Telephonic communications – Centralized switching system
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-10
2001-02-06
Zele, Krista (Department: 2742)
Telephonic communications
Centralized switching system
C379S219000, C379S220010, C379S221050, C379S265080, C379S266070, C379S309000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185291
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 method for routing telephone calls at customer premises is provided, comprising steps of (a) receiving a call at a telephony switch coupled to a customer local area network (LAN); (b) broadcasting identifying data associated with the call on the LAN; (c) intercepting the broadcast data at a personal router application executing on a computer connected to the LAN; (d) determining routing for the instant call in the personal router application; and (e) sending personal routing instructions to the telephony switch as a result of the personal routing determined in step (d).
The method in a preferred embodiment may execute the personal router on a personal computer (PC) connected to the LAN. The personal router, also in a preferred embodiment, includes a user interface providing capability for a user to edit routing rules, and including a step for editing routing rules. The user interface comprises an-on screen window providing editable script in a high-level language.
In another aspect, in a customer premises telephone call-routing system, a method for individual customization of routing rules for an incoming telephone call is provided, comprising steps of (a) calling a user interface on a computer connected to a customer LAN, the LAN also coupled to a computerized telephony switch system receiving the incoming telephone call, wherein the telephony switch system is adapted to broadcast data associated with incoming call on the LAN prior to routing the incoming call; (b) editing routing rules at the user interface; (c) associating the edited routing rules with the broadcast data; and (d) instructing the computerized telephony switch system to route the incoming call according a specific routing determined by the edited routing rules. In this method the computerized telephony switch system may comprise a telephony switch connected to a telephony server in turn connected to the LAN.
In another aspect, a personal telephone call router for determining routing of incoming telephone calls in a customer premises telephone call switching system is provided, comprising a user interface displayable on a display screen of a computer workstation and adapted to display personal routing rules and provide editing functions for a user to edit the personal routing rules with one or more input devices of the computer workstation; an interceptor adapted for intercepting telephone call data broadcast on a LAN to which the computer workstation is connected; and an instruction transmitter adapted for transmitting routing instructions on the LAN to which the computer workstation is connected, the routing instructions determined by interaction of the broadcast telephone call data with the instant routing rules at the computer workstation. The computer workstation may be a personal computer (PC) having a LAN interface, and the user interface is in preferred embodiments adapted to operate with a high-level programming language.
In yet another aspect of the instant invention a customer premises telephone call routing system is provided comprising a computerized telephony switch system having one or more incoming telephone lines; a customer local area network (LAN) coupled to the computerized telephony switch system; a computer workstation including a display connected to the LAN; and a personal telephone call router executable on the computer workstation. The personal telephone call router is adapted to receive telephone call data broadcast on the LAN associated with a selected telephone call, and to return routing instructions current in the personal telephone call router to the LAN for the selected telephone call.
In this alternative embodiment router comprises a user interface displayable on the display and adapted to display personal routing rules and provide editing functions for a user to edit the personal routing rules with one or more input devices of the computer workstation, which may be a PC having a LAN interface. In this as in other embodiments the user interface is adapted to operate with a high-level programming language. The computerized telephony switch system comprises a telephony switch connected to a telephony server in turn connected to the LAN.
In these and other embodiments of the instant invention the serious impediments of conventional systems, wherein routing rules are codified in a central system in perhaps esoteric low-level language, requiring a highly trained system administrator to make any changes, and wherein the changes that may be made in any case are seriously limited, are overcome. Now, with embodiments of the invention, individual users may provided individual customized routing rules for incoming calls, significantly increasing workplace efficiency and capability.
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Boys Donald R
Bui Bing
Central Coast Patent Agency
Genesys Telecommunication Laboratories, Inc.
Zele Krista
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