| System and method for providing location independent voice communications continuity through disasters -> Monitor Keywords |
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System and method for providing location independent voice communications continuity through disastersRelated Patent Categories: Multiplex Communications, Pathfinding Or Routing, Switching A Message Which Includes An Address HeaderSystem and method for providing location independent voice communications continuity through disasters description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080002689, System and method for providing location independent voice communications continuity through disasters. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/370,059, filed Feb. 21, 2003, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/359,281, filed Feb. 21, 2002, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND [0002] This invention relates to communications capabilities available to businesses, specifically communications capabilities available to businesses during and immediately following disaster events. In the present context, a disaster is characterized by any event that renders one or more sites of a business incapable of receiving and responding to telephone calls from the external world. Disasters are also characterized by a business site's inability to place telephone calls to the outside world. During some disasters, it is possible that the site's communication infrastructure will be rendered inoperable viz. the Private Branch Exchange (PBX) suffers damage. [0003] In other situations, the communications infrastructure may be inaccessible by business users (users) but left intact. In either case normal methods of communication by telephone are no longer available to the business. [0004] By way of example during the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist tragedy, where the World Trade Center in New York City was destroyed, corporate users, henceforth referred to as users, were dispersed throughout the City and its Boroughs. Some started to work out of their homes. Others set up operations in hotels or were transported to the appropriate hot site. Hot sites are locations where the business had contracted with a third party to provide disaster recovery services and systems access to data for users. It is likely that telephone service was provided at these hot sites. [0005] However, the fabric that is known as the telephone directory for the businesses undergoing the disaster was destroyed. Thus, customers were not able to speak to points of contact (users) within the business by dialing their phone number on a business card as they usually did. Normal channels of voice communications such as cellular phones were also disrupted on a wide scale due to overloading of the cell grids. Hotel private branch exchanges (PBX) were likely overloaded by the sheer traffic being experienced far in excess of conditions that these systems were designed to handle. All of this adds up to a severe business interruption even though corporate data was well safeguarded and available in the vast majority of cases. Businesses subjected to such disasters have no effective way of dealing with day-to-day, routine voice communications. This capability is crucial to businesses where voice communications with customers is the primary method of conducting business (insurance companies, brokerage houses, etc) and making sales. [0006] Hot sites can be equipped to handle telephone communications in addition to providing on-line access to customer data. To take advantage of this capability customers must provide their telephone company a switchover plan to be executed in the event of a disaster. The plan must be coordinated with the hot site vendor. The switchover can take from twenty-four to forty eight hours. Thus the customer is left with no telephone communications during and immediately after the disaster event. What's more, it is likely that the customers' PBX was loaded with numerous announcements and features, each employee having customized their extension. All of these will be lost during the disaster. Finally, since most medium to large customers have PBXs connected to the telephone company via T-1 with DIDs they rely on the PBX to provide the intelligence required to direct individual calls to particular extensions. It is likely that this capability will also be lost as a result of the disaster. PRIOR ART [0007] Prior art contains numerous examples of methods and systems designed to address the problem of reliable telephone communications. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,949 to Schorr et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,404 to Sansom et al show methods and systems for ensuring that Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines to a customers premise remain active and powered during a power outage at said customer's premises. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,827 to Dale et al shows a local exchange system for integrating analog plain old telephone service (POTS) lines with ISDN lines and controlling the switchover of telephone service. This also provides the capability to maintain telephone service through a power outage at the customer's premises. The foregoing prior art do not address the issue of a disaster occurring at the customer's premises wherein said customer no longer has use of the PBX. [0008] In another area of prior art emergency telephone communications are addressed with respect to traffic congestion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,974 to Ichikawa et al shows a method and system of ensuring that customers can place calls during emergency situations regardless of the number of regular outbound trunks in service. The prior art addresses telephone communications through and immediately after disaster events in U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,870 to Pershan et al. Pershan et al present a method for concurrently redirecting, or call forwarding, a multitude of phone numbers to alternative phone numbers and therefore locations. The method disclosed by Pershan et al does not