WO2001017220A1

WO2001017220A1 - Telephone system operating method having ring or tip tone function using cm song

Info

Publication number: WO2001017220A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/000905
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hyun Hee Kim; Byoung-Ki Jung; Young-Kyu Park; Yeong-Chul Park
Original assignee: Hyun Hee Kim; Jung Byoung Ki; Park Young Kyu; Park Yeong Chul
Priority date: 1999-09-02
Filing date: 2000-08-14
Publication date: 2001-03-08
Also published as: KR20000049320A; AU6480600A

Abstract

Disclosed is a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song which advertises particular goods by replacing the ring or tip tone with the CM song provided by an advertiser or a communication service provider. According to the method, an advertisement/information providing system, which searches and stores therein CM songs related to advertisement or particular life information existing in a web site of Internet or in various kinds of mass media, transmits the information to a communication service providing system. A telephone system, which select an advertisement mode, stores therein the information provided through a communication path connected to the communication service providing system. Then, the telephone system outputs the information stored at the second step through a sound outputting means provided therein at a time point of calling to allow a user to listen to the information.

Description

TELEPHONE SYSTEM OPERATING METHOD HAVING RING OR TIP TONE

FUNCTION USING CM SONG

Technical Field The present invention relates to a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a commercial (CM) song, and more particularly to a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song which can perform advertisement of particular goods or services by outputting the CM song provided by an advertiser or a communication service provider instead of the ring or tip tone when a call is originated or terminated.

Background Art

Since the consumers are liable to ignore information not directly related to themselves due to a flood of too much information in the modern society, the users are ready to suffer a loss in the event that they cannot accurately recognize or receive advertising information such as a bargain sale period of specified goods or a service period even though such information is advertised through various kinds of mass media.

Further, since the same good may have different selling prices as many distributors or commodity providers exert all possible efforts to reduce distribution margins and to secure more clients, the consumers who do not receive accurate information cannot even recognize the fact that they suffer a money loss.

Furthermore, the transfer of accurate information cannot be achieved only by the opportunity of listening through the existing broadcasting media, and thus can achieve the main object of the advertisement using the CM song, which is the development of affection by repeated listening.

Therefore, the consumers have to scrutinize the information transmitted through the mass media, but it is very difficult to accurately recognize the information that is necessary to them. Also, it is impossible for the consumers to invest their time in accurately recognizing the information. An object of the advertisement using a CM song is to improve a feeling of intimacy by repeated listening of the CM song, but such a method has a limit in that the information is not transmitted accurately by only listening through the existing broadcasting media.

Disclosure of the Invention

Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song which advertises particular goods by replacing the ring or tip tone with the CM song provided by an advertiser or a communication service provider so that the telephone user can listen to the CM song through a speaker provided in the telephone at a start time point of call termination or origination.

In order to accomplished the above mentioned object, the present invention provides a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song, the method comprising a first step of an advertisement/information providing system, which searches and stores therein CM songs related to advertisement or particular life information existing in a web site of Internet or in various kinds of mass media, transmitting the information to a communication service providing system, a second step of a telephone system which select an advertisement mode storing therein the information provided at the first step through a communication path connected to the communication service providing system, and a third step of the telephone system outputting the information stored at the second step through a sound outputting means provided therein at a time point of calling to allow a user to listen to the information. If the number of sound output times for the information exceeds a predetermined value, the number of sound output times is provided to the advertisement/ information providing system.

After the number of times is provided to the advertisement/information providing system, the advertisement/information providing system provides an additional service to the corresponding telephone system which select the advertisement mode.

The additional service includes a delivery of an electronic coupon.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song, the method comprising a first step of an advertisement/information providing system, which searches and stores therein CM songs related to advertisement or particular life information existing in a web site of Internet or in various kinds of mass media, transmitting the information to a communication service providing system, a second step of if a first telephone system among a plurality of telephone systems connected to the communication service providing system and provided with a communication service requests a call connection to a second telephone system, the communication service providing system providing a CM song provided from the advertisement/information providing system to the second telephone system as a ring signal, and a third step of the communication service providing system providing the CM song to the first telephone system as a ring back tone signal generated by the ring signal provided to the second telephone system at the second step.

