JP2922780B2 - International automatic credit card service device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an international automatic credit card service device. In particular, when an international automatic credit card service is used from abroad to Japan, the entry of a called number in Japan can be omitted. The present invention relates to an international automatic credit card service device that simplifies the procedure described above and prevents unauthorized use of credit numbers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art International automatic credit card service from the foreign side to Japan (hereinafter referred to as IDAC service).
An example of a procedure in the case of using is described with reference to FIG.

[0003] First, as shown in (1), dial the access number of the IDAC service, for example, "1-800-433-0081 #", using the telephone on the foreign side. Here, “433” indicates a credit card, and “0081” indicates “Japan”. When the access number is dialed, the request for the IDAC service is transmitted to the international relay exchange on the Japanese side from the international relay exchange on the foreign side with an intermediate number for the IDAC service, as will be described in detail later. . In response, the Japanese transit exchange responds to the user and instructs the user to sequentially enter the credit number, password, and domestic number. In accordance with this guidance, the user inputs numbers in the order of and in FIG. When these numbers are inserted, "#" is inserted at the end of the number to indicate the end of the number. In this example, the audience is
It is necessary to input a 36-digit number.

[0004] In the above procedure, since the number of digits to be entered is large, a shortened number service is also provided for the purpose of reducing the number of digits. In this case, since the number of digits of the domestic number is about two digits, the number of digits dialed by the user is 28 digits.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of an international communication network for providing an IDAC service. When an access number for arriving in Japan by IDAC service from a foreign telephone 8 is entered, the local exchange 6 identifies the number and sets a call path to the international exchange 4. The international transit exchange 4 recognizes that it is a Japanese call by searching the database 5 from the number, converts it into a transmission number (intermediate number) to Japan, and establishes a transit line 10 with the international transit exchange 2. Capture. Then, the international transit exchange 4 sends the intermediate number for the IDAC service to the international transit exchange 2.

The international transit exchange 2 determines this intermediate number, identifies that it is an IDAC service, and
A series of call processing of (4) is performed. Here, the conversion to the intermediate number is for distinguishing that the call is not a normal call but an IDAC service.

[0007] (1) The international transit exchange 2 first sends guidance, prompts the user to insert a credit number, and prepares a signaling device in the exchange facility to receive the credit number inserted from the telephone 8.

(2) When the signaling device receives the credit number inserted from the telephone 8, the guidance is sent again,
This time, it prompts for a password.

(3) When the personal identification number is received, the guidance is transmitted again, and this time, the domestic call number is prompted.

(4) When these numbers have been received, the international relay exchange 2 accesses the database 3 to perform a credit collation process, and confirms whether or not the credit is correct. As another method, upon completion of the reception of the password, the database 3 is accessed to confirm that the credit number is correct, and thereafter, the international exchange 2 sends guidance to prompt the entry of a domestic number. Some do so.

In the case of the abbreviated dial service, a dial number of about two digits received as the domestic number is converted into a domestic telephone number by the database 3.

When the above-mentioned number is completely received, the international transit exchange 2 captures the domestic line 9 and sends out the domestic number, so that the call is received by the telephone 7 via the subscriber line exchange 1 and a call is established. Let it.

[0013]

The foreign telephone set used for making an automatic call from a foreign country to Japan is generally different in shape from the Japanese telephone set, and the method of use varies from country to country. The user feels that the operation for receiving the IDAC service is extremely difficult. For this reason, there has been a problem that a great deal of anxiety often accompanies a call made by the IDAC service until a desired party in Japan answers the call. Further, there is a problem that this becomes one of the obstacles to the spread of the IDAC service.

[0014] Also, while dialing more than 30 digits in the telephone, the user mistakes the dial, and is mistakenly connected to an unwanted party. There was also the problem that it had to be done.

Recently, there has been a case where a credit number and a personal identification number are illegally acquired and misused.
There was also a problem that customers might hesitate to subscribe to the service.

An object of the present invention is to provide an international automatic credit card service device which eliminates the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, is easy to operate, and can be used by customers with peace of mind.

