ACD with packet data based agent interconnect

• US 6,061,347 A
• Filed: 03/03/1998
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Inc. (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hollatz, Michael C., Williams, Laird C., Werve, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phunkulh, Bob A.
• Application Number:
  US09/034,604
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 379/93.01, 379/93.14, 379/219, 379/220, 379/227, 379/258, 379/260, 379/265, 379/308, 379/309, 395/200.68, 395/200.72
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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 7/1205 where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing a voice path between a customer call connection received from a public switched telephone network at a switch of an automatic call distributor and an agent of the automatic call distributor at a remote location from the automatic call distributor and also a data connection between a terminal of the agent and a host of the automatic call distributor. The method includes the steps of setting up a dedicated telephone connection through the public switched telephone network between the automatic call distributor and agent at the remote location and establishing a voice internet protocol communication link between the automatic call distributor and agent through the dedicated connection for exchange of voice information between the customer and agent. The method further includes the step of establishing a data link between a database application of the host and a database application of the terminal of the agent through the dedicated connection.

Claims

1. A method of providing a voice path between a customer call connection received from a public switched telephone network at a switch of an automatic call distributor and an agent of the automatic call distributor at a remote location from the automatic call distributor and also a data path between a terminal of the agent and a host of the automatic call distributor, such method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call from the customer at a first port of the switch of the automatic call distributor along with an ANI and DNIS number of the call from the public switched telephone network;

determining which agent should handle the call based upon the ANI and DNIS numbers;

transferring a telephone number of the determined agent to a modem of the automatic call distributor;

transferring the telephone number of the agent from the modem of the automatic call distributor to the public switched telephone network for setup of a dedicated call connection between the modem of the automatic call distributor and modem of the terminal of the agent;

setting up the dedicated telephone connection through the public switched telephone network between the automatic call distributor and agent at the remote location;

establishing a call connection between the voice application of the automatic call distributor and the customer through the call switch of the automatic call distributor;

transferring a local area identifier of the voice application of the automatic call distributor to a controller of the modem of the automatic call distributor and an identifier of the modem of the automatic call distributor to the voice application of the automatic call distributor;

providing a voice application within the terminal of the agent which operates between the dedicated connection and an audio speaker and microphone of the agent and which converts between voice internet protocol of the dedicated connection and audible information of the agent;

establishing a voice internet protocol communication link between the automatic call distributor and agent through the dedicated connection for exchange of voice information between the customer and agent; and

establishing a data link between a database application of the host and a database application of the terminal of the agent through the dedicated connection.

2. The method of providing a voice and data path as in claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a voice internet protocol communication connection between a voice application of the automatic call distributor and a voice application of a terminal of the agent further comprises instructing the switch of the automatic call distributor to form a call connection between the call from the customer at the first port of the switch and a second port of the switch providing a connection to the voice application of the automatic call distributor.

3. Apparatus for providing a voice path between a customer call received from a public switched telephone network at a switch of an automatic call distributor and an agent of the automatic call distributor at a remote location from the automatic call distributor and also a data path between a terminal of the agent and a host of the automatic call distributor, such apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a call from the customer at a first port of the switch of the automatic call distributor along with an ANI and DNIS number of the call from the public switched telephone network;

means for determining which agent should handle the call based upon the ANI and DNIS numbers;

means for retrieving a telephone number of the determined agent from a lookup table;

means for transferring the retrieved telephone number of the determined agent to a modem of the automatic call distributor;

means for transferring the telephone number of the determined agent from the modem of the automatic call distributor to the public switched telephone network for setup of a dedicated call connection between the modem of the automatic call distributor and modem of the terminal of the agent;

means for setting up the dedicated telephone connection between the automatic call distributor and agent;

means for providing voice internet protocol processing which operates between the switch and dedicated connection and which converts between voice information of the customer call and voice internet protocol of the agent through the dedicated connection;

means for establishing a call connection between the means for providing voice internet protocol processing of the automatic call distributor and the customer through the switch of the automatic call distributor;

means for transferring a local area identifier of the voice application of the automatic call distributor to a controller of the modem of the automatic call distributor and an identifier of the modem of the automatic call distributor to the voice application of the automatic call distributor;

means for providing voice internet protocol processing within the terminal which operates between the dedicated connection and the agent and which converts voice information of the agent to voice internet protocol information of the dedicated connection;

means for establishing a voice internet protocol communication link between the automatic call distributor and agent through the dedicated connection for exchange of voice information between the customer and agent; and

means for establishing a data link between a database application of the automatic call distributor and a database application of the terminal of the agent through the dedicated connection.

4. The apparatus for providing a voice and data path as in claim 3 wherein the means for establishing a voice internet protocol communication connection between a voice application of the automatic call distributor and a voice application of a terminal of the agent further comprises means for instructing the switch of the automatic call distributor to form a call connection between the call from the customer at the first port of the switch and a second port of the switch providing a connection to the voice application of the automatic call distributor.