Interactive facility control arrangement
First Claim
1. For use in a communication network having a conference arrangement for providing a plurality of individual multiport conference bridges,an operator position for providing assistance to conferee stations connected to any of said bridges, anda data processor associated with said operator position,an arrangement for coupling said position to said bridges comprisingmeans responsive to the detection of a request for operator assistance from a particular one of said bridges for transmitting the particular bridge identity from said conference arrangement to said operator position and for transmitting a detailed status of said particular bridge to said data processor,
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communication network is disclosed having a customer interactive special service facility, such as a conference arrangement. At the customer'"'"'s request, or if trouble is encountered, an operator position is alerted with the identity of the special service facility. Using this identity, the operator can cause the status of the special service facility to be displayed at the operator'"'"'s position and thereafter exercise control over the facility.
-
Citations
15 Claims
-
1. For use in a communication network having a conference arrangement for providing a plurality of individual multiport conference bridges,
an operator position for providing assistance to conferee stations connected to any of said bridges, and a data processor associated with said operator position, an arrangement for coupling said position to said bridges comprising means responsive to the detection of a request for operator assistance from a particular one of said bridges for transmitting the particular bridge identity from said conference arrangement to said operator position and for transmitting a detailed status of said particular bridge to said data processor,
-
2. said data processor comprising means responsive to the bridge identity received from said operator position for forwarding said bridge status to said position, and
said operator position comprising means responsive to the receipt of said bridge status for displaying the bridge status to an operator thereat.
-
6. For use in a communication network having a conference arrangement for providing a plurality of multiport conference bridges,
an operator position for providing assistance to conferee stations connected to ports of said bridges, and a data processor associated with said operator position, an arrangement for transferring control of a particular one of said bridges from a conferee station connected thereto to said operator position comprising means responsive to a request signal from said particular bridge for establishing an audio channel between said operator position and said conference arrangement and for transmitting a data message to said processor, said data message including the identity of said particular bridge, the identity of each conferee station coupled thereto and the status of each conferee port of said particular bridge; -
means responsive to an answer signal from said operator position for announcing the identity of said particular bridge over said channel to said operator position; means at said operator position for forwarding said announced bridge identity to said processor; and means responsive to said announced bridge identity for forwarding the contents of said data message to said operator position for visual display thereat.
-
-
9. For use with a conference arrangement having a plurality of multiport customer-controlled bridges and processor means for interconnecting the ports with customer stations under the control of a host one of said stations, a method for providing operator assistance for individual ones of said bridges comprising the steps of
sending the identity of a particular bridge to an operator position remote from said conference arrangement when said particular bridge requires operator assistance; -
compiling data concerning the status of said particular bridge including the identity of the bridge, the identity of individual customer stations connected to the bridge and an indication of the host station in control of the bridge; sending said data to said operator position when the identity of said particular bridge is received from said operator position; displaying the compiled data at said operator position; and transferring control of said particular bridge from said host station to said operator position.
-
-
15. For use with a plurality of interactive special service circuits each said circuit being controllable by a customer terminal and adapted to assume any one of a plurality of distinct states in response to a control signal transmitted from said customer terminal and adapted to prompt said customer terminal as to what subsequent control signal is to be transmitted from said customer in accordance with the particular control signal received while said circuit is in a specific state, a method of providing operator assistance to said customer terminal comprising the steps of
detecting when said circuit is requesting assistance from said operator, assembling a data message at said circuit including the state said circuit was in when the request for assistance was detected, the identity of the last signal transmitted by said customer terminal and the identity of any signal permitted to be transmitted by said customer terminal, establishing voice and data links between said customer terminal and a terminal associated with said operator, transmitting said data message over said data link from said customer terminal to said operator terminal, generating a visual representation of said data message at said operator terminal, and rearranging said circuit to interact with control signals from said operator terminal.
Specification