Systems and methods for monitoring audio

• US 6,947,526 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Contactpoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Contactpoint LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Jeremiah E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHARLES CHIANG
• Application Number:
  US10/211,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20040022370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.1, 455/67.7, 455/410, 455/415, 455/575, 455/1, 455/550.1, 455/422.1, 455/554.2, 455/403, 455/445, 455/458, 455/459, 455/460, 455/461, 455/9, 455/515, 455518-521, 455/451.1, 455/550, 379/112.01, 379/133, 379/68, 379/67.1, 379/140, 379/119, 379/135, 379/265.02, 379/35, 379/93.06, 379/265, 379/309, 379/387, 379/267, 379/266.1, 379/34, 379/266, 379/59, 379/34.67, 379/85, 379/210, 379/112, 340/540, 340/541, 340/3.1, 340/539, 340/574
• US Class Current: 379/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/715 using two or more extensions per line cordless telephones H04M1/725
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/82 Line monitoring circuits for call progress or status discrimination for detecting caller identity H04M1/573
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring sound from a remote location. A monitor box is connected to an outside telephone line and to a device that provides sound to the monitoring box. In one implementation, the device is a telephone coupled to its own telephone line, and the monitor box is connected to the telephone through the use of a splitter located between the handset and base of the telephone. Thus, a supervisor or other individual may contact the monitor box from a remote location by calling into the outside telephone line connected to the monitor box and monitor a conversation that occurs on one of the telephone line corresponding to the telephone. Implementation of the present invention also embraces connecting the monitor box to other devices or systems that provide audio for selective monitoring, including a microphone, a central telephone system, a receiver, a frequency scanner, a computer device, or any other device that is capable of providing sound to the monitor box for monitoring by an individual from a remote location.

Claims

1. A method for remotely monitoring audio, the method comprising:

providing an audio monitoring box that is connected to (i) an outside telephone line dedicated to the audio monitoring box and (ii) a splitter, wherein the splitter is coupled to a handset and a base of a first telephone;

providing a conversation on a first telephone line between a user of the first telephone and a customer, wherein the conversation occurs independent of the audio monitoring box;

remotely dialing into the audio monitoring box through the outside telephone line;

shunting audio from the conversation on the first telephone line to the audio monitoring box to allow a supervising user who is remotely dialed into the audio monitoring box to access the audio shunted from the conversation; and

using the audio monitoring box to enable the supervising user to remotely participate in the conversation, wherein the remote supervising user participation comprises at least one of;

(i) surreptitiously listening to the conversation; and

(ii) engaging in the conversation.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the outside telephone line is an analog telephone line.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the user is an employee who is employed to perform one of:

(i) obtaining orders made by customers;

(ii) providing tickets to the customers; and

(iii) receiving money from the customers.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step for shunting audio comprises:

connecting a receiver to the audio monitoring box;

transmitting audio from the first telephone line to the receiver; and

providing the transmitted audio to the audio monitoring box.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the receiver is a frequency scanner.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step for remotely dialing into the audio monitoring box comprises a step for providing a code to the audio monitor box to select a particular channel of audio.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote supervising user participation further comprises a step for recording at least a portion of the shunted audio.

8. In a system that includes an audio monitoring system that is connected to (i) an outside telephone line and to (ii) one or more splitters of a telephone system that includes one or more telephone lines connected to one or more corresponding telephones, wherein the one or more splitters are connected to the one or more telephones, a method for selectively monitoring audio of the one or more telephone lines using the audio monitoring system outside of the telephone system from any remote location in the world, the method comprising:

providing an audio monitoring system that is connected to the splitters of the telephone system and to the outside telephone line;

remotely dialing into the audio monitoring system through the outside telephone line;

providing an access code to the audio monitoring system to allow a supervising user who has remotely dialed into the audio monitoring system to access audio shunted from any of the one or more telephone lines of the telephone system; and

using the audio monitoring system to enable the supervising user to remotely participate with the audio shunted from the one or more telephone lines, wherein the remote supervising user participation comprises at least one of;

(i) surreptitiously listening to the shunted audio; and

(ii) engaging in a conversation, wherein the shunted audio includes at least a portion of the conversation.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the audio is shunted using a splitter that is coupled to the audio monitoring system, to a handset of the telephone system, and to a corresponding telephone base unit to shunt the audio to the audio monitoring system.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the remote supervising user participation further includes recording at least a portion of the shunted audio.

11. An audio monitoring system that enables a user to monitor audio from any remote location, the system comprising:

an audio monitoring box;

first telephone having a handset and a base, wherein the telephone is coupled to a first telephone line to enable a first user to participate in a conversation on the telephone line;

a splitter coupled to the first telephone handset, the first telephone base, and the audio monitoring box;

audio shunted from the first telephone through the splitter to the audio monitoring box, wherein the shunted audio includes a conversation between the first user and a first customer, and wherein the conversation occurs on the first telephone line, independent of the audio monitoring box; and

an outside telephone line coupled to the audio monitoring box, wherein the outside telephone line is dedicated to the audio monitoring box to enable a supervising user to dial into the outside telephone line from any telephone in the world and connect to the audio monitoring box to allow the supervising user to access the audio shunted from the first telephone, wherein the audio monitoring box is configured to enable the supervising user to remotely participate with the conversation on the first telephone line, and wherein the supervising user participation comprises at least one of;

(i) surreptitiously listening to the conversation; and

(ii) engaging in the conversation.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the outside telephone line is an analog telephone line.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first telephone is part of a telephone system that includes a plurality of telephones and a corresponding plurality of telephone lines.

14. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the audio monitoring box provides the remote supervising user with remote access to a conversation on any one of the remote telephone lines.

15. A system as recited in claim 13, wherein the remote access to a conversation on any one of the remote telephone lines is obtained by the remote supervising user providing a code to the audio monitoring box over the outside telephone line.