DE19911439A1 - Method for electronic office in computer networks by arranging receive and send functions, document storage, timing management, preparing letter, management of address book, (translation into foreign languages etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic office at least arrange receive and send functions (4,5), document storage (6), timing management appointment/deadline (7), preparing letter (8), management of an address book (9), automatic printed form filing (10) and translation into foreign languages (11). The electronic office provides the services investigations in databases, business trips bookings, translations into foreign languages and sending a service letter over external connections.

Description

The invention relates to the field of services in telecommunications networks.

According to the prior art, services can be used in telecommunication networks be the retrieval from databases (see DE 43 23 947), the document ver administration and special services such as B. speech processing (see DE 197 13 966) or relate to the compilation of image documents (see DE 197 20 989).

For complex tasks for document processing, administration and the exchange with no other services are currently available in the telecommunications networks Available.

The invention has for its object to offer a method with which in Telekom communication networks the known secretariat functions are carried out electronically can.

The object is achieved in that a network server for a method for execution is equipped by secretarial functions.

The process includes the processes

• - Communication with the user
• - control panel and
• - Secretarial functions

and ensures that the user has a personal electronic secretariat can set up.

The electronic secretariat can be contacted online at any time, as several input channels are available. The services telephone, fax and data transmission can be fed in via analog or digital wired connections and via mobile radio (see FIG. 1).

For the access to the electronic secretariat is a legitimation for the user required. After access, he is the user of his electronic personal Secretariat (EPS).

If access is via telephone, the language is analyzed (SpA), for entering system commands and for creating e-mails and other letters (see Fig. 2). For further processing, the language is converted into ASCII text (SpW).

Faxes are also analyzed (TFA) and the text with an optical charter Recognition software (OCR) converted into computer-standard data.

Data that is already in computer format, e.g. B. via ISDN PC card or modem, can be processed directly.

The user can choose the form in which they want to submit the information Information should reach. Speech or data are also too analog or digital connections as well as to mobile devices.

On mobile phones or on paging receivers, a short text can be used as a short Message are issued.

On fax machines, the information appears as text or graphics with less Resolution.

When using a PC, the output can be in the form of high quality color graphics respectively.  

The user communicates with the electronic secretariat via the system commands. The user menu is opened and the control for the execution of the secretariat functions triggered.

Connections to business partners, the Internet and other service providers built up according to program. The connections can be made via telephone, fax and Data transmission can be realized.

The secretarial functions include

• - View, register and file incoming mail
• - Creation of letters including pre-made forms
• - Send letters as mail, fax or voice mail
• - Save documents
• - Keeping a personal schedule
• - Manage a personal address book
• - translating into foreign languages
• - searches in databases
• - Prepare business trips

Connections to business partners, the Internet and other service providers built up programmatically with the involvement of address management.

The business partners use the address of the EPS and can use the telephone or fax or answer data transfer.

For searches in databases you can connect to an internet search engine being constructed.

Connections to other service providers are established e.g. B. for

• - Bookings for business trips (flight and train tickets as well as hotel and rental cars  reservations) via access to a travel agency's booking system,
• - translations into an "exotic" foreign language,
• - Sending letters in a service center (printing center) to be printed.

The secretariat functions are explained using the following example:
A businessman is traveling. He recognizes the need for a meeting in a foreign location with several participants, one of whom comes from abroad. A participant cannot be reached by email, but by fax. The business partners should confirm participation in writing or by telephone.

The businessman dials into his electronic via the next available phone personal secretariat. He legitimates himself by entering a PIN or by Analysis of his own voice. The EPS informs him of the existence of Messages.

Then he requests the functionality "Calendar" and asks for the output of one new appointment. The EPS asks about the duration of the event and the location. With help Based on the experience gained so far, the EPS can determine the travel time of the location estimate and only offers such gaps in dates that are suitable for the planned business trip own.

If the businessman confirms the appointment, the appointment is blocked for further entries, otherwise the next possible appointment will be offered. As a reminder the user synchronizes his ESP diary via GSM (Groupe Speciale Mobile) with a connected organizer that he carries with him.

