Switchless call processing

• US 6,175,562 B1
• Filed: 04/29/1997
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Intervoice Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Cave, Ellis K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US08/846,961
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/270, 395/200.31, 395/200.32, 395/200.33, 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 379/211, 379/212, 379/213, 379/93.12, 379/265, 379/266, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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: 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

Abstract

A switchless Automatic Call Distribution (“ACD”) system distributing incoming calls to call agents networked via a low-cost data network such as an ethernet. Standard POTS calls are received from the Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”), whereupon a POTS/packet gateway digitizes the signal (if necessary) and compresses it, advantageously from μ-law format (64 Kbps) down to approximately 5-6 Kbps. The POTS/packet gateway then converts the signal into a packetized format. Responsive to a call distribution algorithm identifying the next available agent by IP address, the caller'"'"'s packetized voice signals are distributed to the agent over the ethernet. At the same time, Web-enabled database tools generate “documents,” advantageously in html, containing database information regarding the caller. These documents are then distributed to the agent over the ethernet. The agent may then converse with the caller using a headset connected to a standard desktop computer running CODEC software to transmit and receive packetized voice signals. At the same time, the computer runs browser software to allow the agent to receive html documents and send back updated information while talking to the caller. As a result, the ACD system has been optimized into a switchless ethernet connecting agents operating standard desktop computers running low-cost CODEC and browser software.

Claims

1. A switchless call distribution system, comprising:

means for exchanging voice signals between a packetized switchless network and a plurality of remote callers connected in part over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

means for assigning a corresponding agent to communicate with each of the callers;

means for retrieving selected information associated with ones of the callers, said information retrieved from an information server; and

means for enabling each agent to converse through a computer with the caller assigned thereto while interacting through the computer with retrieved information associated with the caller assigned thereto, wherein said means for enabling further includes;

means for generating documents containing said retrieved information in browser-readable format;

means for concurrently routing each caller'"'"'s voice signals and browser-readable documents to the corresponding agent'"'"'s computer over the network, wherein each agent'"'"'s computer includes means for receiving the voice signals of the caller assigned thereto and for transmitting responsive agent voice signals, and wherein each agent'"'"'s computer further includes means for displaying browser-readable documents retrieved for the caller assigned thereto and for generating responsive processing;

means for routing said responsive agent voice signals to the corresponding caller over the network; and

means for routing said responsive processing to the information server over the network.

2. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which ones of the remote callers are connected in part over Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines.

3. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which ones of the remote callers are connected in part over T1 lines.

4. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging includes means for converting incoming analog signals to digital signals and means for converting outgoing digital signals to analog signals.

5. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging includes means for converting incoming streaming signals to packetized signals and means for converting outgoing packetized signals to streaming signals.

6. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging includes means for compressing incoming signals and means for decompressing outgoing signals.

7. The switchless call distribution system of claim 6, in which incoming signals are compressed from approximately 64 Kbps to approximately 6 Kbps, and in which outgoing signals are decompressed from approximately 6 Kbps to approximately 64 Kbps.

8. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which voice signals from remote callers include μ

-law encoded signals.

9. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging includes a voice response unit (VRU).

10. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging includes a voice browser protocol.

11. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the packetized switchless network is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) an ethernet;

(b) the Internet;

(c) a Local Area Network; and

(d) a Wide Area Network.

12. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, further comprising means for identifying the callers.

13. The switchless call distribution system of claim 12, in which the means for identifying is operable using Automatic Number Identification (ANI).

14. The switchless call distribution system of claim 12, in which the means for identifying is operable using robotic interrogation of the callers by a Voice Response Unit (VRU).

15. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which agent computers run browser software and CODEC software.

16. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which agents converse with callers via microphones and speakers coupled to said conversing agents'"'"' computers.

17. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which each agent has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, and in which agents, by notifying the means for assigning of their IP addresses, thereby make themselves available to be assigned callers.

18. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for assigning is operable using a predetermined Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) algorithm.

19. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the information server is coupled to a data source.

20. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which said browser-readable documents are in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML).

21. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which said browser-readable documents are generated by web-enabled database tools.

22. The switchless call distribution system of claim 21, in which said web-enabled database tools are resident at the information server.

23. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the means for exchanging and the means for assigning are combined into a Switchless Call Distribution (SCD) resource, the SCD resource including a VRU, an ACD application control, a CODEC, a packetizer and a voice browser protocol, and in which control links between the SCD resource and the information server are enabled via the network.

24. The switchless call distribution system of claim 1, in which the information server includes a web database controller and a dynamic HTML server.

25. A switchless call distribution system, comprising:

a packetized switchless network selected from the group consisting of;

(a) an ethernet;

(b) the Internet,

(c) a Local Area Network; and

(d) a Wide Area Network;

a Switchless Call Distribution (SCD) resource, the SCD coupled to the network, the SCD resource including a Voice Response Unit (VRU), an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) application control, a CODEC, a packetizer and a voice browser protocol;

a plurality of agents each operating an agent computer coupled to the network, each agent computer identifiable on the network by a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, each agent computer further running browser software and CODEC software, each agent computer further having a microphone and speakers coupled thereto;

means for exchanging voice signals via the SCD and over the network between a plurality of remote callers connected in part over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the agent computers of selected agents assigned to said callers, said assignment enabled by the SCD according to a predetermined ACD algorithm,

the SCD further including means for obtaining indexing information from said remote callers, the means for obtaining operable using an information gathering method selected from the group consisting of (1) Automatic Number Identification (ANI) and (2) robotic interrogation of callers by the VRU; and

an information server coupled to a data source, the information server including web-enabled database tools, a web database controller and a dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) server, the information server operable to create browser-readable HTML documents from data in the data source responsive to said indexing information, the information server further operable to distribute said browser-readable documents to selected agent computers over the network according to IP address thereof, said distribution corresponding to said assignment of agents to callers.

