SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A DIAL TONE AND A RING TONE

Abstract

Provided is a system for providing a dial tone and a ring tone to a receiver terminal having one or more virtual numbers. A ring tone setting unit sets a ring tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers. An alarm sound providing server includes a controller configured to output, to the receiver terminal, a ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal transmitted from a caller terminal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and a method for providing a dial tone and a ring tone, and more particularly, to a system and a method for providing a dial tone and a ring tone in which a virtual number of a receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal is determined by an alarm sound providing server when a caller terminal requests call connection to the receiver terminal, thereby providing a dial tone or a ring tone corresponding to the virtual number.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional ring back tone service (e.g., SKT coloring, KTF ringtoyou, LGT feeling service) is a service that enables a user to subscribe to a website that provides a ring back tone to set a desired ring back tone (e.g., music, ring tone, etc.) and provides a caller the music or the ring tone set by the user (receiver) during the caller's call-waiting time. Currently, this service is expanded to be provided in a regular telephone as well as in a mobile communication terminal.

Meanwhile, a virtual number service is provided in which a virtual phone number is assigned instead of a real contact number to be used in a certain period of time. By using the virtual number service, an actual phone number or mobile phone number may be prevented to be exposed while achieving an effect of receiving an incoming phone through multiple receiving phone numbers.

These ring back tone service and the virtual number service provide only a basic function such that the music set by the receiver is provided to the caller or the actual phone number is not exposed by using the virtual phone number.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the present invention is to overcome limitations of the conventional services and provide a system in which a plurality of virtual numbers are set for one terminal and a ring tone is individually matched with the virtual numbers such that a receiver and a caller may hear the ring tone or a dial tone to identify additional information (e.g., name of business, path of ordering) of the caller or the receiver.

In an aspect of the present invention, provided is a system for providing a ring tone to a receiver terminal when a call connection is requested from a caller terminal to the receiver terminal. The system may include, in a system for providing a dial tone and a ring tone to a receiver terminal having one or more virtual numbers, a ring tone setting unit configured to set a ring tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers and an alarm sound providing server including a controller configured to output, to the receiver terminal, a ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal transmitted from a caller terminal.

When a user places advertisement on a plurality of advertisement media and sets a virtual number and a ring number differently for each advertisement media, the user may perceive through which advertisement media a call is coming by hearing the ring tone, thereby easily recognizing an advertisement effect of each advertisement media. Also, when an advertiser provides a dial tone (e.g., ring back tone) to a caller, a comment or logo song desired by the advertiser is set to be outputted during a call waiting time, thereby achieving a direct advertisement effect.

In an exemplary embodiment, the alarm sound providing server may further include a virtual number generation unit configured to generate the one or more virtual numbers on the receiver terminal, and a cost saving effect may be achieved by generating a plurality of virtual numbers, instead of an actual number, on one receiver terminal.

In another exemplary embodiment, the alarm sound providing server may further include a location information extraction unit configured to extract location information of the caller terminal, and the ring tone setting unit is configured to set a ring tone according to the location information of the caller terminal extracted by the location information extraction unit, and the controller is configured to output the ring tone according to the location information additionally to the ring tone set for the corresponding virtual number. Thus, by additionally outputting the ring tone (e.g., a comment) according to the location information, a receiver may immediately and easily recognize a location of the caller through the ring tone.

In still another exemplary embodiment, the alarm sound providing server may further include a dial tone setting unit configured to set a dial tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers, and the controller is configured to output, to the caller terminal, a dial tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in the call connection request signal. Through the dial tone, the advertiser may output the logo song or an advertisement comment, thereby enabling a targeting advertisement.

In still another exemplary embodiment, a service connection server configured to determine whether the one or more virtual numbers of the receiver terminal is a number subscribed to a dial tone and ring tone providing service may be further included. The service connection server first discriminates subscription of the service from the call connection request signal, and then transmits the call connection request signal to the alarm sound providing server, thereby reducing a load on the alarm sound providing server and enabling an effective operation.

In still another exemplary embodiment, the alarm sound providing server may further include a database configured to store information including a frequency of receiving a call connection request or a time of receiving the call connection request for each of the one or more virtual numbers. Through collection of such information, an advertisement effect or the caller's preference may be recognized and utilized as a statistical data, thereby capable of providing a useful material to the receiver (e.g., advertiser).

