GB2257602A - Improvements in or relating to telephone call management systems - Google Patents

Abstract

Telephone apparatus comprising a call management system 1 including a central processor unit (CPU) 1b, a display/monitor 1a and a keyboard 1c, telephone line switch means 2 via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to a dealer board 3, which dealer board serves to facilitate selection by a dealer of one or more of the said predetermined lines, a voice recorder 10 responsive to the use of a handset 9 operatively associated with the dealer board for recording telephone activity involving use of the hand set and an activity port 11 operatively associated with the voice recorder, which activity port serves to provide data indicative of use of the handset for telephone communication purposes, the central processor unit of the call management system being arranged to be responsive to the data provided at the said activity port. <IMAGE>

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO TELEPHONE CALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS This invention relates to telephone apparatus including a telephone call management system.

Telephone call management systems serve to provide data appertaining to specified usage characteristics of individual telephones or groups of telephones, whereby telephone usage can be monitored and/or analysed for the purpose of optimising efficiency having regard to the costs involved and user requirements.

The present invention is concerned more especially although not exclusively with telephone apparatus which includes telephone call management systems which are used in conjunction with telephone dealing services of the kind utilized in the stock market, in the money markets or in the commodity markets for example.

Telephone apparatus for stock market dealer services or the like comprise telephone switch apparatus via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to each of a plurality of dealer boards which dealer boards are normally each manned by a dealer and via which selected lines of the said predetermined lines can be accessed by a dealer to maintain communication with customers for the purpose of transacting day to day business deals involving for example the transfer of currency or the sale or purchase of shares.

The telephone switch apparatus includes a so called V24 activity port, which is well known to those skilled in the art, via which data relating to line usage is made available for monitoring purposes to a call management system which comprises a CPU, a monitor/display unit and a keyboard.

One problem with the use of a V24 port for call management/monitoring purposes is that although lines from the switch to the dealer board may apparently be in use as indicated by signals at the V24 port, these nominally engaged lines may merely be connected by the dealer through the dealer board to locally positioned loud speakers for standby or monitoring purposes. Thus additional activity as may be required for private business transactions which requires the use of a telephone handset, would not normally be monitored since such transactions might be effected using a line already switched into use for standby or monitoring purposes.

One object of the present invention is to provide for the detection by the call management system of such handset usage for private business transactions.

According to the present invention, telephone apparatus comprises a call management system including a central processor unit (CPU), a display/monitor and a keyboard, telephone line switch means via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to a telephone user board, which user board serves to facilitate selection by a user of one or more of the said predetermined lines, a voice recorder responsive to the use of a handset line operatively associated with the user board for recording telephone activity involving use of a handset coupled to the said line and an activity port operatively associated with the voice recorder, which activity port serves to provide data indicative of use of the handset for telephone communication purposes, the central processor unit of the call management system being arranged to be responsive to the data provided at the said activity port.

According to one aspect of the present invention telephone apparatus comprises a call management system including a CPU, a display/monitor unit and a keyboard, telephone line switch means via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to a telephone user board, which user board serves to facilitate selection of one or more of the said predetermined lines by a user, a first activity port associated with the said switch means via which data appertaining to telephone line usage is made available, a voice recorder responsive to the use of a handset line operatively associated with the user board for recording calls made using a handset coupled to said line, and a second activity port operatively associated with the voice recorder, which second activity port serves to provide data in dependence upon handset use for telephone communication purposes, the CPU of the call management system being arranged to be responsive to data fed from the first and second activity ports for monitoring telephone line usage by the said user.

The central processor unit may be arranged to be responsive to data signals generated consequent upon the start of handset use and data signals generated consequent upon the finish of handset use, whereby recordal of the duration of handset use between these data signals is facilitated.

The user board may be a dealer board provided for the use of a dealer.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a block schematic diagram of telephone apparatus including a call management system coupled in a known manner to a telephone switch system, and wherein, Figure 2 is a block schematic diagram of telephone apparatus including a call management system coupled to apparatus which includes a voice recorder.

Referring to Figure 1, telephone apparatus comprises a call management system 1 which includes a monitor 1 a, a central processor unit (CPU) lb, and a keyboard lc.

