Multiplex communications – Pathfinding or routing – Combined circuit switching and packet switching
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-22
2001-01-16
Pham, Chi H. (Department: 2731)
Multiplex communications
Pathfinding or routing
Combined circuit switching and packet switching
C370S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175564
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention in its several aspects presented herein is in the area of telephone communication in the broadest sense; that is, including all multimedia communication aspects of intelligent networks, call-center technology including computer-telephony integration (CTI), and Internet protocol telephony networks and related technology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Telephone is one of the most widely used communication equipments in the world. At first, it was merely a convenient tool to allow people to communicate while they are physically separated. Recently, many companies use telephones to market products and services, provide technical supports to consumer products, allow customers to access their own financial data, etc. Thus, telephone is becoming a major business and marketing tool.
In order to more effectively use telephone for business and marketing purposes, call centers have been developed. In a call center, a large number of agents handle telephone communication with customers. The matching of calls between customers and agents is typically performed by software. A simple example is used here to describe a few of the many advantages of using call centers. When a call is made to a call center, the telephone number of the calling line is typically made available to the call center by a telephone carrier. Based on this telephone number, the software in the call center can access a database server to obtain information about the customer who has been assigned that phone number. The software can now route the call to an agent who can best handle the call based on predefined criteria (e.g., language skill, knowledge of products the customer bought, etc.). The software immediately transfers relevant information to a computer screen used by the agent. Thus, the agent can gain valuable information about the customer prior to receiving the call. As a result, the agent can more effectively handle the telephone transaction.
It can be seen from the above example that the enabling technology requires a combination of telephone switching and computer information processing technologies.
The term commonly used for this combined technology is computer-telephony-integration (CTI).
In recent years, advances in computer technology and telephony equipment and infrastructure as well has provided many opportunities for improving telephone service. Similarly, development of the information and data network known as the Internet together with advances in computer hardware and software has led to a new multi-media telephone system known in the art as Internet protocol network telephony (IPNT). In IPNT as well as in the older intelligent and CTI-enhanced telephony systems, both privately and publicly switched, it is desirable to handle more calls faster and to provide improved service in every way, including such improvements as video calls and conferencing.
In various embodiments and aspects of the present invention described in enabling detail below, new and enhanced apparatus and methods are provided for improving telephony systems and service.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) calls to agent stations at any of a plurality of remotely-distributed IPNT-capable call centers, each call center comprising a managing computer connected to PCs at each of a plurality of local agent stations is provided, the system comprising a statistical server (stat-server) coupled to each of the managing computers, the stat-server storing and updating statistics related to activities of the call centers; and a router coupled to the stat- server and each of the managing computers. In this system router is adapted to access stored routing rules and statistics compiled for the call centers, and to route IPNT calls received at a routing point at any one of the call centers to an agent station at any one of the call centers.
In some embodiments the router, in routing a call received at a routing point in a first managing computer at a first call center, having selected an agent station at another call center to receive the call, requests of the managing computer an address for a routing point at the second call center, and transfers the call to that routing point, the managing computer at the second call center then routing the call to an agent station local to the second managing computer.
In some other embodiments the routing system further comprises a database storing data regarding callers, and the routing server, when routing a call, also retrieves from the database client data related to the client placing a call and causes the retrieved data to be forwarded to the agent to whom a call is routed. In this embodiment the router, in routing a call received at a routing point in a first managing computer at a first call center, having selected an agent station at another call center to receive the call, may request of the managing computer an address for a routing point at the second call center, and transfers the call to that routing point, the managing computer at the second call center then routing the call to an agent station local to the second managing computer.
In another aspect of the invention an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call center system is provided comprising a first Internet-connected managing computer coupled to plural PCs at first agent stations by links capable of carrying IPNT call data; a second Internet-connected managing computer coupled to plural PCs at second agent stations by links capable of carrying IPNT call data; and a call router coupled to the first and second managing computers. In this aspect and embodiment the call router is adapted to execute routing rules to select any agent station at either of the first and second call centers for transferring a call received from a client at a routing point in either of the first and second call centers.
The call center system may further comprise a statistics server (stat-server) coupled to the first and second call centers, the stat-server monitoring activities of the two call centers and storing statistics developed from the monitored activities, and the router consults the stat-server in making routing decisions. The call center may also have a database accessible to the router and storing data regarding clients placing calls to the call center, and the router, upon causing a call received at one of the call centers to be routed to an agent at either call center, may also retrieve data regarding the client-caller from the database and causes the retrieved data to be transferred to the PC to which the call from the client is transferred.
In some integrated embodiments the managing computers are computer-telephony integration (CTI) processors connected by a CTI link to a telephony switch at each call center, the telephony switch connected by a trunk line to a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN) and by station-side ports to telephones at the local agent stations of each of the first and second call centers, the call centers being multimedia centers and the system capable of handling and routing both plain old telephony service (POPTS) calls and IPNT calls.
I another aspect of the invention methods are provided for practicing the invention. For example, a method for routing Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) calls in an IPNT call center system having a first and a second call center each having a managing computer connected to the Internet and plural connected agent stations with PCs, the method comprising steps of (a) monitoring arriving calls at routing points in each of the call centers; (b) selecting an agent station at either one of the call centers for each arriving call by executing routing rules by a router coupled to both managing computers; and (c) transferring each arriving call at either call center to the agent station selected in step (b).
The method may operate such that in step (c) the router, in selecting an agent station at the second call center to get a call
Deryugin Vladimir N.
Goecke Jason
Miloslavsky Alec
Neyman Igor
Torba Dmitry A.
Boys Donald R.
Central Coast Patent Agency
Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc
Pham Brenda H.
Pham Chi H.
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