KR100493518B1 - Method for providing ring back tone with minimum change of network system and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound for minimizing a change in a communication network. The method for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention comprises: receiving a call waiting sound for a called subscriber from a called exchange in a sound transmitting apparatus, requesting a sound source number corresponding to a called subscriber from a sound transmitting apparatus to a sound source selecting apparatus, and selecting a sound source Selecting the sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber in the device and transmitting the sound source number to the sound source dispensing device; and transmitting a call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source number from the sound source dispensing device to the destination exchange. By checking whether the call waiting service is subscribed to the sound source selection device other than the exchange or the HLR, there is no change in the function of the HLR and the change of the function of the exchange can be minimized, and the interworking specification between the HLR and the exchange is not required in the mobile network. Development time and costs are greatly reduced and open systems can be maintained.

Description

Method and providing ring back tone with minimum change of network system and apparatus therefor}

The present invention relates to a call waiting sound providing service, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing call waiting sound for minimizing a change in function of existing communication network systems.

In order to provide a call waiting sound service in the existing communication network, a method of changing the functions of the main systems of the communication network and further changing some interworking standards has been used. In the case of a mobile network, the call waiting sound service registration information is managed in the home location register (HLR) and the subscriber information of the exchange, and in the case of a wired network, the call waiting sound service registration information is managed in the subscriber information of the exchange. In this way, by managing the call waiting sound service registration information in the HLR and the exchange, it is inevitable to change some interworking standards, it is necessary to change the function of the existing systems. Such a conventional call waiting sound service method has the following problems.

First, there is a problem of changing an interworking standard between an HLR and an exchange for a service in a mobile network. Conventionally, HLR manages the registration of call waiting service for each subscriber, and changes interworking standard between HLR and exchange to transfer this information to exchange. The interworking standard between the HLR and the exchange is based on the international standard, and if the interworking standard is arbitrarily changed for a specific additional service, the system may not be open and may cause problems in interworking with other systems that comply with the international standard in the future. This is high.

Second, there is a costly disadvantage for changing the function of existing systems. Mobile network HLRs, exchanges, and wired network exchanges are subscriber management systems, ranging from dozens to hundreds. For call waiting service, the subscriber database of these systems must be changed, and the corresponding function must be changed. In order to apply such a function change to various types of systems, it takes a lot of development time and cost, and there is a problem that a lot of costs are required to apply to many operating systems.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound which minimizes changes in existing communication network systems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the above call waiting sound providing method on a computer.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a call waiting sound, the method comprising: receiving a call waiting sound for a called subscriber from a called exchange in a sound transmitting apparatus; Requesting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber from a sound source transmission device to a sound source selection device; Selecting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber in the sound source selection device and transferring the sound source number to the sound source transmission device; And transmitting a call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source number from the sound source transmitting device to the destination exchange.

The apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention for achieving the technical problem comprises: a sound source transmitting unit for receiving a call waiting sound request for a called subscriber from a called exchanger and sending a call waiting sound for the called subscriber to the called exchange; A call waiting sound storage unit for storing at least one call waiting sound and receiving a predetermined call waiting sound source number from the sound source sending unit and transferring a call waiting sound corresponding to the call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source sending unit; And store call waiting sound source numbers corresponding to each call waiting sound providing service subscriber, and select a call waiting sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber from among the call waiting sound source numbers in response to a request for a sound source number from the sound source transmitter. It is preferable to include a sound source selection unit to send to the sound source transmitting unit.

Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention. For convenience of explanation, the calling subscriber 10 and the called subscriber 20 are included.

The call waiting sound providing system according to the present invention includes an originating exchange 30, a terminating exchange 40, a sound source transmitting device 50, and a sound source selecting device 60. In addition, the apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention may further include a gateway system and a content providing system for the purpose of implementation.

The communication network can be largely divided into a wired network and a mobile network. The wired network refers to a network in which a subscriber's terminal and a communication network are connected by wire, such as a conventional public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an integrated services digital network (ISDN), so that a subscriber can make a call at a designated location. A mobile network is a mobile communication network serviced using a method such as Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and the subscriber's terminal and the communication network are connected wirelessly. A network that can carry out calls at any location. In the mobile network, subscriber information is stored and managed in a device called a home location register (HLR) for service. The HLR and the exchange are interlocked using international standards such as IS-41 MAP and GSM MAP. The present invention can be applied to both wired and mobile networks.