The call management system 1 is arranged to monitor the communication activity of telephone apparatus which includes a telephone switch 2 which makes available to a dealer board 3 selected lines of a plurality of lines 4 which are fed to the switch 2.

In a typical arrangement, two thousand lines may be available and perhaps sixty of these two thousand may be made available to the dealer board 3 via the switch 2.

The dealer board 3 is effective in operation to facilitate the selection by a dealer of one or more of the lines made available by the switch. Thus the dealer may have sixty lines available to him from which to choose by operation of his dealer board.

In operation of the system a dealer may select predetermined lines 5 which are switched through to speakers 6 used for line monitoring purposes. In this way a dealer may place himself in standby communication with a number of different client customers.

Use of the system is monitored by signals provided on a line 7 from an activity port 8.

The activity port 8 is commonly described as a V24 port.

Signals available at the V24 port might typically provide data indicative of lines selected, digits dialed, date, time and duration of calls and the source and destination of calls. Information may also be provided concerning ring time.

One of the problems with the system thus far described is that a number of lines may be connected and monitored by the speakers 6, as just before described, for comparatively long periods of time without any useful commercial dealing activity taking place. Useful dealing activity normally requires the use of a handset 9 which the dealer uses to place himself in private communication via handset line 9a with a client. Data on the line 7 from the activity port 8 provides no information concerning use of the handset 9 which is vital for efficient operation of a call management system.

Referring now to Figure 2, wherein corresponding parts of the diagram bear the same numerical designations as Figure 1, a system is shown which includes a voice recorder 10 having an activity port 11 which is coupled to the call management system 1, via a line 12.

Voice recorders are very often used with apparatus of the kind just before described since in the case of a discrepancy between a confirmation note and initial instructions concerning a deal, executed on the basis of telephone instructions, it is useful to refer to the voice recorder whereby the initial instructions can be checked. The activity port 11 of the voice recorder 10 thus provides data indicative of handset use for communication purposes and this data may usefully be used to support the information provided on line 7 from the activity port 8 of the switch system.

Thus it will be appreciated that with a call management system 1 wherein data from the voice recorder 10 and the switch apparatus 2 is used, comprehensive analysis of system usage is thereby facilitated.

Moreover, retrieval of voice recordings from the voice recorder 10 for checking purposes is greatly simplified since the call management system 1, can be used to pin-point the telephone call concerned. This is possible because data appertaining to each telephone call made, is stored in the CPU 1b and may be displayed on the display 1 a whereby selection of an appropriate part of a record tape at the voice recorder 10 can easily be effected.

Various modifications may be made to the arrangement just before described without departing from the scope of the invention and for example, it will be appreciated that any call management system which also embodies a telephone switch and a voice recorder may benefit from the use of a system as hereinbefore described.

Claims (5)

1. Telephone apparatus comprising a call management system including a central processor unit (CPU), a display/monitor and a keyboard, telephone line switch means via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to a telephone user board, which user board serves to facilitate selection by a user of one or more of the said predetermined lines, a voice recorder responsive to the use of a handset line operatively associated with the user board for recording telephone activity involving use of a handset coupled to the said line and an activity port operatively associated with the voice recorder, which activity port serves to provide data indicative of use of the handset for telephone communication purposes, the central processor unit of the call management system being arranged to be responsive to the data provided at the said activity port.

2. Telephone apparatus comprising a call management system including a CPU, a display/monitor unit and a keyboard, telephone line switch means via which predetermined telephone lines are made available to a telephone user board, which user board serves to facilitate selection of one or more of the said predetermined lines by a user, a first activity port associated with the said switch means via which data appertaining to telephone line usage is made available, a voice recorder responsive to the use of a handset line set operatively associated with the user board for recording calls made using a handset coupled to the said handset line, and a second activity port operatively associated with the voice recorder, which second activity port serves to provide data in dependence upon handset use for telephone communication purposes, the CPU of the call management system being arranged to be responsive to data fed from the first and second activity ports for monitoring telephone line usage by the said user.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the central processor unit is arranged to be responsive to data signals generated consequent upon the start of handset line use and data signals generated consequent upon the finish of handset line use, whereby recordal of the duration of handset use between these data signals is facilitated.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the user board is a dealer board provided for the use of a dealer.

5. Telephone apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.