In another aspect of the present invention, provided is a method of providing a ring tone to a receiver terminal when a call connection is requested from a caller terminal to the receiver terminal. The method may include setting a ring tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers and outputting, to the receiver terminal, a ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal transmitted from a caller terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system for providing a dial tone and a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of matching a virtual number and a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates in detail an element of an alarm sound providing server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing a dial tone and a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing a ring tone service according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the ring tone is provided through a service connection server.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numbers denote the same element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings in detail. The same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structures incorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system for providing a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1(a), a system for providing a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a caller terminal 10, a receiver terminal 40, and an alarm sound providing server 100, which are connected through a communication network 20. Referring to FIG. 1(b), a service connection server 200 is provided additionally to the caller terminal 10, the receiver terminal 40, and the alarm sound providing server 100, and each element is connected through the communication network 20.

Generally, the communication network 20 can be largely divided into a wire network and a mobile network. The wire network means a network such as Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) which has a wire connection with a subscriber's terminal to enable the subscriber to perform a call at a specified location. The mobile network means a mobile communication network that is serviced through, for example, Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and has a wireless connection with the subscriber's terminal to enable the subscriber to perform the call in any location. The present invention may apply to both the wire network and the mobile network and the alarm sound providing server 100 is disposed at an appropriate location of the wire network or the mobile network.

Meanwhile, a caller subscriber (hereinafter, referred to as “caller”) is a person who calls by using the caller terminal 10 and a receiver subscriber (hereinafter, referred to as “receiver”) is a person who receives a call by using the receiver terminal 40. The caller and the receiver may be located within the same network or different networks. The present invention may apply to a case where the caller uses the wire network and the mobile network and to a case where the receiver uses the wire network and the mobile network.

Referring now to FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the caller terminal 10 and the receiver terminal 40 are a terminal that can transmit and receive voice or a data therebetween and may include, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a smart pad, a telephone, a tablet personal computer, a personal computer, or a personal digital assistant device. In FIG. 1, the caller terminal 10 is a mobile communication terminal which uses the mobile network and the receiver terminal is a wire terminal which uses the wire network; however, the present invention is not limited thereto and the caller terminal 10 and the receiver terminal 40 may apply to both the mobile communication terminal and the wire terminal.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the caller terminal 10 and the receiver terminal 40 connected to the alarm sound providing server 100 through the communication network may be provided with a preset ring tone or dial tone from the alarm sound providing server 100.

The alarm sound providing server 100 performs a function to individually set the ring tone for a plurality of virtual numbers set on the receiver terminal 40. To this end, the receiver (or service subscriber) may generate the plurality of virtual numbers with respect to a general phone number assigned to his or her own receiver terminal 40. The plurality of the virtual numbers may be generated by a virtual number generation unit of the alarm sound providing server 100 according to the receiver's request, or the plurality of the virtual numbers may be assigned to a phone number of the receiver terminal 40 according to the receiver's request, or the assigned virtual number may be changed or cancelled.

Meanwhile, the alarm sound providing server 100 may set the ring tone for each of the virtual numbers according to the receiver's choice or request. In an exemplary embodiment, different ring tones may be set for each of the plurality of the virtual numbers. For example, different virtual numbers may be advertised through respective advertisement media and different ring tones may be set for each of the virtual number so that an advertiser (or the receiver) may determine through which advertisement media the call is made only by hearing the ring tone. The alarm sound providing server 100 matches the virtual number with the ring tone to be stored in the alarm sound providing server 100 or in a separate database (not shown). Matching the virtual number to the ring tone will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, a description will be made of a case where the caller requests call connection to a specific virtual number. When the caller calls the sender terminal 40, a call connection request signal is provided to the alarm sound providing server 100. Here, the call connection request signal includes information of one virtual number among the virtual numbers of the receiver terminal 40. In another exemplary embodiment, information of a location at which the caller terminal 10 transmits the call connection request signal may be included.

