receiving as text data or receiving as voice. The originating terminal device transmits information indicating the selected receiving method to the message transmission device 100 (specifically, the selection receiving unit 160).

[0063] The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may generate audio indicating the receiving method candidates. The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may then play the generated audio back to the originating terminal device as a response to the call to the destination. In this case, the receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may also play an audio explanation of how to select a receiving method (for example, information on which keys to press for selection, or an announcement of the selection result). The user of the originating terminal device inputs information indicating the selected receiving method from the receiving method candidates using the originating terminal device. Specifically, for example, the user of the originating terminal device may press a key on the originating terminal device indicating the selected receiving method. The user of the originating terminal device may also emit an audio indicating the selected receiving method into the microphone of the originating terminal device. The originating terminal device transmits an audio signal indicating the selected receiving method (for example, an audio generated when a key is pressed, or an audio indicating the selected receiving method emitted by the user of the originating terminal device) to the message transmission device 100 (specifically, the selection receiving unit 160).

[0064] As described above, the receiving method candidates may include receiving method candidates that specify the type of message (e.g., receiving by text and receiving by voice). In other words, the receiving method candidates may include receiving method candidates that specify the type of message to receive (e.g., text and voice). In this case, a person using a terminal device to which the receiving method candidates are presented inputs information into the terminal device indicating the receiving method that specifies the type of message to receive (in other words, the type of message to receive from the terminal device), selected from the receiving method candidates that specify the type of message to receive (in other words, the type of message to receive). The receiving method candidates may further include receiving method candidates for the message (e.g., email, chat in a chat system, etc.). Receiving method candidates may include telephone. That is, the receiving method candidates may include both message type candidates and message receiving method candidates. In this case, a person using a terminal device to which the receiving method candidates are presented inputs information into the terminal device indicating the message receiving medium, selected from the message receiving medium candidates. The terminal device then transmits to the message transmission device 100 (specifically, the selective receiving unit 160) information indicating the type of message to be received from the terminal device, information indicating the medium for receiving the message, and information indicating the receiving method.

[0065] <Transmission candidate display unit 151> The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 presents a list of transmission method candidates, which are options for how to send a message to the recipient.

[0066] The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may, for example, present a candidate transmission method to the originating terminal device of the caller, when the telephone at the recipient's end is not in a state to accept incoming calls. In this case, the transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may, for example, present information indicating the recipient of the call as the person to be configured, along with the transmission method candidate. The person to be configured is the person to whom the selected message transmission method is set as the method of sending messages (in this case, the person at the recipient's end, in other words, the person to whom the telephone number of the recipient's end is assigned).

[0067] The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may, for example, present a list of transmission method candidates to a terminal device when requested by that terminal device, which are candidates for how to send a message to a person using the terminal device. This terminal device is, for example, a telephone (e.g., a softphone) under the management of the message transmission device 100. In this case, the transmission candidate presentation unit 151 receives a request from the terminal device to set a transmission method (i.e., a method for sending a message to a person using the terminal device) (hereinafter referred to as a transmission method setting request). The transmission method setting request may include information indicating the person to be set. If the transmission method setting request does not include information indicating the person to be set, the transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may determine the person to be set as a person who is pre-registered as a user of the terminal device that sent the transmission method setting request. If multiple people are registered as users of the terminal device, the transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may present information representing multiple people to the terminal device that sent the transmission method setting request, and receive from that terminal information indicating the person selected from the multiple people as information indicating the person to be set. The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may, for example, present information indicating the person to be set and a list of transmission method candidates.

[0068] A person using a terminal device that has received the presented list of transmission method candidates inputs information representing one selected transmission method into the terminal device. The terminal device then transmits the information representing the selected transmission method to the message transmission device 100 (specifically, the selection receiving unit 160).

[0069] The transmission method candidates may include transmission method candidates that specify the type of message (e.g., sending by text and sending by voice). In other words, the transmission method candidates may include transmission method candidates that specify the type of message to be sent (e.g., text and voice). In this case, a person using a terminal device that presents the transmission method candidates inputs information into the terminal device indicating the transmission method that specifies the type of message to be sent (in other words, the type of message to be sent), selected from the transmission method candidates that specify the type of message to be sent (in other words, the type of message to be sent). The transmission method candidates may further include transmission method candidates for the message (e.g., email, chat in a chat system, etc.). Transmission method candidates may include telephone. That is, the transmission method candidates may include both the type of message and the transmission method candidates. In this case, a person using a terminal device that presents the transmission method candidates further inputs information into the terminal device indicating the transmission method that specifies the transmission method of the message, selected from the transmission method candidates.

[0070] The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 may use the recipient information of the person to be sent to, stored in the information storage unit 190 (described later), to select one or more candidate message transmission media to present as a transmission method candidate. For example, if the recipient's address includes an email address, email will be selected as a candidate message transmission media to present as a transmission method candidate. If the recipient's address includes a chat system account, chat in the chat system will be selected as a candidate message transmission media to present as a transmission method candidate. For example, if the recipient's address includes the phone number of the telephone to which a voice message will be sent, telephone may be selected as a candidate message transmission media to present as a transmission method candidate.

[0071] Information on the transmission method selected from the candidate transmission methods includes information indicating a transmission method that specifies the type of message (for example, information indicating a method of sending by text, or information indicating a method of sending by voice). In other words, information on the selected transmission method includes information on the type of message to be sent (for example, information indicating text, or information indicating voice). Information on the selected transmission method may further include information indicating the medium of message transmission (for example, information indicating email, or information indicating chat in a chat system, etc.). Information indicating the medium of message transmission may include information indicating telephone. Information on the selected transmission method transmitted from the terminal device to the message transmission device 100 may include a combination of information on the type of message to be sent and information indicating the medium of message transmission.

[0072] <Information storage section 190> The information storage unit 190 stores destination information for people using telephones under the management of the message transmission device 100. For example, the information storage unit 190 stores a combination of information identifying the person using a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 100, the person's telephone number, and destination information for each person using a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 100. The information identifying the person may be, for example, a name, an identifier (e.g., employee number), or a combination thereof. The information identifying the person is not limited to these examples. The person's telephone number may be, for example, a telephone number registered as the telephone number used by that person. The information storage unit 190 may store multiple telephone numbers as the person's telephone number. The destination information may be, for example, at least one of an email address or a chat system account. The destination information may also include the telephone number of the telephone to which the voice message will be sent.

