Monitoring for operator services

• US 7,313,232 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Presnell, Michael Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US10/648,000
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/265.03, 379/265.04, 379/265.05, 379/265.06, 379/265.07, 379/265.08, 379/266.01, 379/266.02, 379/266.03, 379/309, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04, 379/142.01, 379/112.01
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides for efficient monitoring of operator services calls. A packet gateway is provided in association with a telephony switch, such that circuit-switched connections through a switching fabric of the telephony switch are supported by the packet gateway. The packet gateway provides an interface between the switching fabric and a packet network, which supports operator terminals as well as monitor terminals from which interactions between operators and callers may be monitored. Upon setting up the circuit-switched connection for the operator services call, the gateway will establish voice sessions with both the operator terminal and the monitor terminal. The voice sessions with the operator terminal facilitate bi-directional communications with the caller via the circuit-switched connection over the packet fabric. The voice interaction between the caller and operator is provided to the monitor terminal over another voice session for monitoring by the monitor.

Claims

1. A method for providing operator services comprising:

a) establishing a connection over a switching fabric of a telephony switch for an operator services call from a caller;

b) establishing an operator voice session over a packet network with an operator terminal of an operator;

c) establishing a monitor voice session over the packet network with a monitor terminal of a monitor;

d) providing an interface between the operator voice session and the connection wherein a packet gateway provides the interface in order to facilitate a voice interaction between the operator and the caller; and

e) sending the voice interaction to the monitor terminal over the monitor voice session to allow the monitor to listen to the voice interaction between the operator and the caller.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the operator voice session comprises two packet sessions to facilitate bi-directional communications with the operator terminal and the monitor voice session comprises one packet session to facilitate uni-directional communication of the voice interaction to the monitor terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a control message to establish the operator voice session, the control message including indicia to establish the monitor voice session.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the control message is received from a control system of the telephony switch.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising converting packets received from the operator terminal to time division multiplexed information to send over the connection, and converting time division multiplexed information from the switching fabric to packets to send over the operator voice session.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the connection over the switching fabric connects with a conference port.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising establishing an additional connection over the switching fabric between the conference port and a telephony interface, which is directly or indirectly coupled to a telephony device of the caller.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

a) establishing a second connection over the switching fabric of the telephony switch for a second operator services call from a second caller;

b) establishing a second operator voice session over the packet network with the operator terminal of the operator; and

c) providing an interface between the second operator voice session and the second connection to facilitate a second voice interaction between the operator and the second caller.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the switching fabric facilitates time division multiplexed connections.

10. A system for providing operator services comprising:

a) a switching fabric; and

b) a gateway associated with the switching fabric and adapted to;

i) establish a connection over the switching fabric for an operator services call from a caller;

ii) establish an operator voice session over a packet network with an operator terminal of an operator;

iii) establish a monitor voice session over the packet network with a monitor terminal of a monitor;

iv) provide an interface between the operator voice session and the connection wherein the interface provided by the gateway facilitates a voice interaction between the operator and the caller; and

v) send the voice interaction to the monitor terminal over the monitor voice session to allow the monitor to listen to the voice interaction between the operator and the caller.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the operator voice session comprises two packet sessions to facilitate bi-directional communications with the operator terminal and the monitor voice session comprises one packet session to facilitate uni-directional communication of the voice interaction to the monitor terminal.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the gateway is further adapted to receive a control message to establish the operator voice session, the control message including indicia to establish the monitor voice session.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control message is received from a control system of the telephony switch.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the gateway is further adapted to:

a) convert packets received from the operator terminal to time division multiplexed information to send over the connection; and

b) convert time division multiplexed information from the switching fabric to packets to send over the operator voice session.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising a conference port and wherein the connection over the switching fabric connects with the conference port.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a telephony interface and wherein the gateway is further adapted to establish an additional connection over the switching fabric between the conference port and the telephony interface, which is directly or indirectly coupled to a telephony device of the caller.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the gateway is further adapted to:

a) establish a second connection over the switching fabric of the telephony switch for an operator services call from a second caller;

b) establish a second operator voice session over the packet network with the operator terminal of the operator; and

c) provide an interface between the second operator voice session and the second connection to facilitate a second voice interaction between the operator and the second caller.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the switching fabric facilitates time division multiplexed connections.

19. A system for providing operator services comprising:

a) means for establishing a connection over a switching fabric of a telephony switch for an operator services call from a caller;

b) means for establishing an operator voice session over a packet network with an operator terminal of an operator;

c) means for establishing a monitor voice session over the packet network with a monitor terminal of a monitor;

d) means for providing an interface between the operator voice session and the connection, wherein the means for providing the interface is a packet gateway and the packet gateway provides the interface in order to facilitate a voice interaction between the operator and the caller; and

e) means for sending the voice interaction to the monitor terminal over the monitor voice session to allow the monitor to listen to the voice interaction between the operator and the caller.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the operator voice session comprises two packet sessions to facilitate bi-directional communications with the operator terminal and the monitor voice session comprises one packet session to facilitate uni-directional communication of the voice interaction to the monitor terminal.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for receiving a control message to establish the operator voice session, the control message including indicia to establish the monitor voice session.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the control message is received from a control system of the telephony switch.

23. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for converting packets received from the operator terminal to time division multiplexed information to send over the connection, and means for converting time division multiplexed information from the switching fabric to packets to send over the operator voice session.

24. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a) means for establishing a second connection over the switching fabric of the telephony switch for an operator services call from a second caller;

b) means for establishing a second operator voice session over the packet network with the operator terminal of the operator; and

c) means for providing an interface between the second operator voice session and the second connection to facilitate a second voice interaction between the operator and the second caller.