The alarm sound providing server 100 may receive the call connection request signal and extracts virtual number information included in the call connection request signal and, according to the extracted virtual number, output the ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number. The alarm sound providing server 100 searches (or identifies) a matching relationship, which is stored in advance, between the virtual number and the ring tone and, if the ring tone that matches the received virtual number exists, outputs the ring tone. In one exemplary embodiment, when the ring tone is not separately set for the virtual number, a default ring tone may be transmitted.

Thus, the alarm sound providing server 100 may generate multiple virtual numbers for one receiver terminal 40 and set the ring tone for each of the virtual numbers, thereby achieving an effect of allowing the receiver to obtain, from the ring tone, additional information such as, for example, a path of originating a call or location information of the caller.

In another exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the receiving alarm sound providing system 100 may additionally include the service connection server 200. The service connection server 200 may discriminate only signals subscribed to a ring tone providing service among the call connection request signals transmitted from the caller terminal 10 and transmit the discriminated signals to the alarm sound providing server 100 in order to reduce a load on the alarm sound providing server 100.

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, a separate ring tone setting terminal may be further included for, for example, user registration and setting/change/termination of the ring tone. For example, the separate terminal may be implemented in various forms such as, for example, the mobile phone, the smart phone, the phone, the tablet personal computer, the personal computer, or the personal digital assistant device. In other words, the user registration, the setting/change/termination of the ring tone may be performed by the receiver terminal 40 which directly connects the alarm sound providing server 100 or by the separate ring tone setting terminal which connects to the alarm sound providing server 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method of matching a virtual number and a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2(a) shows an example ring tone assigned to the virtual number and FIG. 2(b) shows an example in which a comment according to location information of the caller terminal is outputted together with the ring tone assigned to the virtual number.

FIG. 2(a) shows an example in which a plurality of virtual numbers are assigned to one receiver terminal 40 and different ring tones are set for each of the virtual numbers. The ring tone may be set such that bell 1 rings for a virtual number that begins with 050-111-, bell 2 rings for a virtual number that begins with 050-222- or 050-225-, and bell 3 rings for a virtual number that begins with 050-333-. The ring tone may include a specific music (e.g., logo song), a bell sound, or a comment (e.g., “incoming call through TV advertisement”).

FIG. 2 (b) shows a case in which a comment indicating location information is additionally outputted when different incoming alarm sounds are set for each of the virtual numbers as shown in FIG. 2 (a). In an exemplary embodiment, the call connection request signal transmitted from the caller terminal 10 may include location information of the caller terminal 10. When the alarm sound providing server 100 receives the call connection request signal including the location information, the controller 160 may extract the location information and output a ring tone corresponding to the location information (e.g., the comment shown in FIG. 2 (b)) in addition to the preset ring tone.

For example, when the caller terminal 10 is located in “Seocho-town” and the caller terminal 10 dials 050-222-XXXX, the receiver terminal 40 may be implemented to sound a comment “Seocho-town” and the bell 2 rings thereafter. Through this service, the receiver may perceive the caller's approximate location in advance when answering the call and may recognize other information of the caller (for example, whether the call is through any advertising media) from the bell 2. It is described in this exemplary embodiment that the comment indicating the location information is transmitted; however, in alternative embodiment, a bell sound or music indicating the location information may be outputted. In a still another exemplary embodiment, a gender or age of the caller may be outputted as the ring tone within a range in which collection and use of personal information is permissible. In another exemplary embodiment, the location information may be included in the call connection request signal only when the user allows collection of the location information, for security reasons.

In one exemplary embodiment, the user may set a virtual number according to a food menu. For example, the user who runs a late night snack bar may separately generate a phone number (virtual number 050-111-XXXX) for receiving an order of food A and a phone number (virtual number 050-222-XXXX) for receiving an order of food B, and a phone number C (virtual number 050-333-XXXX) for receiving an order of food C such that, when a phone rings, the user may identify which food the call is intended to order.

In addition, in order to identify respective advertisement effect of various media, the user may separately generate a virtual number listed in an advertisement flyer, a virtual number listed in an online portal site (e.g., www.google.com), or a virtual number listed in a smart phone application (e.g., an application that provides information of a delivery store and connects to the delivery store, etc.).

