Method for determining free agent communication terminal apparatus in communication networks with an automatic call distribution

• US 5,844,982 A
• Filed: 09/27/1996
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Systems Technologies S.a.r.l. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Knitl, Reinhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US08/722,616
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/211, 379/214, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/207, 379/210
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

The method relates to a group (G) of agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) that are distributed over several communication systems (KS1, 2) of a communication network. If, given an incoming call (ar) in a communication system (KS1), no allocated agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) is still free for the respective group (G), a resource request (ra) is transmitted to communication systems (KS2) to which agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) of the same group (G) are connected. Using a response (aw), the addressed communication systems (KS2) indicate whether one of the agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) is free or whether they are all occupied. After the signaling of a free agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE), the incoming call (ar) is switched to the respective communication system (KS2). With the method, the groups (G) of agent communication terminal apparatus (AKE) are distributed to several communication systems (KS1, 2), with efficient and uniform utilization thereof.

Claims

1. A method for determining free agent communication terminal apparatus in communication networks with automatic call distribution, comprising the steps of:

respectively switching incoming calls addressed to a service number to a free agent communication terminal apparatus of a communication system, the free agent communication terminal apparatus being selected through the automatic call distribution from a respective group of agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the service number, the agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group being distributed via several communication systems of the communication network;

forming resource requests, given a call with a service number coming in to a respective communication system, for which call there is no longer a free agent communication terminal apparatus in the respective group of the respective communication system, and transmitting the resource requests to those communication systems to which agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group are distributed;

determining, in each communication system that receives a resource request, availability of an agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group and forming and transmitting a response to the requesting communication system;

identifying a communication system with a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group in the requesting communication system from the transmitted response, and switching the incoming call to the identified communication system using the automatic call distribution in the sense of a switching to the free agent communication terminal apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource request and the response are transmitted via the communication network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource request and the response are transmitted via an additional local network.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein given an availability of a respective agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group, the respective agent communication terminal apparatus is reserved.

5. The method according to claim 4, after identification of a communication system signaling a free agent terminal communication apparatus, a reservation release is formed by the automatic call distribution for other communication systems that likewise signal a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, and wherein this release is transmitted to the other communication systems, whereupon reservation of the agent communication terminal apparatus is removed in the other communication systems.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reservation of the respective agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group is removed after a predetermined time interval in the communication systems that transmit a response to the requesting communication system, provided that no reservation release for the respective agent communication terminal apparatus is received thereat.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the requesting communication system after a reception of responses that signal no free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, the incoming call is switched to an installation for further call handling by the automatic call distribution, or is rejected.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource request has

communication system information that represents originating and target communication systems,

line information that represents a physical communication connection that transmits the call respectively being received in the originating communication system,

a service number that represents an allocated group of agent communication terminal apparatus in the originating communication system, and

a service number that represents an allocated group of agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the response has

communication system information representing originating and target communication systems,

a line information that represents a physical communication connection that transmits the call respectively being received in the originating communication system,

a call number indicating free agent communication terminal apparatus, or identification information indicating that no agent communication terminal apparatus is free, and

a service number representing an allocated group of free or non-free agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system.

10. The method according to claim 9, the response further has at least one of:

set information indicating the number of agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group that are still free;

a non-occupied time interval of indicated free agent communication terminal apparatus;

the average non-occupied time interval of all agent communication terminal apparatus configured in the respective group.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reservation release has

communication system information that represents originating and target communication systems,

a call number that indicates the reserved agent communication terminal apparatus, and

a service number that represents an allocated group of reserved agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the communication systems receiving a resource request, after a determination of several free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, a free agent communication terminal apparatus to which no incoming call has been switched for the longest time interval is selected.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the requesting communication system, after reception of several responses respectively indicating a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, the free agent communication terminal apparatus of that response is selected according to at least one of the following criteria:

one of the communication systems of the free agent communication terminals in the respective group is preferred according to a predetermined sequence;

no incoming call has been switched to the indicated free agent communication terminal apparatus for a longest time interval;

a communication system having the greatest number of free agent communication terminal apparatus in the respective group;

an average non-occupied time interval of all agent communication terminal apparatus configured in the respective group is the longest.

