GTL 1002
`IPR of U.S. Pat. No. 8,135,115
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`00001
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`

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`Application No. (if known): Not Yet Assigned
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`Attorney Docket No.: 63134/P052US/10603873
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`Certificate of Express Mailing Under 37 CFR 1.10
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`I hereby certify that this correspondence is being deposited with the United States Postal Service as
`Express Mail, Airbill No. EV 628782153US in an envelope addressed to:
`
`Commissioner for Patents
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, VA 2313-1450
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`November 22, 2006
`Date
`‘
`
`Signature
`
`Gail Miller
`Typed or printed name of person signing Certificate
`
`Registration Number, if applicable
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`g214g 855-8379
`Telephone Number
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`Each paper must have its own certificate of mailing, or this certificate must identify
`each submitted paper.
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`Return Postcard
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`1 page
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`Transmittal — 1 page
`Specification - 18 pages; Claims 6 pages; Abstract -
`Formal Drawings - 4 sheets
`Signed Declaration with ADS — 3 pages
`Power of Attorney — l page
`Statement Under 37 CFR 3.73(b) — 4 pages
`Nonpublication Request — 1 page
`Assignment Recordation Cover Sheet — 2 pages (1 orig. + I copy)
`Assignment — 3 pages
`Certificate of Mail — l page
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`25666061.1
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`Docket No. 63134/P052US/10603 873
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`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`APPLICATION FOR U.S. LETTERS PATENT
`
`Title:
`
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTI—CHANNEL RECORDING
`
`Inventors:
`
`John S. Hogg, Jr.
`1104 Overhjll Street
`
`Bedford, TX 76022
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`Citizenship: U.S.A.
`
`Christopher R. McFaIlen
`110 Creekside Lane
`
`Coppell, TX 75019
`Citizenship: U.S.A.
`
`Jody C. Bishop
`FULBRIGHT & JAWORSKI L.L.P.
`
`2200 Ross Avenue, Suite 2800
`Dallas, Texas 75201-2784
`(214) 855-8007
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`256350811
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`Docket No. 63134/P052US/10603873
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`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MULTI—CHANNEL RECORDING
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`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
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`[0001] This application is related to co-pending and commonly assigned U.S.
`
`Patent Applications: Serial Number 10/ 135,878, filed 4/29/O2, titled “INFORMATION
`
`MANAGEMENT AND MOVEMENT SYSTEM AND l\/EETHOD”; Serial Number 10/720,848,
`
`filed 11/24/03, titled “INFORIVIATION MANAGEIVIENT AND MOVEMENT SYSTEM AND
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`METHOD”; Serial Number 10/420,585 filed 4/22/03, titled; “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
`
`DETECTING UNAUTHORIZED CALLACTIVITY”; Serial Number 11/334,522 filed 1/18/06,
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`titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR KEYWORD DETECTION IN A CONTROLLED
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`ENVIRONIVIENT FACILITY USING A HYBRID APPLICATION”; and U.S. Patent No.
`
`7,058,163, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EX POST FACTO PRESERVING A
`
`RECORDED CONVERSATIO ”, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by
`reference .
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`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`[0002] The following description relates generally to call recording systems and
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`methods, and more particularly to systems and methods for recording a call via multiple
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`channels.
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`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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`[0003] Correctional facilities have traditionally recorded telephone conversations
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`of its inmates. Such recordings may be conducted pursuant to a variety of rules that range
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`anywhere from only recording conversations of calls made to specific telephone numbers, calls
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`made by specific inmates or made using specific telephones, to recording every single call.
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`Recording of inmate telephone calls is well known. Such recordings may be monitored by
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`appropriate authorities to detect information regarding the security of facilities, continuing or
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`past criminal activity, etc. Monitoring of the recordings may be performed manually (e.g., by a
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`person listening to the recording) and/or may be performed robotically (or autonomously) by, for
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`example, computer processing logic for analyzing the recordings for certain keywords, etc. In
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`some instances, the recordings may be stored for later use, such as for later investigations, later
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`used as evidence in a court of law, etc.
