System and method for providing seamless music on hold

• US 8,416,939 B1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pino, Fredrick Charles, Anderson, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/869,969
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8825, 379/211.01
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold

Abstract

A method of using a computer to provide music on hold, including receiving a telephone call from a caller; determining that the telephone call is to be put on hold at a computer at a first location; using the computer to retrieve from a memory coupled to the computer a music genre corresponding to a telephone number for the telephone call, wherein the telephone number corresponds to a second location; sending a request to a media server for a music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location, wherein the media server has stored therein music files for a plurality of genres for a plurality of locations; and streaming via the media server the music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location to the caller.

Claims

1. A method of using a computer to provide music on hold, comprising:

receiving a telephone call from a caller;

determining that the telephone call is to be put on hold at a computer at a first location;

using the computer to retrieve from a memory coupled to the computer a music genre corresponding to a telephone number for the telephone call, wherein the telephone number corresponds to a second location;

transferring the telephone call from the computer to a load balancer, the load balancer selecting a media server from a plurality of media servers;

sending a request to the media server for a music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location so that the music genere that is played at the second location is also played to the caller at the first location when the caller is on hold, wherein the media server has stored therein music files for a plurality of genres for a plurality of locations;

sending music from the music genre corresponding to the second location in analog format to a media encoder for converting to a digital VoIP format; and

streaming via the media server the music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location to the caller.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing associations for music genres for each telephone number for a plurality of locations in a network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising coupling a plurality of media players to the media server, wherein each of the plurality of media players stores music of a different music genre.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the analog music sent to the media encoder to a Windows Media Audio (WMA) digital format.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising converting WMA digital music to a VoIP format before streaming it to the caller.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing two files of converted VoIP music for each genre on the media server.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising periodically updating in an alternating fashion one of the two files of converted VoIP music on the media server to ensure the availability of fresh music.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second telephone call from a second caller;

determining that the second telephone call is to be put on hold at the computer at the first location;

using the computer to retrieve from the memory coupled to the computer a music genre corresponding to a telephone number for the second telephone call, wherein the telephone number corresponds to a third location;

sending a request to the media server for a music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the third location, wherein the music genre corresponding to the third location is different from the music genre corresponding to the second location;

streaming via the media server the music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the third location to the second caller.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing the telephone call from hold;

determining that the telephone call is to be put on hold a second time;

using the computer to retrieve from the memory coupled to the computer the music genre corresponding to the telephone number for the telephone call, wherein the telephone number corresponds to the second location;

sending a request to the media server for a music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location; and

streaming via the media server the music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location to the caller so that the genre of music streamed to the caller remains the same each time the caller is put on hold.

10. A system to provide music on hold, comprising:

a first location coupled to a second location via a VoIP network;

the first location including;

a customer voice portal including a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory has stored therein computer-readable instructions that are executable by the processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

identify a music genre corresponding to a telephone number for a telephone call when the telephone call is placed on hold, wherein the telephone number corresponds to the second location;

transferring the telephone call from the computer to a load balancer, coupled to the customer voice portal and the first and second media servers, wherein the load balancer is configured to distribute calls to the first and the second media servers;

and request a music file corresponding to the identified music genre from the first and the second media server for the telephone call placed on hold so that the music genere that is played at the second location is also played to the caller at the first location when the caller is on hold, wherein the media server has stored therein music files for a plurality of genres for a plurality of locations;

a first and a second media server coupled to the customer voice portal;

a first and a second media encoder, each of which are coupled to each of the first and the second media servers;

a first media player coupled to the first media encoder;

a second media player coupled to the second media encoder;

wherein the first media player includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein analog music of a first genre, the first music genre corresponding to the identified music genre for the telephone call placed on hold;

wherein the second media player includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein analog music of a second genre;

transferring the telephone call from the computer to a load balancer, coupled to the customer voice portal and the first and second media servers, wherein the load balancer is configured to distribute calls to the first and the second media servers;

sending music from the music genre corresponding to the second location in analog format to a media encoder for converting to a digital VoIP format; and

wherein the first media player is configured to stream digital music of the first genre to the telephone call placed on hold.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the customer voice portal memory has stored therein associations for music genres for each telephone number for a plurality of locations in the system.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first media encoder is further configured to convert the analog music of a first genre to a Windows Media Audio (WMA) digital format.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first media encoder is further configured to convert the WMA digital music to a VoIP format and copy the converted file to the first and second media servers.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for use with a computer system provide music on hold, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein a program that, when executed on a processor, causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

determining that the telephone call is to be put on hold at a computer at a first location;

retrieving from a memory coupled to the computer a music genre corresponding to a telephone number for a telephone call from a caller, wherein the telephone number corresponds to a second location;

transferring the telephone call from the computer to a load balancer, the load balancer selecting a media server from a plurality of media servers;

sending a request to the media server for a music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location, so that the music genere that is played at the second location is also played to the caller at the first location when the caller is on hold, wherein the media server has stored therein music files for a plurality of genres for a plurality of locations;

sending music from the music genre corresponding to the second location in analog format to a media encoder for converting to a digital VoIP format; and

causing the media server to stream the music file containing music fitting the music genre corresponding to the second location to the caller.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions to cause the media server to store two files of converted VoIP music for each genre of music stored on the medial server.