Call center with fault resilient server-switch link

• US 6,005,920 A
• Filed: 01/03/1997
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuller, Herbert I., Obudzinski, Daniel J., Black, Floyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford N.
• Application Number:
  US08/775,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/112, 379/26, 379/32, 379/34, 379/1, 379/2, 379/12, 379/22, 379/6
• US Class Current: 379/9.05
• 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 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A call center comprising a call routing switch, a plurality of servers, a plurality of agent stations coupled to said switch and servers and related equipment. Each of the servers is connected to the switch through a communication link. In an initial state one or more links is defined as active and one or more links is defined as standby or inactive. Upon failure of one of said active links, applications on the server to which the failed link is connected are switched to another server. A previously inactive standby link to the other server is activated. Various configurations of the call center and a method for system operation are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An internal call center, comprising:

at least a first CTI server and a second CTI server;

a failover communication path between said first and second CTI servers;

a private branch exchange (PBX) switch for receiving an incoming call;

a first dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that couples said first CTI server to said PBX switch;

a second dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that couples said second CTI server to said PBX switch, wherein said first and second CT links are respectively operated by first and second link protocol logic, and said monitoring logic includes interrogation logic in each CTI server that interrogates its corresponding link protocol logic to determine the status of its corresponding CT link;

monitoring logic within each of said first and second CTI servers that respectively monitors a status of said first and second CT links;

switchover logic that switches over CT link operation from said first CT link to said second CT link when said monitoring logic indicates that said first CT link has failed;

restart logic at least in said first CTI server that attempts to restart said first link when said monitoring logic in said first CTI server indicates that said first CT link has failed;

registration logic within at least said first CTI server that permits registration of a link hierarchy that establishes a hierarchy of which CT link(s) to switchover to in the event of a failure of said first CT link; and

reconfiguration logic within said switchover logic that, in the event of a failure of said first CT link, reconfigures said link hierarchy to remove a failed first CT link and form a new hierarchy based on said second CT link.

2. The call center of claim 1, further comprising logic within at least said first CTI server that provides active and standby system CT link configuring menus, thereby providing a user with ease and flexibility in configuring said resilient call center system.

3. The call center of claim 1, further comprising a third CTI server coupled to said first and second CTI servers by said failover communication path;

a third dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that couples said third CTI server to said PBX switch; and

wherein said registration logic registers said third CT link as a failover link for at least one of said first and second links.

4. The call center of claim 1, wherein said link protocol logic implements an ASAI link protocol.

5. A resilient call center system, comprising:

a private branch exchange (PBX) switch for receiving an incoming call;

at least a first CTI server and a second CTI server;

a failover communication path between said first and second CTI servers;

a first dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that is supported by a link protocol logic and that couples said first CTI server to said PBX switch;

a second dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that is supported by said link protocol logic and that couples said second CTI server to said PBX switch;

determining logic in at least said first CTI server that interrogates said first link protocol logic to determine if said first CT link is not functioning properly;

switching logic in communication with said determining logic that updates said first link protocol logic and said second link protocol logic such that operation of said internal call center is switched at least in part from said first telephony link and first CTI server to said second telephony link and said second CTI server when said first telephony link is determined to not be functioning properly;

restart logic at least in said first CTI server that attempts to restart said first link when said monitoring logic in said first CTI server indicates that said first CT link has failed;

registration logic within at least said first CTI server that permits registration of a link hierarchy that establishes a hierarchy of which CT link(s) to switchover to in the event of a failure of said first CT link; and

reconfiguration logic within said switchover logic that, in the event of a failure of said first CT link, reconfigures said link hierarchy to remove a failed first CT link and form a new hierarchy based on said second CT link.

6. The call center of claim 5, wherein said links are ASAI links.

7. A method of call center operation, comprising the steps of:

providing a first CTI server and a second CTI server coupled to one another;

providing a private branch exchange (PBX) switch for receiving an incoming call;

providing a first dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that couples said first CTI server to said PBX switch;

providing a second dedicated bi-directional computer telephony (CT) link that couples said second CTI server to said PBX switch;

monitoring a status of said first and second CT links;

switching over operation from said first CT link to said second CT link when said first CT link has failed;

interrogating link protocol logic to determine the status of a corresponding one of said first and second CT links;

attempting to restart said first CT link when said first CT link is determined to not be functioning properly; and

registrating a link hierarchy that establishes a hierarchy of which CT link(s) to switchover to in the event of a failure of said first CT link.