TELEPHONE EXCHANGE WITH VOICE MAIL DEVICE

CENTRAL TELEPHONIQUE A BOITE VOCALE

English Abstract

Telephone exchange with speech store equipment which is
connected to the calling subscriber after a predetermined time
if the called subscriber does not answer the call, as well as
method to store such voice messages in such an exchange,
whereby the speech store equipment is able to store voice
messages arriving from the calling subscriber and intended for
the called subscriber and to send them to the called
subscriber on his request. The telephone exchange comprises
switching means which will also connect all further calls for
the called subscriber to the speech store equipment as soon as
one switch-over after timeout of the called subscriber to the
speech store equipment has been executed. Hence, the exchange
recognizes that the called subscriber is not ready to speak
and switches all further arriving calls to the speech store
equipment.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. Telephone exchange (1) with speech store equipment
(7) which, if ringing takes place by reason of a call made by
a calling subscriber (2) and the called subscriber (3) does
not answer the call, is connected by switchover to the calling
subscriber (2) after a predetermined time, whereby the speech
store equipment (7) is able to store voice messages arriving
from the calling subscriber (2) and intended for the called
subscriber (3), and to send them to the called subscriber on
his request, characterized in that the telephone exchange (1)
comprises switching means (5, 6) which will also connect all
further calls for the called subscriber (3) to the speech
store equipment (7) as soon as one switchover of the called
subscriber (3) to the speech store equipment (7) has been
carried out.

2. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1,
characterized in that the switching means (5, 6) will connect
again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3)
to a subset of the called subscriber, after an activation
procedure has been executed at said subset of the called
subscriber.

3. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 2, wherein
said activation procedure comprises a picking up of a
telephone handset of said subset of the called subscriber.

4. Telephone exchange as claimed in claim 1,
characterized in that the switching means (5, 6) will connect
again all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3)
to a subset of said called subscriber, after an interrogation
request has been initiated by the called subscriber (3).






5. Method to store voice messages in a telephone
exchange (1) with a speech store equipment (7) which is
connected by switchover to a calling subscriber (2) after
ringing, indicative of a call, takes place for a predetermined
timeout period and a called subscriber (3) does not answer the
call, whereby the speech store equipment (7) stores voice
messages arriving from the calling subscriber (2) and intended
for the called subscriber (3), and sends them to the called
subscriber upon request, characterized in that all further
calls for the called subscriber (3) will also be connected to
the speech store equipment (7), as soon as one switchover of
the called subscriber (3) to the speech store equipment (7)
has been carried out.

6. Method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) will
be connected again to a subset of the called subscriber after
an activation procedure has been executed at the called
subscriber's subset.

7. Method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
all further calls arriving for the called subscriber (3) will
be connected again to a subset of the called subscriber after
an interrogation request has been initiated by the called
subscriber (3).

8. Method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
activation procedure comprises a picking up of a telephone
handset of said subset of the called subscriber.

Description

21Sn6I ~



902-384


TELEPHONE EXCHANGE WITH VOICE MAIL DEVICE

Technical Field
The invention concerns a telephone exchange with speech
storage equipment which, during a call made by the calling
subscriber, connects with the latter after a predetermined
time if the called subscriber does not answer the call, and a
method for storing voice messages in such an exchange, wherein
the voice storage is able to store voice messages received
from the calling subscriber and intended for the called
subscriber, and to send them to the called subscriber upon his
request.

Background of the Invention
Telephone exchanges with speech storage equipment are
already known and are mostly called voice-mail equipment in
the profession. Such installations are very explicitly
described by EP 0,087,849 and EP 0,336,524, for example. A
method and a device for storing telephone messages in a
private telephone branch exchange are also known from EP
0,304,653.
The known devices have the disadvantage that each new
call first reaches the subscriber station and is only
connected with the voice message memory if the subscriber has
not answered within a predetermined time. This is considered
to be disturbing by other persons in the room at that time.
In addition, the time span before the call is connected passes
without being used.

Disclosure of Invention
It is the task of the present invention to eliminate
this disadvantage, particularly to keep the waiting time as
short as possible before access to the voice storage equipment
is obtained.

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902-384


The invention fulfills this task in that the exchange
contains switching means which connect all further calls
intended for the called subscriber to the voice storage
equipment after the called subscriber has been switched once
to the voice storage equipment in a time-dependent manner.
The switching equipment also recognizes that the called
subscriber is not ready to talk and switches all further
incoming calls to the voice storage equipment.
Another development of the invention provides for the
switching means to again connect all further incoming calls
intended for the called subscriber to the subscriber'-s
installation after an activation process has taken place, for
example by lifting the receiver.
Another configuration of the invention provides for the
switching means to again connect all further incoming calls
intended for the called subscriber to the subscriber's
installation only after the called subscriber makes an inquiry
request. This measure also prevents the switch-over to the
called subscriber from taking place when his subscriber
installation is being used by a third person, or if the called
subscriber makes outgoing calls, but is not answering incoming
calls.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent in light of the
detailed description of a best mode embodiment thereof, as
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.-

Brief Description of the Drawinq
The sole figure shows a telephone exchange connected orconnectable to both a plurality of telephones and a voice-mail
installation adapted, according to the invention, to remain
activated for a called subscriber after a first calling
subscriber is routed thereto until the called subscriber is
ready to receive messages or to talk.

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902-384


Best Mode for Carryinq Out the Invention
Subscriber terminals are connected to the telephone
exchange installation 1 through ports a - z. In the present
example, ports a - w are provided for the connection of
telephone devices 2, 3, and a voice-mail installation is
connected to ports x, y and z. This allows 3 simultaneous
occupations of the voice-mail installation.
The switching equipment 1 contains a coupling field 4
through which the terminals 2, 3, 7 are interconnected in the
known manner, and is controlled by a control program 5.
Subscriber 2 now calls subscriber 3 for example, who is
not ready to talk at that time. After a predetermined calling
time has expired, the control program 5 automatically
transfers the call connection to the voice-mail installation
7, in the known manner. If the call from subscriber 2 has now
been transferred, the typical information exchange for a
voice-mail installation takes place. The voice-mail
installation introduces itself to subscriber 2 by means of
stored text, and asks him to dictate his message for
subscriber 3. As a rule, this process ends when subscriber 2
hangs up, or after a predetermined recording time has expired.
After the call from calling subscriber 2 to the voice-
mail installation 7 of called subscriber 3 has ended, the
voice-mail installation according to the invention remains
activated for the called subscriber. Every further incoming
call is now automatically switched to the voice-mail
installation, that is so long until the called subscriber 3
for example lifts the receiver on his telephone device. The
control program 5 now recognizes that subscriber 3 is ready to
talk and switches all further calls intended for subscriber 3
again directly to subscriber 3.
The deactivation of the voice-mail installation can also
take place only after subscriber 3 makes an inquiry request.

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902-384


This prevents the deactivation by a third person who is using
the device of subscriber 3.
If a message for subscriber 3 has been recorded by the
voice-mail installation, a signal device 8, for example a
light-emitting diode, may be activated in the telephone set of
subscriber 3, which indicates to subscriber 3 upon his return
that a message is waiting for him in the voice-mail
installation.
Although the invention has been shown and described with
respect to a best mode embodiment thereof, it should be
understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and
various other changes, omissions and additions in the form and
detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention.