Telephone usage monitoring arrangement

• US 5,425,087 A
• Filed: 08/08/1994
• Issued: 06/13/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T IPM Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gustavson, John H., Ziemann, Donald R., Olderr, Frank J., Gerber, Eugene, Senneke, Wayne A., Otto, Mary R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US08/286,898
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 379/111, 379/113, 379/133, 379/134, 379/265, 379/266
• US Class Current: 379/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

This invention relates to real time accumulation of telephone usage data and real time reporting of such data to a telecommunications system administrator. Telephones being monitored are identified in translation information of the connected switching system. When a reportable event occurs for one of these telephones, a data message is sent to a management information system (MIS) for the group that includes that telephone, and the records of that MIS are updated and displayed. Advantageously, real time information is displayed for selected individual and/or group telephone stations.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring telephone usage in real time comprising the steps of:

in a telephone switching system, comprising a control processor for controlling establishment of calls, for serving calls from a plurality of telephone lines directly connected to said switching system, establishing a call from or to one of said lines;

entering data for identifying telephone lines to be observed into the control processor;

in the control processor, detecting a reportable telephone call event on one of said lines;

in said switching system, testing whether the telephone line on which the reportable event occurred is being observed;

if said telephone line is being observed, identifying in said switching system a data link to a management information system for accumulating information for said telephone line;

reporting said reportable event for said telephone line to said management information system from said switching system over said data link; and

in said management information system, responsive to the step of reporting, updating records for said telephone line and recording time information for ones of the reportable events for generating displayed or printed reports in real time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said testing step comprises testing whether data, said data for identifying said telephone line, was entered into said telephone switching system for detecting one of said plurality of reportable telephone call events, further comprising:

entering data, for identifying telephone lines to be monitored, from a telephone company systems administrator terminal into said switching system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein a plurality of data links connect said telephone switching system with management information systems, further comprising:

entering information for specifying the data link identified in the identifying step, for reporting reportable events for a telephone line identified from said telephone company systems administrator terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

controlling the updating step by entering specific data requests into said management information system from a telecommunications manager terminal for said management information system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include placing a call on hold.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include time when a telephone is alerted and time when a telephone is answered.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include initiating or joining a conference.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include transferring a call.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include a disconnect.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call event for said telephone line is an event related to one of several calls being simultaneously processed for said telephone line.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include a call origination.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said reportable telephone call events include an event specified by identifying data entered from a monitored telephone line.

13. A telecommunications system comprising:

a switching system, for serving calls from a plurality of telephone lines connected to said switching system, comprising processor means for controlling said switching system;

at least one management information system (MIS) connected to said switching system by a data link, for accumulating and reporting information regarding telephone usage;

said processor means comprising memory for identifying ones of said plurality of telephone lines being observed;

said processor means operative under program control for;

detecting reportable telephone call events on ones of said lines being observed;

identifying a data link corresponding to a MIS for accumulating information for a telephone line for which a reportable event has been detected; and

formulating and transmitting over said data link a message reporting said reportable event;

said MIS responsive to said message for updating and reporting information regarding telephone usage including time lapse information for consecutive ones of said telephone call events for said line in real time.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include placing a call on hold.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include time when a telephone is alerted and time when a telephone is answered.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include initiating or joining a conference.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include transferring a call.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include a disconnect.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include events for one telephone line related to any of several calls being simultaneously processed for that one telephone line.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include a call origination.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein said reportable telephone call events include an event specified by identifying data entered from a monitored telephone line.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein said system is responsive to data receivable over a data link for entering data into said memory for identifying telephone lines to be observed.