JP3175808B2 - Communication device used for telephone conference system and method of creating connection order list - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device and a connection order list for a telephone conference system in which a plurality of communication devices are sequentially connected via a communication network to perform simultaneous communication between the plurality of communication devices. How to create.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional telephone conference system, a method of simultaneously connecting a plurality of communication devices in a chain and performing simultaneous communication between the plurality of devices is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 60-175291. The proposed method has been proposed, and a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-73765 has been proposed as a control means for sequentially connecting each device. One of the features of these systems is that the communication fee can be reduced by appropriately selecting the connection order.

[0003]

In the prior art described above, the user who designates the connection order is the user, and determines the connection order one by one before starting the connection or inputs the determined connection order. Therefore, there is a problem that the operation is complicated.

As a method for solving this problem, a method of preliminarily registering a connection order for each combination of communication devices to participate in a conference can be considered. However, this method becomes enormous when the number of communication devices to be connected increases. Therefore, there is a problem that the amount of memory required for registration becomes very large and the registration operation itself becomes difficult.

[0005] As another method, a charge table for obtaining a charge per unit time from the station numbers of the calling side and the called side is stored in the communication device, and the telephone number of the communication device to be connected and the charge table are stored. Therefore, a method of determining the connection position where the communication fee is the lowest can be considered. However,
Even in this method, there is a problem in that the communication fee needs to be updated when the communication fee is revised, and when the number of communication devices to be connected increases, the processing time for determining the connection position becomes extremely long. .

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above,
The object is to provide a communication device used in a telephone conference system and a connection order list used in a telephone conference system, in which a plurality of communication devices can be connected one after the other in a chain and the connection target can be easily and easily specified. To provide a method for creating

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a communication device used in a telephone conference system according to the present invention connects a plurality of communication devices in a chain using two lines via a communication network. Device that is used in a teleconference system that communicates with a plurality of communication devices, wherein the connection order in which all of the plurality of communication devices are connected is optimized in advance.
L), and a connection target specifying means for specifying a plurality of communication devices participating in the telephone conference, and a connection target communication device specified by the connection target specification means in a connection order list (C
L) a connection order registration unit for registering the communication device to be connected, and a connection for determining at which position in the connection order list the communication device to be connected should be connected when the communication device to be connected is added to the connection order list. The connection position determination means, for each communication device to be connected specified by the connection target specification means, from the head (ML1) of the all-device connection order list (ML) to the connection target. In front of the communication device (MLj-
1) to extract a partial list (SML = {M
L1, ML2,..., MLj-1}), the partial list is compared with the connection order list (CL), and the connection order list (CL) and the partial list (SML = {ML1, M
L2,..., MLj-1}), if there is no communication device present in both lists, the communication device to be connected is placed at the head of the connection order list (CL) and the connection order list (CL) The partial list (SML = {ML1, ML2,..., M
Lj-1)), there is a communication device that exists in both lists.
Immediately after the communication device (MLk) that is present in both lists and is positioned last in the connection order list (CL),
The gist is to determine the connection position of the communication device to be connected.

[0008] A method of creating a connection order list for use in a telephone conference system according to the present invention is directed to a telephone conference system in which a plurality of communication devices are connected in a chain using two lines via a communication network for communication. A method for creating a connection order list to be used, comprising: a pre-optimized all-device connection order list (ML) indicating a connection order when all of the plurality of communication devices are connected, and a communication device participating in a telephone conference. A plurality of connection target specifying steps, and at which position in the connection order list (CL) the connection target communication device should be connected when the connection target communication device is added to the connection order list (CL) And a connection position determining step of determining a connection destination of the connection destination list (ML) for each communication device to be connected specified in the connection target specifying step. Ago (ML1) of the connection target of the communication device extracts a list of up to (MLj-1) and the partial list, the partial list (SML = {ML1, ML2, ·
.., MLj-1}) and the connection order list (CL), and compares the connection order list (CL) with the partial list (SM).
L = {ML1, ML2,..., MLj-1}), if there is no communication device present in both lists, the communication device to be connected is placed at the top of the connection order list (CL) and the connection order List (CL) and the partial list (SML = {ML1, M
L2,..., MLj-1}), if there is a communication device that exists in both lists and is located at the rearmost position in the connection order list (CL) ( M
Determining the connection position of the communication device to be connected immediately after Lk).