[0073] <Selection and Receipt Section 160> The Select Receiving Unit 160 receives information on the receiving method selected from the receiving method candidates presented by the Receiving Candidate Presentation Unit 150 from the originating terminal device. As described above, the receiving method is a method for receiving a message intended for a recipient from the originating terminal device. When the Select Receiving Unit 160 receives information on the receiving method, it sets the receiving method indicated by the received information on the receiving method as the receiving method for the receiving unit 130 to receive the message from the originating terminal device. Specifically, the Select Receiving Unit 160 sets the type of message (e.g., text or audio) that the receiving unit 130 will receive as the type indicated by the message type information indicated by the receiving method. If the received information on the receiving method includes a combination of message type information and information indicating the message receiving medium, the Select Receiving Unit 160 sets the type of message that the receiving unit 130 will receive as the type indicated by the message type information indicated by the receiving method. The Select Receiving Unit 160 further sets the receiving medium that the receiving unit 130 will use to receive the message as the message receiving medium indicated by the received information on the receiving method.

[0074] The selection and receiving unit 160 receives information on the transmission method selected from the transmission method candidates presented by the transmission candidate presentation unit 151 from the terminal device to which the transmission method candidate was presented by the transmission candidate presentation unit 151.

[0075] The selection receiving unit 160 receives information on the transmission method from the originating terminal device (i.e., the originating terminal device) if the receiving phone is not accepting incoming calls. In this case, the person to be set is the person to whom the receiving phone's phone number is assigned. The selection receiving unit 160 sets the transmission method indicated by the received transmission method information as the method for sending a message to the person to whom the receiving phone's phone number is assigned.

[0076] The selection and receiving unit 160 may receive information about the transmission method from the terminal device that sent the transmission method setting request (i.e., the terminal device that was presented with a list of transmission method candidates in response to the transmission method setting request). If the transmission method setting request does not include information indicating the person to whom the setting is to be made, the selection and receiving unit 160 sets the transmission method indicated by the received transmission method information as the method for sending a message to the person registered as the user of the terminal device that sent the transmission method information. If the transmission method setting request includes information indicating the person to whom the setting should be made, the selection and receiving unit 160 sets the transmission method indicated by the received transmission method information as the method for sending a message to the person to whom the setting should be made as indicated by the transmission method setting request.

[0077] Specifically, the selection and reception unit 160 sets the type of message (e.g., text or voice) that the transmission control unit 140 controls to transmit to the type indicated by the message type information of the transmission method. If the received transmission method information includes a combination of message type information and information indicating the transmission medium for the message, the selection and reception unit 160 similarly sets the type of message that the transmission control unit 140 controls to transmit to the type indicated by the message type information of the transmission method. The selection and reception unit 160 further sets the transmission medium used by the transmission control unit 140 to transmit the message that the transmission control unit 140 controls to the transmission medium of the message indicated by the received transmission method information.

[0078] <Receiving section 130> As described above, if the receiving telephone is not accepting incoming calls, the receiving unit 130 receives the message from the originating terminal device to the recipient using the selected receiving method. The selected receiving unit 160 sets the selected receiving method, which is the receiving method selected by the person using the originating terminal device, as the receiving method for which the receiving unit 130 receives messages.

[0079] The receiving unit 130 may obtain a message of the type indicated by the selected receiving method information (e.g., text or voice) from the originating terminal device via a pre-configured receiving medium (e.g., email or chat). If the selected receiving method information includes information about the receiving medium, the receiving unit 130 may obtain a message of the type indicated by the selected receiving method information from the originating terminal device via the receiving medium indicated by the selected receiving method information.

[0080] <Transmission Control Unit 140> The transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of a message to the recipient. In this embodiment, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of a message to the recipient according to the set method for sending the message. The transmission control unit 140 in this embodiment is the same as the transmission control unit 140 in the first embodiment, except that the method for sending the message is the set method for sending the message.

[0081] The transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of a message of the type indicated by the information on the method of sending the message (e.g., text or voice) to the recipient via a predetermined transmission medium (e.g., email or chat). If the information on the method of sending the message includes information on the transmission medium, the transmission control unit 140 may also control the transmission of a message of the type indicated by the information on the method of sending the message to the recipient via the transmission medium indicated by the information on the method of sending the message.

[0082] <Operation> Next, the operation of the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0083] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device related to this disclosure.

[0084] Below, an example of the operation of a message transmission device according to the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 4.

[0085] The operation illustrated in Figure 4 is initiated when the telephone reception unit 110 receives a request to connect a telephone to a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 100.

[0086] First, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S101). If the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (YES in step S102), the message transmission device 100 terminates the operation shown in Figure 4. In this case, the telephone reception unit 110 performs the process of calling the telephone receiving the call that received the connection request (in other words, the process of attempting to connect to the telephone receiving the call).

[0087] If the receiving phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls (NO in step S102), that is, if the receiving phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the message sending device 100 presents candidate methods for receiving the message and candidate methods for sending the message (step S103). Specifically in step S103, the receiving candidate presentation unit 150 presents candidate methods for receiving the message to the originating terminal device. The sending candidate presentation unit 151 also presents candidate methods for sending the message to the originating terminal device.

[0088] Next, the selection receiving unit 160 receives the selected receiving method and the selected transmission method (step S104). Specifically, the selection receiving unit 160 receives information representing the selected receiving method and information representing the selected transmission method.

[0089] Next, the receiving unit 130 receives the message from the caller's terminal device to the recipient according to the selected receiving method (step S105). Then, the transmission control unit 140 controls the transmission of the message to the recipient according to the selected transmission method (step S106).

[0090] <Effects> The embodiment described above has the same effects as the first embodiment, for the same reason that the effects of the first embodiment occur.

