Method and apparatus for connecting terminals in a remote consulting system

• US 20010032242A1
• Filed: 05/02/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hirotaka Mizuno, Masatoshi Oomura, Yukinori Terahama
• Inventors: Mizuno, Hirotaka, Terahama, Yukinori, Oomura, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

When a remote service terminal is to be connected, the present invention executes the following procedure. The lobby terminal selects a clerk terminal which can correspond to a consulting detail and the selected clerk terminal is connected to the lobby terminal and carries out a remote consultation. When the lobby terminal selects an unattended agent server, the lobby terminal retrieves the past reply corresponding to the consulting detail of the user and displays it at the lobby terminal. When the clerk terminal corresponding to the consulting detail becomes connectable while the unattended agent server is corresponding to the user of the lobby terminal, the unattended agent server takes over the consulting detail to the clerk terminal. When there is no clerk terminal to be changed when the consultation is over, the unattended agent server sends the inquiry data which is to be replied to the user asynchronously to the clerk terminal by a communication means separately.

Claims

1. A method of terminal connection characterized in that in a computer system comprising a lobby terminal used by a customer, a clerk terminal used by a special expert clerk to reply to a consultation, an unattended agent server having functions for storing a past inquiry and reply data, sending reply data corresponding to an inquiry from said lobby terminal to said lobby terminal, and taking over an inquiry and reply with said lobby terminal to said clerk terminal, a server for making a connection with clerk terminals for controlling the connective status of said clerk terminal in a uniform manner, and communication lines connecting between said terminals and said servers, if said clerk terminal becomes connectable during consultation when said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server, said server for making a connection with clerk terminals changes the terminal to be connected to the lobby terminal from said unattended agent server to said clerk terminal and said unattended agent server sends exchange until changing the clerk terminal to said connecting clerk terminal as information for taking over.

2. A method of terminal connection according to

claim 1

, wherein said lobby terminal displays only clerk terminal codes able to connect to lobby terminals.

3. A method of terminal connection according to

claim 1

, wherein when there is no connectable clerk terminal corresponding to said consulting detail, said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server, and said consulting detail of said user from said lobby terminal is stored in said unattended agent server, and said consulting detail is controlled by said server for making a connection with clerk terminals, and said server for making a connection with clerk terminals monitors that said expert clerk corresponding to said consulting detail becomes connectable.

4. A method of terminal connection according to

claim 1

, wherein when said clerk terminal correspondable to said consulting detail does not become connectable until said exchange of consultation by connection to said unattended agent server from said lobby terminal is over and said clerk terminal cannot be taken over, to reply said inquiry information from said user

stored in said unattended agent server to said user from said expert clerk, said inquiry information is sent asynchronously to said clerk terminal.

5. A method of terminal connection according to claim 1, wherein said server for making a connection with clerk terminals controls the connective status of said clerk terminal in real time in a uniform manner, extracts only a clerk terminal connectable to said lobby terminal requesting connection, and sends it to said lobby terminal together with a service area, station, and expert clerk name.

6. A method of terminal connection according to

claim 2

, wherein when a plurality of expert clerks corresponding to the same consulting detail are connectable, said server for making a connection with clerk terminals sets the priority of consultation correspondence according to the past consulting frequency of each of said expert clerks and displays expert clerks with lower consulting frequencies at the lobby terminal in priority.

7. A method of terminal connection of a server for making a connection with clerk terminals for controlling the connective status of a lobby terminal receiving a consultation from a customer, a clerk terminal receiving a reply from an expert clerk, and an unattended agent server carrying out a consultation for said lobby termination on the basis of a past inquiry and reply data comprising the steps of:

connecting said lobby terminal to said unattended agent server when said lobby terminal cannot be connected to said clerk terminal;

changing the terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal from said unattended agent server to said clerk terminal when said clerk terminal becomes connectable while said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server; and

transferring said inquiry and reply data until said changing from said unattended agent server to said clerk terminal to be connected to as information for taking over.

8. A method of terminal connection according to

claim 7

, wherein the terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal is decided on the basis of the predetermined priority.