Call distribution control method and call distribution control system

• US 5,592,542 A
• Filed: 03/05/1996
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Messaging Technologies, Inc. (J2 Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Honda, Yosuke, Tanaka, Syuich, Usumi, Motoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): MATAR, AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US08/610,848
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/214, 379/201
• US Class Current: 379/266.05
• 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

In a call distribution control method for terminating an incoming call from a trunk or another extension at a pilot extension in a private branch exchange and routing the incoming call from the pilot extension to an idle agent in an agent group, a routing table corresponding to the pilot extension is provided for designating one or plural agent groups to which the incoming call is to be routed. Priorities are assigned to agents constituting the agent groups, and an agent group to which the incoming call is to be routed is decided, based upon the routing table when the incoming call is terminated at the pilot extension. The incoming call is routed to an idle agent, in the order of priority thereof, in the agent group to which the incoming call has been routed. Further, a prescribed agent is allocated to a plurality of agent groups upon assigning a priority to this agent.

Claims

1. A call distribution control method for terminating an incoming call from a trunk or another extension at a pilot extension in a private branch exchange and routing the incoming call from the pilot extension to an idle agent in an agent group, comprising the steps of:

assigning a predetermined priority level to each agent in a respective one of a plurality of agent groups wherein an incoming call is to be routed to an idle agent having the highest priority level;

creating queues of the idle agents for each priority level in each agent group and storing said queues of the idle agents in a memory;

providing a routing table, in correspondence with the pilot extension, for designating an agent group to which an incoming call is to be routed;

designating an agent group based upon said routing table when an incoming call is terminated at the pilot extension;

searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in said agent group that is the routing destination by reference to said queues of the idle agents for each priority level; and

routing the incoming call to the searched idle agent.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

removing the agent, to which the incoming call has been routed, from an idle-agent queue of the corresponding priority level; and

connecting said agent to a tail end of said idle-agent queue of the corresponding priority level in the agent group to which said agent belongs in response to an end of the incoming call.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein if plural agent groups are designated by said routing table, said routing table includes a step of searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in a first agent group and, if an idle agent is found on any priority level in the first group, connecting the incoming call to said idle agent;

a step of increasing the number of agent groups by one and searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in the first and second agent groups if no idle agent is found within a predetermined search time, and, if an idle agent is found in the first or second agent groups, connecting the incoming call to said idle agent;

a step of subsequently continuing to increase the number of agent groups by one if no idle agent is found and search for an idle agent.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

when an incoming call terminates at a prescribed pilot extension, connecting the incoming call to a tail end of a call queue corresponding to the prescribed pilot extension, wherein the call queue is stored in a call queue memory having a call-data buffer for each incoming call; and

storing in the call-data buffer a routing table number for identifying the routing table provided in correspondence with said prescribed pilot extension, an elapsed time being used to determine whether said predetermined search time elapses, a number of a routing step currently being executed, a number of an agent group in which an idle agent is to be searched, and a pointer indicating a call-data buffer address of the next incoming call;

searching for an idle agent, at predetermined intervals, in accordance with respective ones of currently prevailing routing steps with regard to a prescribed number of incoming calls from the head of a queue; and

removing said incoming call from the call queue thereof when said incoming call is routed to an idle agent.

5. A call distribution control method for terminating an incoming call from a trunk or another extension at a pilot extension in a private branch exchange and routing the incoming call from the pilot extension to an idle agent in an agent group, comprising the steps of:

allocating a prescribed agent to plural agent groups so that many incoming calls are routed to said prescribed agent;

assigning a predetermined priority level to each agent in a respective one of a plurality of agent groups wherein an incoming call is to be routed to an idle agent having the highest priority level;

creating queues of idle agents for each priority level in each agent group and storing said queues of the idle agents in a memory;

providing a routing table, in correspondence with the pilot extension, for an agent group to which an incoming call terminated at the pilot extension is to be routed;

designating an agent group based upon said routing table when an incoming call is terminated at the pilot extension;

searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in said agent group that is a routing destination by reference to said of the idle agents for each priority level; and

routing the incoming call to the searched idle agent.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

removing the agent, to which the incoming call has been routed, from a corresponding one or plurality of idle-agent queues in a case where said agent has been allocated to one or a plurality of agent groups; and

connecting said agent to a tail end of the corresponding one or plurality of queues in response to an end of the incoming call.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein if plural agent groups are designated by said routing table, said routing table includes a step of searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in a first agent group and, if an idle agent is found on any priority level in the first group, connecting the incoming call to said idle agent;

a step of increasing the number of agent groups by one and searching for an idle agent having the highest priority level in the first and second agent groups if no idle group is found within a predetermined search time, and, if an idle agent is found in the first or second group, connecting the incoming call to said idle agent; and

a step of subsequently continuing to increase the number of agent groups by one if no idle agent is found and search for an idle agent.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

when an incoming call terminates at a prescribed pilot extension, connecting the incoming call to a tail end of a call queue corresponding to the prescribed pilot extension, wherein the call queue is stored in a call queue memory having a call-data buffer for each incoming call; and

storing in the call-data buffer a routing table number for identifying the routing table provided in correspondence with said prescribed pilot extension, an elapsed time being used to determine whether said predetermined search time elapses, a number of a routing step currently being executed, a number of an agent group in which an idle agent is to be searched, and a pointer indicating a call-data buffer address of the next incoming call;

searching for an idle agent, at predetermined intervals, in accordance with respective ones of currently prevailing routing steps with regard to a prescribed number of incoming calls from the head of a queue; and

removing said incoming call from the call queue thereof when said incoming call is routed to an idle agent.

9. A call distribution control system in a private branch exchange for routing an incoming call from a pilot extension to an idle agent in an agent group when the incoming call from a trunk or another extension has terminated at the pilot extension, comprising:

a plurality of agent groups each constituted by agents having predetermined priority levels assigned thereto;

a routing table, provided for a corresponding pilot extension, for designating an agent group to which an incoming call is to be routed;

a queue memory for storing queues of the idle agents for each priority level in each agent group; and

call distribution control means for routing the incoming call to an idle agent having the highest priority level, in the agent group that is designated by said routing table,

wherein said call distribution control means searches for an idle agent having the highest priority level in the agent group designated by said routing table by reference to said queues of the agents for each priority level, routes an incoming call to the searched agent, releases the agent, to which the incoming call has been routed, from a corresponding queue of said idle agents, and connects said released agent to a tail end of the corresponding queue in response to an end of the incoming call.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein a prescribed agent is allocated to plural agent groups upon assigning a priority level to said prescribed agent so that many incoming calls are routed to said prescribed agent.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a call-queue memory for storing a call queue in an order in which incoming calls terminate at the pilot extension;

wherein the call distribution control means searches for an idle agent in a corresponding agent group with regard to a head incoming call of the call queue, and removes said incoming call from a call queue thereof when said incoming call has been routed to an idle agent.