Apparatus and methods enhancing call routing within and between call-centers

• US 5,940,496 A
• Filed: 05/30/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• 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, Gisby, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US08/866,357
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/212, 379/221, 379/230, 379/265, 379/266, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• 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 3/5166 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 system for rerouting misrouted calls between call centers has multiple call centers all connected by digital link to a central rerouter, which maintains a data list of a unique pool of destination numbers assigned to each of the call centers. The central rerouter sends rerouted calls to destination numbers in the destination number pool for each call center in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for any call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool for that call center are used once each. In a preferred embodiment call centers are interconnected by private lines, and rerouted calls are sent over the private lines.

Claims

1. A method for rerouting telephone calls received at a first call center to a second call center, comprising steps of:

(a) connecting a router by a network link to each of the first and second call centers;

(b) assigning a unique pool of rerouting destination numbers to the second call center; and

(c) sending rerouted calls from the first call center to the destination numbers in the second call center in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for the second call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool are used once each.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising multiple call centers, all interconnected with the router, each call center assigned a unique pool of destination numbers, wherein calls routed to each call center by the interconnected router are sent to the destination numbers in the associated unique pool in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for the second call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool are used once each.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the call centers are interconnected by private telephone lines, and rerouted calls are directed between call centers by the private telephone lines.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of destination numbers assigned to the second call center is greater than the number of calls that the router can send from the first call center to the second call center in one second, but less than twice the number that the router can send in one second.

5. A call rerouting system comprising:

a first call center and a second call center;

a rerouter connected to the first call center and to the second call center by digital network link; and

a pool of unique destination numbers assigned to the second call center;

wherein the rerouter sends rerouted calls from the first call center to the destination numbers in the second call center in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for the second call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool are used once each.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein a unique pool of destination numbers is assigned to each call center, calls are rerouted from each call center to the other, and the rerouter sends rerouted calls from the first call center to the destination numbers in the second call center and from the second call center to the destination numbers in the first call center in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for either call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool are used once each.

7. The system of claim 6 comprising more than two call centers interconnected with the call rerouter, wherein a unique pool of destination numbers is assigned to each call center, and wherein calls are sent to destination numbers in the pool assigned to each of the call centers in a sequential manner such that any destination number in the pool for any call center, once used, is not used again until all of the remaining destination numbers in the pool are used once each.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the call centers are interconnected by private telephone lines, and rerouted calls are directed over the private telephone lines.