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
• Sponsoring Entity: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories 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
• Time in USPTO: 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, e.g. organising, planning, scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resourcesEnterprise planningOrganisational models financial asset management G06Q40/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 : Office automation, e.g. computer aided management of electronic mail or groupware electronic mail protocols H04L29/06 ; arrangements for user-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, e.g. e-mail or instant messages, H04L41/00Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting organizing, planning, scheduling or allocating time G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 29/06 : characterised by a protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 29/06027 : Protocols for multimedia communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 : MGC, MGCP or Megaco decomposed PSTN/ISDN-IP gateways H04M7/1255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4007 : Services involving a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel sessions real time messaging, e.g. instant messaging, interacting with other applications or services H04L51/046; multichannel or multilink protocols H04L69/14; services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services H04M7/0024
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 : adapted for terminals or networks with limited resources or for terminal portability, e.g. wireless application protocol [WAP] services or facilities specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking or protocol conversion arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways, H04L12/66; network management protocols conversion H04L41/0226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer, i.e. layer seven network arrangements or network communication protocols for networked applications H04L67/00; digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific applications G06F19/00; data processing systems and methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial or managerial purposes G06Q
• 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

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.