When the second telephone system is busy, the communication service providing system provides the CM song provided from the advertisement/information providing system to the first telephone system as a busy tone. If the second telephone system is in a busy state and the first telephone system and a third communication system are under a call connection by a call connection request from the third telephone system to the first telephone system while the first telephone system and the second telephone system are busy, the communication service providing system provides the CM song provided from the advertisement/information providing system to the second telephone system as the busy tone.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above object, other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a signal transmitting system between mobile communication subscribers and an Internet or a public communication network; Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of a mobile communication terminal having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a mobile communication terminal in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view explaining the operation of an exchange system according to the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Now, preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a signal transmitting system between mobile communication subscribers and an Internet or a public communication network.

If a line subscriber or a mobile communication subscriber requests a call connection in case that the subscriber carries a mobile terminal in an area of the mobile communication service network, the mobile communication service provider calls the corresponding subscriber to attempt the call connection. If the call connection is successively achieved, the called subscriber is connected to the mobile communication caller .

Meanwhile, if any Internet subscriber sends an e-mail to any mobile communication subscriber by using a function of an internet connection, the mobile communication service provider informs the corresponding subscriber of the e- mail, and the corresponding subscriber can receive and confirm the e-mail downloaded from the Internet through the mobile communication service provider. Also, an advertiser/information provider selects CM songs related with advertisements or particular life information existing in a particular site of the Internet or mass media, and provides them to the mobile communication service provider.

At that time, the wire/wireless communication service subscriber can listen to the CM song of the particular advertisement or life information provided from the advertiser/information provider through a speaker of the communication terminal carried by the wire/wireless communication service subscriber.

In addition, a particular code of a command signal stored in storage means of the communication terminal is produced by the request of the advertiser/information provider, so that control means of the terminal replaces a dialing signal with the CM song according to the command signal produced from the mobile communication service provider or exchange system.

Accordingly, the advertisement on particular goods or service can be transmitted to the telephone user, and the user can obtain the useful life information.

With the aspect of the present invention, the general consumers are impervious to printed advertisements, but are sensitive of audio advertisements such as the CM song.

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the general mobile telephone adapted to the present invention. The mobile telephone, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises an audio/text separating section 8 for separating text information from a radio signal received through a receiver 6 and an amplifier 7, a text storage section 9 for storing the text information separated by the audio/text separating section 8, a LCD driving section 10 for receiving and displaying on an LCD 11 the text information stored in the text storage section 9 or inputted through other paths according to the request of the user or system, a demodulating section 13 for receiving and demodulating the radio signal, from which the text information is separated by the audio/text separating section 8, a memory 14 for storing an audio signal related to the CM song, a counter 12 for counting the number accesses that the audio signal related with the CM song stored in the memory 14 is accessed, a switching section 15 for receiving the audio signal demodulated through the demodulating section 13 and the audio signal related to the CM song counted by the counter 12, and selectively outputting either of the signals, a speaker/earphone 18 for receiving and converting the audio signal outputted from the switching section 15 into a sound signal, and a microprocessor 20 for controlling elements of the system by recognizing the particular request code in the signal received through the receiver 6.

The audio/text separating section 8 has a switching function for switching transmission paths of the signal under the control of the microprocessor 20.

Also, the microprocessor 20 receives a counted value outputted from the counter 12, and sends the value to the advertiser/information provider through a transmission data synthesizing section 4 in its own transmission mode if the counted value exceeds a predetermined value. The transmission mode may perform the transmission in a state that the user dose not recognize it, or may perform the transmission wile the user users the telephone. The memory 14 performs a function of storing the audio signal inputted through the demodulating section 13 or transmitting the audio signal directly to the counter 12 without storing it.

Now, the operation of the telephone system having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song according to the present invention as constructed above will be described in conjunction with FIG. 3.

At step SlOl, the microprocessor 20 judges whether the user selects the commercial mode. If it is judged that the user does not select the commercial mode at step SlOl, the microprocessor 20 proceeds to step S102, and performs the same function as the typical portable telephone.

