Statistically-predictive and agent-predictive call routing

• US 5,940,497 A
• Filed: 10/10/1997
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US08/948,875
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/207, 379/201, 379/211, 379/112, 379/220, 379/221, 370/270, 370/271, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/265.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• 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 2213/13093 : 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 2213/13164 : 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 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 : Network management
• 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

An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system has a call-routing processor on a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, and receives and re-routes incoming calls to remote computer stations adapted to receive such calls. The call-routing processor, upon routing a call to a selected one of remote stations, sets a semaphore that the remote station is busy and routed no more calls to that remote station until the semaphore is reset. In one embodiment, after a return signal that the call is answered, the semaphore is set to continue for a pre-determined average call-duration time, after which it is reset, and further calls may be routed, even though no signal is returned that the call has been completed. In some embodiments the remote stations comprise call centers wherein a central call-center managing processor re-routes calls to computer agent workstations connected to the managing processor on a local area network (LAN).

Claims

1. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system adapted for routing incoming calls to individual ones of remote computer stations, comprising:

a wide area network (WAN) connection for receiving and forwarding incoming calls; and

a call-routing processor coupled to the WAN and to the remote computer stations, the call-routing processor adapted to receive and use information about availability of the remote computer stations in routing calls;

wherein the call-routing processor, upon routing a selected call to a selected one of the remote computer stations, sets a semaphore that the selected computer station is busy, and routes no further calls to that computer station until the semaphore is released, and after a pre-set latency time for return of an agent busy signal after the selected call is routed to the selected remote computer station, and after a signal is received that the call was answered, the semaphore is reset to continue for an average time based on call history, after which time the semaphore is released, allowing further calls to be routed to the selected remoter computer station.

2. The IPNT call-routing system of claim 1 wherein the remote computer stations comprise a call center having a call-center managing processor connected by a local area network (LAN) to a plurality of computers at agent workstations, the managing processor adapted to route calls received at the call center to individual ones of the computers at the agent workstations, the managing processor connected to the WAN, and adapted to report status of agent computer stations relative to distributed IPNT calls to the call-routing system.

3. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system adapted for routing incoming calls to individual ones of remote computer stations, comprising:

a wide area network (WAN) connection for receiving and forwarding incoming calls; and

a call-routing processor coupled to the WAN and to the remote computer stations, the call-routing processor adapted to receive and use information about availability of the remote computer stations in routing calls;

wherein the call-routing processor, upon routing a selected call to a selected one of the remote computer stations, sets a semaphore that the selected computer station is busy, and routes no further calls to that computer station until the semaphore is released, and wherein, after a pre-set latency time for return of an agent busy signal after the selected call is routed to the selected remote computer station, in the absence of the busy signal, the semaphore is immediately released, allowing further calls to be routed to the selected remote computer station.

4. In an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system having a routing processor storing information about the status of remote computer stations, a method for routing calls to individual ones of the remote computer stations, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving an incoming call;

(b) routing the incoming call to a selected one of the remote computer stations, based on stored information that the selected remote computer station is available and not busy; and

(c) setting a semaphore in the routing processor, at the time the incoming call is routed, to busy for a first pre-programmed period of time determined to be the known latency time for real-time return of a signal that the remote computer station is busy, and not routing further calls to the selected one of the remote computer stations while the semaphore is set; and

(d) with return of a real-time signal that the selected remote computer station is busy, resetting the semaphore to busy for a second pre-programmed period of time after the first pre-programmed period of time, the second pre-programmed period of time being a period of time determined to be an average historical time for call duration at remote computer stations.

5. In an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system having a routing processor storing information about the status of remote computer stations, a method for routing calls to individual ones of the remote computer stations, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving an incoming call;

(b) routing the incoming call to a selected one of the remote computer stations, based on stored information that the selected remote computer station is available and not busy; and

(c) setting a semaphore in the routing processor, at the time the incoming call is routed, to busy for a first pre-programmed period of time determined to be the known latency time for real-time return of a signal that the remote computer station is busy, and not routing further calls to the selected one of the remote computer stations while the semaphore is set; and

(d) after the first pre-programmed period of time, and in the absence of the return of a real-time signal that the selected remote computer station is busy, the semaphore is immediately released, allowing further calls to be routed to the selected remote computer station.