JP2002101232A - Talking system using internets - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a talking system using the Internets, allowing a telephone user to talk at the globally lowest communication cost. SOLUTION: A plurality of gateway servers are installed in the country and abroad, each having a function of switching connection of the public telephone network with the Internets, a function of selective connection of the lowest-cost public telephone transmission line and a function of switching connection of the calling direction from the receiver side to the caller side and accounting the call charge at the original caller side at the same time. When a telephone caller dials a receiver's number having this gateway server over a public telephone network, the receiver automatically selects the lowest-cost public telephone transmission line for the receiver among all the gateway servers, switches to call the caller so as to use this line, and account the call charge to the original caller side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a telephone communication system using the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Telephone calls are currently carried out by telephones, exchanges, transmission facilities connecting exchanges, and subscriber lines connecting exchanges and telephones. Among them, transmission facilities are classified into three types: wired, fixed wireless, and satellite, depending on the transmission medium used.

[0003] At present, voice transmission is mainly performed by analog information.
Transmission means using SDN or the like is being materialized.

[0004] Also, recently, an Internet telephone via the Internet has been realized with hardware and software that make it possible, and has begun to spread in part.

[0005] It should be noted that the call charge is set for each communication company, but the setting standard is currently set for each country.

[0004]

Under such circumstances, telephone users can arbitrarily select a telecommunications company, but the range of selection is substantially limited to only domestic ones. In many cases, communication costs are considerably high. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem.

[0005]

A function for switching connection between the Internet and a telephone public network, a function for selecting and connecting a telephone public transmission line with the lowest cost, and a method for switching and connecting a call direction from a receiver to a caller. When a plurality of gateway servers having a function of accounting for the call charges on the side of the original caller are installed in Japan and overseas, and the telephone caller dials the receiver equipped with the gateway server from the telephone public network, the receiver automatically , Select the lowest cost public telephone transmission line for the caller from all the gateway servers, switch the call to the caller via this, and make the original caller account for the call charge. Then, a call is made with the gateway server using the Internet.

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of the basic structure of a communication network serving as a basis of this communication system. In practice, however, the number of telephone public networks in Japan and overseas and the number of gateway servers attached to each are shown. Will be much more numerous, and the utility value will increase in proportion to the number.

[0007] In the present application, the part named as a gateway server is a part necessary for implementing the present invention.
FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 shows a more specific example of the configuration. That is, in the case of an analog audio signal, a modem and a router are added as shown in FIG. 2 to convert the signal into a digital signal. However, if the signal is digitized from the beginning, it is unnecessary as shown in FIG.

[0008] In any of the above cases, however, the exchange function for connecting to the telephone line, the telephone charge system in each country is converted into data, and the lowest cost transmission line is searched and selected. The function of switching and connecting, and also the function of charging the call charge at the original caller side at that time are essential for the present invention, and it is fully achievable by the current known technology. .

For example, in the case shown in FIG. 2, an exchange and an account server, which will be described later, already exist. In the case shown in FIG. 3, too, a VoIP or LANTEL connected to and integrated with a TA (terminal adapter) is used. The software to be inserted, which has the above-mentioned functions, has already been realized by the present inventors.

[0010] By using the VoIP in which the function of compressing and decompressing voice information in IP (Internet Protocol) and performing packet communication is added to the gateway server, the sound quality becomes extremely clear and a large amount of communication can be dealt with. , And can be made extremely practical.

[0011]

The mode of operation of the communication system according to the present invention will be described in more detail. That is, in a communication network in which a plurality of gateway servers are installed as described above, when a call applicant (caller) dials an external line from a telephone public network to a receiver provided with the gateway server, an exchange function and search function provided there are provided.・ Selection, switching connection function, etc. make international calls to Japanese callers from the U.S.A. In the form of a callback, the call will come to the recipient. If the call is continued, the call fee is always accounted for by the original caller, unlike the general callback method, by the software of the specific account server.

[0012] In the above case, since the telephone charges for the Internet portion and the telephone public portion from the United States are virtually free, even if the physical communication distance is longer than, for example, between Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, the communication cost is still higher. It will be much cheaper.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a gateway of the form shown in FIG. Light Internet telephone dedicated hardware combining a dedicated OS made by K and a dedicated audio compression LSI is used. The hardware is composed of four units so that even if one unit breaks down, it can be operated without any trouble.

The gateway has 16 Lines.
Two private PBXs (used in a two-shot system for a prepaid system) are connected to each other, and a billing server for controlling the accounting to the caller side is provided between the telephone public network and the PBX together with a modem. Install.

Note that the above-mentioned functions are softwareized to make the notebook P
Card type that can be set on C etc. (Product name IP-Ph
onCARD: Howa Sangyo K. K) by TA (HTA-1)
28DSU), or similarly using LANTEL (LT-64) with the same function developed by the company.
Alternatively, it is possible to deal with the public telephone network of CATV.

[0016] The number of such gateway server holders is increased as much as possible in Japan and overseas, and a call is made by the automatic callback method as described above.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the cost of telephone communication can be significantly rationalized and reduced in the opportunity of information transmission that is increasingly globalized in the future.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a communication network used in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a basic configuration diagram showing an example of a gateway server unit.

FIG. 3 is a basic configuration diagram showing another example of a gateway server unit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A function for switching connection between the Internet and a telephone public network, a function for selecting and connecting a telephone public transmission line with the lowest cost, and a method for switching and connecting a call direction from a receiver side to a caller side, and at the same time reducing a call charge. Establish multiple gateway servers in Japan and overseas with the function of accounting on the sender side of
When the telephone caller dials the receiver equipped with the gateway server from the telephone public network, the receiver automatically selects a telephone public transmission line which has the lowest cost for the caller from all the gateway servers, and A call system using the Internet, wherein a call is switched to a caller via the Internet and a call is made so as to account for the call charge on the original caller side. 2. The communication system using the Internet according to claim 1, wherein a voice compression / decompression device is added to the gateway server.