If it is judged that the user selects the commercial mode at step SlOl, the microprocessor 20 proceeds to step S103. At step S103, the microprocessor 20 judges whether a call connection is requested by a third call requester through the mobile communication service provider, i.e., whether a ring signal is terminated.

If it is judged that no ring signal is terminated at step S103, the microprocessor 20 proceeds to step S104, and judges whether the user's call connection request exists. If it is judged that the user's call connection request does not exist at step S104, the microprocessor 20 returns to step S103.

If it is judged that the user's call connection request exists at step S104, the microprocessor 20 proceeds to step S105, and judges whether the CM song is stored in a specified storage region of the memory 14. If it is judged that no CM song is stored at step S105, the microprocessor 20 proceeds to step S106, and outputs the "tip" signal of the corresponding terminal provided from the mobile communication service provider as the CM song.

At this time, the CM song provided from the mobile communication service provider to the corresponding terminal is selected and provided to the mobile communication service provider by an advertiser/ information provider.

Accordingly, the CM song is provided as the "tip" signal at step S106. Specifically, the CM song demodulated through the demodulating section 13 is applied to the counter 12 via the memory 14 under the control of the microprocessor 20, and the CM song applied to the counter 12 is counted through the process of step S108, so that the user can listen to the CM song through the speaker/earphone 18 via the switching section 15.

At this time, the user waits for the connection of the call path as he/she listens to the CM song. At step S109, the microprocessor judges whether the call path is connected within a predetermined time. If it is judged that the call path is connected within the threshold time at step S109, the microprocessor proceeds to step S102 to perform the typical telephone call function.

If it is judged that the call path is not connected at step S109, the microprocessor returns to the process of step S105.

On the contrary, if it is judged that the CM song exists in the specified storage region of the memory 14 at step S105, the microprocessor proceeds to step S107, accesses the stored CM song, and then provides it as the tip tone. Then, the microprocessor proceeds to step S108 to perform the above-described operation, and then proceeds to step S109a to perform the typical function.

During the above-described process, the user's call connection is requested. If it is judged that the ring signal is received at step S103, the microprocessor proceeds to step S110.

At step S110, the microprocessor judges whether the received radio signal corresponds to text information, and if not, the microprocessor judges that the radio signal corresponds to the typical call request. If it is judged that the radio signal corresponds to the text information, the microprocessor proceeds to step Sill to perform the typical text processing mode, and then proceeds to step S102.

If it is judged that the received radio signal does not correspond to the text information at step S110, the microprocessor judges whether it corresponds to the CM song. If it is judged that is does not correspond to the CM song, the microprocessor proceeds to step S105 to re- perform the above-described operation. However, in case of proceeding from step S112 to step S105, the "tip" signal is replaced by the "ring" signal during the operation through step S105 to step S109.

If it is judged that the received radio signal corresponds to the CM song at step S112, the microprocessor 20 stores the received CM song in the specified storage region of the memory 14 and detects a commercial-related request signal at step S113.

The microprocessor 20 performs the control operation for outputting the CM signal such as conversion of the CM song to be outputted through the speaker/earphone 18, the number of outputs of the CM song, etc., in accordance with the commercial-related request signal detected at step S113.

Though FIG. 3 illustrates that the operations at steps S114 to S116 are sequentially performed following step S114, they are sequentially performed after the increasing operation of the counted value at step S109 in practice. After the operation of step S117, the counter 12 is initialized.

Specifically, the operations at step S114 to Sllβ are for providing the basis of a compensation program returned to the users selecting the commercial mode by the advertiser/information provider. For instance, if the number of times that the user listen to the specified CM song at the time point where the telephone call is made according to the call connection request or the ring tone is terminated, an additional service such as delivery of an electronic coupon is provided.