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`[0004] Various techniques for recording telephone calls are known. Examples of
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`known recording techniques include those described in U.S. Patent No. 6,647,096 titled
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`“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING AUTOMATED CALL
`
`PLACEMENT CALL MONITORING FUNCTIONS,” U.S. Patent No. 6,665,376 titled
`
`“SELECTIVELY ACTIVATED INTEGRATED REAL-TIME RECORDING OF TELEPHONE
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`CONVERSATIONS WITH AUTOMATED DOCUMENTATION OF CONSENT TO CALL
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`RECORDING,” and those described in U.S. Patent Number 7,058,163, titled “SYSTEM AND
`
`METHOD FOR EX POST FACTO PRESERVING A RECORDED CONVERSATIO ”, the
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`disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Traditionally, telephone calls
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`have been recorded using a “single-charmel” recording. Such a single-charmel recording records
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`audio of the call from a single perspective (or “point of view”). As examples, the recording may
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`be from the perspective of the person originating the call (i.e., the audio heard by the originating
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`party), from the perspective of the called party (i.e., the audio heard by the called party), or from
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`the perspective of an eavesdropper to the call (i.e., the audio heard by an eavesdropper). In a
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`case in which an interactive voice response (IVR) system is involved in the call, the call may be
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`recorded from the perspective of such IVR.
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`[0005]
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`In some recording systems, the perspective of the recording may change
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`during a call. For instance, when a call is initiated, the recording system may start recording of
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`the call from the perspective of the originating party. Then, the recording system may change its
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`perspective to that of an IVR system that is managing the call (e.g., the IVR may interact with
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`the originating party and/or called party to establish a payment arrangement for the call, etc.).
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`For example, when the call is first connected to the called party an IVR may interact with the
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`called party to inform the party of the inmate who originated the call and ask the called party
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`whether he agrees to accept charges for the call. Audio from the IVR may be provided solely to
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`the called party (e.g., the originating party may be temporarily switched away from the call so as
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`not to hear the called party or the IVR). Thus, when recording from the IVR’s perspective, the
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`audio from the called party is recorded, but any audio occurring on the originating party’s side of
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`the call during this portion of the call is not recorded. Thereafter, the originating party and called
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`party may be connected together and the recording system may record an overall perspective of
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`the audio being communicated during the call (e.g., recording from the perspective of an
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`eavesdropper to the call). However, the traditional recording systems use a single-charmel
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`recording, and thus for any given point during the call, a recording captures audio from a single
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`perspective. Thus, while the perspective may change during the course of a call, at any given
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`point of a call, the recording captures audio from only a single perspective.
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`BRIEF SUl\/{MARY OF THE INVENTION
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`[0006]
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`~ The inventors of the present application have recognized that the above-
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`mentioned single-channel recording technique has certain shortcomings. In some instances, such
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`a single—channe1 recording technique results in difficulty in a reviewer (either human or robotic
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`reviewer) distinguishing what each party to a call said. For example, suppose a recording is .
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`being captured from an eavesdropper’s perspective; in this case, where conversations overlap
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`(e.g., two or more parties are speaking at the same time), it may be difficult to decipher what
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`either party said. As a further example, suppose a recording is being captured from the
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`perspective of an originating party; in some recording systems the audio from the originating
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`party will not be captured as a result of steps taken by the system to prevent the originating party
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`from hearing his own echo.
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`[0007] Additionally, in some instances, background audio (background noise) on a
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`call may be of great interest. In the traditional single-channel recording techniques, the
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`background audio of a given side of a call may not be recorded during certain portions of the call
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`(e.g., because the party on that side of the call is switched away while an IVR interacts with a
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`party on the other side of the call, etc.). Further, it may be difficult to distinguish which side of a
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`call the background audio is from.
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`[0008]
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`Further, in many instances, it is desirable to re—create a call from the I
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`perspective of any selected party. ‘For instance, it may be desirable to selectively hear a recorded
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`call from the perspective of an originating party, or from the perspective of the called party, etc.
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`With the traditional single-channel recording techniques, the recording is limited to capturing
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`only a single perspective at a time. Thus, for a given portion of a call, a reviewer of a call is
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`limited to a recording of only a single perspective in the traditional single-charmel recording
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`techniques, and the reviewer is unable to selectively listen to such portion of the call from a
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`different perspective than that captured by the recording system. Accordingly, a desire exists for
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`a recording system that enables greater flexibility in accurately re—creating calls from many
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`different perspectives.
