Method of providing status information within an ACD

• US 20060036607A1
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alvaria Cayman
• Original Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hollatz, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for retrievably storing information within an automatic contact distributor system within a database that is accessible through the Internet. The method includes the steps of saving the information from the automatic call distributor system within the database using a SIP REGISTER message and retrieving the information through the Internet using a SIP SUBSCRIBE message.

Claims

1. A method of retrievably storing status information within an automatic contact distributor system within a database that is accessible through the Internet, such method comprising the steps of:

saving the information from the automatic call distributor system within the database using a SIP REGISTER message; and

retrieving the information through the Internet using a SIP SUBSCRIBE message.

2. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 1 further comprising encoding the saved information using SIP CONTACT headers.

3. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 1 further comprising an agent terminal of the automatic call distributor system sending the SIP REGISTRATION from the agent terminal to the database.

4. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 3 wherein the SIP REGISTRATION message from the agent further comprises one of the group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

5. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 1 further comprising an automatic contact distributor of the automatic call distributor system sending the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor to the database.

6. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 5 wherein the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor further comprises one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.

7. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 1 further comprising a supervisor of the automatic call distributor sending the SIP REGISTRATION from a terminal of the supervisor to the database.

8. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 7 further comprising the supervisor of the automatic call distributor subscribing to saved information using a SIP EVENT header.

9. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 8 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an agent and one of group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

10. The method of retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 8 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an automatic contact distributor and one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.

11. An apparatus for retrievably storing status information within an automatic contact distributor system within a database that is accessible through the Internet, such apparatus comprising:

means for saving the information from the automatic call distributor system within the database using a SIP REGISTER message; and

means for retrieving the information through the Internet using a SIP SUBSCRIBE message.

12. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 11 further comprising means for encoding the saved information using SIP CONTACT headers.

13. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 11 further comprising means within an agent terminal of the automatic call distributor system for sending the SIP REGISTRATION from the agent terminal to the database.

14. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 13 wherein the SIP REGISTRATION message from the agent further comprises one of the group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

15. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 11 further comprising means within an automatic contact distributor of the automatic call distributor system for sending the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor to the database.

16. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 15 wherein the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor further comprises one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.

17. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 11 further comprising means within a supervisor terminal of the automatic call distributor for sending the SIP REGISTRATION from a terminal of the supervisor to the database.

18. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 17 further comprising means within the supervisor terminal of the automatic call distributor for subscribing to saved information using a SIP CONTACT header.

19. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 18 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an agent and one of group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

20. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 18 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an automatic contact distributor and one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.

21. An apparatus for retrievably storing status information within an automatic contact distributor system within a database that is accessible through the Internet, such apparatus comprising:

a SIP PRESENCE server that saves the information from the automatic call distributor system within the database based upon receipt of a SIP REGISTER message; and

an information user that retrieves the information through the Internet using a SIP SUBSCRIBE message.

22. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 21 further comprising SIP CONTACT headers that encode the saved information.

23. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 21 further comprising a user agent within an agent terminal of the automatic call distributor system that sends the SIP REGISTRATION from the agent terminal to the database.

24. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 23 wherein the SIP REGISTRATION message from the agent further comprises one of the group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

25. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 21 further comprising a user agent within an automatic contact distributor of the automatic call distributor system for sending the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor to the database.

26. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 25 wherein the SIP REGISTER message from the automatic contact distributor further comprises one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.

27. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 21 further comprising a user agent within a supervisor terminal of the automatic call distributor for sending the SIP REGISTRATION from a terminal of the supervisor to the database.

28. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 27 further comprising a display application within the supervisor terminal of the automatic call distributor for subscribing to saved information using a SIP contact header.

29. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 28 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an agent and one of group consisting of agent sign-on, agent sign-off, calls handled per hour and average talk time.

30. The apparatus for retrievably storing status information within the automatic contact distributor system as in claim 28 wherein the information subscribed to further comprises an identifier of an automatic contact distributor and one of the group consisting of calls handled per time period, queue length and abandoned calls per time period.