26. A method for distributing calls to agents in a switchless environment, comprising the steps of:

(a) exchanging voice signals between a packetized switchless network and a plurality of remote callers connected in part over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

(b) assigning a corresponding agent to communicate with each of the callers;

(c) retrieving selected information associated with ones of the callers, said information retrieved from an information server; and

(d) enabling each agent to converse through a computer with the caller assigned thereto while interacting through the computer with retrieved information associated with the caller assigned thereto, wherein said enabling step includes the substeps of;

(1) generating documents containing said retrieved information in browser-readable format;

(2) coupling each agent'"'"'s computer to the network;

(3) concurrently routing each callers voice signals and browser-readable documents to the corresponding agent'"'"'s computer over the network;

(4) at each agent'"'"'s computer, receiving the voice signals of the caller assigned thereto and transmitting responsive agent voice signals;

(5) at each agent'"'"'s computer, displaying browser-readable documents retrieved for the caller assigned thereto and generating responsive processing;

(6) routing said responsive agent voice signals to the corresponding caller over the network; and

(7) routing said responsive processing to the information server over the network.

27. The method of claim 26, in which ones of the remote callers are connected in part over Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) lines.

28. The method of claim 26, in which ones of the remote callers are connected in part over T1 lines.

29. The method of claim 26, in which said exchanging step includes the substeps of converting incoming analog signals to digital signals and converting outgoing digital signals to analog signals.

30. The method of claim 26, in which said exchanging step includes the substeps of converting incoming streaming signals to packetized signals and converting outgoing packetized signals to streaming signals.

31. The method of claim 26, in which said exchanging step includes the substeps of compressing incoming signals and decompressing outgoing signals.

32. The method of claim 31, in which incoming signals are compressed from approximately 64 Kbps to approximately 6 Kbps, and in which outgoing signals are decompressed from approximately 6 Kbps to approximately 64 Kbps.

33. The method of claim 26, in which voice signals from remote callers include μ

-law encoded signals.

34. The method of claim 26, in which the packetized switchless network is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) an ethernet;

(b) the Internet;

(c) a Local Area Network; and

(d) a Wide Area Network.

35. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of identifying the callers.

36. The method of claim 35, in which said identifying step is accomplished using Automatic Number Identification (ANI).

37. The method of claim 35, in which said identifying step is accomplished using interrogation of the callers by a Voice Response Unit (VRU).

38. The method of claim 26, in which agent computers run browser software and CODEC software.

39. The method of claim 26, in which agents converse with callers via microphones and speakers coupled to said conversing agents'"'"' computers.

40. The method of claim 26, in which each agent has a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, and in which agents are assigned to callers by IP address.

41. The method of claim 26, in which said assigning step is accomplished using a predetermined Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) algorithm.

42. The method of claim 26, in which the information server is coupled to a data source.

43. The method of claim 26, in which said browser-readable documents are in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML).

44. The method of claim 26, in which said browser-readable documents are generated by web-enabled database tools.

45. The method of claim 44, in which said web-enabled database tools are resident at the information server.

46. A call handling system comprising:

a data network providing packetized data communication;

a call distribution resource coupled to said data network via a network interface of said call distribution resource, wherein said call distribution resource provides a voice signal interface between call systems of the call distribution resource communicating via packetized data signals and remote callers coupled to said call distribution resource via the public switched telephone network (PSTN), wherein said call systems of said call distribution resource include a voice response unit (VRU), an automatic call distribution (ACD) application, and said network interface;

a plurality of agent computers coupled to said data network, each agent computer identifiable on the network by a unique address, each agent computer running an agent call system operable to interface a live agent operating a corresponding one of said agent computers with a particular caller of said remote callers, wherein interfacing said live agent with said particular caller includes exchanging voice signals between said live agent and said particular caller via said data network and said network interface of said call distribution resource, said agent call system being further operable to interface said live agent with an information server coupled to said agent computer via said data network;

wherein said agent call system comprises browser software and CODEC software, wherein said browser software is utilized in said interfacing said live agent with said information server, and wherein said CODEC software is utilized in said interfacing said live agent with said particular caller; and

wherein said information server comprises web-enabled database tools, a web database controller and a dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) server, the information server operable to create browser-readable HTML documents from data in a data source responsive to caller indexing information, the information server further operable to distribute said browser-readable documents to selected agent computers over said data network, said distribution corresponding to assignment of said live agents to callers by said ACD application.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein said data network comprises a network selected from the group consisting of:

an Ethernet network;

the Internet;

a local area network; and

a wide area network.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein said call distribution resource including said voice response unit (VRU), said automatic call distribution (ACD) application, and said network interface are housed in a common box.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein said call distribution resource comprises:

an index information system operable to obtain indexing information from ones of said remote callers and for communicating said indexing information over said data network.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein said index information system is adapted to obtain said indexing information through the use of robotic interrogation of callers by said VRU call system.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein said index information system is adapted to obtain said indexing information through the use of automatic number identification (ANI).