[0017]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an international automatic credit card service device provided in an international transit exchange, comprising at least a credit number, a password, and a domestic number. A database having an incoming number and identification data indicating whether or not the destination is fixed; first determining means for determining whether or not the destination is fixed based on the identification data of the database; and a domestic number following the credit number and the password. A second determining means for determining whether an input is made from one specific key or a telephone number as the number; and the second determining means determines that the receiving destination is fixed, When the determination of the means is the specific one key, the connection processing is performed according to the domestic incoming call number retrieved from the database, and the second
Is characterized in that a connection means is provided for not accepting a telephone number when the judgment by the judgment means is input.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is further characterized in that the connection means determines that the first determination means determines that the callee is not fixed, and the second determination means determines that the specific one key is used. Is that the connection processing is performed in accordance with the domestic incoming call number retrieved from the database, and when the judgment of the second judgment means is the input of the telephone number, the connection processing is performed in accordance with the telephone number. There are features.

[0019]

[0020]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a foreign telephone sets a domestic number following a credit number and a password.
When there is an input from one specific key, an operation of connecting to the domestic incoming call number corresponding to this credit number is performed. This eliminates the need for the user to enter a full-digit domestic number or speed dial number, and the calling operation is greatly simplified. Further, if the identification data of the database is fixed at the destination, a general telephone number cannot be used and plagiarism can be avoided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, if it is registered in the database that there is no fixed destination, a specific domestic incoming call number is connected by inputting the specific one key as a domestic number. When a full-digit telephone number or abbreviated dialing number is input as the domestic number, it is possible to connect to the corresponding destination.

[0022]

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, which shows in detail a part of a communication network such as a telephone or ISDN, which corresponds to the domestic part of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the international trunking line 10 connected to the foreign exchange 4 on the foreign side is connected to the international exchange 2 in Japan. The international transit exchange 2 includes a switch 2a and a central control unit (CC) 2b, and is connected to the service processing exchange 12 by a transit line (communication line) 17 and a signal link 18. The service processing exchange 12 includes a switch 12a, a central control unit (CC).
12b, a signal device 13, and a talkie device 14 for transmitting guidance, and are connected to the database 3 by a link 19 for number verification.

The database 3 stores the service processing exchange 1
A search device 15 that performs an interface function with the device 2;
It comprises a data memory 16 which is the main body of the database. In the data memory 16, as shown in FIG. 2, the data of the credit number, the password, the data corresponding to the abbreviated number and the domestic number, the domestic incoming number corresponding to the credit number, and whether the destination is fixed. For example, identification data indicating whether or not the data is stored is stored. Reference numeral 1 denotes a local exchange, which includes a switch 1a and a central control unit (CC) 1b.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The operation of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. This example is
The telephone numbers in Japan, that is, the numbers in FIG. 6 are omitted to improve the user's convenience. FIG. 3 shows each device in the public network, that is, the international relay exchange 2 on the Japanese side. 3 shows an example of processing of the service processing exchange 12 and the database 3. In the figure, the left side shows the processing of the central control unit CC of the international relay exchange 2, the center shows the processing of the service processing exchange 12, and the right side shows the processing of the search unit 15 of the database 3.

From a foreign international transit exchange 4 to a transit line 10
When some number information is received via the PC, the central controller CC of the domestic international relay exchange 2 analyzes this number information, and if the number is an intermediate number for the IDAC service,
Identify the incoming call as an IDAC service. In step S1, the trunk line 17 between the international transit exchange 2 and the service processing exchange 12 is captured, and the number information is sent to the central control unit CC of the service processing exchange 12 via the signal link 18 to the service processing exchange 12. And activates the service processing exchange 12.

In step S2, the service processing exchange 1
The second central control unit 12b uses the received number information to
Confirm that there is an incoming call for the AC service. In step S3, a talker device 14 for sending guidance to a foreign user for prompting the user to insert a credit number.
And at the same time, a signal device 13 for receiving the credit number as a multi-frequency signal is connected to the trunk line 17. When the signal processing unit 13 determines that the reception of the credit number has been completed, the service processing exchange 12 reports this to the central control unit 12b. The central controller 12b
Then, in step S4, the personal identification number (PI
N) is sent out, and the signaling device 13 reports the password to the central controller 12b when the password is completely received.

When the service processing exchange 12 receives the necessary information as described above, in step S5,
The received data is transferred to the database 3, and the normality of the credit number and the password is checked. The search device 15 of the database 3 then searches for a domestic called number or the like corresponding to the credit number in step S6.

In step S7, in order to receive the domestic number from the foreign telephone, the service processing exchange 12 provides guidance for inputting the domestic number from the talker device 14, and detects the input by the signal device 13. Then, it is checked whether or not the input of the domestic number is only the # key or a regular domestic number (that is, an all-digit domestic number or abbreviated dial number). Then, when the signal of only the # key is received, the process proceeds to step S8, and the domestic call number retrieved in step S6 is transferred.
On the other hand, if the number is other than the # key, the call is disconnected. Note that the # key is an example, and other function keys may be used.

