US 6,301,246 B1 · Silent monitoring in a voice-over-data-network environment

Abstract

A system and method for silent Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) call monitoring in a telephony-over-LAN environment includes an ACD agent terminal for handling incoming calls from customers. A first call between the agent terminal and a customer terminal includes agent voice data and customer voice data. After the agent terminal has set up the first call with the customer terminal, the agent terminal receives a monitoring call setup request from a supervisor terminal. In response to the call setup request, the agent terminal cooperates with the supervisor terminal to establish a monitoring call over which the agent terminal transmits the agent voice data and the customer voice data to the supervisor terminal. The agent terminal monitors the first call for simultaneously transmitted agent voice data and customer voice data. In order to minimize transmission delay in the monitoring call, the agent and customer voice data which was simultaneously transmitted in the first call is reformatted for transmission in the monitoring call. In a preferred embodiment, agent voice data bytes are multiplexed with customer voice data bytes in a consecutively sequential manner and the resulting combination voice data packets are transmitted over the monitoring call. In a second embodiment, the framing of voice data packets in the customer and agent voice data streams is shifted prior to alternately transmitting customer and agent voice data packets over the monitoring call.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for permitting a monitoring terminal to monitor a first voice-over-data-network call between first and second terminals in a telephony-over-data-network environment comprising the steps of:

setting up said first voice-over-data-network call, said first voice-over-data-network call including first voice data originating from said first terminal and second voice data generated by said second terminal and received at said first terminal;
receiving a request from said monitoring terminal to monitor said first voice-over-data-network call;
setting up a second voice-over-data-network call between said first terminal and said monitoring terminal;
and
transmitting said first voice data and said second voice data from said first terminal to said monitoring terminal within said second voice-over-data-network call in the absence of integrating voice samples from said first voice data with voice samples from said second voice data prior to transmitting said first and said second voice data.

2 more elements

A system for enabling silent monitoring of a first voice-over-data-network call comprising:

a monitoring device having first means for supporting a monitoring voice-over-data-network call, said first means being responsive to a user input to generate a call setup request for said monitoring call;
and
a monitored device in communicative contact with said monitoring device over a data network and configured to establish said first voice-over-data-network call to a remote device such that said first call includes first voice data transmitted from said monitored device and second voice data received at said monitored device and generated by said remote device, said monitored device comprising:
a) second means for supporting said monitoring call, said second means being responsive to said call setup request to establish said monitoring call;
and
b) means for transmitting said first voice data and said second voice data in said monitoring call in the absence of integrating voice samples in said first voice data with voice samples in said second voice data.

3 more elements

A method for enabling silent ACD monitoring of a first voice-over-datanetwork call which includes first voice data transmitted from an ACD agent terminal to a customer terminal and second voice data transmitted from said customer terminal and received at said ACD agent terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at said ACD agent terminal to establish a second voice-over-data-network call to enable an ACD supervisor terminal to monitor said first voice-over-data-network call;
establishing said second call between said ACD agent terminal and said ACD supervisor terminal wherein said first voice data and said second voice data are re-transmitted from said ACD agent terminal to said ACD supervisor terminal;
at said ACD agent terminal, monitoring said first call for a first quantity of said first voice data transmitted in said first call simultaneously with transmission of a second quantity of said second voice data from said customer terminal;
and
re-transmitting said first voice data quantity and said second voice data quantity from said ACD agent terminal to said ACD supervisor terminal in said second call in the absence of integrating voice samples in said first voice data quantity with voice samples in said second voice data quantity.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Silent monitoring in a voice-over-data-network environment

Life of this patent

Silent monitoring in a voice-over-data-network environment

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20