Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system – Call distribution to operator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-07
2001-09-25
Smith, Creighton (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
Call distribution to operator
C379S266070, C379S221050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295353
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to network call-routing systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A network call-routing system, also referred to as a call router, controls the routing of incoming calls to a private (e.g., a company's) network of call centers. One of the principal objectives of a network call-routing system is to route each individual call to the call center in the network which presently offers the shortest call-answer waiting time. In order to achieve this objective, the network call-routing system must obtain status information from each of the call centers in the network on a continuing basis.
There are two commonly-used schemes for sending status updates to a network call-routing system: periodic updates, and event-driven updates. But periodic updates of status are almost never timely. No matter how frequently the updates are sent, there is always a likelihood that a routing decision will use incorrect, out-of-date, status information. And while event-driven updates are much more timely, they require excessive bandwidth and processing time for large call-volume applications. For example: it is not uncommon for as many as 10 update-triggering events to occur per second in a single split on a single busy switch. Therefore, neither scheme is very efficient or effective in all call-center scenarios, and both have the problem of requiring excessive bandwidth or processing time to achieve an acceptable level of accuracy of routing decisions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the art. Generally according to the invention, an event-driven scheme with a filter is used for sending status updates, where the filter ensures that minimal status changes are not reported to the network call-routing system. Accordingly, each call center keeps track of the status value or values that it last sent to the call-routing system, and sends a new status update only when a status value has changed by a corresponding threshold amount. An illustrative example of a status is the estimated wait time (EWT) in a call queue of calls arriving at the call center or one of its splits. On the one hand, in large splits, the number of events (such as call arrival, call serviced, call abandon, agent login/logout, etc.) is typically high, but the scale of the change in status effected by each of these events is minimal. On the other hand, in small splits, the number of events is typically small, but the scale of the change in status effected by each of these events is significant. According to the invention, therefore, each event at a small split with a small volume of events may result in a status update being sent, whereas only a small minority of events at a large split with a high volume of events may result in a status update being sent. The net result is that the routing system uses status information which is accurate to within the selected threshold, while significantly reducing the bandwidth and the processing time required for status updates.
Specifically according to the invention, there is presented an improved method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium containing software, for updating node status information of a call router that routes calls to ones of a plurality of call-processing nodes. A node is illustratively a call center, an automatic call distribution (ACD) system, or a call center split/skill. When a change in status of one of the nodes is detected, a determination is made of whether the change in the status of the one node since the last time that the status of the one node has been reported to the call router has reached a threshold amount. If the threshold amount has been reached, the changed status is reported to the call router. If the threshold amount has not been reached, the node forbears from reporting the status to the call router, until such time as the status change does reach the threshold amount.
Illustratively, detecting the change in status of the one node involves detecting occurrence of a status-impacting event at the one node. Then the determining of whether the change has reached the threshold amount involves computing the present value of the status using the detected event and determining whether a difference between the present value of the status of the one node and a value of the status at the one node that was last reported to the call router has reached the threshold amount. If so, occurrence of the status change is reported to the call router; if not, concurrence of the status change is not reported to the router. Preferably, the event impacts one of a plurality of splits that exist at the one node, and each split has a corresponding threshold associated therewith.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention considered together with the drawing.
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F. Langlois, et al., “Dynamic Congestion Control In Circuit-Switched Telecommunications Networks”, Teletraffic Congress, NL, Amsterdam, North Holland, vol. Congress 13, 1991, pp. 127-132.
Flockhart Andrew D.
Mathews Eugene P.
Avaya Technology Corp.
Smith Creighton
Tieu Benny Q.
Volejnicek David
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