In step S11, the international relay exchange 2 receives the full-digit domestic called number from the service processing exchange 12, and connects the line to the corresponding telephone in step S12. As a result, a telephone call between a foreign telephone and a domestic telephone becomes possible.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a customer who uses the IDAC service from a foreign telephone dials the number shown in FIG. 6, dials the numbers according to the guidance, and then presses the # key. With only this, it is possible to talk with a fixed partner registered in the credit card. Therefore, there is an effect that the trouble of dialing a domestic number of about 10 digits can be omitted, the number is not erroneously input, and the convenience of the customer is greatly improved. Further, there is no danger that the credit card will be used illegally by others.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of step S10 in FIG. In this embodiment, both the service of the first embodiment and the conventional service, that is, both the case where only the # is dialed as the domestic number and the case where a full-digit or abbreviated dial number is dialed by a credit card. In this case, a line is connected to a destination in Japan, and a call can be made.

In this embodiment, steps S9 and S1 in FIG.
Other than 0, the same process as the corresponding step of the first embodiment is performed, so only steps S9 and S10 will be described.

In step S9, a domestic number or a number consisting of # alone is received from a foreign telephone in accordance with the guidance for inputting a domestic number. Subsequently, in step S21 in FIG. 5, it is determined whether the destination is fixed.
If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S22, where it is determined whether only the # key signal has been received. If only the # key has been received, the process proceeds to step S24 to transfer the domestic called number. This step S2
2. The processing in S24 is the same as in the first embodiment.

If it is determined in step S21 that the destination is not fixed, the flow advances to step S23 to determine whether only the # key signal has been received. If this determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S24, where the operation of transferring the domestic called number is performed. However, if it is determined in step S23 that all digits or the abbreviated domestic number have been received, the process proceeds to step S25 to transfer a number obtained by converting the received number or the abbreviated number into a full-digit telephone number.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S11, where the international transit exchange receives the domestic number, and proceeds to a calling operation in step S12.

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
Even if the user enters only the # key as a domestic number from a foreign telephone, or enters an ordinary full-digit or abbreviated number, a connection is made to a domestic destination.

[0038]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a customer who intends to call a specific telephone number in Japan using a credit card from a foreign country enters his / her credit number and personal identification number, By pressing a specific key, for example, the # key, it is possible to call the specific telephone number. This makes it easier for a user who is not used to calling from abroad to make a call and eliminates mistakes in inputting a domestic number. Further, by making the identification data of the database fixed as the destination, it is not possible to make a call using a general telephone number, so that a credit number and a password are not illegally acquired and misused.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, if a specific key such as the # key is pressed as the domestic number, a call can be made to a specific domestic telephone number, and a normal full-digit telephone number can be used. Or, by inputting the abbreviated number, there is an effect that a telephone can be arbitrarily made as usual.

[0040]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an international transit exchange showing a hardware configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of data stored in a database of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of a part of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional input procedure for dialing an international call from a foreign country to Japan.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an international communication network that performs an IDAC service.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Subscriber line exchange 6, 2 ... International transit exchange, 3 ... Database 10 ... Trunk line, 12 ... Service processing exchange, 13 ... Signaling device, 14 ... Talkie device, 15 ... Search device, 16 ... Data memory, 17 ... Relay line, 18 ... Signal link.

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04M 3/42-3/64 H04M 15/00-15/38

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An international automatic credit card service device provided in an international relay exchange, comprising: a database having at least a credit number, a personal identification number, a domestic incoming call number, and identification data indicating whether a destination is fixed or not; Whether the destination is fixed based on the identification data in the database
A first judging means for judging whether or not there is an input from a specific key or a telephone number as a domestic number following a credit number and a password.
The second determining means for determining whether or not there is power, and the determination of the first determining means is that the destination is fixed and the second determining means
When the judgment of the judgment means is the specific one key,
According to the domestic called number retrieved from the database.
Connection processing, and the judgment of the second judgment means is a telephone number.
An automatic credit card service device, comprising: a connection means for not accepting the input when the input is an input . 2. The international automatic credit card service device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes said first format.
The judgment by the disconnecting means is that the call destination is not fixed, and the second judgment is made.
When the judgment of the means is the one specific key,
Connect according to the domestic dialed number retrieved from the database
Processing, and the judgment of the second judgment means is that the telephone number is input.
And performing a connection process according to the telephone number.