Methods and systems for information streaming to user interface

• US 10,033,869 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Original Assignee: 8X8, Inc.
• Inventors: Southwick, Richard, Lajugie, Mathieu, Potenza, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US12/201,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,616 Days
• Field of Search: 709227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

Embodiments of computer-implemented methods and systems for information streaming to a user interface include receiving, at a networked contact center, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request to stream information to a user interface, establishing a persistent HTTP connection to the user interface, receiving the information, the information including one or more events associated with the networked contact center, and sending the one or more events via the persistent HTTP connection, the one or more events resulting in a change in the user interface without further HTTP requests from the user interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for information streaming to a user interface, the method comprising:

receiving, at a network contact center and from the user interface, a notification that an agent is available to be contacted by customers;

opening a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection between the user interface and a server of the network contact center;

keeping the HTTP connection open as a persistent HTTP connection;

receiving, at the server of the networked contact center, a HTTP request, from the user interface, to stream information to the user interface, the HTTP request specifying that the server push certain types of events upon their arrival at the server;

receiving, at the server, one or more events, wherein a particular event of the one or more events indicates that a particular customer is seeking contact with an agent;

pushing the one or more events, including the particular event, to the user interface via the persistent HTTP connection, the one or more events resulting in a change in the user interface without further HTTP requests from the user interface, wherein the change displays a visual indicator of an incoming call from the particular customer, contact information of the particular customer, and enables a rejection button selectable by the agent for rejecting a communication from the particular customer; and

terminating the persistent HTTP connection after a predetermined period of time and queuing further events while the persistent HTTP connection is terminated.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a web browser.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the establishing of the persistent connection to the user interface includes communicating of the HTTP request, wherein the certain types of events include receipt of chat messages.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the information includes receiving one or more of the following events:

an agent is available, a telephone call arrives, a status of an agent changes, an agent picks up a telephone.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the change in the user interface includes flashing a telephone icon to provide the visual indication of the incoming call from the particular customer.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sending of the one or more events via the persistent HTTP connection includes sending a telephone number and a name of a calling person.

7. A system for information streaming to a user interface, the system comprising:

communications computer circuitry configured to receive, at a networked contact center, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request, from the user interface or from an HTTP client, to stream information to the user interface, the user interface being associated with the networked contact center;

information streaming computer circuitry configured to;

establish a persistent HTTP connection to the user interface, and

receive the information, the information including one or more events associated with the networked contact center; and

terminate the persistent HTTP connection after a predetermined period of time and queue further events while the persistent HTTP connection is terminated; and

the communications computer circuitry to send the one or more events to the user interface via the persistent HTTP connection, the one or more events resulting in a change in the user interface without further HTTP requests from the user interface, wherein the change displays a visual indicator of an incoming call from a customer, contact information of the customer, and enables a rejection button selectable by an agent for rejecting a communication from the customer.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications computer circuitry is further configured to receive an HTTP request to stream the information to a web browser.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the information streaming computer circuitry is further configured to establish the persistent HTTP connection to the user interface.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the information streaming computer circuitry is further configured is to receive one or more of the following events:

an agent becomes available, a telephone call arrives, a status of an agent changes, an agent picks up a telephone.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the visual indicator includes a flashing icon of a telephone to indicate the incoming call from the customer.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the communications computer circuitry is further configured to send a telephone number and a name of a calling person via the persistent connection.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

receive, at a networked contact center, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request, from a user interface or from an HTTP client, to stream information to the user interface;

establish a persistent HTTP connection to the user interface;

receive the information, the information including one or more events associated with the networked contact center;

send the one or more events to the user interface via the persistent HTTP connection, the one or more events resulting in a change in the user interface without further HTTP requests from the user interface, wherein the change displays a visual indicator of an incoming call from a customer, contact information of the customer, and enables a rejection button selectable by an agent for rejecting a communication from the customer; and

terminate the persistent HTTP connection after a predetermined period of time and queue further events while the persistent HTTP connection is terminated.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

receive the HTTP request to stream the information to a web browser.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

establish the persistent connection to the user interface.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors, perform the following operations:

receive the information including receiving one or more of the following events;

an agent is available, a telephone call arrives, a status of an agent changes, an agent picks up a telephone.

17. A computer-implemented apparatus for information streaming to a user interface, said apparatus comprising:

computer circuitry configured to receive, at a networked contact center, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request, from the user interface or from an HTTP client, to stream information to the user interface;

computer circuitry configured to establish a persistent HTTP connection to the user interface;

computer circuitry configured to receive the information, the information including one or more events associated with the networked contact center;

computer circuitry configured to send the one or more events to the user interface via the persistent HTTP connection, the one or more events resulting in a change in the user interface without further HTTP requests from the user interface, wherein the change displays a visual indicator of an incoming call from a particular customer, contact information of the customer, and enables a rejection button selectable by an agent for rejecting a communication from the customer; and

computer circuitry configured to terminate the persistent HTTP connection after a predetermined period of time and queuing further events while the persistent HTTP connection is terminated.

18. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 17, wherein said apparatus includes computer circuitry configured to display the visual indicator by flashing a telephone icon to indicate the incoming call from the customer.

19. The computer-implemented apparatus of claim 17, wherein the computer circuitry configured to send the one or more events via the persistent HTTP connection includes computer circuitry configured to send a telephone number and a name of a calling person.