[0091] <First modified example of the second embodiment> For example, a telephone number assigned to a department or group within an organization can be said to be a telephone number assigned to multiple people belonging to that department or group. In other words, such a telephone number can be said to be a telephone number shared by multiple people. The recipients of a call to a telephone assigned to such a telephone number can be said to be multiple people belonging to the department or group that uses that telephone.

[0092] If such a telephone is not in a state to receive incoming calls, the message may be sent to a recipient assigned to a department or group. Examples of recipients assigned to a department or group include a mailing list of people belonging to the department or group, a collection of email addresses of people belonging to the department or group, or a group of people belonging to the department or group in a chat system.

[0093] This modification can also be applied to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0094] <Second modified example of the second embodiment> The message sending device 100 does not need to control incoming phone calls. In this case, the message sending device 100 may be integrated into a server that controls incoming phone calls. The message sending device 100 may be communicatively connected to a server that controls incoming phone calls. The message sending device 100 is configured to access telephones (e.g., softphones) under its management.

[0095] Furthermore, the telephone reception unit 110 may not control incoming calls, but rather detect incoming calls to telephones under the management of the message transmission device 100 on a server that controls incoming calls. The message transmission device 100 may start the operation shown in Figure 4 when the telephone reception unit 110 detects an incoming call to a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 100.

[0096] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0097] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to this disclosure.

[0098] In the following section, an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to the third embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5.

[0099] In the example shown in Figure 5, the message transmission device 101 includes a telephone reception unit 110, a status determination unit 120, a receiving unit 130, a transmission control unit 140, a receiving candidate presentation unit 150, a transmission candidate presentation unit 151, a selection receiving unit 160, a transfer control unit 170, and an information storage unit 190. The telephone reception unit 110, status determination unit 120, receiving unit 130, transmission control unit 140, receiving candidate presentation unit 150, transmission candidate presentation unit 151, selection receiving unit 160, and information storage unit 190 in this embodiment are the same as the components in the second embodiment, which are assigned the same names and reference numerals, except for the differences described below. The message transmission device 101 in this embodiment is the same as the message transmission device 100 in the second embodiment, except for the differences described below. The description of the message transmission device 101 in this embodiment is the same as the description of the message transmission device 100 in the second embodiment, except for the differences in the following description, where the message transmission device 100 is read as the message transmission device 101.

[0100] <Information storage section 190> The information storage unit 190 further stores information about telephone numbers used by persons to whom the telephone numbers of telephones under the management of the message transmission device 101 have been assigned. In this embodiment, the information storage unit 190 stores information about multiple telephone numbers for each person (in other words, information about multiple telephone numbers for one person) as information about telephone numbers used by persons to whom the telephone numbers of telephones under the management of the message transmission device 101 have been assigned. The telephone number assigned to a telephone is the telephone number used to call that telephone. The telephone number assigned to a person is the telephone number designated as the telephone number used by that person (i.e., the telephone number of the telephone used by that person).

[0101] <State determination unit 120> As described above, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone to which the telephone received by the telephone reception unit 110 is located is in a state to accept incoming calls. In this embodiment, if the telephone to which the telephone is located is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the status determination unit 120 identifies other telephone numbers assigned to the person to whom the telephone is located. In other words, if the telephone to which the telephone is located is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the status determination unit 120 identifies a telephone number from among the numbers assigned to the person to whom the telephone is located that is different from the telephone number of the telephone to which the telephone is located as "other telephone numbers". The telephone to which the identified other telephone number is located is referred to as "other telephones". The status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone to which the identified other telephone number is located is in a state to accept incoming calls. The telephone number assigned to a person is the telephone number assigned to the telephone used by that person. The telephone to which the telephone number assigned to a person is located is the telephone used by that person. The telephone to which the identified other telephone number is located can be rephrased as "other telephones used by the person to whom the call is located".

[0102] The method for identifying other phone numbers from among the multiple phone numbers assigned to the person receiving the call, excluding the phone number assigned to the phone that has been determined not to be in a state to receive incoming calls, may be determined as appropriate. The state determination unit 120 may randomly select other phone numbers from among the multiple phone numbers assigned to the person receiving the call, excluding the phone number assigned to the phone that has been determined not to be in a state to receive incoming calls.

[0103] <Transfer Control Unit 170> If a telephone with another identified telephone number is in a state to accept incoming calls, the call forwarding control unit 170 forwards the call received by the call receiving unit 110 to the telephone with the other telephone number.

[0104] <Receipt candidate presentation section 150> The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may present the calling terminal device with a list of receiving method candidates, which are candidates for how to receive a message from the calling terminal device, if neither the telephone to which the call will be received nor the telephone to which the identified telephone number is assigned is in a state to receive incoming calls.

[0105] <Transmission candidate display unit 151> The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 presents the call originator terminal device with a list of transmission method candidates, which are options for how to send a message to the person receiving the call, if neither the phone to which the call is being received nor the phone to which the identified phone number is assigned is in a state to receive incoming calls.

[0106] <Receiving section 130> The receiving unit 130 receives a message from the caller's terminal device to the recipient, according to the selected receiving method, when neither the phone to which the call is being received nor the phone to which the identified phone number is assigned is in a state to receive incoming calls.

[0107] <Operation> Next, an example of operation of a third embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0108] Figures 6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating an example of the operation of the message transmission device according to this disclosure.

[0109] Below, an example of the operation of a message transmission device according to the third embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

[0110] The operation illustrated in Figure 6 is initiated when the telephone reception unit 110 receives a request to connect a telephone to a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 101.

[0111] First, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S101). If the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (YES in step S102), the message transmission device 101 terminates the operation shown in Figure 6. In this case, the telephone reception unit 110 performs the process of calling the telephone receiving the call that received the connection request (in other words, the process of attempting to connect to the telephone receiving the call).

[0112] If the recipient's phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls (NO in step S102), that is, if the recipient's phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the state determination unit 120 identifies another phone number used by the recipient and then determines whether or not that other phone used by the recipient is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S111). The other phone used by the recipient is the phone to which the identified other phone number used by the recipient is assigned.

