Call distribution arrangement

• US 4,757,529 A
• Filed: 02/28/1986
• Issued: 07/12/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Original Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glapa, Martin J., McMahon, Brian P., Harris, Dorothy E., Lenard, Anthony E.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US06/834,895
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 379/266, 379/265, 379/309, 379/244, 379/213, 379/214, 379/113, 379/112, 370/58, 370/60
• US Class Current: 379/266.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals

Abstract

In a telecommunication switching system, incoming calls of various call types directed to a group of associated subscriber terminals are queued by call type and distributed on a priority basis. A separate queue is created for each call type and a table is provided which defines a number of priority levels and the call types to be served in each priority level. A priority frequency array is used for each of the terminals to assure that each terminal serves calls at the various priority levels with a prescribed frequency. When calls of different types but having the same priority level are waiting to be served, the oldest call will be selected on the basis of a time-of-day stamp recorded with each call on queue.

Claims

1. In a communication switching system comprising a plurality of connected subscriber terminals, the method of distributing incoming calls of different call types to said terminals, comprising the steps of:

storing call data for incoming calls of different call types, directed to one of said terminals, in different queues, thereby creating a separate queue for each call type for said one terminal;

detecting when said one terminal becomes available to handle a call;

selecting one of said call types in accordance with a predetermined priority scheme; and

connecting to said one terminal a call identified in the one of said queues corresponding to said selected call type.

2. In a telecommunication switching system having a plurality of subscriber terminals connected thereto, a method of distributing incoming calls of differing call types to a group of terminals on a priority basis, comprising the steps of:

creating a priority table associating call type and priority level data;

examining each incoming call directed to said group of terminals for call type;

storing call data identifying examined incoming calls in a plurality of different queues corresponding to different call types, thereby creating a separate queue for each type of call directed to said group of terminals;

monitoring said terminals and detecting an available terminal;

upon detection of an available terminal, obtaining from said priority table call type data corresponding to a predetermined priority level; and

connecting to said detected available terminal an incoming call from a queue corresponding to the obtained call type.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising the step of creating a priority array defining a sequence of priority values, and wherein said step of obtaining call type data includes the step of reading a designated position of said array defining a priority level and the step of reading call type data corresponding to said defined priority level.

4. The method in accordance with claim 3 wherein said step of creating a priority array, includes creating a sequential array having a number of positions each defining a priority level and in which certain priority levels are defined with greater frequency than other priority levels.

5. The method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising the steps of generating and storing a pointer address defining a location in said array for each terminal of said group, and wherein said step of reading a designated position of the said array includes the step of reading the pointer address for said detected available terminal and generating an array address based on said read pointer address.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of incrementing the pointer address for a terminal to a new value each time after said step of generating an array address, whereby a terminal may serve a call of a different priority level each time that the terminal becomes idle.

7. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said step of storing call data includes storing time stamp data indicative of the time of arrival of each incoming call, wherein said step of creating a priority table includes the step of assigning more than one call type to a single priority level, and said step of connecting includes the steps of determining which of the queues defined by the call type data for a selected priority level has the oldest call, and connecting the oldest call to the detected available terminal.

8. In a telecommunication switching system for handling a plurality of types of calls and having a call server terminal connected thereto and having a priority table defining a plurality of priority levels and call types to be served in each priority level, and having a server table defining call types to be handled by said call server terminal, a method of connecting calls of differing call types to said terminal on a priority basis, comprising the steps of:

examining incoming calls for call type;

storing for each incoming call directed to said terminal call data defining the incoming call in a queue corresponding to the call type of the incoming call;

selecting a priority level in said priority table;

combining data from said server table with data from said priority table defining call types to be served for the selected priority, to define call types having the selected priority which may be served by said terminal; and

connecting to said terminal an incoming call defined in a queue corresponding to the call type data generated by said combining step.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 and wherein said step of storing call data in said queues comprises the step of storing time stamp data indicative of the time of arrival of incoming calls, said method further comprising, after the combining step, the step of determining whether more than one call type is defined by said combined data and, if more than one call type is defined, the step of selecting the oldest call from the queues corresponding to the call type data defined by said combining step.

10. The method in accordance with claim 8 wherein said telecommunication switching system has a priority array defining a sequence of priority values and having an array pointer address defining a location in said array, and said step of selecting a priority level further comprises the step of obtaining said array pointer address and the step of reading a location of said array defined by said obtained pointer address.

11. A telephone switching system for use in combination with a plurality of subscriber terminals and comprising:

memory means including a priority table containing data defining a priority level for each of a plurality of different call types;

means for examining incoming calls directed to a predetermined group of said terminals for call type;

means for storing data defining examined incoming calls in said memory means in queues by call type;

means for detecting an available terminal in said group and for generating an output message defining said available terminal; and

connecting means responsive to said output message for reading from said priority table call type data corresponding to a predetermined priority level and for connecting to said available terminal an incoming call defined by data stored in one of said queues corresponding to said call type obtained from said priority table.

12. A telephone switching system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said memory means further includes a priority array defining a sequence of priority values, and a pointer address table defining a location in said array for each terminal of said group and wherein said connecting means is further responsive to said output message for reading said pointer address table and reading said location in said priority array for said available terminal to obtain from said priority array a priority value defining said predetermined priority level.