The subscriber receiving the service in the communication network can be largely divided into the calling subscriber 10 and the called subscriber 20. Outgoing subscriber 10 is the person making the call, and incoming subscriber 20 is the person answering the call. In addition, the calling party 10 and the called party 20 may be located in the same communication network or may be located in different communication networks. The call waiting sound service refers to an additional service that provides a call waiting sound designated by the called party 20 to the calling party 10.

The exchange system is a system that connects a call between the calling party 10 and the called party 20 in the communication network, and may be divided into the calling exchange 30 and the called exchange 40 based on the time point at which the call service is made.

The originating exchange 30 processes a call request, i.e., an outgoing call, of a wired originating subscriber or a wireless (mobile) originating subscriber 10 and receives a call waiting sound from the destination exchange 40 and delivers it to the originating subscriber 10.

The destination exchange 40 processes the incoming call of the wired or wireless (mobile) recipient 20, requests a call waiting sound from the sound source transmitting device 50, and sends the received call waiting sound to the calling exchange 30. To pass.

The sound source transmitting device 50 is a device for playing an actual call waiting sound, and receives the sound source number of the call waiting sound from the sound source selection device 60, which will be described later, and transmits the call waiting sound. The call waiting sound transmitted from the sound source transmitting device 50 is transmitted to the calling subscriber 10 via the called exchange 40 and the calling exchange 30.

In the apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention, the exchange system may further have a function of requesting a call waiting sound to the sound source transmitting device 50 when a call request is received by the calling subscriber 10 to provide a call waiting sound. There is no need to change any components or add other features.

The sound source selection device 60 manages information on the subscriber of the call waiting sound providing service and selects the type of call waiting sound to be heard by the calling subscriber 10. The sound source selection device 60 selects a sound source number of a call waiting sound in consideration of various conditions such as an environment set in advance by a called party or a service provider or a situation at the time of a call, for example, a called number, a calling number, or a call time. Is sent to the sound source delivery device (50).

The gateway system has a function of registering a call waiting tone service through the Internet (or ARS) and changing the call waiting tone.

The content providing system provides various call waiting sounds as content.

2 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of performing a method for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention.

First, the call attempt of the originating subscriber 10 is transmitted to the destination exchange 40 via the originating exchange 30 (S1) (S2). In this process, there may be interworking with an exchange transmitting a signal such as a relay exchange. The destination exchange 40 requests the sound source transmitting device 50 to transmit the call waiting sound in order to transmit the call waiting sound to the calling subscriber 10 (S3).

In the present invention, since the exchange or the HLR does not manage whether the subscriber registers the call waiting sound service, the destination exchange 40 requests the sound source transmitting device 50 to transmit the call waiting sound for all calls. The sound source transmitting apparatus 50, which has been requested to transmit the call waiting sound, requests the sound source number to be transmitted to the sound source selection device 60 in order to determine the sound source to be transmitted (S4). The sound source selecting device 60 provides a sound source number determined by a predetermined method to the sound source transmitting device 50 (S5). The sound source sending apparatus 50 which has received the sound source number transmits the sound source corresponding to the received sound source number to the switch 40 (S6). The sound source transmitted by the sound source transmitting device 50 is delivered to the calling subscriber 10 via the called exchange 40 and the calling exchange 30.

When a call is made in such a sound source transmission process, the destination exchange 40 allows a call to be made between the called party 20 and the calling party 10 instead of stopping the call waiting sound transmission (S7), Request for discontinuance to 50) (S8) and the sound source dispensing apparatus 50 stops dispensing the sound source.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of selecting a sound source number by the sound source selection device according to the present invention.

The sound source transmitting apparatus 50 that has been requested to transmit the call waiting sound requests the sound source number to be transmitted to the sound source selection device 60 in order to determine the sound source to be transmitted (S100). The sound source selection device 60 selects a sound source number to be heard by the calling subscriber 10.

In the present invention, since the sound source selection device 60 manages whether the subscriber registers the call waiting sound service, the sound source selection device 60 analyzes the called number (S200) to determine whether the called party 20 registers with the call waiting sound service. It is determined whether or not (S210). If the called party 20 does not register with the call waiting sound service, an error code is returned or a basic sound source number is selected (S230) and transmitted to the sound source transmitting device (S240). On the other hand, when the called party 20 registers with the call waiting sound service, according to the sound source selection algorithm, the sound source number of the call waiting sound to be heard by the calling party 10 is selected (S220) and transferred to the sound source transmitting device (S240). .