[0113] If another phone used by the person receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (YES in step S112), the call transfer control unit 170 transfers the call to the other phone used by the person receiving the call that has been determined to be in a state to accept incoming calls (step S113).

[0114] If the other telephone used by the person receiving the call is not in a state to receive incoming calls (NO in step S112), the message transmission device 101 performs the operation shown in Figure 7.

[0115] In the example shown in Figure 7, the message transmission device 101 performs the operations from step S103 to step S106. The operations from step S103 to step S106 shown in Figure 7 are the same as the operations from S103 to step S106 shown in Figure 4. In steps S103 to S106, the message transmission device 101 performs the same operations as the message transmission device 100 of the second embodiment performs from step S103 to step S106 shown in Figure 4.

[0116] <Effects> This embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment. The reason for this is the same as the reason for the effects of the first embodiment.

[0117] <Modified form of the third embodiment> The information storage unit 190 stores information on multiple telephone numbers for each person (in other words, information on multiple telephone numbers for one person) as telephone number information used by the person to whom the telephone number of the telephone under the management of the message transmission device 101 is assigned.

[0118] In this modified example, each telephone number assigned to a person who is assigned a telephone number under the management of the message sending device 101 may be assigned a priority order for that person.

[0119] The state determination unit 120, similar to the state determination unit 120 of the third embodiment, determines whether or not the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0120] The modified state determination unit 120 identifies the phone number with the highest assigned priority from among the multiple phone numbers assigned to the person receiving the call, excluding the phone number assigned to the phone that has been determined not to be in a state to receive calls. The state determination unit 120 identifies the identified phone number as one of the other phone numbers mentioned above.

[0121] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0122] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to this disclosure.

[0123] Below, an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5.

[0124] In the example shown in Figure 5, the message transmission device 101 includes a telephone reception unit 110, a status determination unit 120, a receiving unit 130, a transmission control unit 140, a receiving candidate presentation unit 150, a transmission candidate presentation unit 151, a selection receiving unit 160, a transfer control unit 170, and an information storage unit 190. Each component of this embodiment is the same as the component with the same name and reference numerals as the component in the third embodiment, except for the differences described below. The message transmission device 101 of this embodiment is the same as the message transmission device 101 of the third embodiment, except for the differences described below. The description of the message transmission device 101 of this embodiment is the same as the description of the message transmission device 101 of the third embodiment, except for the differences described below.

[0125] <Information storage section 190> The information storage unit 190 stores information on multiple telephone numbers for each person (in other words, information on multiple telephone numbers for one person) as telephone number information used by persons to whom telephone numbers of telephones under the management of the message transmission device 101 are assigned. The information storage unit 190 in this embodiment is the same as the information storage unit 190 in the modified example of the third embodiment of this disclosure.

[0126] In this embodiment, similar to the modification of the third embodiment of this disclosure, each telephone number assigned to a person to whom a telephone number under the management of the message transmission device 101 is assigned may be assigned a priority order for each person. In this embodiment, the priority order is predetermined.

[0127] <State determination unit 120> The state determination unit 120, similar to the state determination unit 120 of the third embodiment, determines whether or not the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0128] In this embodiment, the status determination unit 120 identifies the telephone number assigned to the person receiving the call if the telephone receiving the call is not in a state to accept incoming calls. The telephone to which the telephone number assigned to the person receiving the call is assigned is referred to as the assigned telephone. The status determination unit 120 determines whether each of the telephones to which the telephone number assigned to the person receiving the call is assigned is in a state to accept incoming calls. In other words, the status determination unit 120 identifies the assigned telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls. At that time, the status determination unit 120 may also determine whether each of the telephones to which telephone numbers other than those assigned to the telephone determined not to be in a state to accept incoming calls is assigned is in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0129] <Transfer Control Unit 170> The call forwarding control unit 170 identifies the assigned telephone with the highest priority among the assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls, if there are assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls. The process of identifying the assigned telephone with the highest priority among the assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls, if there are assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls, is referred to as the identification process.

[0130] The call forwarding control unit 170 forwards the call to the destination phone to the assigned phone with the highest priority, which has been identified. The process of forwarding the call to the destination phone to the assigned phone with the highest priority, which has been identified, is referred to as the call forwarding process.

[0131] The call forwarding control unit 170 determines whether the assigned telephone to which the call was forwarded entered a call state within a predetermined time after the call was forwarded. The process of determining whether the assigned telephone to which the call was forwarded entered a call state within a predetermined time after the call was forwarded is referred to as the determination process.

[0132] If the assigned phone to which the call was forwarded becomes in use within a predetermined time after the call is forwarded, the call forwarding control unit 170 will not forward the call further to the recipient.

[0133] If the assigned phone to which the call was forwarded does not become active within a predetermined time after the call is forwarded, the call forwarding control unit 170 removes the assigned phone that did not become active within a predetermined time after the call was forwarded from the list of assigned phones that are ready to receive incoming calls. The process of removing an assigned phone that did not become active within a predetermined time after the call was forwarded from the list of assigned phones that are ready to receive incoming calls is referred to as the exclusion process.

[0134] The call forwarding control unit 170 repeats the process of identifying, forwarding, determining, and excluding calls from the remaining assigned telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls, until the assigned telephone to which the call was forwarded becomes engaged or there are no more assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls. The call forwarding control unit 170 terminates the repetition of identifying, forwarding, determining, and excluding calls from the remaining assigned telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls when the assigned telephone to which the call was forwarded becomes engaged, or when there are no more assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0135] <Receipt candidate presentation section 150> The receiving candidate presentation unit 150 may present the calling terminal device with a list of receiving method candidates, which are candidates for how to receive the message from the calling terminal device, if the telephone at the receiving end of the call is not in a state to accept incoming calls, and there are no assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls as described above. The case where there are no assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls includes the case where all assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls have been excluded by the exclusion process described above and no longer exist.