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`[0009] Embodiments of the present invention are directed generally to recording
`communication of a call utilizing a multi-channel recording technique. According to one
`
`exemplary embodiment, inbound communication from each party to a call (e.g., from each
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`communication device that is party to a call) to a recording system is assigned to a separate
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`charmel, and communication on each channel is independently recorded. Further, during the
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`call, a control channel is generated that correlates the multiple communication charmels. The
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`independently recorded communication charmels and control channel may be used to analyze a
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`recorded call from any desired perspective. For instance, communication from a given party
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`may be analyzed in isolation. Further, the control channel enables the recorded multiple
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`communication channels to be correlated such that the communication received (e.g., heard) by
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`any selected party may be accurately re-created for analysis thereof.
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`[0010] Embodiments of the present invention have particular applicability within
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`controlled-environment facilities for recording calls between a resident and other parties.
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`Examples of controlled-environment facilities include correctional facilities (e.g., municipal
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`jails, countyjails, state prisons, federal prisons, military stockades, juvenile facilities, detention
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`camps, and home incarceration environments), healthcare facilities (e.g., hospitals, nursing
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`homes, mental health facilities, and rehabilitation facilities, such as drug and alcohol
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`rehabilitation facilities), restricted living quarters (e.g., hotels, resorts, camps, dormitories, and
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`barracks), and the like. Certain controlled-environment facilities may be thought of as a small
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`community or city, perhaps walled or otherwise access restricted, wherein various activities
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`occur within the community and between the community and those outside the community in the
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`daily operation thereof. Such a community may include a number of individuals and enterprises
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`directly associated therewith, including management, staff, and inmates, residents, patients, or
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`guests (herein referred to as “residents”-), and a number of individuals and enterprises indirectly
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`associated therewith, including friends and family of residents, vendors, government agencies,
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`providers of services to residents, and individuals with a connection to the facility or its
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`residents. Of course, as those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, while embodiments the
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`present invention have particular applicability to controlled-environment facilities (because such
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`facilities often have a desire to record calls), the concepts disclosed herein may likewise be
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`employed in other environments.
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`[0011] Embodiments of the present invention can be applied for recording various
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`types of calls. As used herein, except where accompanying language expressly specifies
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`otherwise, a “call” is intended to broadly refer to any communication between two or more
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`parties which can be recorded, Thus, a “call” is not limited to telephony calls, but also
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`encompasses various other types of communication, including text-based communication, video
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`communication, etc. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the call being recorded is
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`substantially a real-time communication between the parties (e.g., as in telephony calls). Further,
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`a telephony call is not limited to calls that are transmitted over a public-svvitched telephone
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`network, but rather a telephony call may refer to a voice call carried in whole or in part over a
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`packet—switched network, such as a voice—over-IP (VoIP) call, a call conducted locally within a
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`facility (e.g., as with known visitation telephones commonly used in correctional facilities), etc.
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`[0012] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical
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`advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that
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`follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be
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`described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be
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`appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed
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`may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the
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`same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that
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`such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth
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`in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the
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`invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and
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`advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in
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`connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each
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`of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended
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`as a definition of the limits of the present invention.
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`[0013] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is
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`now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in
`
`which:
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`[0014] FIGURE 1 shows an exemplary system according to one embodiment of the
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`present invention;
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`[0015] FIGURE 2 shows an operational flow according to one embodiment of the
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`present invention;
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`[0016] FIGURE 3 shows an exemplary system according to one embodiment of the
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`present invention;
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`[0017] FIGURE 4 shows an exemplary system employed for a controlled-
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`environment facility in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
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`[0018] FIGURE 5 shows an exemplary system for recording various information
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`for a call according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
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`[0019] FIGURE 6 shows an example of recorded information for a call according
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`to one embodiment of the present invention.
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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`[0020] FIGURE 1 shows an exemplary system 10 according to one embodiment of
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`the present invention. System 10 comprises a first communication device 11 and a second
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`communication device 12, which are operable to communicate with each other. While two
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`communication devices are shown for simplicity in this example, any number of communication
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`devices may participate in a call according to embodiments of the present invention. In this
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`example, first and second communication devices 11 and 12 are shown as telephones; although
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`as discussed fiirther herein, embodiments of the present invention are not limited in application
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`to telephony communication devices. System 10 also comprises a call processing system 13,
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`which is operable to process a call. Call processing system 13 may perform various types of
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`processing on a call, including billing the call, performing checks to ensure that the call is
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`authorized (e.g., in the context of a correctional facility, an inmate may not be authorized to
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`place certain calls, such as calls to judges, victims, etc.), monitoring for unauthorized events
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`during the call (e. g., in certain environments, such as in correctional facilities, certain enhanced
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`telephony activities such as three-way calling are not permitted), etc. In this example, call
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`processing system 13 includes a call recording system 14, and thus call processing system 13 is
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`operable at least to record calls. Call recording system 14 includes communication recording
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`logic 101 and control charmel generator 102. As described further below, communication
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`recording logic 101 is operable to record communication for multiple charmels of a call, while
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`control channel generator 102 generates a control charmel that correlates the recorded
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`communications of the multiple channels.