14. A method for determining free agent communication terminal apparatus in communication networks with automatic call distribution, comprising the steps of:

respectively switching incoming calls addressed to a service number to a free agent communication terminal apparatus of a communication system, the free agent communication terminal apparatus being selected through the automatic call distribution from a respective group of agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the service number, the agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group being distributed via several communication systems of the communication network;

forming resource requests, given a call with a service number coming in to a respective communication system, for which call there is no longer a free agent communication terminal apparatus in the respective group of the respective communication system, and transmitting the resource requests to those communication systems to which agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group are distributed;

determining, in each communication system that receives a resource request, availability of an agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group and forming and transmitting a response to the requesting communication system;

identifying a communication system with a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group in the requesting communication system from the transmitted response, and switching the incoming call to the identified communication system using the automatic call distribution in the sense of a switching to the free agent communication terminal apparatus;

receiving, given an availability of a respective agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group, the respective agent communication terminal apparatus;

forming, after identification of a communication system signaling a free agent terminal communication apparatus, a reservation release by the automatic call distribution for other communication systems that likewise signal a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, and

transmitting this release to the other communication systems, whereupon reservation of the agent communication terminal apparatus is removed in the other communication systems.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the reservation of the respective agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group is removed after a predetermined time interval in the communication systems that transmit a response to the requesting communication system, provided that no reservation release for the respective agent communication terminal apparatus is received thereat.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the requesting communication system after a reception of responses that signal no free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, the incoming call is switched to an installation for further call handling by the automatic call distribution, or is rejected.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the communication systems receiving a resource request, after a determination of several free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, a free agent communication terminal apparatus to which no incoming call has been switched for the longest time interval is selected.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein in the requesting communication system, after reception of several responses respectively indicating a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, the free agent communication terminal apparatus of that response is selected according to at least one of the following criteria:

one of the communication systems of the free agent communication terminals in the respective group is preferred according to a predetermined sequence;

no incoming call has been switched to the indicated free agent communication terminal apparatus for a longest time interval;

a communication system having the greatest number of free agent communication terminal apparatus in the respective group;

an average non-occupied time interval of all agent communication terminal apparatus configured in the respective group is the longest.

19. A method for determining free agent communication terminal apparatus in communication networks with automatic call distribution, comprising the steps of:

respectively switching incoming calls addressed to a service number to a free agent communication terminal apparatus of a communication system, the free agent communication terminal apparatus being selected through the automatic call distribution from a respective group of agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the service number, the agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group being distributed via several communication systems of the communication network;

forming resource requests, given a call with a service number coming in to a respective communication system, for which call there is no longer a free agent communication terminal apparatus in the respective group of the respective communication system, and transmitting the resource requests to those communication systems to which agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group are distributed;

determining, in each communication system that receives a resource request, availability of an agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group and forming and transmitting a response to the requesting communication system;

identifying a communication system with a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group in the requesting communication system from the transmitted response, and switching the incoming call to the identified communication system using the automatic call distribution in the sense of a switching to the free agent communication terminal apparatus;

reserving, given an availability of a respective agent communication terminal apparatus allocated to the respective group, the respective agent communication terminal apparatus;

forming, after identification of a communication system signaling a free agent terminal communication apparatus, a reservation release by the automatic call distribution for other communication systems that likewise signal a free agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group, and wherein this release is transmitted to the other communication systems, whereupon reservation of the agent communication terminal apparatus is removed in the other communication systems;

the resource request having communication system information that represents originating and target communication systems, line information that represents a physical communication connection that transmits the call respectively being received in the originating communication system, a service number that represents an allocated group of agent communication terminal apparatus in the originating communication system, and a service number that represents an allocated group of agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system;

the response having communication system information representing originating and target communication systems, a line information that represents a physical communication connection that transmits the call respectively being received in the originating communication system, a call number indicating free agent communication terminal apparatus, or identification information indicating that no agent communication terminal apparatus is free, and a service number representing an allocated group of free or non-free agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system;

the response request further having at least one of set information indicating the number of agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group that are still free, a non-occupied time interval of indicated free agent communication terminal apparatus, and average non-occupied time interval of all agent communication terminal apparatus configured in the respective group;

the reservation release having communication system information that represents originating and target communication systems, a call number that indicates the reserved agent communication terminal apparatus, and a service number that represents an allocated group of reserved agent communication terminal apparatus in the target communication system.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the reservation of the respective agent communication terminal apparatus of the respective group is removed after a predetermined time interval in the communication systems that transmit a response to the requesting communication system, provided that no reservation release for the respective agent communication terminal apparatus is received thereat.