Call Recorder Segmentation for IVR Transfer Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional IVR systems face issues with call drops during transfers, as they require expensive bridge (trombone) transfers to maintain end-to-end recordings, which double telephony resource usage and can lead to call disconnections.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a dual transfer point system within the PSTN, where a caller transfer point connects calls to a call recorder and an IVR transfer point connects to a remote IVR server, with the intelligent call recorder filtering out transfer signals to maintain a live connection between the caller and the recorder, allowing seamless transfers to human agents without dropping calls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bridge (trombone) transfer is used to maintain end-to-end recording, then complete recording is achieved, but telephony resource usage doubles and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the recording function from the call transfer function by using two separate transfer points. The caller transfer point maintains the recording connection while the IVR transfer point handles the transfer to human agents. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each function, enabling complete recording without requiring expensive bridge transfers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary call recorder that acts as a mediator between the caller and the IVR system. The recorder maintains a persistent connection to the caller through the caller transfer point while allowing the IVR system to transfer calls freely through the IVR transfer point. This intermediary approach enables complete recording without interfering with normal transfer operations.
2Use of energy by moving object
If simple blind transfer is used, then telephony resource usage is reduced, but calls may be dropped during transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the transfer process into two independent paths: one for recording (through caller transfer point) and one for call routing (through IVR transfer point). The recording path remains stable and continuous while the routing path can perform simple blind transfers. This segmentation ensures call continuity for recording purposes while allowing efficient transfer operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The call recorder serves as an intermediary that maintains a persistent connection to the caller throughout the entire call lifecycle, including during transfers. While the IVR system performs simple blind transfers that may temporarily disconnect from the original path, the recorder's intermediary position ensures continuous recording capability and call continuity.
3Reliability
If dual transfer point system is implemented, then call drops are prevented and resource usage is optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the transfer points universal by enabling each to handle both recording traffic and IVR traffic independently. The caller transfer point handles both caller-to-recorder connections and caller-to-IVR connections, while the IVR transfer point handles both IVR-to-recorder and IVR-to-agent connections. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated specialized components, offsetting the complexity of having dual transfer points.
Data Source
AI summary
A telephone call is connected through a caller transfer point in a PSTN to a call recorder in a private hosted telephony network for making an audio recording of the telephone call. The telephone call is also connected from the caller transfer point through an IVR transfer point in the PTSN to a remote IVR server for dialog processing of the telephone call. At some point during the dialog process the connection between the call recorder and the IVR transfer point is placed on hold while maintaining a live connection between the call recorder and the caller transfer point. A human agent is then connected through the IVR transfer point to the telephone call for further handling of the telephone call, and the connection to between the IVR transfer point and the call recorder is restored to allow communication between the caller and the human agent.