Overflow call handling system
First Claim
1. A telephone answering system for use with a set of one or more telephone centers for handling overflow calls from at least a first one of the telephone centers of the type which comprises at least one operator station and means for interconnecting the operator station with a telephone line, said system comprising:
- an overflow station;
means for automatically diverting overflow calls on the telephone line from the first telephone center to the overflow station;
means, located at the overflow station, for automatically answering the overflow calls and automatically recording caller responses from individual overflow callers, and for allowing said recorded caller responses to be transcribed;
means, located at the overflow station, for digitally encoding information obtained from transcribed ones of said caller responses;
means for transmitting said digitally encoded information from the overflow station to a selected telephone center included in the set of telephone centers; and
means for receiving said digitally encoded information at the selected telephone center.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Overflow calls intended for a telephone answering center are automatically diverted to an overflow center which automatically answers the overflow calls and records information acquired from the overflow calls. This recorded information is digitally encoded and then transmitted back from the overflow station to the telephone answering center, where it is received and used to allow operators at the telephone answering center to place callbacks, or to take other appropriate action.
82 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A telephone answering system for use with a set of one or more telephone centers for handling overflow calls from at least a first one of the telephone centers of the type which comprises at least one operator station and means for interconnecting the operator station with a telephone line, said system comprising:
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an overflow station; means for automatically diverting overflow calls on the telephone line from the first telephone center to the overflow station; means, located at the overflow station, for automatically answering the overflow calls and automatically recording caller responses from individual overflow callers, and for allowing said recorded caller responses to be transcribed; means, located at the overflow station, for digitally encoding information obtained from transcribed ones of said caller responses; means for transmitting said digitally encoded information from the overflow station to a selected telephone center included in the set of telephone centers; and means for receiving said digitally encoded information at the selected telephone center. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 20)
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7. A telephone answering system for handling overflow calls from a plurality of telephone answering centers, each of the type which comprises at least one operator station and means for interconnecting the operator station with a telephone line, said system comprising:
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an overflow station; means for automatically diverting overflow calls on the telephone lines from each of the telephone answering centers tothe overflow station; means, located at the overflow station, for automatically answering the overflow calls and for automatically recording caller responses from individual overflow callers; means, located at the overflow station, for accommodating transcription of the recorded caller responses; means, located at the overflow station, for digitally encoding information obtained from transcribed ones of said caller responses; means for transmitting said digitally encoded information acquired from said transcribed caller responses from the overflow station to selected ones of the telephone answering centers to which the overflow calls were originally directed; and means for receiving said digitally encoded recorded information at the telephone answering centers. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 21)
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13. A telephone answering system for handling overflow calls from a telephone answering center of the type which comprises at least one operator station and means for interconnecting the operator station with a telephone line, said system comprising:
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an overflow station; means for automatically diverting overflow calls on the telephone line from the telephone answering center to the overflow station; means, located at the overflow station, for automatically answering the overflow calls and automatically recording caller responses from individual overflow callers, and for allowing said recorded caller responses to be transcribed; means, located at the overflow station, for digitally encoding information obtained from transcribed ones of said caller responses; means for transmitting said digitally encoded information from the overflow station to a selected telephone center, remote from the overflow center; and means for receiving said digitally encoded information at the selected telephone center. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification