Intelligent telephone call routing

• US 10,075,584 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Inventors: Chandra, Sekhar Sumanth Gorajala
• Primary Examiner(s): Zenati, Amal
• Application Number:
  US15/696,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20170366664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 379246
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/546 in private branch exchanges

Abstract

Systems and methods for intelligently routing an incoming telephone call to an internal extension based on the calling history are provided. According to one embodiment, a session log, containing information regarding sessions between internal extension numbers and external telephone numbers, is maintained by a call monitor of a telephone system. The internal extension numbers are associated with telephone extensions within the telephone system and the external telephone numbers are associated with telephones outside of the telephone system. An incoming telephone call is received by the call monitor from a telephone outside the telephone system that is associated with an external telephone number. It is determined by the call monitor whether the incoming call represents a call-back to an internal extension number based on the session log. When the incoming call is determined to represent a call-back, then causing a switch to route the incoming call to the internal extension number.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a telephone system of a company, a telephone call routing rule set including a call-back routing rule, wherein the call-back routing rule is configurable by an administrator of the telephone system and specifies one or more conditions under which incoming telephone calls received via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be recognized as a call back for which direct routing is to be performed and wherein the one or more conditions includes a timing constraint;

maintaining, by a call monitor of the telephone system, a session log in which a plurality of call session records relating to telephone calls between internal extension numbers and external telephone numbers are stored, wherein each of the internal extension numbers are associated with a telephone extension within the telephone system and each of the external telephone numbers are accessible via the PSTN;

receiving, by the call monitor, an incoming telephone call via the PSTN from an external telephone number;

locating, by the call monitor, a matching call session record among the plurality of call session records, by searching the session log for a call session record containing the external telephone number; and

when the incoming telephone call satisfies the one or more conditions of the call-back routing rule including a difference between a current time and a time stored in the matching call session record being within the timing constraint, then causing, by the call monitor, a switch of the telephone system to route the incoming telephone call to an internal extension number stored in the matching call session record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a called party stored within the matching call session record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching any of a called party stored within the matching call session record and a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising when the incoming telephone call does not satisfy the timing constraint, then providing a caller associated with the incoming call with an opportunity to select another option by announcing the incoming telephone call will be routed to the internal extension number unless another internal telephone extension is entered by the caller.

6. A telephone system comprising:

a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines; and

one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines to perform a method comprising;

maintaining a telephone call routing rule set including a call-back routing rule, wherein the call-back routing rule is configurable by an administrator of the telephone system and specifies one or more conditions under which incoming telephone calls received via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be recognized as a call back for which direct routing is to be performed and wherein the one or more conditions includes a timing constraint;

maintaining a session log in which a plurality of call session records relating to telephone calls between internal extension numbers and external telephone numbers are stored, wherein each of the internal extension numbers are associated with a telephone extension within the telephone system and each of the external telephone numbers are accessible via the PSTN;

receiving an incoming telephone call via the PSTN from an external telephone number;

locating a matching call session record among the plurality of call session records, by searching the session log for a call session record containing the external telephone number; and

when the incoming telephone call satisfies the one or more conditions of the call-back routing rule including a difference between a current time and a time stored in the matching call session record being within the timing constraint, then causing a switch of the telephone system to route the incoming telephone call to an internal extension number stored in the matching call session record.

7. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a called party stored within the matching call session record.

8. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

9. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching any of a called party stored within the matching call session record and a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

10. The telephone system of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises when the incoming telephone call does not satisfy the timing constraint, then providing a caller associated with the incoming call with an opportunity to select another option by announcing the incoming telephone call will be routed to the internal extension number unless another internal telephone extension is entered by the caller.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a telephone system, causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

maintaining a telephone call routing rule set including a call-back routing rule, wherein the call-back routing rule is configurable by an administrator of the telephone system and specifies one or more conditions under which incoming telephone calls received via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be recognized as a call back for which direct routing is to be performed and wherein the one or more conditions includes a timing constraint;

maintaining a session log in which a plurality of call session records relating to telephone calls between internal extension numbers and external telephone numbers are stored, wherein each of the internal extension numbers are associated with a telephone extension within the telephone system and each of the external telephone numbers are accessible via the PSTN;

receiving an incoming telephone call via the PSTN from an external telephone number;

locating a matching call session record among the plurality of call session records, by searching the session log for a call session record containing the external telephone number; and

when the incoming telephone call satisfies the one or more conditions of the call-back routing rule including a difference between a current time and a time stored in the matching call session record being within the timing constraint, then causing a switch of the telephone system to route the incoming telephone call to an internal extension number stored in the matching call session record.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a called party stored within the matching call session record.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more conditions specified by the call-back routing rule include the external telephone number matching any of a called party stored within the matching call session record and a calling party stored within the matching call session record.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises when the incoming telephone call does not satisfy the timing constraint, then providing a caller associated with the incoming call with an opportunity to select another option by announcing the incoming telephone call will be routed to the internal extension number unless another internal telephone extension is entered by the caller.