Method and apparatus for automatic telephone scheduling system

• US 5,297,195 A
• Filed: 10/02/1991
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TeleDirect International, Inc. (dvsAnalytics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeleDirect International, Inc. (dvsAnalytics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Peterson, Steven E., Thorne, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSANG, FAN S
• Application Number:
  US07/769,594
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 379/92, 379/93, 379/96, 379/216, 379/218, 379/262, 379/67, 379/88, 379/89
• US Class Current: 379/93.23
• CPC Class Codes: B25C 5/0228 power-operated
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/904 Auto-calling

Abstract

An automatic telephone scheduling system (20) includes a data server (22), a dial server (24), and a plurality of agent workstations (28) which communicate with each other through messages transmitted over a local area network (30). The data server (22) has stored in its memory a plurality of account information records to be utilized for one or more calling campaigns. The dial server (24) includes an independent intelligent processor (80) which functions as a master to the data server (22) but as a slave to the agent workstations (28). The dial server (24) further includes a plurality of audio MUXes (88) and dialers (90) for automatically dialing and connecting calls to the agent workstations (28). In various embodiments, a plurality of data servers and/or a plurality of dial servers are employed.

Claims

1. An automatic telephone dialing system comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of account information records, each account information record being formatted to include therein a telephone number field;

data served processor means for handling input and output operations for the account information records stored in the storage medium;

at least one dial server processor means;

means, under the control of the dial server processor means, for placing a telephone call on a telephone trunk line to a person associated with an account corresponding to a telephone number stored in the number field of an account information record;

a plurality of agent workstations, each agent workstation comprising;

a workstation processor means;

means for visually displaying at least a portion of an account information record, the visual display means being connected to the workstation processor means;

means for providing information to the workstation processor means, including workstation status information and account update information, said means for providing information being connected to the workstation processor means;

audio transmission means for producing and receiving telephonic audio transmissions;

a communications network for transmitting messages including at least a portion of account information records between an agent workstation and the dial server processor means;

for transmitting messages providing agent available status information to the dial server processor means;

for providing log-on status information from the workstation processor means to the data server processor means, said logon status information including a campaign attach message selecting one of a plurality of campaigns;

for transmitting, under the control of the dial server processor means, said account information records between the data server processor means and the dial server processor means; and

,

means, under the control of the dial server processor means, for connecting an answered telephone call on the telephone trunk line to the audio transmission means of an available one of the agent workstations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of dial server processor means, each of the dial server processor means being connected by the communications network to a unique set of agent workstations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of data server processor means accessing an associated plurality of memories, with the dial server processor means being connection to each of said data server processor means by the communications network, whereby the dial server processor means requests an account information record from a select one of the data server processor means in accordance with information provided by an available one of the agent workstations.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein one of the data servers processor means is designated as a manager for a campaign.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein account information records belonging to a campaign are stored in a plurality of memories with each memory being associated with a different data server processor means.

6. An automatic telephone dialing system comprising:

a plurality of agent workstations, each agent workstation comprising;

a workstation processor including workstation register means for storing therein at least a portion of an account information record, each account information record being formatted to include therein a telephone number field;

means for visually displaying at least a portion of the account information record, the visual display means being connected to the workstation processor;

means for manually entering information into the workstation processor including workstation status information and account information into the workstation register means, the information entry means being connected to the workstation processor;

audio transmission means for producing and receiving telephonic audio transmissions;

a data server comprising;

a data server processor;

a storage medium upon which are stored a plurality of the account information records, the storage medium being connected to the data server processor whereby the data server processor can input and output the account information records from the storage medium;

a dial server comprising;

a dial server processor;

means under the control of the dial server processor for placing a telephone call on a telephone trunk line;

means under the control of the dial server processor for connecting an answered telephone call on the telephone trunk line to the audio transmission means of an available one of the agent workstations;

a data transmission network connected to include as nodes thereof each of the workstation processors, the data server processor, and the dial server processor, for transmitting messages between the nodes, wherein said messages include a message from an agent workstation identifying a selected campaign from a plurality of campaigns.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of dial servers, each of the dial servers being connected by the data transmission network to the same data server and to a unique set of agent workstations.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of data servers accessing an associated plurality of memories, with the dial server being connected to each of said data servers by the data transmission network whereby the dial server requests an account information record from a select one of the data servers in accordance with information provided by an available one of the agent workstations.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein one of the data servers is designated as a manager for a campaign.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein account information records belonging to a campaign are stored in a plurality of memories with each memory being associated with a different data server.