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`[0021] Thus, according to embodiments of the present invention, a multi-channel
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`call recording system 14 is provided. For instance, each party to a call may be assigned a
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`corresponding channel, and independent recordings of communication on each charmel are
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`captured. In the example of FIGURE 1, each of communication devices 11 and 12 have an
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`inbound channel (or inbound path) over which communication is directed from such device
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`“inbound” to recording logic 101, and an outbound channel (or outbound path) over which
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`communication is directed outbound from the recording logic to the communication device. As
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`described further herein, the inbound charmel of each device is independently recorded by
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`communication recording logic 101. For example, in FIGURE 1, the inbound charmel of
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`communication device 11 is designated “charmel 11A,” and an outbound charmel for
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`communication device 11 is shown as outbound channel 11B. Likewise, the inbound channel of
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`communication device 12 is designated “charmel 12A,” and the outbound channel for
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`communication device 12 is shown as outbound channel 12B. In this sense, the inbound
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`channels 11A and 12A are inbound from the perspective of the recording logic 101. That is,
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`inbound channels 11A and 12A carry communication from their respective communication
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`devices 1 1 and 12, where such communication is captured for recording by call recording system
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`14. Thus, the communication carried over such inbound channels 11A and 12A may be
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`considered as “outbound communication” from the perspective of the respective communication
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`device 11 and 12, but is referred to herein as an inbound channel because it is inbound from the
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`perspective of the call recording system. Similarly, outbound channels 1 1B and 12B are
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`outbound from the perspective of the recording logic 101. That is, outbound charmels 11B and
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`12B carry communication to their respective communication devices 11 and 12. Thus, the
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`communication carried over such outbound channels 11B and 12B may be considered as
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`“inbound communication” from the perspective of the respective communication device 11 and
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`12, but is referred to herein as an outbound channel because it is outbound from the perspective
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`of the call recording system.
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`[0022] Communication recording logic 101 records communication (e.g., audio)
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`captured for channel 11A (i.e., the inbound path of communication device 11) to a data storage
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`medium 15 as recorded communication 103A. Similarly, communication recording logic 101
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`records communication (e.g., audio) captured for channel 12A (i.e., the inbound path of
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`communication device 12) to data storage medium 15 as recorded communication 103B.
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`Accordingly, independent recordings 103A and 103B are captured for channels 11A and 12A,
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`respectively. Thus, in the illustrated example, audio fiom telephone 11 is recorded as recording
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`103A, while audio fi'om telephone 12 is recorded as recording 103B. Data storage medium 15
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`may comprise any computer-readable medium now known or later developed for storing data,
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`including without limitation disk drive, memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), floppy
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`disk, optical disk, Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), and other data storage
`
`devices. Further the data stored thereto may be organized as any suitable data structure,
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`including vsdthout limitation a file, database, etc.
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`[0023] During the call, controlchannel generator 102 generates a control channel
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`comprising information for correlating the communication charmels A and B, which is stored to
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`data storage medium 15 as control channel 104. For instance, such a control channel 104 may
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`include information for enabling time-wise correlation of the recorded audio captured for each of
`
`channels A and B. Such time—wise correlation indicates, for example, which inbound and
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`outbound charmels are communicatively coupled at any point in the call. Thus, it can be
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`determined from such correlation to which communication devices received communication sent
`
`from another communication device. Therefore, according to certain embodiments of the present
`
`invention, the control charmel enables a call to be accurately reconstructed from many different
`
`perspectives using the recorded channels. In certain embodiments, the control charmel 104, in
`
`addition to any synchronization information, contains a “description” of the content for each
`
`channel that includes such information as an indication of the relevant sources, input gain
`
`adjustments, and/or processing and output gain levels. The control channel 104 may also deal
`
`with the recorded data on a “frame” basis that encompasses a period of time and designates
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`starting and ultimately ending frame references for the defined content.
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`[0024] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention enable a reviewer (a
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`human reviewer, a robotic reviewer, or both) to review the call from any desired perspective.
