Call and data correspondence in a call-in center employing virtual restructuring for computer telephony integrated functionality

• US 20030002652A1
• Filed: 09/03/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Andrei Petrov, Igor Neyman, Michail Barskiy, Oleg Bondarenko, Paul Karpenko, Valeriy Issayev
• Original Assignee: Alec Miloslavsky, Andrei Petrov, Igor Neyman, Michail Barskiy, Oleg Bondarenko, Paul Karpenko, Valeriy Issayev
• Inventors: Bondarenko, Oleg, Miloslavsky, Alec, Petrov, Andrei, Neyman, Igor, Issayev, Valeriy, Karpenko, Paul, Barskiy, Michail
• Granted Patent: US 6,735,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42331 Direct inward dialling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• 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 2213/13175 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 2213/1328 : Call transfer, e.g. in PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A call center having agent stations comprising telephones connected to computer stations by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge has data pertaining to callers stored in a database on a local area network (LAN) to which the computer stations are also connected. Origination data for incoming calls, both conventional calls to the telephones and computer-simulated calls to the computer platforms, is used as a key to extract data pertaining to calls from the database for display on video display units (VDUs) of the computer workstations where the calls are terminated. In some cases, data is only extracted and displayed for calls from previously listed origination points.

Claims

1. A telephony call-in center, comprising:

a plurality of agent stations, individual ones of the agent stations having a telephone and a computer platform including a video display unit (VDU), the telephone and computer platform connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant data link;

a local area network (LAN) connecting at least some of the computer platforms at the agent stations; and

a first computer processor connected on the LAN, having a wide area network connection (WAN) adapted to receive computer-simulated telephone calls, and having access to a database;

wherein the computer platform is adapted to retrieve origination data for incoming calls to the telephone, and to use the origination data to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.

2. The telephony call-in center of claim 1 wherein the first computer processor is adapted to service calls from specific Service Control Points (SCPs) and to block display of data at agent station VDUs for any call not identified as originating at one of the specific SCPs.

3. The telephony call-in center of claim 1 wherein one or more of the computer platforms are personal computers (PCs).

4. The telephony call-in center of claim 1 wherein the computer platforms are adapted to report the origination data to the first processor, and the first processor is adapted to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.

5. A telephone call-routing system, comprising:

a call-in center comprising a plurality of agent stations, individual ones of the agent stations having a telephone and a computer platform including a video display unit (VDU), the telephone and the computer platform connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge, with a plurality of the computer workstations connected to one another, to a first processor, and to a database on a local area network (LAN); and

a call-routing center comprising a telephony switch adapted to switch telephone calls to the telephones at the call-in center and a processor adapted to route computer-simulated telephone calls to the computer platforms at the agent stations;

wherein the computer workstation is adapted to retrieve origination data for incoming calls, both conventional telephony and computer-simulated, and to report the origination data to the first processor, and wherein the first processor is adapted to use the origination data to correlate the caller with further data retrieved from the database for display on the VDU.

7. The telephone call-routing system of claim 5 wherein one or more of the computer workstations are personal computers (PCs).

6. The telephone call-routing system of claim 6 wherein the first processor is adapted to service calls from specific Service Control Points (SCPs) and to block display of data at agent station VDUs for any call not identified as originating at one of the specific SCPs.

8. An agent station for a call-in center, comprising:

a computer platform having a local area network (LAN) adapter, the computer platform adapted for receiving and processing computer-simulated telephone calls;

a telephone having a telephone line port; and

a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge connecting the computer workstation and the telephone;

wherein the computer workstation is adapted to retrieve origination data for calls, both calls to the telephone and computer-simulated calls to the computer platform, and to report the origination data on a LAN via the LAN adapter to a processor connected to the LAN.

9. The agent station of claim 8 wherein the computer platform is a personal computer (PC) having a video display unit (VDU).

10. A method for correlating displayed data with incoming conventional telephone and computer-simulated telephone calls at a call-in center, comprising steps of:

(a) connecting individual telephones at the call-in center by a Telephone Application Programming Interace (TAPI)-compliant bridge to individual computer platforms;

(b) connecting each telephone-connected computer workstation on a local area network (LAN) to a processor connected on the LAN, the processor having access to a database storing data to be displayed;

(c) monitoring origination information of incoming calls by the computer workstations;

(d) providing the origination information over the LAN to the LAN-connected processor; and

(e) using the origination information via the processor to correlate data to be displayed with the incoming calls.