SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SCALABLE HUNT-GROUP MANAGEMENT

• US 20080273686A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Union Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Balk, Igor, Choupak, David Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/405 Competitive bidding for work items
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13056 Routines, finite state machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1326 Consultation call, broker's call, call hold, toggling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

The present invention provides systems, methods, and apparatus for semi-stateless scalable and distributed management of telephone hunt group features in a PBX. In particular, the invention conducts an auction-like phone call handling process in which phone handling decisions are partially delegated from a central resource to the individual client agents. Briefly, phone handling functions offer available call to agents who then decide which available calls to handle. This auction-like process is preferably implemented using broadcast (or multicast) messaging features so that system components do not need to know or access global state information. Messaging is preferably built on a selected instant messaging protocol.

Claims

1. A hunt group management system comprising:

a plurality of server computers, said server computers being distributed and operating asynchronously; and

a plurality of agent computers, said server computers in communication with and exchanging messages with said agent computers,

wherein an incoming call to a particular server computer is routed to a selected agent at a particular agent computer, said selected agent being selected via broadcasting a plurality of messages between said server and agent computers, and a selection and acknowledgement made, whereby the incoming call is transferred to said selected agent.

2. A method of hunt group management comprising:

broadcasting, by a server computer, a readiness message to a plurality of agent computers in communication therewith in connection with handling an incoming call, said server computer being one of a plurality of server computers in communication with and exchanging messages with said plurality of agent computers;

unicasting, by said server computer, a call-post message to a selected agent at a particular agent computer, said particular agent computer broadcasting acknowledgement thereof; and

transferring, by said server computer, said incoming call to said selected agent.

3. A method of hunt group management comprising:

receiving, by an agent computer, a readiness message broadcast by a particular server computer to a plurality of agent computers in connection with handling an incoming call, said server computer being one of a plurality of server computers in communication with and exchanging messages with said plurality of agent computers;

broadcasting, by an agent at said agent computer, an acknowledgement message to said plurality of server computers that said agent is handling said incoming call; and

receiving, from said particular server computer, said incoming call to said agent.