Expert system adapted dedicated internet access guidance engine

• US 20020116243A1
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concentrix CVG Customer Management Delaware LLC (Synnex Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Convergys Information Management Group, Inc. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Erickson, Charles R., Mancisidor, Rod, Gilpin, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 7,031,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/16 using machine learning or artificial intelligence

Abstract

An expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine. The invention allows an agent to interact with a customer and to provide selection and recommendation of data network products and/or services for the customer. The invention allows for the use of agents of varying skill levels, including relatively low skill level, without suffering deleterious performance. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is operable to perform selection and rating of Internet access products and/or services to provide a solution that meets the needs of a customer. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is operable to select recommended solutions from among a number of potential solutions that may include compatible solutions. The dedicated Internet access guidance engine is one of the underlying engines within the expert system that allows the agent to provide real time interaction with a customer and to provide a real time recommended solution to that customer.

Claims

1. An expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine, comprising:

a dedicated Internet access guidance engine;

a plurality of available Internet access products;

customer need input concerning a plurality of dedicated Internet access guidance engine questions, the customer needs are provided to the dedicated Internet access guidance engine;

the dedicated Internet access guidance engine uses the customer need input to rate at least one available Internet access product of the plurality of available Internet access products; and

the dedicated Internet access guidance engine selects a recommended Internet access solution, that is operable to meet a customer need, from among the plurality of available Internet access products and the rated at least one available Internet access product.

2. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 1, wherein the dedicated Internet access guidance engine provides the recommended Internet access solution to an agent using a graphical user interface.

3. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 2, wherein the dedicated Internet access guidance engine provides a compatible Internet access solution and a not recommended Internet access solution to the agent using the graphical user interface.

4. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 1, wherein the rating of the at least one available Internet access product comprising determining a plurality of traits corresponding to the customer need, the determination made using the customer need input;

and

the plurality of traits comprising a cost, an ability to host a web site, a reliability, and a bandwidth.

5. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 4, wherein the bandwidth comprises information of bandwidth needs for at least one application selected from the group comprising an email application, a web browsing application, a web site hosting application, a file transfer application, and a voice over Internet protocol application.

6. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 4, wherein the reliability comprises a maximum of a value indicative of a criticality of Internet use and a value indicative of a data type transmitted via the Internet.

7. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 4, wherein the customer need input comprises an integer input and a Boolean input.

8. The expert system adapted dedicated Internet access guidance engine of claim 4, wherein the ability to host a web site comprises a Boolean input.

9. A dedicated Internet access guidance engine method used within an expert system, comprising:

providing a plurality of dedicated Internet access guidance engine questions to a customer;

receiving a plurality of answers, corresponding to the plurality of dedicated Internet access guidance engine questions;

providing the plurality of answers to a dedicated Internet access guidance engine;

performing dedicated Internet access guidance engine processing to calculate a plurality of crisp values to represent a plurality of traits corresponding to a plurality of customer needs;

transforming at least one crisp value of the plurality of crisp values to a fuzzy value to represent at least one trait within the plurality of traits with the fuzzy value;

rating at least one available Internet access product within a plurality of available Internet access products, using the dedicated Internet access guidance engine, based on the fuzzy value and at least one crisp value within the plurality of crisp values; and

recommending an Internet access solution, that is operable to meet the plurality of customer needs, from among the plurality of available Internet access products and the rated at least one available Internet access product.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the expert system further comprises a data network guidance engine.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing the recommended Internet access solution to an agent using a graphical user interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a compatible Internet access solution and a not recommended Internet access solution to the agent using the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing an explanation to the agent, using the graphical user interface, that explains why the recommended Internet access solution was recommended.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of traits comprises a cost, an ability to host a web site, a reliability, and a bandwidth.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ability to host a web site comprises a Boolean value.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of crisp values comprises an integer value and a Boolean value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rating of the at least one available Internet access product comprising employing dynamic calculation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the ability to host a web site comprises a Boolean customer need.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the bandwidth comprises the at least one crisp value of the plurality of crisp values that is transformed to a fuzzy value.

17. A dedicated Internet access guidance engine method used within an expert system, comprising:

performing real time interaction between a customer and an agent;

providing a plurality of dedicated Internet access guidance engine questions to the customer;

receiving a plurality of answers, corresponding to the plurality of dedicated Internet access guidance engine questions;

inputting the plurality of answers into a dedicated Internet access guidance engine via a graphical user interface;

performing dedicated Internet access guidance engine processing to calculate a plurality of crisp values to represent a plurality of traits corresponding to a plurality of customer needs, the plurality of crisp values comprising a cost, an ability to host a web site, a reliability, and a bandwidth;

transforming at least one crisp value of the plurality of crisp values to a fuzzy value to represent at least one trait within the plurality of traits with the fuzzy value;

rating at least one available Internet access product within a plurality of available Internet access products, using the dedicated Internet access guidance engine, based on the fuzzy value and at least one crisp value within the plurality of crisp values; and

recommending an Internet access solution, that is operable to meet the plurality of customer needs, from among the plurality of available Internet access products and the rated at least one available Internet access product; and

wherein the rating of the at least one available Internet access product within a plurality of available Internet access products comprises disqualifying the at least one available Internet access product when the at least one available Internet access product is inoperable to support web site hosting and when the ability to host a web site crisp value comprises a true value.