[0136] <Transmission candidate display unit 151> The transmission candidate presentation unit 151 presents the call originating terminal device with a list of transmission method candidates, which are options for how to send a message to the person receiving the call, when the telephone at the recipient's end is not in a state to accept incoming calls, and there are no assigned telephones in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0137] <Receiving section 130> The receiving unit 130 receives a message from the caller's terminal device to the recipient, according to the selected receiving method, when the receiving phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, and there is no assigned phone in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0138] <Operation> Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0139] Figures 8 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating examples of the operation of the message transmission device according to this disclosure.

[0140] Below, an example of the operation of a message transmission device according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figures 8 and 7.

[0141] The operation illustrated in Figure 8 is initiated when the telephone reception unit 110 receives a request to connect a telephone to a telephone under the management of the message transmission device 101.

[0142] First, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S101). If the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (YES in step S102), the message transmission device 101 terminates the operation shown in Figure 8. In this case, the telephone reception unit 110 performs the process of calling the telephone receiving the call that received the connection request (in other words, the process of attempting to connect to the telephone receiving the call).

[0143] If the recipient's phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls (NO in step S102), that is, if the recipient's phone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, the message sending device 101 performs a call forwarding process (step S121). The call forwarding process will be explained in detail later.

[0144] If the transfer process is successful (YES in step S122), that is, if the assigned telephone to which the call to the destination was transferred becomes connected within a predetermined time after the call to the destination is transferred, the message transmission device 101 terminates the operation shown in Figure 8.

[0145] If the transfer is unsuccessful (NO in step S122), that is, if there are no assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls, the message transmission device 101 performs the operation shown in Figure 7. Note that if there are no assigned telephones ready to receive incoming calls, this includes the case where all assigned telephones ready to receive incoming calls have been excluded by the exclusion process described above, and there are no longer any.

[0146] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the assignment process for the message transmission device related to this disclosure.

[0147] In the following section, an example of the operation of the assignment process of the message transmission device 101 according to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 9.

[0148] In the example shown in Figure 9, first, the status determination unit 120 determines whether the assigned telephone to the person receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls (step S131). In step S131, the status determination unit 120 identifies the assigned telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls. The status determination unit 120 may then determine whether each of the telephones to which telephones other than those assigned to telephones that have been determined not to be in a state to accept incoming calls are in a state to accept incoming calls.

[0149] If there are no assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls (NO in step S132), the message transmission device 101 terminates the assignment process shown in Figure 9.

[0150] If there is an assigned telephone that is ready to receive incoming calls (YES in step S132), the call forwarding control unit 170 selects the assigned telephone with the highest priority among the assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls as the forwarding destination (step S133). The call forwarding control unit 170 then forwards the call to the forwarding destination (step S134). The call forwarding control unit 170 forwards the call to the incoming destination to the forwarding destination. The call forwarding control unit 170 then determines whether the forwarding destination became available for a call within a predetermined time after the forwarding (step S135).

[0151] If the recipient becomes available for a call within a predetermined time after the transfer (YES in step S136), the message transmission device 101 terminates the assignment process shown in Figure 9.

[0152] If the forwarding destination does not become available for a call within a predetermined time after the call is forwarded (NO in step S136), the message transmission device 101 removes the forwarding destination that did not become available for a call within a predetermined time after the call is forwarded from the assigned telephones that are ready to receive incoming calls (step S137). The forwarding control unit 170 then repeats the operations from step S133 onward.

[0153] <Effects> This embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment. The reason for this is the same as the reason for the effects of the first embodiment.

[0154] <Modified form of the fourth embodiment> Modifications of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure are identical to the fourth embodiment of this disclosure, except for the differences described below.

[0155] In the fourth embodiment, the priority order of telephone numbers (in other words, the priority order of telephones) is predetermined.

[0156] In a modified version of the fourth embodiment, priority is determined using information from the call status history. The call status history will be described in detail later.

[0157] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to this disclosure.

[0158] In the following section, an example of the configuration of a message transmission device according to a modification of the fourth embodiment of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to Figure 10.

[0159] In the example shown in Figure 10, the message transmission device 102 according to this modified example includes, in addition to all the components of the message transmission device 101 of the fourth embodiment, a priority determination unit 180 and a history acquisition unit 191. Except for the differences described below, the components of the message transmission device 102, excluding the priority determination unit 180 and the history acquisition unit 191, are the same as the components of the message transmission device 101, having the same names and reference numerals.

[0160] <History acquisition unit 191> The history acquisition unit 191 stores in the information storage unit 190, as a history of incoming calls, whether a call to a telephone assigned a telephone number under the management of the message transmission device 102 became a call or not. A call to a telephone includes calls where the destination telephone number is the telephone number assigned to that telephone, and calls forwarded to that telephone where the destination telephone number is different from the telephone number assigned to that telephone.

[0161] The call history includes information representing the number of times a call to each telephone assigned a telephone number under the management of the message transmission device 102 has been in a call state. The call history may further include information representing the number of times a call has been made to each telephone assigned a telephone number under the management of the message transmission device 102.

[0162] The call history may specifically include, for each call to a telephone (i.e., incoming and forwarded), a combination of the telephone number from which the call or forwarding occurred and information indicating whether or not the telephone to which that telephone number is assigned became active. The call history may also include information on the time when the call or forwarding occurred to the telephone. The call history may also include information on the time when the call or forwarding occurred to the telephone and the time when the telephone became active for an incoming or forwarded call in which the telephone became active. The call history may also include information on the length of time from the time the call or forwarding occurred to the time when the telephone became active for an incoming or forwarded call in which the telephone became active.

[0163] <Information storage section 190> The information storage unit 190 further stores the history information of the incoming call status described above.

[0164] <Priority Determination Unit 180> The priority determination unit 180 determines the priority using information on the number of times each assigned telephone has been in use for each person to whom a telephone number under the management of the message transmission device 102 has been assigned. The priority determination unit 180 determines the priority for each person. In other words, the priority determination unit 180 determines the priority of each assigned telephone for a given person, independently of the priority of each assigned telephone for another person.

