Real-time voice logging of telephone calls

• US 8,837,686 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Mosch, Victor Bastiaan, Steffens, Silvester Antonius Maria, Lassche, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARLEY, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US11/915,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20110044317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,403 Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656

Abstract

An office telephone system contains packet switched network and network telephone sets coupled to said packet switched network for transmitting and receiving speech data in addressed packets. A packet switched network interface taps the packet switched network and processes packets received from the packet switched network by identifying first and second packets that contain network voice call data for respective sides of a network telephone calls. The packet switched network interface mixing speech data from the first and second packets into streams while the call proceeds. Each stream comprising a mix of speech data from both sides of a respective one of the network telephone calls. An application program interface defines provides access to the streams to a programmable set of applications. In addition a line interface circuit taps call dedicate telephone lines outside the network and generates further speech data streams from signals from the call dedicated telephone lines. The application program interface defines provides interchangeable types of calls to access streams generated from both sources.

Claims

1. A telephone voice logging apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a packet switched network interface with a network input for coupling to a packet switched network,

an output for outputting a stream of digitized samples for storage,

a circuit arranged to process packets received from the network input by identifying first and second packets that contain network voice call data originated from opposite sides of a network telephone call and assembling data from the opposite sides of the telephone call to form the stream while the network telephone call proceeds, wherein the steam comprises a mix of speech data extracted from the first and second packets,

an application program interface coupled to the output, the application program interface defining an interface for feeding the stream to a programmable set of one or more applications while the network telephone call proceeds, and

a line interface circuit with a line input for coupling to a telephone set dedicated telephone line, a further output for a further stream of digitized samples and circuits arranged to generate the further stream from signals from the line input;

wherein the application program interface is coupled to the output and the further output, the application program interface defining a common interface or mutually interchangeable interfaces to the stream and the further stream respectively,

wherein the line interface circuit is arranged to retrieve first signaling data of a telephone call from the signals from the line input and to feed the first signaling data to the application program interface, the packet switched network interface being arranged to retrieve second signaling data for the network voice call from the packets received from the network input and to feed the second signaling data to the application program interface, the application program interface providing a common type of call for supplying the first and second signaling data to applications respectively.

2. A telephone voice logging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application program interface provides a common type of call for supplying the stream and the further stream to applications respectively, the apparatus comprising a storage device and a storage control application arranged to control storage of recordings of telephone calls on the storage device, the storage control application being arranged to obtain the stream and the further stream for recording respective telephone calls, using said same type of call for both the stream and the further stream respectively.

3. A telephone voice logging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packet switched network interface comprises a network interface circuit and a call assembly component, the network interface circuit having an interface input coupled to the network input, the call assembly component being arranged to inspect packets from the network interface circuit, to select the first and second packets and to mix speech data from streams of first and second packets into the stream.

4. A telephone voice logging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the packet switched network interface comprises a further network input, a first and second network interface circuit and a call assembly component, the network interface circuit having an input coupled to the first and second packet switched network, the call assembly component being arranged to inspect packets from the network interface circuits, to select the first and second packets and to mix speech data from streams of first and second packets into the stream.

5. A method of logging voice telephone calls, the method comprising:

receiving packets from a packet switched network;

identifying among the received packets first and second packets that contain network voice call data originated from opposite sides of a network telephone call;

forming a stream of digitized samples for storage by mixing speech data extracted from the first and second packets, each associated with an opposite side of the telephone call, while the network telephone call proceeds;

supplying the stream to a programmable set of one or more applications while the network telephone call proceeds;

generating a further stream of digitized samples from signals on a telephone set dedicated telephone line;

supplying the stream and the further stream to an application via an application program interface that defines a common call type or interchangeable types of call for providing access to the stream and the further stream respectively;

retrieving first signaling data of a telephone call from the signals from the telephone set dedicated telephone line;

feeding the first signaling data to the application program interface;

selecting packets received from the packet switched network that comprise signaling data;

retrieving second signaling data from the selected packets; and

feeding the second signaling data to the application program interface, supplying both the first and second signaling data to an application using interchangeable types of calls respectively.