Further, by combining the above two examples, a phone number (virtual number 050-111-10XX) listed in the advertisement flyer to receive an order for food A, a phone number (virtual number 050-111-11XX) listed in the online portal site to receive the order for food A, a phone number (virtual number 050-111-12XX) listed in the smart phone application to receive the order for food A, a phone number (virtual number 050-222-10XX) listed in the advertisement flyer to receive an order for food B, a phone number (virtual number 050-222-11XX) listed in the online portal site to receive the order for food B, a phone number (virtual number 050-222-12XX) listed in the smart phone application to receive the order for food B, a phone number (virtual number 050-333-10XX) listed in the advertisement flyer to receive an order for food C, a phone number (virtual number 050-333-11XX) listed in the online portal site to receive the order for food C, a phone number (virtual number 050-333-12XX) listed in the smart phone application to receive the order for food C may be separately generated, respectively, and different ring tones may be generated for each virtual number to be recognized by the user.

Thus, the present invention may achieve an effect of accurately estimating individual business contribution by each advertisement media after executing advertisement through multiple different advertising media. In addition, a purpose of the caller's call may be instantly identified at a moment the phone rings so that responding to client becomes easier while customer satisfaction is improved at the same time. Further, by matching a plurality of virtual numbers to one phone number, a cost saving effect may be achieved.

FIG. 3 illustrates in detail an element of the alarm sound providing server 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the alarm sound providing server 100 according to the present invention is connected to the caller terminal 10 and the receiver terminal 40 through the communication network 20 and the alarm sound providing server 100 may include a call connection request receiving unit 120, a service subscriber determination unit 110, a location information extraction unit 130, a controller 160, a ring tone output unit 140, a database (DB) 150, a ring tone setting unit 180, a virtual number generation unit 170, and a dial tone setting unit 190.

In the present disclosure, the above elements 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, and 190 are illustrated as being integrated into the alarm sound providing server 100; however, as shown in FIG. 1b, the service subscriber determination unit 110 may be implemented to determine whether the caller or the receiver is the service subscriber through other service connection server 200 and the location information extraction unit 130 may be implemented as a separate element that receives location information extracted by using another system.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a description will be made of a case where the ring tone is transmitted to the receiver terminal 40 as well as the dial tone is transmitted to the caller terminal 10.

The caller terminal 10 may transmit the call connection request signal for a voice call or data communication with the receiver terminal 40. The alarm sound providing server 100 of the present invention may receive the call connection request signal and transmit the call connection request signal to the controller 160, the service subscriber determination unit 110, or the location information extraction unit 130.

The service subscriber determination unit 110 may determine whether the caller or the receiver is a subscriber to a ring tone service based on a phone number of the receiver or information of the caller included in the call connection request signal. In an exemplary embodiment, the call connection request signal may be transmitted to the controller 160 only when the caller or the receiver is determined to be a service subscriber. In another exemplary embodiment, when the caller or the receiver is determined not to be the service subscriber, such information may be transmitted to the controller 160 to output a default ring tone.

The location information extraction unit 130 introduces a concept of a location based service to perform a function to extract the location information of the caller terminal 10 included in the call connection request signal. The location information extraction unit 130 may extract and transmit the location information of the caller to the controller 160. The location based service refers to wireless content services that provide specific information according to the user's updated location. This service may be utilized to provide various information such as product information as well as traffic information or location tracking information, based on a customer's location information.

For example, when an area in which the caller terminal is currently located is area L, the controller 160 may extract a ring tone ‘bell 1’ corresponding to a virtual number of the caller terminal 10 included in the call connection request signal and ‘comment 1’ that is a ring tone corresponding to the location information and add the comment 1 ‘a call for placing an order from the area L’ that is the ring tone corresponding to the location information to the bell 1 in the receiver terminal to be transmitted externally.

Thus, according to the present invention, a comment indicating the location information is outputted before the phone rings, the receiver may immediately identify the caller's location so that responding to client becomes easier while customer satisfaction is improved at the same time.

