Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-14
2001-03-06
Kizou, Hassan (Department: 2662)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C379S265080, C455S563000, C704S246000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198739
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the area of telephone call processing and switching, and pertains more particularly to intelligent call-routing systems, and equipment and methods for customizing and personalizing Routing Rules and Protocol.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Telephone call processing and switching systems are, at the time of the present patent application, relatively sophisticated, computerized systems, and development and introduction of new systems continues. Much information on the nature of such hardware and software is available in a number of publications accessible to the present inventor and to those with skill in the art in general. For this reason, much minute detail of known systems is not reproduced here, as to do so would obscure the facts of the invention.
One document which provides considerable information on intelligent networks is “ITU-T Recommendation Q.1219, Intelligent Network User's Guide for Capability Set 1”, dated April, 1994. This document is incorporated herein by reference.
At the time of filing the present patent application there continues to be remarkable growth in telephone routing systems, with routing done both at or near point-of origin of incoming calls, and at call destinations. For example, systems are known to the present inventor that perform initial call processing before routing an incoming call to a destination switch, and further routing is done at the call destination in computerized telephony equipment, often termed customer premises equipment (CPE). The present invention pertains most particularly to routing at customer premises.
There are, at the time of the present patent application a considerable range of CPE systems available for use from various manufacturers, and, as state-of-the-art routing systems are typically computerized, there is a broad variety of software available for such systems as well. It is the software in general wherein routing rules are set, and the routing rules determine the decision-making paths a system follows in routing calls.
In current art, although there are widely varying systems in the art relative to routing rules, all such systems exhibit a common drawback. Typically such systems, once set up (programmed) to follow certain routing rules and practices, cannot easily vary, and individual users or groups of users, cannot change the rules arbitrarily. To tinker with the routing rules in CPE typically requires a highly-trained maintenance technician (system administrator).
What is clearly needed is method and apparatus which allows an individual user of a routing system, or a group of users, to alter and customize the routing rules of the system for particular purposes, which may change from time to time, depending on the users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a call-in center is provided, comprising a plurality of agent stations, individual ones of the agent stations having a telephone and a computer platform, the telephone and computer platform connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge circuit; a local area network (LAN) connecting at least some of the computer workstations at the agent stations; and a first computer processor connected on the LAN, connected also to a wide area network (WAN), and adapted for receiving and distributing computer-simulated telephone calls on the LAN to the computer platforms at the agent stations. The computer platform and telephone are adapted to share voice data over the TAPI-compliant bridge.
In some embodiments the computer platform is adapted to cause to be recorded at the computer platform at least portions of the voice data of calls at the telephone and computer-simulated calls at the computer platform, the calls at the telephone being recorded over the TAPI-compliant bridge. In some embodiments as well, the computer platform is adapted to transmit an audio version of both telephone calls at the telephone and computer-simulated calls at the computer platform to be recorded in a database connected to the LAN. An input interface is presented at the computer platform, adapted for an agent to control recording of portions of both telephone calls and computer-simulated calls.
In alternative embodiments the computer platform is adapted to cause pre-recorded audio data to be played to a caller at either the telephone or on a computer-simulated call at the computer platform, and the pre-recorded audio data may be played to a caller under agent control. Still further, computer platform may be enhanced by a voice-recognition system adapted to respond to voice data retrieved from the telephone connected to the computer platform by the data link or associated with computer-simulated calls at the computer platform. Also, the computer platform may be adapted to respond to voice commands spoken by an agent at the connected telephone or through a microphone connected to the computer platform. Still further, the computer platform may be adapted to respond to specific words and phrases uttered by a caller in a call at the connected telephone or associated with a computer-simulated call with pre-recorded audio phrases.
In an alternative embodiment an agent station for a call-in center is provided, comprising a multi-media computer platform having a video display unit (VDU); a telephone having a telephone line port; and a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge circuit connecting the telephone and the computer platform. The computer workstation and telephone are adapted to share voice data over the TAPI-compliant bridge.
In this embodiment the computer platform may be adapted to cause to be recorded at least portions of the voice data of both telephone calls at the telephone and computer-simulated calls at the computer platform, and there may be a graphic input interface presented at the computer platform, adapted for an agent to control recording of portions of telephone calls on a telephone connected to the computer platform and computer-simulated calls processed at the computer platform. The computer platform may be adapted to cause pre-recorded audio data to be played to a caller at the telephone and to a caller associated with a computer-simulated call, and the pre-recorded audio data played to a caller may be under agent control. Still further, the computer platform may be enhanced by a voice-recognition system adapted to respond to voice data retrieved from the telephone or from a computer-simulated call, and the computer platform may be adapted to respond to voice commands spoken by an agent at the connected telephone or via a microphone connected to the computer platform. Still further yet, the computer platform may be adapted to respond to specific words and phrases uttered by a caller in a call at the connected telephone or by a caller associated with a computer-simulated call with pre-recorded audio phrases.
In other aspects and embodiments, methods of practicing the invention are provided. The various embodiments, taught in enabling detail below, provide a fill-service multi-media call center with complete voice extensions for use with both conventional telephone calls and with computer-simulated calls.
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Barskyy Myhailo
Bondarenko Oleg
Issayev Valeriy
Karpenko Pavel
Miloslavsky Alec
Boys Donald R.
Central Coast Patent Agency
Elallam A.
Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories , Inc.
Kizou Hassan
LandOfFree
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