6. A method according to claim 5, the method further comprising recording the stream and the further stream obtained from the application program interface on a recording device.

7. A telephone system comprising:

a telephone set dedicated telephone lines and telephone sets coupled to respective ones of said telephone set dedicated telephone lines;

a packet switched network and network telephone sets coupled to said packet switched network for transmitting and receiving speech data in addressed packets;

a line interface circuit coupled to tap the telephone set dedicated telephone lines and arranged to generate first speech data streams from signals from the telephone set dedicated telephone lines;

a packet switched network interface coupled to tap the packet switched network and arranged to process packets received from the packet switched network by identifying first packets that contain network voice call data originated from a first side of a network telephone call and second packets that contain network voice call data originated from a second opposite side of the telephone call and mixing and assembling speech data extracted from the first and second packets to form a second stream associated with the telephone call while the network telephone call proceeds; and

an application program interface that defines a common type of call or interchangeable types of call for providing applications access to the first and second streams respectively,

wherein the line interface circuit is arranged to retrieve first signaling data of a telephone call from the signals from the telephone set dedicated telephone lines and to feed the first signaling data to the application program interface, the packet switched network interface being arranged to retrieve second signaling data for the network voice call from the packets received from the packet switched network and to feed the second signaling data to the application program interface, the application program interface providing indistinguishable types of calls for supplying the first and second signaling data to applications respectively.

8. A telephone system according to claim 7, further comprising a storage device and a storage control application arranged to control storage of recordings of telephone calls on the storage device, the storage control application being arranged to obtain the first and second stream for recording respective telephone calls, using said same type of call for both the first and second stream respectively.

9. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a program of instructions which, when executed by an instruction processor causes the instruction processor to perform the steps of:

generating a first stream of digitized samples from signals on a telephone set dedicated telephone line;

identifying first and second packets among packets received from a packet switched network that contain network voice call data originated from opposite sides of a network telephone call;

forming a second stream of digitized samples for storage by mixing speech data extracted from the first and second packets, each associated with an opposite side of the telephone call, while the network telephone call proceeds;

supplying the first and second stream to an application via an application program interface that defines a same type of call for providing access to the first and second stream respectively;

retrieving first signaling data of a telephone call from the signals from the telephone set dedicate telephone line;

feeding the first signaling data to the application program interface;

selecting packets received from the packet switched network that comprise signaling data;

retrieving second signaling data from the selected packets;

feeding the second signaling data to the application program interface; and

supplying both the first and second signaling data to an application using a same type of call respectively.

10. A telephone voice logging apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a line interface circuit with a first input for coupling to a telephone set dedicated telephone line, a first output for a first stream of digitized samples and circuits arranged to generate the first stream from signals from the first input;

a packet switched network interface with a second input for coupling to a packet switched network, a second output for a second stream of digitized samples and circuits to process packets received from the second input by identifying first and second packets that contain network voice call data originated from opposite sides of a network telephone call and assembling data from the opposite sides of the telephone call to form the stream while the network telephone call proceeds, wherein the steam comprises a mix of speech data extracted from the first and second packets;

an application program interface coupled to the first and second output, the application program interface defining interchangeable types of call for providing applications access to the first and second stream respectively;

a line interface circuit with a line input for coupling to a telephone set dedicated telephone line;

wherein the application program interface defines a common interface or mutually interchangeable interfaces to the first stream and the second stream respectively, and

wherein the line interface circuit is arranged to retrieve first signaling data of a telephone call from the signals from the line input and to feed the first signaling data to the application program interface, the packet switched network interface being arranged to retrieve second signaling data for the network voice call from the packets received from the network input and to feed the second signaling data to the application program interface, the application program interface providing a common type of call for supplying the first and second signaling data to applications respectively.