[0009]

In the communication device used in the telephone conference system of the present invention, a plurality of communication devices participating in the telephone conference are designated, and the communication devices connected in a chain using two lines are registered in the connection order list in the connection order. A list from the connection order list of all devices to the communication device to be connected is extracted as a partial list, the partial list is compared with the connection order list, and no communication device exists in both the connection order list and the partial list. If the communication device to be connected is at the head of the connection order list, and if there is a communication device that exists in both the connection order list and the partial list, it is present in both lists, and in the connection order list, Immediately after the rearmost communication device, the connection position of the communication device to be connected is determined to obtain the most economical connection order.

In the method for creating a connection order list used in the telephone conference system of the present invention, a plurality of communication devices participating in the telephone conference are designated, and a list from the connection order list of all devices to the communication device to be connected is extracted. The partial list is compared with the connection order list, and if there is no communication device present in both the connection order list and the partial list,
If the communication device to be connected is at the head of the connection order list, and there is a communication device that exists in both the connection order list and the partial list, the communication device exists in both lists, and is located last in the connection order list. Immediately after the located communication device, the connection position of the communication device to be connected is determined to obtain the most economical connection order.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a connection order determining apparatus for executing a method for creating a connection order list used in a telephone conference system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an all-device connection order register, 2 denotes a connection target designating unit, 3 denotes a connection order memory, and 4 denotes a connection position determining unit.

Referring to a flowchart shown in FIG. 2, a basic processing procedure of the connection position determining means 4 used in the connection order determining device shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

The user of the communication device considers the order of connection so that the communication fee is lowest in the connection of all devices, and the all device connection order registration means 1 registers all device connection order lists (ML =
{ML ₁ , ML ₂ , _... , ML _m }) are registered.

Next, when starting and adding a connection, the user selects a connection target (O
L). At this time, the connection position determining means 4 outputs the all device connection order list (CL = ｛CL ₁ , CL ₂ ,
_., It operates as follows as input CL _l}). However, the connection order list is a list indicating the connection order of already connected communication devices.

The connection target specifying means 4 first searches for the connection target (OL = ML _j ) from the all device connection order list, and starts from the top (ML ₁ ) in the connection order of the all device connection order list. A partial list (SML = {ML ₁ , ML ₂ ,...) Consisting of elements up to (ML _j−1 ) before the connection target
_.. , ML _j-1 }) (step S1 in FIG. 2)
1). Next, a search is made for communication devices present in both the partial list SML and the connection order list (step S1).
2) If not, the connection position (P) of the connection target is set to the head (P = 1) of the connection order list (step S1).
3).

If there is a communication device that exists in both the partial list and the connection order list, the communication device (ML) that exists in both lists and is located last in the connection order list CL _k ) (step S1).
4), (P = k + 1) immediately after the communication device (ML _k ) that searched for the connection position (P) to be connected (step S15). In the above connection position determination operation,
If the partial list is empty and the connection order list is empty, it is needless to say that there is no communication device present in both the partial list and the connection list.

Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, before describing the processing procedure of the connection position determining means 4 extended so as to be applicable even when there are a plurality of connection targets,
A brief connection configuration of the telephone conference system and information necessary for determining the connection order will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a connection configuration of the telephone conference system. In the figure, the telephone network 11
Are connected to a plurality of terminals a, b, c, d, e, f, x,
The plurality of terminals are connected to each other via the telephone network 11, so that the plurality of terminals can simultaneously perform conference communication via the telephone network 11.

In such a telephone conference system, the present invention is characterized by a method for determining a connection order of a plurality of terminals. For example, in the terminal x of the conference organizer, the connection order in which all the terminals of the telephone conference system can talk at a low call rate is registered in advance. This is called an all connection order list ML, for example, ML = {a, b, c, d, e, f}.

When the conference organizer specifies a terminal to participate in the conference with a switch (not shown) of the connection target specifying means 2,
The connection target terminal is registered in the connection target list OL. For example, if terminals c, b, and f are specified by switches,
OL = {c, b, f}.

Here, the point different from the conventional technique is that a terminal to participate in a conference can be selected at random without considering the most economical connection order.

After selecting the terminal to be connected, the connection position determining means 4 obtains the most economical connection order by the method described below and creates a connection order list CL.

Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the counter i is set to 1 in order to sequentially read the terminals participating in the conference from the connection target order list OL (step S21). Then, the connection target specifying means 2 selects the terminal c of i = 1 from the connection target list OL.
, The terminal c is searched from the all connection order list ML, the terminals from the head (terminal a) to before the terminal c are read, and registered as the partial list SML. Therefore, SML
= {A, b} (step S22).

