Computer telephony integration

• US 20040071273A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Booton, Laurence J
• Granted Patent: US 7,177,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• 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

In a CTI system an incoming call is alerted to the called user'"'"'s list of users who have expressed a primary level of interest in that called user'"'"'s incoming calls, and the call is routed by the PBX to a Voicemail system if, for example the call is not answered within a predetermined time. The Voicemail system plays an announcement inviting the caller to key “one” to have the call re-presented, and if that digit is keyed by the caller, the Voicemail system makes a call to a predetermined extension of the PBX. The PBX recognises, e.g. by using call ID or DNIS, that the call received on that extension is a re-presented call, and alerts the called user'"'"'s list of users who have expressed a secondary level of interest, with or without alerting the “primary” list users. A tertiary list of users who have expressed a tertiary level of interest in that called user'"'"'s incoming calls may be used in the event that the call is routed to the Voicemail system for a second time and the caller again keys “one”.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, voice messaging apparatus connected to the switch, and a plurality of user workstations, each workstation comprising a computer connected to the CTI controller and a telephone connected to the switch, the method comprising the steps of:

—

storing, for each user of the system, a respective first user-associated list of users who have assigned a first level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user'"'"'s first community of interest, and a respective second user-associated list of users who have assigned a second level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user'"'"'s second community of interest;

responding to receipt at the switch of an incoming call, referred to herein as an original incoming call, by retrieving from signalling data of that original incoming call a called user identity, referred to herein as the original called user identity, and by starting a countdown timer from a predetermined value;

sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that original called user'"'"'s first community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller;

responding to receipt of the incoming call message at those respective computers by generating an alert;

in the event that the countdown timer reaches zero, routing that original incoming call to the voice messaging apparatus and sending a change icon message to those respective computers to change the respective generated alerts;

responding to receipt at the voice messaging apparatus of that routed original incoming call and of predetermined dialled data from the caller by making a related call from the voice messaging apparatus to a predetermined called user identity of the switch;

recognising that a call received at the switch is such a related call by virtue of the presence of that predetermined called user identity in the signalling data of that received call;

identifying the original incoming call to which that received call is so related, and, therefore, the original called user identity; and

sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the incoming call message is sent to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller, it is also sent to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s primary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

3. A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the step of generating an alert comprises changing a user-associated icon from an idle state to an incoming call state;

and the respective computers respond to said change icon message to change the respective user-associated icons back to their idle state.

4. A method as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the step of generating an alert comprises changing a user-associated icon from an idle state to an incoming call state;

and the respective computers respond to said change icon message to indicate that the original incoming call has been routed to the voice messaging apparatus.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identifying step comprises comparing call identities of the respective calls.

6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the identifying step comprises comparing DNIS numbers of the respective calls.

7. A computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, voice messaging apparatus connected to the switch, and a plurality of user workstations, each workstation comprising a computer connected to the CTI controller and a telephone connected to the switch, the system comprising:

—

means for storing, for each user of the system, a respective first user-associated list of users who have assigned a first level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user'"'"'s first community of interest, and a respective second user-associated list of users who have assigned a second level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user'"'"'s second community of interest;

means for responding to receipt at the switch of an incoming call, referred to herein as an original incoming call, by retrieving from signalling data of that original incoming call a called user identity, referred to herein as the original called user identity, and by starting a countdown timer from a predetermined value;

means for sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that original called user'"'"'s first community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller;

means for responding to receipt of the incoming call message at those respective computers by generating an alert;

means responsive to the countdown timer reaching zero for routing that original incoming call to the voice messaging apparatus and for sending a change icon message to those respective computers to change the respective generated alerts;

means for responding to receipt at the voice messaging apparatus of that routed original incoming call and of predetermined dialled data from the caller by making a related call from the voice messaging apparatus to a predetermined called user identity of the switch;

means for recognising that a call received at the switch is such a related call by virtue of the presence of that predetermined called user identity in the signalling data of that received call;

means for identifying the original incoming call to which that received call is so related, and, therefore, the original called user identity; and

means for sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

8. A CTI system as claimed in claim 7, wherein, when the incoming call message is sent to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller, it is also sent to the respective computers of those members of that called user'"'"'s primary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

9. A CTI system as claimed in either claim 7 or claim 8, arranged such that the generated alert comprises changing a user-associated icon from an idle state to an incoming call state, and wherein the respective computers are arranged to respond to the change icon message by changing the respective user-associated icons back to their idle state.

10. A CTI system as claimed in either claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the step of generating an alert comprises changing a user-associated icon from an idle state to an incoming call state;

and the respective computers respond to the change icon message to indicate that the original incoming call has been routed to the voice messaging apparatus.

11. A CTI system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the identifying means is arranged to compare call identities of the respective calls.

12. A CTI system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the identifying means is arranged to compare DNIS numbers of the respective calls.

13. A method of operating a computer telephony integration (CTI) system, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

14. A computer telephony integration (CTI) system substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.