As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 160 may receive the call connection request signal directly from the call connection request receiving unit 120 to extract the virtual phone information and the location information; however, as shown in FIG. 3, the call connection request signal may be received together with a subscription determination result from the service subscriber determination unit 110 or received together with the location information extracted from the location information extraction unit 130. The controller 160 determines the ring tone according to the virtual number of the receiver terminal 40 included in the received call connection request signal, extracts the ring tone in association with the database 150, and outputs the extracted ring tone to the receiver terminal 40 through the ring tone output unit 140.

The database 150 may include a user database 151 for storing subscriber information, a virtual number database 152 for storing a virtual number assigned to each receiver, a ring tone database 153 for storing various ring tones, and a use information database 154. The controller 160 or other elements 170, 180, 190 may be provided with a necessary data from the database 150. Specifically, user information for, for example, terms and conditions, membership subscription for the ring tone service, editing membership information, changing a password, or cancellation of registration may be stored in the user database 151, the generated virtual numbers may be stored in the virtual number database 152, and the ring tone corresponding to the virtual number may be stored in the ring tone database 153.

The virtual number generation unit 170, as already described with reference to FIG. 1, functions to generate one or more virtual numbers with respect to the phone number of the receiver terminal 40. The generated virtual number may be stored in the virtual number database 152 of the database 150 and may be linked with the user database 151 and the ring tone database 153.

The ring tone setting unit 180 may set the ring tone for each of the virtual numbers generated by the virtual number generation unit 170 according to the user's request. Here, the ring tone means a sound that rings on the receiver terminal 40 when the voice call is received. The ring tone setting unit 180 matches the virtual number with the ring tone and, when the location information is additionally used, the ring tone setting unit 180 may set in advance such that the ring tone is combined with the location information received from the location information extraction unit 130 to be outputted. In addition, the user, who wants to stop using the alarm sound providing server 100 according to the present invention, may request cancellation of the virtual number assigned to his or her own receiver terminal. The setting and cancellation of the virtual number may be performed by an application programming interface (API) method or a socket method in which a data encrypted for security is transmitted and received through a specific port.

The dial tone setting unit 190 is used to set different dial tones for each virtual number to be outputted to the caller terminal 10 and may set the dial tone that is outputted during a call waiting time in the caller terminal 10 according to the user's request or choice. Here, the dial tone refers to a ring back tone the caller hears during the call waiting time and may be a ring sound set by the receiver, music, or a logo song or an advertisement comment for advertisement effect (e.g., “20% discount on Pizza Hut lunch menu). In case of outputting such advertisement comment or logo song, it is advantageous in that advertisement is outputted to the caller while the caller pays attention prior to the call, thereby maximizing the advertisement effect, and target marketing is possible by considering a type of industry of the receiver.

In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, a user information management unit (not shown) which, under control of the controller 160, stores and manages the user information for, for example, the terms and conditions, membership subscription for the ring tone service, editing membership information, changing a password, or cancellation of registration in the user database 151 may be included. Here, the user information may include, for example, an ID and a password of the user, a name of the user, a social security number, a home address, a phone number of the receiver terminal, an email address.

Also, a user authentication unit (not shown) for receiving the ID and the password of the user for use of the ring tone service through wire or wireless Internet to verify user authentication, a use information management unit (not shown) which stores, for example, a frequency of receiving call connection for each virtual number or time of receiving the call connection request in the use information database 154 when a plurality of virtual numbers are set for one receiver phone number, or a billing processing unit (not shown) for processing a bill of each receiver for use of the ring tone service set by the receiver may be included.

Thus, by using the alarm sound providing server 100, various ring tone and/or dial tone may be individually set for one or more virtual numbers, thereby maximizing an information providing function and an advertisement effect.

In addition, in a conventional ring back tone service, the ring back tone (dial tone) is heard only by the caller and the receiver cannot hear the ring back tone so that the advertiser (the receiver) may not identify through which path the caller is introduced when using a local advertisement verification system. Also, in the conventional art, when using a dial tone of a receiver side, the virtual number is not used so that a plurality of general phone numbers are needed, thereby causing greater consumption of resources of the phone number.