The sound source selection algorithm determines the sound source number of the call waiting sound to be sent to the calling subscriber in consideration of the called number, the calling number, or the call time. For example, the sound source number corresponding to the music predetermined by the called party 20 is selected. Alternatively, there is a method of allocating and selecting a specific sound source number to the calling subscriber 10 predetermined by the called subscriber 20.

As described above, the method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention minimize changes in specifications and functions for systems of a communication network.

First, the functional change of the HLR or exchange 30 and 40 is minimized. In the conventional method, the call waiting tone information is included in subscriber information managed by the HLR or the exchange system, thereby causing the function change of the HLR and the exchange for the call waiting tone providing service. HLRs and exchanges installed and operated in a communication network have many types and numbers, and it is not easy to change their functions for a call waiting service. In the method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention, since the subscriber information is managed by the sound source selection device 60, the function of the HLR is not required to be changed, and the exchange requests the sound transmission device 50 to provide the call waiting sound. Only add and no change or addition of other features.

In addition, in the mobile network, the method and apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention provide call waiting sounds by the sound source transmitting device 50 and the sound source selecting device 60, so that the provision of the call waiting sound is an interworking standard between the HLR and the exchange. Does not change. This greatly reduces development time and costs, and keeps the system open.

The present invention can be embodied as code that can be read by a computer (including all devices having an information processing function) in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording devices include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

According to the apparatus and method for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention, it is possible to minimize the function change of the exchange without changing the function of the HLR by performing the confirmation of subscription of the call waiting sound service in the sound source selection device other than the switch or the HLR. In addition, the mobile network does not need to change the interworking standard between the HLR and the exchanger, greatly reducing development time and cost and maintaining an open system form.

1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention.

2 is a signal flowchart illustrating a procedure of performing a method for providing a call waiting sound according to the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of selecting a sound source number by the sound source selection device according to the present invention.

Claims (6)

(a) receiving a call waiting sound for a called subscriber from a called exchange in a sound source transmitting device; (b) requesting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber from a sound source transmitting device to a sound source selection device; (c) selecting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber in the sound source selection device and transmitting the sound source number to the sound source transmitting device; And (d) transmitting a call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source number from the sound source sending device to the destination exchange. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises: (c1) determining whether the subscriber is a call waiting service subscriber by analyzing a called number corresponding to the called subscriber; (c2) when the called party is a call waiting tone service subscriber, selecting a call waiting tone source number set by the called party according to the called number, calling party's calling number and / or call time and sending it to the sound source transmitting device; ; And and (c3) if the called subscriber is not a call waiting service subscriber, sending a basic sound source number to the sound transmitting apparatus. The method of claim 1, wherein before performing step (a), Receiving an incoming request from an originating subscriber at the originating exchange; And And forwarding the incoming request from the originating exchange to the destination exchange. The method of claim 1, If a call is made between an originating subscriber and a called party, requesting to stop the call waiting sound from the destination exchange to the sound transmitting apparatus; And And stopping the call waiting sound transmission by the sound source transmitting apparatus. A sound source transmitter for receiving a call waiting sound for the called subscriber from the called exchange and sending the call waiting sound for the called subscriber to the called exchange; A call waiting sound storage unit for storing at least one call waiting sound and receiving a predetermined call waiting sound source number from the sound source sending unit and transferring a call waiting sound corresponding to the call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source sending unit; And Storing call waiting sound source numbers corresponding to each call waiting sound providing service subscriber; selecting a call waiting sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber from among the call waiting sound source numbers in response to a request for a sound source number from the sound source transmitter; Call waiting sound providing apparatus comprising a sound source selection unit for sending to the sound source transmitting unit. Receiving a call waiting sound for the called subscriber from the called exchange in the sound transmitting apparatus; Requesting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber from a sound source transmission device to a sound source selection device; Selecting a sound source number corresponding to the called subscriber in the sound source selection device and transferring the sound source number to the sound source transmission device; And And a computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the step of transmitting a call waiting sound corresponding to the sound source number from the sound source transmitting device to the destination exchange.