[0165] The priority determination unit 180 may determine the priority of each assigned telephone so that the more times an assigned telephone receives an incoming call and a call is forwarded to it (in other words, a call received by an assigned telephone and a call forwarded to that assigned telephone) becomes a busy signal, the higher the priority of that assigned telephone. The priority determination unit 180 may determine the priority of each assigned telephone so that the more times an assigned telephone becomes a busy signal within a predetermined time frame after an incoming call or call is forwarded to it, the higher the priority of that assigned telephone. The priority determination unit 180 may determine the priority of each assigned telephone so that the higher the ratio of the number of times an incoming call and a call forwarded to an assigned telephone became a busy signal to the total number of incoming calls and call forwardings to that assigned telephone, the higher the priority of that assigned telephone. The priority determination unit 180 may determine the priority of each assigned telephone so that the higher the ratio of the number of times an assigned telephone becomes a busy signal within a predetermined time frame after an incoming call or call is forwarded to it, relative to the total number of incoming calls and call forwardings to that assigned telephone.

[0166] <Other Embodiments> A message transmission device according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by a computer including a memory loaded with a program read from a storage medium and a processor that executes the program. A message transmission device according to the embodiments of this disclosure can also be implemented by dedicated hardware. A message transmission device according to the embodiments of this disclosure can also be implemented by a combination of the aforementioned computer and dedicated hardware.

[0167] Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1000 that can implement a message transmission device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 11, the computer 1000 includes a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage device 1003, and an I / O (Input / Output) interface 1004. The computer 1000 can also access a storage medium 1005. The memory 1002 and the storage device 1003 are, for example, storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and hard disks. The storage medium 1005 is, for example, a storage device such as RAM and hard disks, ROM (Read Only Memory), and a portable storage medium. The storage device 1003 may also be the storage medium 1005. The processor 1001 can read and write data and programs to the memory 1002 and the storage device 1003. The processor 1001 can access, for example, a telephone under the management of the message transmission device according to an embodiment of this disclosure via the I / O interface 1004. The processor 1001 can access the storage medium 1005. The storage medium 1005 stores a program that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a message transmission device according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0168] The processor 1001 loads a program stored in the storage medium 1005 into the memory 1002 that causes the computer 1000 to operate as a message transmission device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. The processor 1001 then executes the program loaded into the memory 1002, causing the computer 1000 to operate as a message transmission device according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0169] The telephone reception unit 110, status determination unit 120, receiving unit 130, transmission control unit 140, receiving candidate presentation unit 150, transmission candidate presentation unit 151, selection receiving unit 160, transfer control unit 170, priority determination unit 180, and history acquisition unit 191 can be implemented, for example, by a processor 1001 that executes a program loaded into memory 1002. The information storage unit 190 can be implemented by a storage device 1003 such as memory 1002 included in the computer 1000 or a hard disk drive. Some or all of the telephone reception unit 110, status determination unit 120, receiving unit 130, transmission control unit 140, receiving candidate presentation unit 150, transmission candidate presentation unit 151, selection receiving unit 160, transfer control unit 170, priority determination unit 180, information storage unit 190, and history acquisition unit 191 can be implemented by dedicated circuits that implement those functions.

[0170] Furthermore, some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following.

[0171] (Note 1) A state determination means for determining whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls, If the aforementioned telephone at the receiving end is not accepting incoming calls, the receiving means receives a message from the originating terminal device of the telephone to the person at the receiving end, according to the selected receiving method. A transmission control means that controls the sending of the message to the recipient person, A message transmission device equipped with the following features.

[0172] (Note 2) The system includes a receiving candidate presentation means that presents a list of receiving method candidates, which are candidates for how to receive the message from the calling terminal, to the calling terminal, which is the terminal device of the calling telephone. The receiving means receives from the originating terminal information indicating the method of receiving selected from the candidates as information indicating the selected receiving method. The receiving means receives the message by the selected receiving method. The message transmission device described in Appendix 1.

[0173] (Note 3) The system includes a transmission method suggestion means that suggests a list of transmission method suggestions, which are candidates for the method of sending the message to the recipient. The receiving means receives information indicating a selected transmission method, which is the transmission method selected from the candidate transmission methods. The transmission control means performs control to transmit the message according to the selected transmission method. A message transmitting device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0174] (Note 4) The aforementioned candidate receiving methods include receiving data in the form of text and receiving data in the form of audio. The receiving means receives text data as the message if the selected receiving method is text data, and receives audio data if the selected receiving method is audio data, and generates the message, which is text data, from the received audio data by speech recognition. The message transmission device described in Appendix 2.

[0175] (Note 5) If the destination is a group of multiple people, the transmission control means transmits the destination of the message to the destination associated with the group. A message transmitting device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0176] (Note 6) The state determination means determines whether, if the telephone at the receiving end is not in a state to accept incoming calls, another telephone used by the person at the receiving end is in a state to accept incoming calls. The message transmitting device is If any of the other telephones is in a state to accept incoming calls, a call forwarding control means forwards the call to the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls. Furthermore, If the aforementioned other telephone is not in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving means receives the message from the terminal device of the originating telephone call to the person receiving the call. The transmission control means performs control to send the message to the recipient person. A message transmitting device as described in Appendix 1 or 2.

[0177] (Note 7) Priority is assigned to each of the assigned telephones, which are telephones that are assigned to be used by the person receiving the call, including the telephone of the recipient and the other telephones. The transfer control means repeatedly performs the following actions from the other telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls: selecting the other telephone with the highest assigned priority as the destination for the call; transferring the call to the selected destination; determining whether the destination becomes on call within a predetermined time from the transfer; and excluding the destination that did not become on call within the predetermined time from the other telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls, until the destination becomes on call within a predetermined time from the transfer, or until there are no more other telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls. If there are no other telephones that are in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving means receives the message from the terminal device of the originating telephone call to the person receiving the call. The transmission control means performs control to send the message to the recipient person. The message transmission device described in Appendix 6.

[0178] (Note 8) Priority determination means that determines the priority so that the higher the ratio of the number of times a call was established within a predetermined time from the incoming call or transfer to the total number of incoming and transferred calls for each of the assigned telephones, the higher the priority. A message transmission device as described in Appendix 7, further comprising the features described therein.

