Internet access to telecommunications relay service

• US 7,430,283 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omega Products Corporation (Opal Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Omega Products Corporation (Opal Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Steel, James A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US10/605,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/90.01, 379/93.15, 379/265.09, 379/265.13, 379/266.02, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A method and a system that will allow a hearing impaired person to access a TRS (Telecommunications Relay Service) center via an Internet terminal on the World Wide Web instead of using a TTY device on the telephone network. The present invention represents a modification or add-on to the methodology and systems currently employed by TRS centers throughout the country. Therefore, a TRS center will be able to handle operator assisted relayed telephone calls both using the present POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and the World Wide Web. Additional equipment will be required for a center to implement the present invention, said equipment comprising a TRS Packet Server and a router connected to the internet. When a hearing impaired customer wishes to place a call, secured communication is first established over the internet with a Nationwide TRS Routing Server. The Nationwide Routing server then finds a TRS center to handle the call. Once the center has been selected and an operator from that center has been assigned to the customer, further communications from the customer is directly with the TRS Center. A relayed telephone call is handled by the hearing impaired customer using received and transmitted text in an internet chat window where the customer and the operator type their respective conversation. The same relayed telephone call with the hearing party is handled by voice conversation with the operator.

Claims

1. A method wherein a customer, who could be a hearing impaired person, may place an operator assisted relayed telephone call to a hearing person using the internet such that the hearing impaired person communicates with the operator by sending and receiving text messages in approximately real time, and such that the hearing person communicates with the operator using conventional voice telephony, whereby the hearing impaired person may communicate with the hearing person using the operator as an intermediary, comprising:

a. the customer using his internet terminal to establish a secure connection to a Nationwide Routing Server;

b. the Nationwide Routing Server establishing a secure connection to the customer'"'"'s internet terminal;

c. the customer issuing a call request via his internet terminal;

d. the Nationwide Routing Server issuing a status request packet to a TRS Packet Server;

e. the TRS Packet Server issuing a call accept packet to the Nationwide Routing Server;

f. the Nationwide Routing Server issuing a call accept packet to the customer'"'"'s internet terminal;

g. the Nationwide Routing Server instructing the customer'"'"'s internet terminal to direct all further communications to the TRS Packet Server;

h. the Nationwide Routing Server terminating its connection with the customer'"'"'s internet terminal;

i. the customer'"'"'s internet terminal establishing a secure connection to the TRS Packet Server;

j. the TRS Packet Server establishing a secure connection to the customer'"'"'s internet terminal;

k. the customer issuing a dial request packet to the TRS Packet Server via his internet terminal;

l. the TRS Packet Server issuing a call accept packet to the customer'"'"'s internet terminal;

m. processing the call once the hearing person answers his or her phone;

n. the customer communicating with a TRS operator by sending and receiving text via his internet terminal;

o. the hearing person communicating with the operator using standard voice communications; and

,

p. the operator relaying messages between the customer and the hearing person.

2. A system wherein a customer, who could be a hearing impaired person, may place a human operator assisted relayed telephone call to a hearing person using the internet such that the hearing impaired person communicates with the operator by sending and receiving text messages in approximately real time, and such that the hearing person communicates with the operator using conventional voice telephony, whereby the hearing impaired person may communicate with the hearing person using the operator as an intermediary, comprising a telecommunications relay service (TRS) operator station and terminal operatively connected to:

a. a PBX unit that is operatively connected to a public switched telephone network using conventional telephone communications equipment; and

,

b. a local area network (TRS/LAN) that is operatively connected to;

(1) a packet server that is operatively connected to the PBX unit using a data link; and

,

(2) a server that is operatively connected to the internet, such that the customer may communicate with the operator using either conventional telephone lines (POTS) or the internet and that said customer communication may be handled by an operator using the same TRS operator station and terminal regardless of whether the customer communicates with the operator using POTS or the internet.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the internet connection further comprises:

a. a connection to a nationwide TRS routing server; and

,

b. a plurality of local TRS routing servers;

wherein the nationwide TRS routing server receives call requests from special software installed on the customer'"'"'s internet terminal and directs further customer communications to one of the plurality of local TRS routing servers.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein a first queue is created wherein the TRS operator handles POTS relay telephone calls in a first sequence and a second queue is created wherein the TRS operator handles internet relay telephone calls in a second sequence, and wherein a queue priority is selectable.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first queue and the second queue are combined into a single queue thereby allowing the TRS operator to handle calls in a combined sequence comprising both POTS relay telephone calls and internet relay telephone calls.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein queue priority is given to the first queue.