`
`For instance, a reviewer may analyze each of channels 11A and 12A independently. Thus, the
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`reviewer may review all audio of the call (including background audio) inbound to the recording
`
`system from telephone 11 via channel 11A by analyzing recorded communication 103A.
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`Similarly, the reviewer may review all audio of the call (including background audio) inbound to '
`
`the recording system from telephone 12 via channel 12A by analyzing recorded communication
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`103B. Further, control channel 104 may be used to correlate the audio recorded for each
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`communication channel to enable the reviewer to analyze the call from an eavesdropper’s
`
`perspective.
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`[0025] Turning to FIGURE 2, an operational flow according to one embodiment of
`
`the present invention is shown. In operational block 21, multiple channels of a call are recorded
`
`as independent commtmication (e.g., independent audio). For instance, in the above example of
`
`FIGURE 1, communication recording logic 101 records communication for channels 11A and
`
`12A independently as recorded communications 103A and 103B, respectively. In operational
`
`block 22, a control channel is generated during the call for correlating the multiple
`
`communication charmels. For instance, in the above example of FIGURE 1, control channel
`
`generator 102 generates control charmel 104 that correlates the communication recordings 103A
`
`and 103B of charmels 11A and 12A, respectively. As described further herein, such correlation
`
`generally refers to a determination of which communication charmels were communicatively
`
`coupled at any given point during the call, and in certain embodiments may include other
`
`information such as the respective input gain adjustments, etc. for each charmel. In other words,
`
`the correlation provides an accurate determination of how the recorded charmels fit together for
`
`accurately reconstructing a call from the perspective of a given party.
`
`[0026] FIGURE 3 shows an exemplary system 30 according to one embodiment of
`
`the present invention. System 30 comprises communication devices 311, 312, 313, and 314,
`
`which are operable to communicate with each other. In this example, communication devices
`
`311, 313, and 314 are shown as telephones; although as discussed further herein, embodiments of
`
`the present invention are not limited in application to telephony communication devices.
`
`Communication device 312 is an IVR that participates on a call. Thus, various parties may
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`participate on a call via communication devices 311-314 (note that IVR 312 is considered a party
`
`to the call). While 4 communication devices are shown in this example for participating on a
`
`call, any number of communication devices may participate during a given call in certain
`
`embodiments, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited as to the number of
`
`communication devices that may be participating on a call.
`
`[0027]
`
`System 30 also comprises call recording system 32, which may be
`
`implemented as part of a call processing 13 as shown in FIGURE 1. This exemplary
`
`implementation of call recording system 32 includes a mixer 301 that controls who hears what at
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`a given point in time. That is, mixer 301 controls which parties to a call are communicatively
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`coupled to which other parties (e.g., controls which inbound audio received by the mixer 301
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`from a given party is to be sent to which other parties). In other words, mixer 301 controls the
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`communicative coupling of various inbound and outbound paths of parties to a call. For
`
`example, an originating party may use telephone 311 to place a collect call to a called party at
`telephone 313. When the called party answers telephone 313, IVR 312 may interrupt the call and
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`mixer 301 may switch the originating party out of the communication such that the originating
`
`party cannot hear via telephone 311 the communication between IVR 312 and the telephone 313.
`
`IVR 312 may inform the called party of the collect call from the originating party and ask the
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`called party if he accepts the charges for the call. If the called party accepts the charges, then
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`mixer 301 may communicatively couple the telephones 311 and 313 to each other such that the
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`originating party can receive via telephone 311 communication from telephone 313 and vice-
`
`versa. That is, if the called party accepts the charges for the call, mixer 30] may
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`communicatively couple the inbound path of telephone 31; to mixer 301 with the outbound path
`
`of telephone 313, and communicatively couple the inbound path of telephone 313 with the
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`outbound path of telephone 311.
