TTY Call Detection and Routing in Contact Centers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Call centers, including 9-1-1 emergency services and 2-1-1/3-1-1 information services, lack an inexpensive mechanism to identify and efficiently route incoming PSTN calls from TTY users, as TTY devices do not emit self-identifying tones and require specialized software to handle moded Baudot communications, leading to inefficient routing and additional costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that determines whether an incoming contact is TTY-enabled by transmitting TTY characters and monitoring responses, allowing for routing to TTY-enabled resources without requiring DTMF signals or separate phone numbers, using existing protocols like RFC2793 or RFC2833 to identify TTY signals and route calls to appropriate agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If TTY callers are prompted to enter DTMF touch tone commands to identify themselves, then call centers can identify TTY callers, but many TTY devices are unable to generate DTMF signals after the call is placed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having TTY callers actively send identification signals (DTMF), the system inverts the approach by having the call center automatically detect passive TTY identification signals. The TTY detector monitors incoming calls for specific TTY protocol indicators (like 45.45 Baud or 50 Baud rates) without requiring the caller to perform any additional actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The TTY identification system enables TTY callers to self-identify automatically through their existing TTY protocol signaling. The detector recognizes standard TTY handshake patterns and protocol characteristics that TTY devices naturally emit during call setup, allowing TTY callers to be identified without external assistance or special commands.
2Reliability
If specialized TTY-decoding software is used to handle moded Baudot communications, then TTY calls can be properly routed, but call center equipment and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the TTY detection functionality from complex full TTY-decoding software and creates a dedicated TTY detector component. This detector specifically monitors for TTY protocol indicators (baud rate, tone patterns) without implementing complete TTY message decoding, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining reliable TTY call identification and routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The TTY detector acts as an intermediary component between the incoming call stream and the call routing system. It intercepts and analyzes calls for TTY characteristics, then flags identified TTY calls for appropriate routing, serving as a specialized mediator that bridges TTY protocol detection and call center routing without requiring full TTY decoding capabilities.
3Reliability
If separate phone numbers are provided for TTY users, then TTY calls can be routed to TTY-enabled resources, but call centers incur additional expenses for multiple inbound lines
Solution Approach 1:
The TTY detector enables a single unified phone number to serve both TTY and non-TTY callers. By automatically detecting TTY protocol characteristics on incoming calls to the shared number, the system routes TTY calls to TTY-enabled resources and non-TTY calls to voice handlers, allowing one number to fulfill multiple functions without requiring separate dedicated numbers.
4Adaptability or versatility
If TTY tones are transmitted over packet-switched VoIP networks using audio channels, then TTY communication over IP networks is enabled, but packet loss and audio compression degrade transmission reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces audio-based TTY tone transmission with packetized data transmission using standardized protocols like RFC 2833 or T.140. Instead of modulating TTY tones onto voice channels susceptible to compression and loss, the TTY data is encapsulated in dedicated RTP packets with appropriate marking, ensuring reliable delivery over VoIP networks without audio compression degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is directed to a contact processing system that includes:(a) a gateway operable to receive an incoming contact and transmit at least one TTY character to the contactor; and(b) a TTY contact identifier operable to (i) determine whether a TTY response is received within a selected time from the contactor, wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed before the contact is routed to a contact center resource; (ii) when a TTY response is received within the selected time, rout the contact to a TTY-enabled contact center resource; and (iii) when no TTY response is received within the selected time, process the contact as a non-TTY-enabled contact.