MESSAGE CENTRE CALL HANDLING

• US 20110070868A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Data Health Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Data Health Systems Limited
• Inventors: Smith, Bryan Leslie, Scholz, Kurt Laurence
• Granted Patent: US 8,509,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5141 Details of processing calls and other types of contacts in an unified manner unified messaging in packet-switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

A text message application server capable of prioritising incoming SMS messages and passing them to operators for a response, the operators interacting with the application server via the internet. The application server can handle multiple different called numbers, or messages with different identifying words in the message and can prioritise the messages on the basis of the message content.

Claims

1. An SMS or MMS message call centre for responding to digitally recorded messages received from callers and comprising:

a message recording database recording at least the called number, the calling number, the message, and the message status,

a message parser identifying the messages on the basis of at least the called number and the presence or absence of at least one known text string in the message,

a message prioritiser, prioritising messages for attention by an operator on the basis of the parsed results and any previous calls from the same called number or caller,

a message relayer, relaying messages to the operator for reply to the message.

2. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 wherein a personal identifier for the caller is recorded.

3. A message call centre as claimed in claim 2 wherein the message parser identifies messages as relating to separate message queues on the basis of at least one of the called number, the personal identifier or the message content.

4. A message call centre as claimed in claim 3 wherein a queue server allocates operators to message queues.

5. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the message parser recognises character patterns in the message for storage with the message in the message recording database.

6. A message call centre as claimed in claim 2 wherein the character pattern recognised is that of a telephone number.

7. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the message relayer provides an alert if a reply has not issued within a set time.

8. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 wherein messages to be sent are sent via a method chosen on a cost basis.

9. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 wherein an automatic message may be sent to indicate when the caller is advancing in the reply queue.

10. A message call centre as claimed in claim 1 where an automatic call may be sent on the basis of the parsed message content.