External positivistic forward transfer in call routing systems

• US 5,905,792 A
• Filed: 06/20/1997
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miloslavsky, Alec
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US08/879,184
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/267, 379/309, 379/201, 379/207, 379/220, 379/219-222, 379/242, 379/245, 379/246
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/12 Marking faulty circuits "busy"; Enabling equipment to disengage itself from faulty circuits ; Using redundant circuits; Response of a circuit, apparatus or system to an error
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/367 Traffic or load control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5236 Sequential or circular distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 : A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 : Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 : CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 : Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13145 : Rerouting upon failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 : Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13174 : Data transmission, file transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13282 : Call forward, follow-me, call diversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1336 : Synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 : involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 : Distributing or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 : Traffic distributors

Abstract

A telephone call-routing system includes an initial call-processing system having a first telephone line adapted for receiving calls from customers and a processor system, and a remote call-in center comprising a computerized telephony switch connected to a plurality of telephones at operator workstations. The processor system is adapted to route calls to individual ones of the telephones, and is connected by a telephony line to the initial call processing system. A telephony server is connected to the telephony switch by a first high-speed data link and has a digital network communication link to the processor system. The telephony server is adapted to monitor activity of the telephony switch and to report the activity to the processor system over the digital network link. The processor system selects a destination for an incoming call based on the activity reported to the processor system by the telephony server, and immediately routes the call to the selected destination, setting a semaphore for destination busy, and forwarding a data packet associated with the call by the destination phone number to the telephony server over the digital network link.

Claims

1. A telephone call-routing system, comprising:

an initial call-processing system having a first trunk for receiving calls from customers; and

a remote call-in center comprising a telephony switching apparatus connected to telephones at a plurality of agent workstations, and connected by a second trunk to the initial call processing system, and a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) server connected to the telephony switching apparatus by a CTI link and having a communication link separate from the second trunk to the initial call processing system, and connected by a local area network (LAN) to computer stations at the agent workstations, the CTI server monitoring activity of the telephony switching apparatus and reporting status of the switching apparatus to the initial call processing system over the communication link;

wherein the initial call-processing system selects an agent workstation destination for an incoming call based in part on the activity reported by the CTI server, negotiates a semaphore, being a virtual telephone number of the switching apparatus at the call center, with the CTI server over the communication link, switches the call to the semaphore number at the switching apparatus, sets a busy indication for the negotiated semaphore at the initial call-processing system, and forwards data associated with the call, including an indication of the semaphore number, to the CTI server over the communication link, and wherein the CTI server sends the associated data to the computer station at the destination agent workstation and switches the call from the semaphore number to the telephone extension at the destination agent workstation.

2. The telephone call-routing system of claim 1 wherein the communication link between the telephony server and the processor system operates in TCP/IP protocol.

3. The telephone call-routing system of claim 1 further comprising a customer database connected to the LAN.

4. The telephone call-routing system of claim 3 wherein the CTI server uses the associated data to retrieve additional data from the customer database, and sends the additional data to the computer station at the destination agent station as well.

5. An initial call processing system comprising:

a first trunk adapted for receiving an incoming call from a customer and a second trunk for routing incoming calls to remote switching apparatus; and

a processor system coupled to the first trunk conducting initial processing and routing of the incoming call, the initial processing resulting in data associated with the incoming call;

wherein the processor system negotiates a semaphore, being a virtual telephone number at the remote switching apparatus, with a CTI processor connected to the remote switching apparatus, switches the incoming call to the semaphore number at the remote switching apparatus, and transmits the data over a communication link separate from the second trunk to the CTI processor to be associated with the call.

6. The initial call processing system of claim 5 wherein the separate communication link operates in TCP/IP protocol.

7. A method for routing an incoming call from a caller via a trunk to a selected destination, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving the incoming call;

(b) preparing data associated with the incoming call;

(c) selecting a final destination for the call based on stored information about availability of possible destinations;

(d) negotiating a semaphore number at a telephony switching apparatus with a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor over a communication link separate from the trunk;

(e) switching the incoming call over the trunk to the telephony switching apparatus, while transmitting the data over a communication link separate from the trunk, the data associated with the telephone call by the semaphore number at the telephony switching apparatus; and

(f) switching the call to the final destination by the CTI processor and transmitting the data to the same destination.

