Operating system having external media layer, workflow layer, internal media layer, and knowledge base for routing media events between transactions

• US 6,108,711 A
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• 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: Beck, Christopher Clemmett Macleod, Mitchell, Robin Marie, Sidell, Mark Franklin, Powers, James Karl, Knuff, Charles Dazler, Berke, Jonathan Michael, Johnstone, Joel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/151,564
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 706/45, 709/238, 709/224, 709/203, 709/242
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• 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 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A customer-interaction network operating system for managing interactions in a multimedia communication center has an external media layer for managing media contact between customers and the communication center, a workflow layer for processing customer interactions and routing events to enterprise agents and knowledge workers; and an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers. The workflow layer captures each transaction, prepares a text version of at least a portion of each non-text transaction, and extracts knowledge from the text transaction or text version of a non-text transaction to be stored in a knowledge base for later use in routing and other management functions. All transactions, text versions, and extracted knowledge is related in storage for future analysis and use.

Claims

1. An operating system for managing transactions between transaction partners, including customers, business partners, agents, and knowledge workers, in a multimedia communication center, comprising;

an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center;

a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners;

an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and

a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions;

wherein the workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners.

2. The operating system of claim 1 wherein recorded transactions are threaded chronologically.

3. A multimedia communication center hosted by an enterprise, the center for managing transactions between transaction partners, comprising:

a CTI-enhanced, connection-oriented switched-telephony (COST) call switching apparatus connected to an incoming trunk line and to telephones at internal agent stations;

at least one data network telephony (DNT)-capable router connected by a data link to a wide area network available to the customers of the enterprise, and by internal local-area network (LAN) to personal computers having video display units (PCNVDUs) at the internal agent stations, the DNT-capable router also adapted to receive and send digital multimedia documents; and

a managing server hosting an interaction operating system;

wherein the interaction operating system comprises;

an external media layer for managing media contact between the customers and business partners and the communication center;

a workflow layer for processing transactions and routing media events between the transaction partners;

an internal media layer for managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers; and

a knowledge base for storing extracted knowledge from transactions and relationships between transactions;

wherein the workflow layer captures each transaction as a multimedia file, prepares and stores a text version of at least a portion of the transaction, associates the text version with the transaction, mines the text versions for knowledge, which is stored in the knowledge base, and uses the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners.

4. The communication center of claim 3 wherein recorded transactions and associated data are threaded chronologically.