INTERNET PROTOCOL CALL-IN CENTERS AND ESTABLISHING REMOTE AGENTS

• US 20020001300A1
• Filed: 01/22/1998
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Dmitry A. Torba, Igor Neyman, Jason Goecke, Oleg Turovsky, Vladimir N. Deryugin
• Original Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Dmitry A. Torba, Igor Neyman, Jason Goecke, Oleg Turovsky, Vladimir N. Deryugin
• Inventors: MILOSLAVSKY, ALEC, DERYUGIN, VLADIMIR N., NEYMAN, IGOR, GOECKE, JASON, TORBA, DMITRY A., TUROVSKY, OLEG
• Granted Patent: US 6,879,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• 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 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 : for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An IPNT call center is provided wherein agent'"'"'s computers may be locally-connected to a managing computer on a local area network, or remote agents may act over the Internet with the managing computer. The managing computer establishes an IPNT call with each remote agent on duty, and then routes incoming IPNT calls to the remote agents by substituting an incoming call for an existing call without closing the existing call, thereby avoiding the necessity of establishing a new call with the remote computer for each call routed to the remote agent. In some embodiments the IPNT system is a part of a multimedia call center, wherein incoming calls may be either IPNT or plain old telephony service (POTS), and calls are routed to agents according to a set of business rules without regard to type.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a home agent from an Internet-connected call center, comprising steps of:

(a) placing a first Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call from a call-center managing computer to a PC at an agent'"'"'s location remote from the call-center managing computer, thereby establishing an active IPNT call;

(b) receiving a second IPNT call from a client at the call-center managing computer; and

(c) substituting the second call for the first call as the active IPNT call.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step (d) for substituting a third call for the second call.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein local agents having PCs are connected to the call-center managing computer by a local area network (LAN), and plural home agents are established by opening IPNT calls to the plural home agents via the Internet, and wherein IPNT calls are routed to the local agents on the LAN and to the plural home agents without ending the connections to the home agents.

4. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call center, comprising:

a managing computer having a connection to a wide area network (WAN); and

a plurality of agent stations at remote locations from the managing computer, a PC at each of the agent stations also connected to the Internet;

wherein the managing computer is adapted to establish a first IPNT call to one of the remote agent stations over the WAN, to receive a second IPNT call from a client while the first call is open, and to substitute the first call for the second call, thereby connecting the home agent with the client placing the second call.

5. The IPNT call center of claim 4 wherein the WAN is the Internet.

6. The IPNT call center of claim 4 wherein the managing computer is further adapted to substitute third and subsequent calls for clients for the open call to the agent station, thereby connecting a series of calls from clients to the managing computer to the agent at the agent station.

7. The IPNT call enter of claim 6 wherein the managing computer is adapted to select remote agents for receiving incoming IPNT calls, and to connect incoming IPNT calls to any remote agent with whom an IPNT connection has been made.

8. The IPNT call center of claim 4 further comprising local agent stations having PCs connected to the managing computer on a local area network, and wherein the managing computer is adapted to select agent stations to receive incoming calls, and to route incoming calls to agent stations without regard for whether the selected agent station is connected to the managing computer by LAN or WAN.

9. The IPNT call center of claim 4 wherein the managing computer is a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor in a multimedia call center, the CTI processor connected by a CTI link to a telephony switching apparatus having a wide band trunk for receiving telephone calls and plural station side ports connected to telephones at the local agent stations.

10. The IPNT call center of claim 9 wherein incoming calls, both plain old telephone service (POTS) and IPNT calls, are routed to selected agents according to routing rules covering all incoming calls without preference to type, IPNT calls being transferred to PCs and telephone calls to telephones by manipulating the switching apparatus.