System and method for recording telephone conversations

• US 20030012346A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher Langhart, Robert E. Hankey
• Original Assignee: Christopher Langhart, Robert E. Hankey
• Inventors: Hankey, Robert E., Langhart, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US10/187,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20030012346A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/258 Service state indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for recording telephone conversations. In one embodiment, a telephone conversation between two or more parties is recorded and the recording of the conversation can be stopped without terminating or effecting the communication between the parties. Any of the parties to the conversation may request that the conversation be recorded or terminate the recording of that conversation. The party initiating the recording of the conversation may request the playback of the recorded conversation provided that party has playback service. If one of the parties requests that the conversation be recorded, then the non-recording parties (i.e., the one or more parties not requesting that the conversation be recorded) are notified that the conversation is being recorded if the applicable law at the location of the non-recording parties mandates that the non-recording parties be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

Claims

1. A telephone system for recording a conversation, or signals, comprising:

a conversation recording unit that records the conversation among a first party on a first telephone and a second party on a second telephone; and

an infrastructure unit that interconnects the first telephone and the second telephone,

wherein the first telephone and the second telephone are a fixed telephone or a mobile telephone and the conversation recording unit is located within at least one of the infrastructure unit, the first telephone and the second telephone that is the mobile telephone, and an outside facility that is conferenced in to record the conversation.

2. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit begins recording the conversation upon receiving a start-recording signal.

3. The telephone system of claim 2, wherein the conversation recording unit upon receiving the start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded.

4. The telephone system of claim 2, wherein the conversation recording unit upon receiving the start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded if reference to a location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

5. The telephone system of claim 4, wherein said location is updated on an ongoing basis.

6. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit upon receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded whenever the telephone sending the always-record signal is involved in the conversation.

7. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit upon receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded whenever the telephone that sends the always-record signal is involved in the conversation, and reference to a location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

8. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit upon receiving a start-memo-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone records speech only of the party on the telephone that sent the start-memo-recording signal.

9. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit terminates recording the conversation upon receiving a stop-recording signal, the first party hanging-up the first telephone, the second party hanging-up the second telephone, physically disconnecting telephone lines that connect the first telephone and the second telephone, or a time-out occurring because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

10. The telephone system of claim 9, wherein the conversation recording unit allows the first telephone or the second telephone to resume recording the conversation after recording of the conversation is terminated by the conversation recording unit receiving a stop-recording signal, or a time-out occurs because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

11. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit plays back the recorded conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party has access to the recorded conversation.

12. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit plays back the recorded conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation and the requesting party initiated recording the conversation.

13. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit plays back the recorded conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation.

14. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit converts the recorded conversation from voice signals to text data.

15. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein the conversation recording unit formats the text data as an e-mail message by encapsulating the text data in an envelope and transmits the envelope to a server.

16. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein the conversation recording unit formats the text data as a Web page using a markup language and transmits the Web page to a server.

17. The telephone system of claim 14, wherein said recorded conversation is stored as an audio file.

18. The telephone system of claim 1, wherein the conversation recording unit does not record the conversation if the first telephone or the second telephone sends a never-can-record signal.

19. The telephone system of claim 2, wherein the conversation recording unit records the conversation upon receiving the start-recording signal if the first telephone or the second telephone sends a never-can-record signal and the telephone that sends the never-can-record signal is at a location whose laws do not mandate that the telephone sending the never-can-record signal be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

20. A conversation recording unit, comprising:

a conversation storage unit that stores a conversation among a first party on a first telephone and a second party on a second telephone; and

a processor, coupled to the conversation storage unit, that directs the conversation to the conversation storage unit for storage upon receiving a control signal to record the conversation.

21. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein an analog to digital converter, coupled to the processor, converts the conversation and the control signal from analog form to digital form and sends the conversation and the control signal to the processor for analysis.

22. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein a digital to analog converter, coupled to the processor, converts the conversation from digital form to analog form.

23. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein the processor directs the conversation to the conversation storage unit upon receiving a start-recording signal.

24. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, further comprising a location status database, coupled to the processor, that specifies whether laws at a location of the first telephone or the second telephone mandate that the party on the telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

25. The conversation recording unit of claim 24, wherein said location status data base is checked on an ongoing basis.

26. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, further comprising a notification unit, coupled to the processor, that upon the processor receiving a start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded.

27. The conversation recording unit of claim 24, further comprising a notification unit, coupled to the processor, that upon receiving a start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded if reference to the location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

28. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, further comprising a notification unit, coupled to the processor, that upon the processor receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifies the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded whenever that telephone sending the always-record signal is involved in the conversation.