11. A method of operating an automatic telephone dialing system in a telephone calling champaign, the method comprising:

(a) providing a data server means with access to a plurality of account information records, the account information records being formatted to include a telephone number in a telephone number field, said data sever means accessing a particular set of records corresponding to a particular campaign selected from a plurality of available campaigns;

(b) communicating to a dial server means the identity of an available agent workstation which has previously logged on with one or more of said plurality of available campaigns selected for participating in said particular campaign;

(c) transmitting an account information record for the campaign to the dial server means from the data server means in response to a request from the dial server means;

(d) accessing a telephone line and dialing thereupon a telephone number included in an account information record transmitted to the dial server means;

(e) connecting the telephone line obtained at step (d) with the available agent workstation;

(f) transmitting the account information record of step (c) to the available agent workstation;

(g) permitting any necessary modifications to the account information record transmitted to the available agent workstation;

the,

(h) returning the account information record of step (g) from the available agent workstation to the dial server means;

the,

(i) returning the account information record of step (g) from the dial server means to the data server means.

12. The method of claim 11, including communicating to the data server means the identity of an agent workstation participating in the campaign prior to executing step (c) with respect to that agent workstation.

13. A method of operating an automatic telephone dialing system in a telephone calling campaign, the method comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of data server means, each data server means being connected to an associated memory having stored therein a plurality of account information records, the account information records being formatted to include a telephone number in a telephone number field;

(b) designating one of the data server means as a manager for managing a telephone calling campaign;

(c) transmitting to an agent workstation an indication of a name of the data server means designated as the manager for the campaign in which the agent workstation will participate;

(d) communicating to a dial server means the identity of an available agent workstation participating in the campaign along with the name of the data server means designated as the manager for the campaign;

the manager data server means a request for an account information record for the campaign;

(f) determining, under the control of manager data server means, from the memory associated with which data server means an account information record should next be retrieved for the campaign;

(g) transmitting the next retrieved account information record for the campaign to the dial server means;

(h) accessing, under control of the dial server means, a telephone line and dialing thereupon a telephone number included in an account information record transmitted to the dial server means;

(i) connecting, under control of the dial server means, the telephone line obtained at step (h) with the available agent workstation;

(j) transmitting the account information record of step (g) to the available agent workstation.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

permitting any necessary modifications to the account information record transmitted to the available agent workstation;

then,

returning the account information record from the available agent workstation to the dial server means;

the,

returning the account information recorded from the dial server means to the managing data server means.

15. A method of operating an automatic telephone dialing system in a telephone calling campaign, the method comprising:

(a) providing a data server means with access to a plurality of account information records, the account information records being formatted to include a telephone number in a telephone number field;

(b) providing a plurality of distinct sets of agent workstations capable of being connected to telephone calls and of receiving account information records;

(c) connecting each set of agent workstations to a respective one of a plurality of dial server means;

(d) communicating to each of the respective dial server means that one of the agent workstations connected thereto is available;

(e) communicating from the respective dial server means to the data server means a request for an account information record;

(f) transmitting the next retrieved account information record for a particular campaign to the requesting dial server means, said particular campaign having been chosen by the available agent workstation previously from a plurality of available campaigns;

(g) accessing, under control of the dial server means, a telephone line and dialing thereupon a telephone number included in an account information record transmitted to the dial server means;

(h) connecting, under control of the dial server means, the telephone line obtained at step (g) with the available agent workstation;

(i) transmitting the account information record of step (f) to the available agent workstation.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

permitting any necessary modifications to the account information record transmitted to the available agent workstation;

then,

returning the account information record from the available agent workstation to the respective dial server means;

then,

returning the account information record from the dial server means to the data server means.