As described above, the construction and operation of the communication terminal having the ring or tip tone function using the CM song according to the present invention were explained. Hereinafter, the operation of an exchange for providing the communication service to the above-described communication terminal will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a view explaining the operation of an exchange system according to the present invention, and illustrates the construction of a general wired exchange. Since an exchange system for providing a mobile communication service is not different from the general wired exchange system in concept, the general wired exchange system is exemplified. Especially, since the gist of the present invention does not relate to the hardwired system itself, only the relation between the exchange system and the communication terminals is illustrated in FIG. 4. It is assumed that the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal are the same as that illustrated in FIG. 3 in operation. If the call connection is requested from the first communication terminal to the second communication terminal, i.e., if the "tip" signal is generated from the first communication terminal, the exchange judges whether the second communication terminal is busy. If it is judged that the second communication terminal is not busy, the exchange provides to the second communication terminal the CM song provided from the advertiser/information provider as the ring signal. Accordingly, the second communication terminal informs the user of the call connection request using the CM song as the ring signal.

The ring signal provided to the second communication terminal is converted into the tip signal of the second communication terminal, and then provided to the exchange. The exchange provides to the first communication terminal the received tip signal as a ring back tone signal.

As a result, both the users of the first and second communication terminals can listen to the CM song through the receiver and the built-in speaker. On the contrary, if the exchange judges that the second communication terminal is busy when the first communication terminal requests the call connection to the second communication terminal, it provides to the first communication terminal a busy tone, which is also the CM song provided from the advertiser/information provider.

At this time, a storage means for storing therein the CM song provided from the advertiser/information provider should be employed in the exchange.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Industrial Applicability As apparent from the above description, the telephone system operating method having the ring or tip tone function using the CM song can solve the problems that since the consumers are liable to ignore information not directly related to themselves due to a flood of too much information in the modern society, the users are ready to suffer a loss in the event that they cannot accurately recognize or receive advertising information such as a bargain sale period of specified goods or a service period even though such information is advertised through various kinds of mass media.

Further, the present invention can overcome the problems that since the same good may have different selling prices as many distributors or commodity providers exert all possible efforts to reduce distribution margins and to secure more clients, the consumers who do not receive accurate information cannot even recognize the fact that they suffer a money loss.

Furthermore, the present invention can overcome the problems that the transfer of accurate information cannot be achieved only by the opportunity of listening through the existing broadcasting media, and thus can achieve the main object of the advertisement using the CM song, which is the development of affection by repeated listening.

Claims

1. A telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song, the method comprising: a first step of an advertisement/information providing system, which searches and stores therein CM songs related to advertisement or particular life information existing in a web site of Internet or in various kinds of mass media, transmitting the information to a communication service providing system; a second step of a telephone system which select an advertisement mode storing therein the information provided at the first step through a communication path connected to the communication service providing system, and a third step of the telephone system outputting the information stored at the second step through a sound outputting means provided therein at a time point of calling to allow a user to listen to the information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth step of if the number of sound output times for the information exceeds a predetermined value, providing the number of sound output times to the advertisement/information providing system.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a fifth step of after the number of times is provided to the advertisement/information providing system, the advertisement/information providing system providing an additional service to the corresponding telephone system which select the advertisement mode.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the additional service comprises a delivery of an electronic coupon and a reduction of a call charge.

5. A telephone system operating method having a ring or tip tone function using a CM song, the method comprising: a first step of an advertisement/information providing system, which searches and stores therein CM songs related to advertisement or particular life information existing in a web site of Internet or in various kinds of mass media, transmitting the information to a communication service providing system; a second step of if a first telephone system among a plurality of telephone systems connected to the communication service providing system and provided with a communication service requests a call connection to a second telephone system, the communication service providing system providing a CM song provided from the advertisement/information providing system to the second telephone system as a ring signal; and a third step of the communication service providing system providing the CM song to the first telephone system as a ring back tone signal generated by the ring signal provided to the second telephone system at the second step.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising a fourth step of when the second telephone system is busy, the communication service providing system providing the CM song provided from the advertisement/information providing system to the first telephone system as a busy tone.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a fifth step of if the second telephone system is in a busy state and the first telephone system and a third communication system are under a call connection by a call connection request from the third telephone system to the first telephone system while the first telephone system and the second telephone system are busy, the communication service providing system providing the CM song provided from the advertisement/ information providing system to the second telephone system as the busy tone.