Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-15
2004-04-20
Tieu, Benny (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
Call distribution to operator
C379S052000, C379S265130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06724886
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the provision of telecommunication services to the deaf and hearing impaired. More particularly, the invention is related to a call center for handling TTY calls for the deaf and hearing impaired. Still more particularly, this invention is related to reducing the number of TTY that are not completed and a system for accurately tracking the total number of calls to a TTY call center.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure that telecommunication services are provided to the hearing and speech impaired. Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS) are used provide the functional equivalent of telecommunication services to the hearing and speech impaired. TRS have been available on a nationwide basis since 1983.
TRS operates in the following manner. A calling party for this system may be a hearing or speech impaired person or a person wishing to talk to the hearing or speech impaired. The calling party has a TDD/TTY which is a device for transmitting and receiving typed messages. The calling party places a call by dialing a local toll free number. The call is extended to a communication assistant terminal in the call center. The call is a modem connection between the calling party and the communication assistant terminal. The calling party then types a telephone number that the calling party wishes to call. A call is then placed by the communication assistant to the telephone number. When a call is established with a party at the desired telephone number, the calling assistant relays the messages between the calling party and the called party. The calling party types in messages that are read by the calling assistant to the called party. The called party speaks to the calling assistant, who types in the called party's message. This operation is performed in an opposite manner when a person is calling a hearing or speech impaired person.
The local toll free number called by a party extends the call to a call center that provides TRS. A conventional call center is illustrated in FIG.
1
. In call center
100
, a switching system
101
is connected to a modem
111
in each of terminals
110
and to a call controller
120
. One type of switching system typically used in a call center
100
is a Rockwell Galaxy ACD switch. Call controller
120
is a system having a processing unit and associated memory.
Call controller
120
determines which terminal is available to handle a call. When switching system
101
receives a request for a call set-up, switching system
101
transmits a request to call controller
120
for an available terminal. Call controller
120
responds to switching system
101
by transmitting an identity of an available terminal. Switching system
101
then extends the call to the identified terminal.
Each terminal
110
is a computer system
112
that can convert signals received via modem
111
into a text message that is displayed upon screen
113
. Each terminal
110
also has a telephone station
115
connected to switching system
101
to receive and to place voice telephonic calls. The communication assistant can enter text into computer system
112
via keyboard
114
. Computer system
112
converts the entered text into text messages transmitted to a calling party over the connection established with modem
111
. Computer
112
is also connected to a network
150
. When a call is completed to a terminal
110
, a Call Detail Record (CDR) is generated by computer system
112
. The call detail record includes information pertaining to the length of the call. The CDR is then stored in computer system
112
.
A billing system
151
is then connected to each terminal
110
via network
150
. Periodically, each computer system
112
transmits stored CDRs to billing system
151
for processing. The billing system
151
then uses the call detail records to generate billing.
It is a problem that conventional call center
100
cannot record calls that are not completed to a terminal
110
. In conventional system
100
, a call is extended directly to a terminal
110
. If the call is not answered at the terminal, there is no record of the call. It is common for a call not be completed, as the calling party may hang up before a calling assistant is available to handle the call at the terminal
110
. Most TRS providers charge agencies for the amount of calls handled by the switching system
101
. Currently, an algorithm is used to determined the amount of call that are received by switching system
101
but are not completed to a terminal. However, both service providers and agencies paying for the TRS service desire an improved call center which allows calls to be answered more efficiently as well as having a method for determining the amount of calls handled but not completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other problems are solved and an advance in the art is made by a call center of this invention. A first advantage of this invention is that a record can be generated of all calls handled by the call center. A second advantage of this invention is that after a call is completed a terminal available to handle the call may be determined which allows for better assurance that the call will be handled. A third advantage is that a terminal handling the call does not have to be physically connected to the switching system.
This invention is a call center that handles TTY calls for the hearing and speech impaired. The call center includes a modem bank housing multiple modems. Each modem in the modem bank is connected to a switching system and a network. Terminals for handling the calls are also connected to the network. A call controller is connected to the network and to the switching system.
When a call is received by the switching system, call information is transmitted to the call controller by the switching system. The call is then extended by the switch to a modem in a modem pool. The modem bank controller then requests the identity of an available terminal to handle the call from the call controller.
The call controller determines which of terminals is available to handle the incoming call. The identity of the selected terminal is transmitted to the modem bank controller. The modem bank controller commands the modem receiving the call to then transmit data received to the selected terminal.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the terminals includes a computer system and a telephone station. Alternatively, the terminal may contain just a computer system that has software and a microphone to allow voice over IP applications. The computer system is connected to the network. The telephone station is connected to the switching system. The computer system handles calls in the following manner. When an incoming call is received, the computer system receives data of the incoming call from the selected modem in the modem bank. The data is converted by the computer system into a display of words. The display is then shown on a connected display to the communication assistant.
The communication assistant inputs data into the computer system via a keyboard or other device. The computer system receives the input data from the communication assistant. The input data is then converted into transmission data, and transmitted to the calling party via the selected modem in the modem bank handling the incoming call.
The call center may also include a Call Detail Record (CDR) server. The CDR server is connected to the network. The CDR server generates a connection record of each incoming call connected to one the modems in the modem bank. The connection record is then stored in a memory in the CDR server.
The CDR server may also generate a session record of each incoming call handled by a terminal. The session record may be a separate record or may be a subset of da
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