Accessory queue management system and method for interacting with a queuing system

• US 20080317058A1
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtual Hold Technology Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Virtual Hold Technology LLC (Medallia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements

Abstract

A virtual queuing system and method provides for dynamic control of queue data in accordance with queue control instructions provided by a separate queue control source. The virtual queuing system comprises an interface to a queuing system and an interface to the separate queue control source. The interface to the queuing system provides for obtaining queue data and controlling the queue data in accordance with the queue control instructions provided by a separate queue control source. The interface to the separate queue control source for: i) providing the queue data to the separate queue control source; and ii) obtaining the queue control instructions there from.

Claims

1. A virtual queuing system for dynamic control of queue data in accordance with queue control instructions provided by a separate queue control source, the virtual queuing system comprising:

an interface to a queuing system for;

obtaining queue data; and

controlling the queue data in accordance with the queue control instructions provided by a separate queue control source; and

an interface to the separate queue control source for;

providing the queue data; and

obtaining the queue control instructions.

2. The virtual queuing system of claim 1, wherein the queue data is a real time indication of queue activity.

3. The virtual queuing system of claim 1, wherein the queue data comprises data representing historical queue activity.

4. The virtual queuing system of claim 1, wherein the queue data comprises data representing projected queue activity.

5. The virtual queuing system of claim 1, wherein the separate queue control source is controlled by a resource for which clients are being queued by the queuing system.

6. The virtual queuing system of claim 5, wherein:

the interface to the separate queue control source comprises a TCP/IP network connection;

providing queue control data comprises embedding the queue control data in a web document provided to a web browser client of the resource; and

obtaining the queue control instructions comprises obtaining a post of the queue control instructions from the browser client of the resource.

7. The virtual queuing system of claim 6, wherein queue control instructions comprise instructions to add a client to the queue.

8. The virtual queuing system of claim 6, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to reposition a client within the queue.

9. The virtual queuing system of claim 6, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to remove a client from the queue.

10. A virtual queuing system for dynamic control of queue data in accordance with queue control instructions provided by a separate queue control source, the virtual queuing system comprising:

an interface to the separate queue control source for;

obtaining an indication of a selected resource;

providing queue data associated with the selected resource; and

obtaining the queue control instructions; and

an interface to a queuing system for;

obtaining the queue data associated with the selected resource; and

controlling the queue data associated with the selected resource in accordance with the queue control instructions provided by the separate queue control source.

11. The virtual queuing system of claim 10, wherein the queue data is a real time indication of queue activity.

12. The virtual queuing system of claim 10, wherein the queue data comprises data representing historical queue activity.

13. The virtual queuing system of claim 10, wherein the queue data comprises data representing projected queue activity.

14. The virtual queuing system of claim 10, wherein the separate queue control source is controlled by a resource for which clients are being queued by the queuing system.

15. The virtual queuing system of claim 14, wherein:

the interface to the separate queue control source comprises an TCP/IP network connection;

providing queue control data comprises embedding the queue control data in a web document provided to a web browser client of the resource; and

obtaining the queue control instructions comprises obtaining a post of the queue control instructions from the web browser resource.

16. The virtual queuing system of claim 15, wherein queue control instructions comprise instructions to add a client to the queue.

17. The virtual queuing system of claim 15, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to reposition a client within the queue.

18. The virtual queuing system of claim 15, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to remove a client from the queue.

19. A method of operating a virtual queuing system for dynamic control of a queuing system, the method comprising:

obtaining queue data from the queuing systems;

presenting the queue data to a separate queue control source;

obtaining queue control instructions from the separate queue control source; and

controlling the queuing system in accordance with the queue control instructions obtained from the separate queue control source.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the queue data is a real time indication of queue activity.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the queue data comprises data representing historical queue activity.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the queue data comprises data representing projected queue activity.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein:

presenting queue data to a separate queue control source comprises;

embedding the queue control data in a web document; and

providing the web document to the separate queue control source over a TCP/IP network; and

obtaining the queue control instructions comprises obtaining a post of the queue control data from a web browser client of the resource.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein queue control instructions comprise instructions to add a client to the queue.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to reposition a client within the queue.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the queue control instructions comprise instructions to remove a client from the queue.