allow for individual freedom of movement and does not provide an inherent capability to anticipate problems that may be a direct result of the disaster or for other reasons. For example, it is reasonable to assume that the alternate locations where lines are redirected may be inaccessible due to traffic problems caused by the disaster. These locations may also have become inaccessible as a result of the disaster. In any case, it may be several hours or days before individuals can reach the intended redirection location(s). In the case of biological disasters, such as terrorist use of a biological weapon, employees may be sequestered or quarantined in their homes or their current location. As stated previously, in the event individuals have access only to a hotel it may prove impractical to redirect their phones to that hotel for a number of reasons. Still, if it were practical, arrangements would have to be made ahead of time with the hotel which, in and of itself, restricts users to specific locations during the disaster. Further, unless well thought out in advance with appropriate agreements in place, lines may have to be redirected to phones that are currently in use for another purpose. Thus callers to the business may be presented with an unfamiliar greeting or worse a complete rejection of the call. In general, Pershan et al do not address other critical issues such as diversity in redirection location in real-time and end-user flexibility. [0009] Other practical limits exist on the disclosure of Pershan et al. For example, treatments applied to extensions that normally originate in a PBX, and are now redirected to another number and location, will most likely not be available. Extensions applied by the PBX to direct inward dial (DID) lines will also not be available. Users with an assigned to them may have to share the redirected DID line at the same physical location. This becomes impractical and also removes the ability for callers to get to a specific individual by dialing their number then their extension (originally assigned by the PBX). Even leaving voicemail may not be practical depending on the equipment available at the various preset disaster sites, and in any case will require additional and expensive infrastructure to be available (perhaps a full featured PBX). [0010] There is yet another subtle but significant limitation on the Pershan et al patent for the communications continuity application. Pershan et al rely exclusively on the existing PSTN infrastructure. Indeed, this is one of the more elegant aspects of the present invention. At the same time, widespread availability of the service afforded by the Pershan et al patent has not materialized and is geographically limited. SUMMARY [0011] The invention comprises a system and method for enabling users to receive telephone calls, placed to telephone extensions at their job site, at any location they see fit so long as an Internet connection and a personal computer terminal are available. In accordance with the present invention a system comprises a gateway device connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a geographically dispersed data network such as the Internet or a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Said gateway is connected to a control segment comprised of a sufficient number of computers to permit controlling said gateway, storing user profiles, extensions, telephone numbers, voicemail messages, text messages, control algorithms, and other data, databases, and running the system software. Said users establish a connection with the control segment over said data network by using application software such as an Internet browser. Said control segment directs said gateway to establish a connection with said personal computer for the purpose of receiving phone calls normally destined for said users work extension or work phone number. Thus said users will be able to receive and place phone calls through their work phone number or extension, as if they were at their normal job site, from any location where there is an Internet connection or access to a pre-established VPN. [0012] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are: [0013] To provide a system to enable users to conduct telephone communications during a disaster condition where the normal communications infrastructure is not available, has been destroyed or rendered inoperable, or simply cannot be accessed physically. [0014] To provide a mechanism for re-routing existing telephone numbers to ring where required, in real time, independent of location or the existence of a ready telephone number at the new location. [0015] To provide for additional line capacity precisely for disaster conditions when telephone traffic is higher than normal. [0016] To present calling parties with the numbers and options to reach users in a manner that precisely duplicates normal calling conditions (i.e. non-disaster conditions) if so desired by said users. [0017] To provide users with a means of creating and maintaining profiles within the system to enable rapid login and redirection of their phone number or extension to the personal computer at their current location. [0018] To enable users to add features and other enhancements, such as scheduled messages, calling options, etc, to their profile so as to present calling parties with appropriate information during and subsequent to the disaster condition. [0019] To enable creation of telecommuting services and options for users during disaster recovery phases by enabling said users to redirect their phones and extensions to the location of their choice on demand and in real-time as many times as necessary to compensate for the unplanned nature of the disaster. [0020] To provide a voice conference capability during and subsequent to a disaster condition thereby permitting users to form, direct, and consult in teams and groups which better able to deal with the catastrophe and attendant recovery actions. Continue reading about System and method for providing location independent voice communications continuity through disasters... 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