[0179] (Note 9) Priority determination means that determines the priority so that the more times each of the assigned telephones has entered a call state within a predetermined time after receiving or transferring an incoming call, the higher the priority. A message transmission device as described in Appendix 8, further comprising the above.

[0180] (Note 10) The aforementioned candidate transmission method includes transmission by text data and transmission by voice. The transmission control means, when the selected transmission method is transmission by text data, controls the transmission of the message to the receiving terminal device, which is a terminal device used by the recipient person, and when the selected transmission method is transmission by voice, controls the transmission control to generate voice data representing the message and to transmit the generated voice data to the receiving terminal device. The message transmission device described in Appendix 3.

[0181] (Note 11) Determine whether the phone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls. If the aforementioned telephone at the recipient's location is not accepting incoming calls, the selected receiving method will be used to receive a message from the originating terminal device of the telephone to the person at the recipient's location. Control is performed to send the message to the person who is the recipient. How to send a message.

[0182] (Note 12) The calling terminal, which is the terminal device of the originating telephone call, is presented with a list of possible receiving methods, which are candidates for how to receive the message from the calling terminal. The originating terminal receives information indicating the method of receiving selected from the candidates as information indicating the selected receiving method. The message is received by the aforementioned selective receiving method. Message sending method as described in Appendix 11.

[0183] (Note 13) The system presents candidate sending methods, which are candidates for sending the message to the recipient. Receiving information indicating the selected transmission method, which is the transmission method selected from the aforementioned transmission method candidates, The transmission of the message is controlled by the aforementioned selective transmission method. The message sending method described in Appendix 11 or 12.

[0184] (Note 14) The aforementioned candidate receiving methods include receiving data in the form of text and receiving data in the form of audio. If the selection and reception method is reception by text data, the text data is received as the message; if the selection and reception method is reception by voice, voice data is received; and the message, which is text data, is generated from the received voice data by speech recognition. Message sending method as described in Appendix 12.

[0185] (Note 15) If the recipient is a group of multiple people, the message is sent to the recipients associated with the group. The message sending method described in Appendix 11 or 12.

[0186] (Note 16) If the aforementioned telephone at the recipient's address is not in a state to accept incoming calls, it is determined whether another telephone used by the person at the recipient's address is in a state to accept incoming calls. If any of the other telephones is in a state to accept incoming calls, the call will be forwarded to the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls. If the aforementioned other telephone is not in a state to receive incoming calls, The terminal device of the originating telephone receives the message from the person receiving the call. Control is performed to send the message to the person who is the recipient. The message sending method described in Appendix 11 or 12.

[0187] (Note 17) Priority is assigned to each of the assigned telephones, which are telephones that are assigned to be used by the person receiving the call, including the telephone of the recipient and the other telephones. The process of selecting the other telephone with the highest assigned priority as the call forwarding destination from the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls, forwarding the call to the selected forwarding destination, determining whether the forwarding destination will be in a call state within a predetermined time from the forwarding, and removing the forwarding destination that was not in a call state within the predetermined time from the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls, is repeated until the forwarding destination becomes in a call state within a predetermined time from the forwarding, or until there are no other telephones in a state to accept incoming calls. If there are no other telephones that are in a state to receive incoming calls, The terminal device of the originating telephone receives the message from the person receiving the call. Control is performed to send the message to the person who is the recipient. Message sending method as described in Appendix 16.

[0188] (Note 18) The priority is determined such that the higher the ratio of the number of times a call was established within a predetermined time after an incoming or forwarded call, relative to the total number of incoming and forwarded calls for each of the assigned telephones, the higher the priority. Message sending method as described in Appendix 17.

[0189] (Note 19) The priority is determined such that the more times each of the assigned telephones has entered a call state within a predetermined time after receiving or transferring an incoming call, the higher the priority. Message sending method as described in Appendix 18.

[0190] (Note 20) The aforementioned candidate transmission method includes transmission by text data and transmission by voice. If the selected transmission method is transmission by text data, control is performed to send the message to the recipient terminal device, which is a terminal device used by the recipient person. If the selected transmission method is transmission by voice, control is performed to generate voice data representing the message and to send the generated voice data to the recipient terminal device. Message sending method as described in Appendix 13.

[0191] (Note 21) A state determination process that determines whether the phone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls, If the aforementioned telephone at the receiving end is not accepting incoming calls, a receiving process is performed to receive a message from the originating terminal device of the telephone to the person at the receiving end, according to the selected receiving method. A transmission control process that controls the sending of the message to the recipient, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

[0192] (Note 22) The aforementioned program, The computer is instructed to perform a receiving candidate presentation process, which presents a list of receiving method candidates, which are candidates for how to receive the message from the calling terminal, to the calling terminal, which is the terminal device of the calling telephone. The aforementioned receiving process receives from the originating terminal information indicating the method of receiving selected from the candidates, as information indicating the selected receiving method. The aforementioned receiving process receives the message according to the selected receiving method. The program described in Appendix 21.

[0193] (Note 23) The aforementioned program, The computer is instructed to perform a transmission method suggestion process, which presents a list of possible transmission methods for sending the message to the recipient. The aforementioned receiving process involves receiving information indicating the selected transmission method, which is the transmission method selected from the candidate transmission methods. The transmission control process performs the transmission of the message using the selected transmission method. The program described in Appendix 21 or 22.

[0194] (Note 24) The aforementioned candidate receiving methods include receiving data in the form of text and receiving data in the form of audio. The receiving process, if the selected receiving method is receiving as text data, receives text data as the message; if the selected receiving method is receiving as voice, receives voice data; and generates the message, which is text data, from the received voice data by speech recognition. The program described in Appendix 22.

[0195] (Note 25) If the destination is a group of people, the transmission control process sends the destination of the message to the destination associated with the group. The program described in Appendix 21 or 22.

