Agent-initiated dynamic requeing

• US 5,953,332 A
• Filed: 10/09/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• 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): VU, HUY DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/947,737
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/351, 370/389, 370/392, 370/400, 370/401, 379/210, 379/211, 379/212, 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/220, 379/221, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 340/827, 340/826
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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

In an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system, a call-routing processor connected to a wide area network (WAN) for receiving and forwarding calls is adapted to receive IPNT calls and to route them to remote computer stations based on information available at the routing processor. Remote stations are adapted in a manner that enables an agent at a remote station, upon determining that a call has been mis-routed for any reason, to return the call to the routing processor, which is adapted for re-routing the call based on the fact of return. In some cases the agent who originally receives the call may elicit further information from the caller, and send the new information back to the router with the call. The router in this instance uses the new information in re-routing. Calls may be re-routed cold, by allowing the first agent to talk to the second before the call is connected to the second, or by conferencing the first agent, the second agent, and the caller.

Claims

1. An Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-routing system, comprising:

a call-routing processor connected to a wide area network (WAN) and adapted for receiving, processing, and routing incoming IPNT calls to IP addresses on the WAN; and

a computer station connected to the WAN and adapted for receiving IPNT calls from the call-routing processor;

wherein the computer station is adapted for an agent to receive an IPNT call originated by a caller, to elicit information from the caller, and to return the call to the call-routing processor associated with the newly-elicited information, and wherein the call-routing processor is adapted to re-route the call to a new IP address, using the newly-elicited information in the re-routing decision.

2. The call-routing system of claim 1 further comprising a call-center having a managing processor wherein the computer station is one of a plurality of such stations coupled to the managing processor, the managing processor adapted for distributing calls received from the call-routing processor to individual ones of the associated computer stations.

3. The call-routing system of claim 2 wherein the computer stations are adapted for agents to return calls for re-routing, and calls may be returned to the managing processor, which is adapted for re-routing to other computer stations adapted to the managing processor, or to the re-routing processor at network level, where calls may be re-routed to other call centers and computer stations remote from the managing processor.

4. In a system adapted for routing an incoming Internet Protocol Network Telephony call by a call-routing-processor from a caller to individual agents at individual ones of remote computer stations, a method for routing and re-routing calls, comprising steps of:

(a) routing a call to a first agent at a first computer station;

(b) determining, by the first agent that the call should go to another agent, the first agent eliciting information from the caller;

(c) returning the call to the call-routing processor by the first agent, including the information elicited from the caller;

(d) re-routing the call to a second agent at a second computer station by the routing processor using the elicited information from the caller in the re-routing.