Then he selects the "Organize meeting" functionality. He is after the Asked participants. He only gives the names, the associated email addresses and  other communication connections, the EPS pulls from the already saved Database with personal addresses. The location and start time are also queried and duration of the event. If the event is already taking place in the Place used in the past is held at the same time as a conference hotel suggested.

Then the menu item "Design invitation text" is selected and the text via Language entered. The system analyzes the language (if necessary after the learning phase Initialization of the system) and saves it as ASCII text. For control and Correction, the text is read out again after the input is complete. The control The recording functions also take place via speech with the help of code words.

The system creates one internally after accessing the preset forms Invitation and send it by email to the addresses of the named participants. Owns If a subscriber does not have an email address, his fax number is dialed instead. As The address for acceptance or rejection will be an electronic mailbox number of the ESP specified. The translation of the invitation is generated for foreign participants and sent by email or fax.

Then the user sets a filter for incoming messages so that only replies be allowed through at his invitation. He chooses his pager as the output device. The His pager's number is also included in his personal address book.

Communication with his EPS is now complete.

In the meantime, the emails or faxes are received by the business partners. she have replied to the mailbox address of the EPS. Foreign language mails translated and cached. Faxes are converted into ASCII texts and saved. If a business partner replies by voice mail, the language will be saved (for later listening to the voice mails) and implemented with software for a saving in ASCII format. Then the messages will match the  In accordance with the defined filter (only replies by invitation) to the desired one Output device, in this case the businessman's pager.

The businessman recognizes from the received messages that all the desired Participants have agreed. So he has the conference hotel and the flight as well as the Book a rental car. He establishes a voice connection to his EPS and requests via Voice input the functionality "booking". The EPS asks the data for the venue, desired arrival time etc. The user ends the dialog.

The EPS establishes a connection to the booking system of a travel agency and orders it desired tickets, the rental car and the conference hotel. The confirmation is from Travel agency sent to the EPS electronic mailbox. The tickets will be on Departure airport deposited, the keys of the rental car at the destination airport. To made and confirmed by the travel agency, the EPS confirms the user successful planning of the trip through a message to the preset output device, here the pager of the traveler.

The maintenance of personal data, the setting of personal profiles as well the filter function happen z. B. offline on a PC, then the data is transferred.

If, for reasons of confidentiality, communication is not possible by voice, then the dialogue can also be prepared offline on a laptop or an organizer and then transmitted via GSM or with a connection to a landline.  

List of reference numbers

1

Electronic secretariat in telecommunications networks

2nd

Communication with the user

3rd

Control panel

4th

Inbox

5

Outbox

6

Document filing

7

Diary

8th

Creation of letters

9

Directory of addresses

10th

Form management

11

Foreign language translator
Abbreviations
SpA analyzer for speech
TFA analyzer for faxes
SpW speech signal converter
OCR Optical Character Recognition software
GSM Groupe Speciale Mobile

Claims (3)

1. A method for an electronic secretariat in telecommunications networks, characterized in that

• - that a network server ( 1 ) is equipped for the execution of secretarial functions,
• a personal electronic secretariat is set up for the user,
• - That the user has access for communication with the electronic secretariat ( 2 ) via the services telephone, fax and data transmission from wired analog and digital connections and via mobile radio,
• - that the system control of the electronic secretariat ( 3 ) automatically establishes connections to business partners, the Internet and service providers,
• - That the electronic secretariat at least the functions receive and send ( 4 and 5 ) document filing ( 6 ), keeping a diary ( 7 ), writing letters ( 8 ), managing an address book ( 9 ), automatic form filing ( 10 ) and Translates into foreign languages ( 11 ), and
• - That the electronic secretariat ensures at least the services of researching databases, bookings for business trips, translations into "exotic" foreign languages and sending letters from a service center via external connections.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that upon access by the user An analysis of the input signals is carried out via the telephone and fax services recognize the entry of system commands. 3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the secretary server works internally with data in ASCII format, so that for input and output of text a signal conversion when using the services telephone and fax made becomes.