8. A call center comprising:

a telephony switching apparatus having a trunk for receiving calls from a network initial-processing center;

a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor connected to the telephony switching apparatus by a CTI link and a communication link to the initial-processing center separate from the trunk; and

a plurality of agent stations having each at least one telephone connected by an extension line to the telephony switching apparatus and a computer station connected to the CTI processor by a local area network (LAN);

wherein the CTI processor negotiates a semaphore, being a virtual telephone number at the telephony switching apparatus, with the initial processing center over the separate communication link, for a call received at the initial processing center and routed thereby to an agent station at the call center, accepts data associated with the call over the separate communication link, transfers the data by the LAN to the agent station to which the call is destined, and switches the call to the same agent station when the call arrives at the semaphore number in the switching apparatus.

9. The call center of claim 8 wherein the communication link operates in TCP/IP protocol.

10. The call center of claim 8 further comprising a customer database connected to the LAN.

11. The call center of claim 8 wherein the CTI server uses the associated data to retrieve additional data from the customer database, and sends the additional data to the destination agent station as well.

12. A telephone call-routing system, comprising:

an initial call-processing system having a first trunk for receiving calls from customers; and

a remote call-in center comprising a telephony switching apparatus connected to telephones at a plurality of agent stations, and connected by a second trunk to the initial call processing system, and a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) server connected to the telephony switching apparatus by a CTI link and having a communication link separate from the second trunk to the initial call processing system, and connected by a local area network (LAN) to computer stations at the agent workstations, the CTI server monitoring activity of the telephony switching apparatus and reporting status of the switching apparatus to the initial call processing system over the communication link;

wherein the initial call-processing system selects an agent station destination for an incoming call based in part on the activity reported by the CTI server, selects a locally-stored semaphore indicated as free, being a virtual telephone number of the switching apparatus at the call center, switches the call to the semaphore number at the switching apparatus, sets a busy indication for the negotiated semaphore at the initial call-processing system, and forwards data associated with the call, including an indication of the semaphore number, to the CTI server over the communication link, and wherein the CTI server sends the associated data to the computer station at the destination agent station and switches the call from the semaphore number to the telephone extension at the destination agent workstation, and notifies the initial call processing center when the semaphore is again free.

13. The telephone call-routing system of claim 12 wherein the communication link between the telephony server and the processor system operates in TCP/IP protocol.

14. The telephone call-routing system of claim 13 further comprising a customer database connected to the LAN.

15. The telephone call-routing system of claim 14 wherein the CTI server uses the associated data to retrieve additional data from the customer database, and sends the additional data to the computer station at the destination agent station as well.

16. An initial call processing system comprising:

a first trunk adapted for receiving an incoming call from a customer and a second trunk for routing incoming calls to remote switching apparatus; and

a processor system coupled to the first trunk conducting initial processing and routing of the incoming call, the initial processing resulting in data associated with the incoming call;

wherein the processor system selects a semaphore, being a virtual telephone number at the remote switching apparatus, from a database local to the initial call processing system, switches the incoming call to the semaphore number at the remote switching apparatus, sets the semaphore to busy at the local database, and transmits the data over a communication link separate from the second trunk to a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor connected to the remote switching apparatus to be re-associated with the call at the remote switching apparatus.

17. The initial call processing system of claim 16 wherein the separate communication link operates in TCP/IP protocol.

18. A method for routing an incoming call from a caller via a trunk to a selected destination, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving the incoming call at an initial call-processing center;

(b) preparing data associated with the incoming call;

(c) selecting a final destination for the call based on stored information about availability of possible destinations;

(d) selecting a semaphore number at a telephony switching apparatus to which the final destination for the call is connected, and setting the semaphore as busy at the initial call processing center;

(e) switching the incoming call over a trunk to the telephony switching apparatus while transmitting the data over a separate communication link to a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor, the data associated with the telephone call by the semaphore number at the telephony switching apparatus; and

(f) switching the call to the final destination by the CTI processor and transmitting the data to the same destination by the CTI processor.

19. A call center comprising:

a telephony switching apparatus having a trunk for receiving calls from a network initial-processing center;

a Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) processor connected to the telephony switching apparatus by a CTI link and a communication link to the initial-processing center separate from the trunk; and

a plurality of agent stations having each at least one telephone connected by an extension line to the telephony switching apparatus and a computer station connected to the CTI processor by a local area network (LAN);

wherein the CTI processor monitors the switching apparatus for a call switched to a semaphore number at the switching apparatus, wherein the semaphore number indicates an agent station to which the call is destined, accepts data by the communication link identified as associated with the same semaphore number, transmits the data to the agent station, and switches the call to the same agent station.

20. The call center of claim 19 wherein the communication link operates in TCP/IP protocol.

21. The call center of claim 19 further comprising a customer database connected to the LAN.

22. The call center of claim 19 wherein the CTI server uses the associated data to retrieve additional data from the customer database, and sends the additional data to the destination agent station as well.