Network telephony interface systems between data network telephony and plain old telephone service

A method for implementing a data network telephony (DNT) call center, comprising steps of:

• (a) forming a call center of one or more agent stations at a first host location, each agent station having a Data Network Telephony (DNT) interface having a port adapted to connect to a data network capable of transmitting DNT telephony calls, and each DNT interface having an IP address;
• (b) connecting a data network telephony (DNT) network to the DNT interface at the one or more agent stations;
• (c) connecting, remote from the first host location, a computerized bridge unit to the DNT network by a data network port and associated circuitry for receiving and placing Data Network Telephony (DNT) calls on the data network, the bridge unit having a trunk-line port and associated circuitry for receiving and placing Connection Oriented/Switched Telephony (COST) telephone calls on a COST network, conversion circuitry for converting data dynamically between DNT and COST telephone calls, and control routines adapted to receive a first call from one of the COST and DNT networks, to place a call associated with the received call on the network other than the network on which the call is received, and to dynamically convert data between the associated calls;
• (d) receiving a COST call at the bridge unit placed by a caller on the POTS network using a COST number;
• (e) associating the COST call with the IP address of the DNT interface at one of the one or more agent stations at the first host location;
• (f) placing a DNT call to the IP address;
• and
• (g) dynamically converting data at the bridge between the COST call and the associated DNT call, thereby effectively connecting the COST caller with an agent at the agent station.

A method for implementing a data network telephony (DNT) call center having ability for agents at the call center to place calls to COST network telephones, comprising steps of:

• (a) forming a call center of one or more agent stations at a first host location, each agent station having a Data Network Telephony (DNT) interface having a port adapted to connect to a data network capable of transmitting DNT telephony calls, and each DNT interface having an IP address;
• (b) connecting a data network telephony (DNT) network to the DNT interface at the one or more agent stations;
• (c) connecting, remote from the first host location, a computerized bridge unit to the DNT network by a data network port and associated circuitry for receiving and placing Data Network Telephony (DNT) calls on the data network, the bridge unit having a trunk-line port and associated circuitry for receiving and placing Connection Oriented/Switched Telephony (COST) telephone calls on a COST network, conversion circuitry for converting data dynamically between DNT and COST telephone calls, and control routines adapted to receive a first call from one of the COST and DNT networks, to place a call associated with the received call on the network other than the network on which the call is received, and to dynamically convert data between the associated calls;
• (d) receiving a DNT call at the bridge unit placed by a caller at an agent station at the first host location;
• (e) associating the DNT call with a COST telephone number;
• (f) placing a POTS call to the COST telephone number;
• and
• (g) dynamically converting data at the bridge between the DNT call and the associated COST call, thereby effectively connecting the DNT caller with a person at a telephone connected to the COST network.