29. The conversation recording unit of claim 24, further comprising a notification unit, coupled to the processor, that upon the processor receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifies the other telephone that did not send the always-record signal that the conversation is being recorded whenever the telephone sending the always-record signal is involved in the conversation and reference to the location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

30. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein the processor, upon receiving a start-memo-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, records speech only of the party on the telephone that sent the start-memo-recording signal.

31. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein the processor terminates directing the conversation to the conversation storage unit upon receiving a stop-recording signal, the first party hanging-up the first telephone, the second party hanging-up the second telephone, physically disconnecting telephone lines that connect the first telephone and the second telephone, or a time-out occurring because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

32. The conversation recording unit of claim 31, wherein the processor resumes recording the conversation upon receiving the start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone after recording of the conversation is terminated by the conversation recording unit receiving a stop-recording signal, or a time-out occurs because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

33. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein the processor accesses the conversation storage unit and plays back the stored conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation.

34. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein the processor accesses the conversation storage unit and plays back the stored conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation and the requesting party initiated recording the conversation.

35. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, further comprising a speech recognition unit, coupled to the processor and the conversation storage unit, that converts the stored conversation in the conversation storage unit from voice signals to text data.

36. The conversation recording unit of claim 35, wherein the processor formats the text data as an e-mail message by encapsulating the text data in an envelope and transmits the envelope to a server.

37. The conversation recording unit of claim 35, wherein the processor formats the text data as a Web page using a markup language and transmits the Web page to a server.

38. The conversation recording unit of claim 20, wherein said stored conversation is in an audio file format.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein recording the conversation begins upon receiving a start-recording signal.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising, upon receiving the start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, notifying the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising, upon receiving the start-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, notifying the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded if reference to a location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

43. The method of claim 39, further comprising, upon receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifying the other telephone that the conversation is being recorded whenever the telephone sending the always-record signal is involved in the conversation.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising, upon receiving an always-record signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, thereafter, automatically notifying the other telephone that did not send the always-record signal that the conversation is being recorded whenever the telephone sending the always-record signal is involved in the conversation and reference to the location status database finds that laws of a location of the other telephone mandates that the party on the other telephone be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

45. The method of claim 39, further comprising, upon receiving a start-memo-recording signal from the first telephone or the second telephone, recording speech only of the party on the telephone that sent the start-memo-recording signal.

46. The method of claim 39, further comprising terminating the recording of the conversation upon receiving a stop-recording signal, the first party hanging-up the first telephone, the second party hanging-up the second telephone, physically disconnecting telephone lines that connect the first telephone and the second telephone, or a time-out occurring because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising resuming recording the conversation after recording of the conversation is terminated by the conversation recording unit receiving a stop-recording signal, or a time-out occurs because the telephone lines connecting the first telephone and the second telephone are inactive for a predetermined period.

48. The method of claim 39, further comprising playing back the recorded conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation.

49. The method of claim 39, further comprising playing back the recorded conversation if a playback signal is received and a requesting party that is the first party or the second party has access to the recorded conversation and the requesting party initiated recording the conversation.

50. The method of claim 39, further comprising converting the recorded conversation from voice signals to text data.

51. The method of claim 50, further comprising formatting the text data as an e-mail message by encapsulating the text data in an envelope and then transmitting the envelope to a server.

52. The method of claim 50, further comprising formatting the text data as a Web page using a markup language and then transmitting the Web page to a server.

53. The method of claim 39, wherein said conversation is stored as an audio file.

54. The method of claim 39, wherein recording the conversation does not occur if the first telephone or the second telephone sends a never-can-record signal.

55. The method of claim 40, wherein recording the conversation occurs upon receiving the start-recording signal if the first telephone or the second telephone sends a never-can-record signal and the telephone that sends the never-can-record signal is at a location whose laws do not mandate that the telephone sending the never-can-record signal be notified that the conversation is being recorded.

57. The header of claim 56, further comprising:

telephone numbers of the first telephone and the second telephone;

locations of the first telephone and the second telephone;

date of the conversation;

start time of the conversation;

end time of the conversation;

type of notification provided to the second party on the second telephone; and

identities of users allowed to alter the parties that can playback the recorded conversation.

58. The header of claim 56, wherein a set of user defined header information may be appended to the header.

39. A method for recording a conversation, comprising:

establishing a connection among a first telephone and a second telephone; and

recording the conversation among a first party on the first telephone and a second party on the second telephone,

wherein the first telephone and the second telephone are a fixed telephone or a mobile telephone and the recording occurs within at least one of an infrastructure unit, the first telephone and the second telephone that is the mobile telephone, and an outside facility that is conferenced in to record the conversation.

56. A header of a recorded conversation, comprising:

a unique serial number, and

identities of

a first telephone of a first party that initiated recording a conversation;

a second telephone of a second party that did not initiate recording the conversation; and

parties that are allowed to playback the recorded conversation.