Automatic call distribution system with emergency recording system and method
First Claim
1. In an automatic call distribution system for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
- a plurality of recorders interconnected with associated ports of the multiport switch;
means for selectively establishing a plurality of informational groups of the internal units;
means for selectively associating at lease some of the plurality of informational groups with at least some of the recorders;
means associated with at least one of the units of the informational groups of internal units for requesting recording of a call at the requesting unit; and
means responsive to a request for recording from one of the internal units of the informational groups of units to selectively assign the associated recorder to the one internal unit.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic call distribution system (10) with a multiport switch (12) which selectively interconnects telephonic units (16) of an internal network with a plurality of external units (13) of an external telephonic network (14) having an emergency recording system (11) with at least one recorder (18) interconnected with a port of the switch (12), establishing an informational group of units (14), an emergency key (32) on the console (30) of the unit (16) for requesting the recording of a call connected with the unit (16) in which a recorder (18) from a corresponding group is assigned to record the call at the requesting unit (16).
31 Citations
45 Claims
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1. In an automatic call distribution system for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
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a plurality of recorders interconnected with associated ports of the multiport switch; means for selectively establishing a plurality of informational groups of the internal units; means for selectively associating at lease some of the plurality of informational groups with at least some of the recorders; means associated with at least one of the units of the informational groups of internal units for requesting recording of a call at the requesting unit; and means responsive to a request for recording from one of the internal units of the informational groups of units to selectively assign the associated recorder to the one internal unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
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at least one recorder interconnected with at least a port of the multiport switch; means for selectively establishing at least one informational group of the internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; means for selectively associating the at least one informational group with the at least one recorder; means associated with at least one of the units of the informational group of internal units for requesting recording of a call at the requesting unit; and means responsive to a request for recording from one of the internal units of the informational group of units associated with the at least one recorder to selectively assign the at least one recorder to the one internal unit, and in which the at least one recorder selectively assigned to an informational group is selected based upon its physical proximity to the internal units of the informational group to which it is assigned.
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16. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
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at least one recorder interconnected with at least a port of the multiport switch; means for selectively establishing at least one informational group of the internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; means for selectively associating the at least one informational group with the at least one recorder; means associated with at least one of the units of the informational group of internal units for requesting recording of a call at the requesting unit; means responsive to a request for recording from one of the internal units of the informational group of units associated with the at least one recorder to selectively assign the at least one recorder to the one internal unit; at least one additional recorder interconnected with a port of the multiport switch and associated with the at least one informational group of internal units; and means for placing the recorders associated with the at least one informational group of internal units, when not in use, in a queue of available recorders of the at least one informational a group of internal units with means for maintaining a double linked list of pairs of the available recorders respectively arranged as primary and backup recorders.
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17. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
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at least one recorder interconnected with at least a port of the multiport switch; means for selectively establishing at least one informational group of the internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; means for selectively associating the at least one informational group with the at least one recorder; means associated with at least one of the units of the informational group of internal units for requesting recording of a call at the requesting unit; means responsive to a request for recording from one of the internal units of the informational group of units associated with the at least one recorder to selectively assign the at least one recorder to the one internal unit; a common pool of recorders which are unassigned to the at least one informational group of units; and means responsive to a recorder unavailability condition upon request by a requesting one of the plurality of internal units of a selected informational group to interconnect an available recorder from the common pool of recorders to the requesting one of the plurality of internal units.
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18. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being an emergency recording system, comprising:
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a plurality of recorders for recording incoming calls from external units; means for selectively interconnecting available ones of the plurality of recorders upon request to selected ones of the plurality of internal units; and means for storing information concerning the recording of a call in response to the request for recording by the selected ones of the plurality of internal units. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively establishing a plurality of informational groups of internal units; selectively associating at least some of a plurality of recorders with at least some of the plurality of informational groups; requesting recording of a call at one of the plurality of internal units; and selectively assigning one of the plurality of the recorders to the internal unit requesting recording in response to the request for recording only if the internal unit requesting the recording is in the informational group associated with the one of the plurality of recorders. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively establishing at least one informational group of internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; selectively associating at least one recorder with at least one informational group; requesting recording of a call at an internal unit; selectively assigning the at least one recorder to the internal unit requesting recording in response to the request for recording only if the internal unit requesting the recording is in the informational group associated with the at least one recorder; selectively associating at least one recorder in a group of recorders of which the at least one recorder is a member with at least one informational group; arranging the group of recorders in a queue of available recorders in a double linked list of primary and backup available recorders; and placing a recorder of the group in the queue of available recorders in response to termination of a recording by one of a plurality of internal units.
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38. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively establishing at least one informational group of internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; selectively associating at least one recorder with at least one informational group; requesting recording of a call at an internal unit; selectively assigning the at least one recorder to the internal unit requesting recording in response to the request for recording only if the internal unit requesting the recording is in the informational group associated with the at least one recorder; selectively associating at least one recorder of a group of recorders of which the at least one recorder is a member with at least one informational group; arranging the group of recorders in a queue of available recorders; and assigning available recorders from the queue on a last in, first out basis.
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39. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively establishing at least one informational group of internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; selectively associating at least one recorder with at least one informational group; requesting recording of a call at an internal unit; and selectively assigning the at least one recorder to the internal unit requesting recording in response to the request for recording only if the internal unit requesting the recording is in the informational group associated with the at least one recorder; selectively associating at least one recorder with at least one informational group; assigning a group of recorders to each of a plurality of informational groups of internal units; establishing a common pool of recorders unassociated with any informational group of units; and connecting an available recorder from the common pool to the requesting unit in response to a recorder unavailability condition of the group of recorders associated with the informational group of the requesting unit. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
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43. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of internal units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external units of an external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively establishing at least one informational group of internal units lesser in number than the total plurality of internal units; selectively associating at least one recorder with at least one informational group; requesting recording of a call at an internal unit; selectively assigning the at least one recorder to the internal unit requesting recording in response to the request for recording only if the internal unit requesting the recording is in the informational group associated with the at least one recorder; returning a recorder to an appropriate location in a queue of the group of recorders after termination of recording; and updating a plurality of pointers to the recorder.
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44. In an automatic call distribution system having a multiport switch for selectively interconnecting a total plurality of units of an internal telephonic network with a plurality of external telephonic network, the improvement being a method of recording emergency calls comprising the steps of:
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selectively recording different incoming calls from external units on a plurality of different recorders; and automatically storing an emergency message relating to the recording of the call in response to the request for recording at the requesting unit, wherein the step of storing an emergency message includes the step of storing information about at least one of (a) a time and a date the recording was requested, (b) a telephone number of the requesting unit, (c) a requesting unit port identification number and (d) a recorder port identification number of the recorder which records the call, and the step of storing information concerning an unanswered request for recording. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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Specification