To solve the above problems, in the ring tone providing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ring tone according to the receiver's virtual number is stored and the ring tone corresponding to the virtual number of the receiver to which the caller requests a call is transmitted to the receiver terminal so that a specific ring tone sounds instead of a general telephone ring on the receiver terminal, thereby enabling the receiver to identify which path an incoming call is coming from in real time.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing a dial tone and a ring tone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As already described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4, one or more virtual numbers are set for the receiver terminal 40 and the ring tone is set for each of the virtual numbers.

First, when the caller terminal 10 transmits the call connection request signal for the voice call or data communication, the alarm sound providing server 100 receives the call connection request signal (S410). Here, the call connection request signal includes the virtual number of the receiver terminal and may additionally include information (e.g., location information) of the caller.

Next, optionally, it is determined whether the receiver or the caller is the service subscriber through the call connection request signal (S420). The determination may be performed through the alarm sound providing server 100 or the service connection server 200. In addition, when the caller or the receiver is not the service subscriber based on a determination result, the default alarm may be directly transmitted.

Also, optionally, the ring tone providing method according to the present invention may include a step of extracting the location information (S430). The step of extracting the location information indicates extracting the location information of the caller included in the call connection request signal and the location information of the caller may be included in the call connection request signal transmitted from the caller terminal 10.

Upon receiving the call connection request signal, the alarm sound providing server 100 may extract the virtual number of the receiver terminal 40 and search to identify whether the ring tone corresponding to the virtual number exits (S440). When there exists no ring tone corresponding to the received virtual number, the default alarm is transmitted (S460) and, when there exists the corresponding ring tone, the corresponding ring tone may be transmitted (S450).

Here, when the location information is extracted in S430, it is determined whether the ring tone corresponding to the location information exists (S470). If the location information is extracted and the ring tone corresponding to the location information exists, the ring tone corresponding to the location information may be added to the ring tone according to the virtual number extracted in S450 (S480). Therefore, the ring tone combined with the ring tone corresponding to the location information may be outputted or, if the location information is not extracted or the ring tone corresponding to the location information does not exist, the ring tone corresponding to the virtual number may be outputted (S490).

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of providing a ring tone service according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the ring tone is provided through the service connection server 200. As already described with reference to FIG. 4, it is assumed that the alarm sound providing server 100 assigns one or more virtual numbers to the receiver terminal in advance and set and store the ring tone for each of the virtual numbers.

First, a predetermined call connection request signal is transmitted from the caller terminal 10 to the service connection server 200. Thus, the call connection request signal transmitted from the caller terminal 10 includes telephone information of the receiver terminal 40 of the receiver who the caller wants a call with. Here, the telephone number of the receiver terminal 40 may be the virtual number set by the receiver. It should be noted that an originating exchanger may be interposed between the service connection server 200 and the caller terminal 10.

Next, the service subscriber determination unit of the service connection server 200 performs a function to determine whether the phone number of the receiver terminal 40 included in the call connection request signal is a phone number subscribed to the alarm sound providing server 100 of the present invention.

If it is determined that the phone number of the receiver terminal 40 is the phone number subscribed to the alarm sound providing server 100 of the present invention, the call connection request signal is transmitted to the alarm sound providing server 100.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawings, if it is determined that the phone number of the receiver terminal 40 is not the phone number subscribed to the alarm sound providing server 100 of the present invention, the call connection request signal may be directly transmitted to a receiving exchanger to be transmitted to the receiver terminal 40.

Here, in order for the service subscriber determination unit to determine whether the phone number of the receiver terminal 40 is the phone number subscribed to the alarm sound providing server 100, the service connection server 200 may include a separate database or use a data stored in the database 150 of the alarm sound providing server 100.

Next, the alarm sound providing server 100 that receives the call connection request signal extracts the ring tone corresponding to the receiver terminal included in the call connection request signal from the ring tone database 153.

Here, when the call connection request signal is transmitted from the caller terminal 10, the alarm sound extraction unit 130 extracts the location information of the caller terminal 10 included in the call connection request signal, and extracts the ring tone matched to a current location of the caller terminal 10 from the ring tone database 153.

Next, the call connection request signal is transmitted from the alarm sound providing server 100 to the service connection server 200. Then, the service connection server 200 transmits the received call connection request signal and the ring tone to the receiver terminal 40. It should be noted that the receiving exchanger can be interposed between the service connection server 200 and the receiver terminal 40. Then, the received ring tone rings on the receiver terminal 40 instead of a usual ringing tone.

For example, when the caller terminal 10 calls a virtual number 050-111-XXXX, a ring tone “a call is coming to the virtual number 050-111-XXXX listed in the advertisement flyer for sales of food A” may be transmitted externally as a telephone bell on the receiver terminal 40. Alternatively, when the caller terminal 10 calls a virtual number 050-222-XXXX, a ring tone “a call is coming to the virtual number 050-222-XXXX listed in the internet portal site for sales of food B” may be transmitted externally.

Next, when the receiver terminal 40 answers the call, a call connection response signal is transmitted from the receiver terminal 40 to the service connection server 200 and the call is connected between the caller terminal 10 and the receiver terminal 40.

Finally, when the call ends, the use information management unit (not shown) may manage use of the ring tone service set by the receiver for each receiver. Further, when a plurality of virtual numbers are set for one receiver's phone number, the frequency of receiving the call connection request signal for each virtual phone number or the time of receiving the call connection request signal may be stored in the use information database 154.

Thus, according to the present invention, an effect of accurately estimating business contribution by each advertisement media after executing advertisement through multiple different advertising media may be achieved. In addition, a purpose of a caller's call may be instantly identified at a moment a phone rings so that responding client becomes easier while customer satisfaction is improved at the same time. Further, by matching a plurality of virtual numbers to one phone number, a cost saving effect may be achieved.

According to the present invention, by individually setting the ring tone for a plurality of virtual numbers set on the receiver terminal, utilization of the ring tone may be improved.

The foregoing specific examples are described to help to improve understanding of the present invention, and thus elements, their connections and relationships, and their functions shown herein are only illustrative. While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, each exemplary embodiment can be modified into various forms without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, determining the service subscriber may be performed by the separate service connection server 200 or performed by the subscriber determination unit included in the alarm sound providing server 100. Also, the virtual number generation unit may be implemented as being included in the alarm sound providing server 100 or as being linked with the conventional virtual number service.

Claims

1. A system for providing a dial tone and a ring tone to a receiver terminal having one or more virtual numbers, the system comprising:

an alarm sound providing server that comprises a ring tone setting unit configured to set a ring tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers, and a controller configured to output a ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number to the receiver terminal according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal transmitted from a caller terminal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the alarm sound providing server further comprises a virtual number generation unit configured to generate the one or more virtual numbers on the receiver terminal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the alarm sound providing server further comprises a location information extraction unit configured to extract location information of the caller terminal, and

the ring tone setting unit is configured to set a ring tone according to the location information of the caller terminal extracted by the location information extraction unit, and

the controller is configured to output the ring tone according to the location information additionally to the ring tone set for the corresponding virtual number.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the alarm sound providing server further comprises a dial tone setting unit configured to set a dial tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers, and

the controller is configured to output, to the caller terminal, a dial tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in the call connection request signal.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a service connection server configured to determine whether the one or more virtual numbers of the receiver terminal is a number subscribed to a dial tone and ring tone providing service.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the alarm sound providing server further comprises a database configured to store information including a frequency of receiving a call connection request or a time of receiving the call connection request for each of the one or more virtual numbers.

7. A method of providing a dial tone and a ring tone to a receiver terminal having one or more virtual numbers, the method comprising:

setting a ring tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers; and

outputting, to the receiver terminal, a ring tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in a call connection request signal transmitted from a caller terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating the one or more virtual numbers on the receiver terminal.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

extracting location information of the caller terminal, wherein the setting the ring tone comprises:

setting a ring tone according to the extracted location information of the caller terminal, and wherein the outputting the ring tone comprises:

outputting the ring tone according to the location information additionally to the ring tone set for the corresponding virtual number.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

setting a dial tone corresponding to each of the one or more virtual numbers, and

outputting, to the caller terminal, a dial tone set for a corresponding virtual number according to the corresponding virtual number of the receiver terminal included in the call connection request signal.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the one or more virtual numbers of the receiver terminal is a number subscribed to a dial tone and ring tone providing service.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing information including a frequency of receiving a call connection request or a time of receiving the call connection request for each of the one or more virtual numbers.