Telephony system command scheduler and precedent processor

Details Telephony system command scheduler and precedent processor Telephony system command scheduler and precedent processor

1998-12-23

2001-07-24

Smith, Creighton (Department: 2742)

Telephonic communications

Centralized switching system

Call distribution to operator

C379S030000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06266407

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to computerized telephony systems and, in particular, to a telephony system command scheduler and precedent processor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automated telephone systems, which coordinate and optimize performance of operators of facilities for out-dialing large volumes of telephone calls and which receive large volumes of telephonic requests for information, are well known. Such systems typically involve a plurality of operators using telephones and operating terminals connected to computerized telephone management systems. These systems typically include autodialers, which improve the efficiency of operations with high volume outbound calling requirements. Computerized telephony systems increase operator or agent productivity significantly and provide management with a tool for streamlining and controlling operations. These systems automatically place outbound calls from a predetermined list of phone numbers and keep track of no answers, busy signals, and other line conditions and connect live calls to an agent who is simultaneously furnished a data screen having information regarding the account of the phone number reached. In high volume calling operations, such as collections, direct telephone sales, fund raising and market research and polling, among others; these systems provide flexibility in the rate of call placement and can provide significant data management options.
Typical computerized telephony systems are monitored and controlled by a system supervisor, who can schedule and direct call campaigns, monitor statistics relating to call scheduling, such as the number of calls made per agent, the average talk time and the number of unanswered calls. However, one drawback of telephony system supervision is that a system supervisor must be on duty at all times of system operation. Another drawback is that there is currently no system available that allows a system supervisor to schedule telephony system commands according to relative command execution priorities and have the system execute the scheduled commands according to those execution priorities. Furthermore, since most telephony system commands can only be successfully executed if one or more command execution precedent events have occurred, it is would be desirable to have a system that can access a knowledge base of such command execution precedent events and determine if all required execution precedent events have occurred at the desired time of a command's execution, even if command execution is immediately scheduled, is scheduled to occur as a routine command with no immediate priority or is scheduled to be executed as a specified time in the future.
These drawbacks and system requirements are satisfied with a computer telephony, command scheduling and precedent processing system according to the teachings of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a command scheduling and precedent processing system, especially suitable for use in a computer telephony system, is provided. The system includes a command scheduler, which includes a graphical user interface that runs on at least one supervisor/manager terminal and which is configured to facilitate the input and scheduling of computer telephony system commands. A system supervisor simply selects commands to be executed from a list of available telephony system commands provided by the graphical user interface. Each selected command is assigned a command execution priority attribute, which the system supervisor may also select from a list of available priority attributes provided by the graphical user interface.
The system also comprises a command server, which includes a command precedent processor, a command precedent database, an event database and at least one command table. Selected commands are forwarded by the command scheduler to the command precedent processor, which stores each received command in one command table. The command table selected is the command table associated with the command execution attribute assigned to the command. The command tables utilize a first-in, first-out storage and retrieval strategy.
The command precedent processor retrieves commands from the command tables according to their relative command execution priority attributes. Once a command is retrieved, the command precedent processor accesses the command precedent database to determine all the events that are precedent to the execution of the retrieved command. Thereafter, the command precedent processor queries the event database to determine if all of the command's precedent events have occurred. If they have, then the command precedent processor forwards the command to the computer telephony system for execution. If all of the command precedent events have not occurred, then the command precedent processor will either return the unexecuted command to the appropriate command table for subsequent execution attempts or generate an alert message, which it will send to an alert manager to alert the system supervisor that a command could not be executed due to the non-occurrence of at least one precedent event. Finally, the command precedent processor updates the event database to reflect the execution of commands as command execution occurs.


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