`
`[0028]
`
`In the example illustrated in FIGURE 3, a further party conferences into the
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`call and participates via telephone 314. IVR 312 may interact with one or more of the parties
`
`when setting up such conference call, and mixer 301 may selectively couple the inbound and
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`outbound paths of the various communication devices 311-314 during the course of establishing
`
`the conference call, as may be desired. Further, once established, mixer 301 may
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`communicatively couple the outbound channels of each of telephones 31. and 313-314 with the
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`inbound charmels of each other of telephones 31; and 313-314. Of course, during the call, mixer
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`301 may selectively change such coupling (e.g., a message from IVR 312 may be generated to
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`one or more of the parties, such as to inform them of a pennitted amount of time remaining for
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`the call, etc.), to add new couplings to parties being added to the call, and/or to remove couplings
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`of parties dropping off the call. Thus, not all parties to call have their recordings started at what
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`is designated as “time mark zero” (i.e., the beginning of the recording) for the call. Throughout
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`the call, the recording progresses from time mark zero to “time mark N” at which the call is
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`terminated. The control chaimel designates those inbound channels (inbound to the recording
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`system) of parties to a call that are connected to outbound channels (outbound from the recording
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`system) of other parties to the call. Thus, the control channel accurately indicates points at
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`which new parties are added during a call, points at which parties drop off the call, etc. In
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`25635083.!
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`Docket No. 63134/POSZUS/10603873
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`certain embodiments, the mixer 3_0l also performs many traditional mixing functions, in addition
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`to controlling the communicative connections of the various device channels, such as controlling
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`decibel levels, etc. For instance, mixer 301 may control that audio “A is comprised of B at -6db
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`and C at —14db adjusted by -1 .5db”, as an example, and video can be indicated by scaling, grid
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`location, etc.
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`[0029]
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`In this example, a mix controller 302 is provided for controlling the mixer
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`301. Mix controller 302 may, in certain embodiments, control both the IVR 312 (e.g., to ensure
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`the appropriate messages are played, etc.) and the mixer 301. While mixer 301 and mix
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`controller 302 are shown as separate elements in FIGURE 3 for ease of illustration, in certain
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`embodiments such mixer 301 and mix controller 302 may be integrated. Further, recording logic
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`305 is included for capturing audio from each of the channels of a call.
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`[0030]
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`In this example, each party to the call is assigned a corresponding charmel,
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`and independent recordings of communication on each channel are captured. In the example of
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`FIGURE 3, each of communication devices 311-314 have an inbound channel and an outbound
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`charmel; and the inbound channel of each device (inbound to the recording system) is
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`independently recorded by communication recording logic 305. According to one
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`implementation of the recording logic 305, such recording logic may provide a tap on each one
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`of the inbound charmels A-D independently for recording the audio on each individual channel.
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`In the example of FIGURE 3, the inbound charmels of communication devices 311-314 are
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`designated as channels A, B, C, and D, respectively. Communication recording logic 305
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`records communication (e.g., audio) captured for channel A to a data storage medium 33 as
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`recorded communication 303A. Similarly, communication recording logic 305 records
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`communication (e.g., audio) captured for each of channels B—D to data storage medium 15 as
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`recorded communications 303B, 303C, and 303D, respectively. Accordingly, independent
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`recordings 303A-3 03D are captured for channels A-D, respectively.
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`[0031] Mix controller 302 is operable to adjust the mixer 301 as necessary to
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`control what each of the communication devices receive (on their outbound paths from the
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`recording system). That is, mix controller 302 controls mixer 301 to control which inbound
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`channels of a call each outbound path is communicatively coupled to. Simultaneously, such
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`information indicating which inbound charmels each outbound path is communicatively coupled
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`to at a given point during a call is also recorded as a control channel for the call. Thus, mix
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`25635083.]
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`Docket No. 63 1 34/P052US/1 0603 873
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`controller 302 generates control charmel 304 in this example. Accordingly, in this example, the
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`inbound paths of each communication device that is a party to a call is independently recorded,
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`and a control channel is also generated which defines which outbound paths are
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`communicatively coupled to which inbound paths at any point during the call. Thus, the call can
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`be accurately re—created from any desired perspective using the independently recorded charmels
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`and the corresponding control channel information.
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`[0032] For example, a reviewer desiring to analyze the audio from telephone 311
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`for a given call in isolation from all other audio on the call, the reviewer may select to analyze
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`the audio of channel A stored as recording 303A. In this manner, the reviewer may be able to
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`listen to all of the audio from telephone 311 during the call. Such audio is available irrespective
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`of whether the audio was actually communicated to another party on the call. For instance, the
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`audio may be captured during a time in which the inbound channel A of telephone 311 is not
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`communicatively coupled (by mixer 301) to any outbound channels (outbound from recording
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`system 32) to any other communication devices on the call. Further, background audio at
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`telephone 311 may be included in the recording 303A of charmel A, thus allowing the reviewer to
`more easily hea