Telephonic switching system, telephonic switch and method for servicing telephone calls using virtual memory spaces

• US 6,028,925 A
• Filed: 09/23/1996
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
• Inventors: Gisby, Doug, Van Berkum, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/717,559
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/258, 379/260, 379/261, 379/262, 379/263, 379/264, 379/265, 379/266, 379/267, 379/91.01, 379/92.01, 379/93.12 , 379/210, 379/221, 379/273, 379/309
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

A telephonic switching system 100 including a telephonic switch 102 services telephone calls received from telephonic units 104 through a telephonic network 106. The telephone calls are received at input ports 107 and placed in virtual memory spaces 118 by the telephonic switch 102. There is one virtual memory space 118 for each input port 107, or voice channel, in the telephonic switch 102 such that all telephone calls received by the switch 102 are placed in a different virtual memory space. Virtual agents 119 service the telephone calls in the virtual memory spaces 118. Each virtual agent 119 is associated with one of the virtual memory spaces 118. The virtual agents 119 may connect the telephone calls to any of a number of resources. Exemplary resources include a voice response unit 108, local agent units 110 and/or remote agent units 112.

Claims

1. A method for servicing a telephone call from a caller comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of virtual memory spaces, the virtual memory spaces having a different virtual agent assigned to each memory space;

receiving the telephone call on a voice channel of a plurality of voice channels associated with the virtual memory spaces;

placing the telephone call in one of the virtual memory spaces; and

servicing the telephone call through the voice channel from the one of the virtual memory spaces by the assigned virtual agent.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of servicing the telephone call comprises the step of:

obtaining information by the at least one virtual agent from the caller while the telephone call is in the one of the virtual memory spaces.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of servicing comprises the steps of:

selecting one of a plurality of resources by the at least one virtual agent to service the telephone call; and

connecting the telephone call to the selected one of the resources.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of selecting comprises:

using set matrix theory to select the one of the resources to service the telephone call.

5. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of:

selecting a voice response unit to service the telephone call.

6. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of:

selecting a human agent to service the telephone call.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 comprising the step of:

indicating that the telephone call is answered when the telephone call is placed in the one of the virtual memory spaces.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of placing comprises the step of:

providing one of the virtual memory spaces for each incoming telephone line connected to the telephonic switch.

9. A telephonic switching system for servicing a telephone call received on a voice channel of a plurality of voice channels, such switching system comprising:

a plurality of virtual memory spaces associated with the plurality of voice channels, said plurality of virtual memory spaces each having an assigned different virtual agent

a virtual memory space of the plurality of virtual memory spaces for placing the telephone call; and

an assigned different virtual agent of the virtual memory space for servicing the telephone call through the voice channel from the virtual memory space.

10. The telephonic switching system as recited in claim 9 comprising:

at least one resource for servicing the telephone call in response to the virtual agent.

11. The telephonic switching system as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one resource comprises:

a voice response unit for servicing the telephone call.

12. The telephonic switching system as recited in claim 10 wherein the at least one resource comprises:

an agent unit for servicing the telephone call by a human agent.

13. The telephonic switching system as recited in claim 12 wherein the agent unit comprises:

a remote agent unit for servicing the telephone call.

14. A telephonic switch for servicing telephone calls received through a plurality of voice channels comprising:

a plurality of virtual memory spaces associated with the plurality of voice channels for receiving the telephone calls; and

a plurality of virtual agents for servicing the telephone calls from the virtual memory spaces through the plurality of voice channels, each of the virtual agents being associated with at least one of the virtual memory spaces.

15. The telephonic switch as recited in claim 14 comprising:

input ports for receiving the telephone calls, and

wherein one of the virtual memory space is associated with a corresponding one of the input ports.