Next, the partial list SML is compared with the connection order list CL in order to find the connection position of the terminal c, and the components present in both lists are searched (step S23). It is assumed that the connection order list CL is an initial value (CL = ｛｝). If there is no terminal common to both, it is determined that the terminal should be located at the top of the connection order list CL, the connection position P is set to 1 (step S28), and the terminal c is placed at the top of the connection order list CL. Is registered (step S2
6).

Next, the process proceeds to step S27 to determine whether all connection targets have been processed. Since the terminals b and f still remain, i is incremented, i = 2, and the process returns to step S22.

Similarly, in the processing of the connection target terminal OL = b, since there is no terminal common to the partial list SML = {a} and the connection order list CL = {c}, the connection position P = 1 and the connection order list CL Is registered at the beginning of the terminal b.

The last connection target terminal CL = f is read,
The partial list SML = {a, b, c, d, e} is compared with the connection order list CL = {b, c} (step S23).
Since there is a terminal c common to both terminals, it is determined to which position the terminal f to be connected to a position other than the head should be connected (step S24). That is, the partial list SML is
It shows the connection order up to the terminal f when all the terminals are selected. Compared with the currently determined connection order list CL, if the connection position k of the last terminal common to both terminals is known, The connection position P of the terminal f becomes k + 1 (step S2
5). Accordingly, since the connection position k = 2 of the last terminal c common to the partial list SML and the connection order list CL, the connection position P = 3 of the terminal f, and the connection order list CL =
{B, c, f}.

As described above, the connection order list CL
Can be requested.

The method for connecting the corresponding terminals one after another on the basis of the connection order list CL is as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-253775, "Teleconference system".

Here, when connecting an unconnected member, the last connected telephone device is instructed to call a desired telephone device. That is, the connection of the desired telephone device is described at the end of the connection order list. In addition to this, the connection after the unconnected terminal in the connection order list CL is temporarily released, and the unconnected terminal is disconnected. May be connected again, and the connection after the terminal for which connection has not been completed may be performed again. In this case, although a small fee is required for reconnection, there is an effect that the call cost for the telephone conference is the most economical connection, and thus is low.

The present invention can be applied to the following cases. That is, when the terminals c, b, and f connect the unconnected member terminal c during the telephone conference, the current connection order list CL is reorganized and reconnected.

When the connection target terminal e is designated by the switch (not shown), the connection target list OL = {e}.
The connection position determining means receives the input of the connection target list OL and creates a partial list SML = {a, b, c, d}. On the other hand, since the connection order list CL = {b, c, f},
There is a terminal c common to both, and step S23 is “y
es ". In step S24, k = 2 is obtained, and in step S25, P = 3 is obtained. That is, when adding the terminal e, the connection order list CL = {b, c, e, f}
It should be understood that

In order to connect in accordance with the connection order list, the connection from the terminal c to the terminal f is released, and the terminal c is instructed to call the terminal e again, as described for the change of the connection. When the terminal e can be connected, the terminal e is instructed to call the terminal f next, and when the terminal f can be connected, the desired connection is completed.

Further, the relationship between the connection position determination processing and the line connection processing of the present invention is arbitrary, and a method of first determining the connection order list for all the terminals to be connected and then shifting to the connection processing, or the connection order list May be performed in parallel with the line connection process.

When the connection order list is created and the line connection process is performed in parallel, a terminal that fails to connect must not be registered in the connection order list. That is, if the terminal that failed to connect is left in the connection order list, it will not match the actual connection order. With such processing, it is expected that a terminal that has failed to connect will not be processed again.
Therefore, if data is prepared to record whether or not the connection was successful for each terminal, and if the terminal that failed to connect can shift to the connection position determination process again, the problem of not processing the failed terminal Disappears. It also creates a connection order instruction list CL ₁ to be referred to when the line is connected, the connection order registration list CL ₂ to register only the terminal that has succeeded in line connection a list of references at the time of connection position determination process, connected before the line connection The order instruction list CL _{1 is changed} to the connection order registration list CL
If the process is shifted to the line connection process after updating in step ₂ , there is no problem that a terminal that failed to connect is not processed, and a problem that the connection order list does not match the actual connection order is eliminated.

Next, a specific example of connection position determination will be described.

This is a case where the connection order of the already connected communication devices follows the order of the list of all device connection orders.