[0196] (Note 26) The state determination process determines whether, if the recipient's telephone is not in a state to accept incoming calls, another telephone used by the recipient is in a state to accept incoming calls. The aforementioned computer, If any of the other telephones is in a state to accept incoming calls, a call forwarding control process is performed to forward the call to the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls. Further, have the computer execute it, If the aforementioned other telephone is not in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving process involves receiving the message from the terminal device of the originating telephone call to the person receiving the call. The transmission control process performs the control to send the message to the recipient person. The program described in Appendix 21 or 22.

[0197] (Note 27) Priority is assigned to each of the assigned telephones, which are telephones that are assigned to be used by the person receiving the call, including the telephone of the recipient and the other telephones. The transfer control process involves selecting the other telephone with the highest assigned priority from the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls as the destination for the call, transferring the call to the selected destination, determining whether the destination will be in a call state within a predetermined time from the transfer, and removing the destination that did not become in a call state within the predetermined time from the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls, and repeating this until the destination becomes in a call state within a predetermined time from the transfer, or until there are no more other telephones in a state to accept incoming calls. If there are no other telephones that are in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving process involves receiving the message from the terminal device of the originating telephone call to the person receiving the call. The transmission control process performs the control to send the message to the recipient person. The program described in Appendix 26.

[0198] (Note 28) Priority determination process that determines the priority so that the higher the ratio of the number of times a call was established within a predetermined time from the incoming call or transfer to the total number of incoming and transferred calls for each of the assigned telephones, the higher the priority. The program described in Appendix 27 is further executed by the computer.

[0199] (Note 29) Priority determination process for each of the assigned telephones, such that the more times a call has been initiated within a predetermined time frame after an incoming call or transfer, the higher the priority. The program described in Appendix 28 is further executed by the computer.

[0200] (Note 30) The aforementioned candidate transmission method includes transmission by text data and transmission by voice. The transmission control process, when the selected transmission method is transmission by text data, controls the transmission of the message to the receiving terminal device, which is a terminal device used by the recipient person; when the selected transmission method is transmission by voice, controls the transmission of voice data representing the message and the generated voice data to be transmitted to the receiving terminal device. The program described in Appendix 23.

[0201] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0202] 10 Message Transmitter 100 Message Transmitter 101 Message Transmitter 102 Message Transmitter 110 Telephone reception 120 State determination unit 130 Receiving Section 140 Transmission Control Unit 150 Recipient Candidate Presentation Section 151 Transmission candidate presentation section 160 Selection and Receiving Section 170 Transfer Control Unit 180 Priority Determination Unit 190 Information storage section 191 History Acquisition Unit 1000 computers 1001 Processor 1002 memory 1003 Storage device 1004 I / O Interface 1005 Storage medium

Claims

1. A state determination means for determining whether the telephone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls, If the aforementioned telephone at the receiving end is not accepting incoming calls, the receiving means receives a message from the originating terminal of the telephone to the person at the receiving end, according to the selected receiving method. A transmission control means that controls the sending of the message to the recipient person, A message transmission device equipped with the following features.

2. The system includes a receiving candidate presentation means that presents a receiving method candidate, which is a candidate method for receiving the message from the calling terminal, to the calling terminal, which is the terminal device of the calling telephone. The receiving means receives from the originating terminal information indicating the method of receiving selected from the candidates as information indicating the selected receiving method. The receiving means receives the message by the selected receiving method. The message transmitting device according to claim 1.

3. The system includes a transmission method suggestion means that suggests a list of transmission method suggestions, which are candidates for the method of sending the message to the recipient. The receiving means receives information indicating a selected transmission method, which is the transmission method selected from the candidate transmission methods. The transmission control means performs control to transmit the message according to the selected transmission method. The message transmitting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned candidate receiving methods include receiving data in the form of text and receiving data in the form of audio. The receiving means receives text data as the message if the selected receiving method is the text data receiving method, receives audio data if the selected receiving method is the audio receiving method, and generates the message, which is text data, from the received audio data by speech recognition. The message transmitting device according to claim 2.

5. If the destination is a group of multiple people, the transmission control means transmits the destination of the message to the destination associated with the group. The message transmitting device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The state determination means determines whether, if the telephone at the receiving end is not in a state to accept incoming calls, another telephone used by the person at the receiving end is in a state to accept incoming calls. The message transmitting device is If any of the other telephones is in a state to accept incoming calls, a call forwarding control means forwards the call to the other telephone that is in a state to accept incoming calls. Furthermore, If the aforementioned other telephone is not in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving means receives the message from the originating terminal of the telephone to the person receiving the message. The transmission control means performs control to send the message to the recipient person. The message transmitting device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. Priority is assigned to each of the assigned telephones, which are telephones that are assigned to be used by the person receiving the call, including the telephone of the recipient and the other telephones. The transfer control means repeatedly performs the following actions from the other telephones that are in a state to accept incoming calls: selecting the other telephone with the highest assigned priority as the transfer destination for the call; transferring the call to the selected transfer destination; determining whether the transfer destination will be in a call state within a predetermined time from the transfer; and excluding the transfer destination that did not become in a call state within the predetermined time from being in a state to accept incoming calls, until the transfer destination becomes in a call state within a predetermined time from the transfer, or until there are no more other telephones in a state to accept incoming calls. If there are no other telephones that are in a state to receive incoming calls, The receiving means receives the message from the originating terminal of the telephone to the person receiving the message. The transmission control means performs control to send the message to the recipient person. The message transmitting device according to claim 6.

8. Priority determination means that determines the priority so that the higher the ratio of the number of times a call was established within a predetermined time from the incoming call or transfer to the total number of incoming and transferred calls for each of the assigned telephones, the higher the priority. The message transmission device according to claim 7, further comprising:

9. Determine whether the phone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls. If the aforementioned telephone at the recipient's location is not accepting incoming calls, the selected receiving method will be used to receive a message from the originating terminal of the telephone to the person at the recipient's location. Control is performed to send the message to the person who is the recipient. How to send a message.

10. A state determination process that determines whether the phone receiving the call is in a state to accept incoming calls, If the aforementioned telephone at the receiving end is not accepting incoming calls, a receiving process is performed to receive a message from the originating terminal of the telephone to the person at the receiving end, according to the selected receiving method. A transmission control process that controls the sending of the message to the recipient, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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