All device connection order list ML = ｛a (Tokyo),
b (Tokyo), c (Tokyo), d (Osaka), e (Osaka), f
(Hiroshima)｝, connection order list CL = ｛b (Tokyo), c
(Tokyo), f (Hiroshima)} and connection target OL = {e (Osaka)}, partial list SML = {a (Tokyo), b
(Tokyo), c (Tokyo), d (Osaka)}, exists in both the partial list SML and the connection order list, and the last element in the connection order list is c (Tokyo), and the order is 2 Therefore, the connection position is P = 2 + 1 = 3. If e (Osaka) is connected to this connection position, a new connection order list CL = {b (Tokyo), c (Tokyo), e (Osaka), f (Hiroshima)}.

[0041]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a multipoint conference communication device applied to a communication system in which a plurality of communication devices are sequentially connected via a communication network and a simultaneous communication between the plurality of devices is performed, the connection of all communication devices is made most economical in advance. By registering the list of all devices in the connection order, the conference organizer does not need to specify the terminal to participate in the conference in consideration of lowering the call charge, and the connection order of the communication devices to be connected , The connection position of each connection target, that is, the connection order is determined so that the communication fee becomes economical while referring to the connection order list, so that the most economical connection order is obtained. Can reduce the burden on the organizer. In addition, even when a new terminal is added during a conference call at multiple points, an economical connection position can be calculated and reconnection can be performed, so that an economical telephone conference system can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a connection order determination device that implements a method for creating a connection order list used in a telephone conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a basic processing procedure of a connection position determining means used in the connection order determining device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of a connection position determining unit extended so as to be applicable to a case where there are a plurality of connection targets.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a connection configuration of a telephone conference system used for explaining a method of determining a connection order of the telephone conference system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 All-device connection order registration means 2 Connection target designation means 3 Connection order memory 4 Connection position determination means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04M 3/56

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method in which a plurality of communication devices are transmitted twice via a communication network.
A communication device for use in a telephone conference system for connecting and communicating in a chain using lines , wherein a pre-optimized all device connection order list indicating a connection order when all of the plurality of communication devices are connected ( ML), and a connection target specifying means for specifying a plurality of communication devices participating in the telephone conference, and a connection order for registering the connection target communication devices specified by the connection target specification device in a connection order list (CL). Registration means and the connection target communication device in the connection order list (CL)
When adding, the communication device to be connected is listed in the connection order list.
(CL) Connection to determine where to connect
Position determining means, wherein the connection position determining means includes a finger pointing at the connection target specifying means.
From the head (ML1) of the all device connection order list (ML),
Previous the connection target of the communication device (MLj-1) to extract a list of up sublists (SML = {ML1, ML2, ··
., MLj-1}), comparing the partial list with the connection order list (CL) ,
The connection order list (CL) and the partial list (SML =
{ML1, ML2, ..., MLj-1})
If no communication device exists, the communication device to be connected is
At the top of the connection order list (CL), the connection order list
(CL) and the partial list (SML = {ML1, ML2
,..., MLj-1})
If there is, it exists in both lists and the connection order
Communication device (ML) located at the end of the
Immediately after k), the connection position of the communication device to be connected
A communication device used in a telephone conference system. 2. A via the communication network, twice a plurality of communication devices
A method for creating a connection order list used for a telephone conference system that communicates by connecting in a chain using a line , wherein all the devices optimized in advance indicating a connection order when all of the plurality of communication devices are connected A connection order list (ML) , a connection target designation step of designating a plurality of communication devices participating in the telephone conference, and the connection target communication device being included in the connection order list (CL).
When adding, the communication device to be connected is listed in the connection order list.
(CL) Connection to determine where to connect
A position determining step , wherein in the connecting position determining step , a head (ML) of the all-device connection order list (ML) is set for each communication device to be connected specified in the connection target specifying step. ML1)
Previous the connection target of the communication device (MLj-1) to extract a list of up sublists (SML = {ML1, ML2, ··
-, and MLj-1}) and, as compared with the partial list of the connection order list, the connection
The ordered list (CL) and the partial list (SML = {ML1
, ML2,..., MLj-1})
If there is no communication device, connect the communication device to be connected to the connection device.
At the top of the connection order list (CL), the connection order list (C
L) and the partial list (SML = {ML1, ML2,.
.., MLj-1}) are present in both lists
If present in both lists and the connection order list
Communication device (MLk) located at the rearmost position in (CL)
Immediately after, the connection position of the communication device to be connected is determined.
Establishing a connection order list for use in a telephone conference system.