System and method for identifying a data record associated with a transferred telephone call

• US 6,256,381 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Donaghue, Norman J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/183,753
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/207, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221, 379/265, 379/266, 379/309, 379/212, 379/233
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0457 Connection protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

A system and method for identifying a data record associated with a transferred telephone call which is not dependent on the hardware of the particular telephone network and systems involved. In the preferred embodiment, to transfer a telephone call from a first call center to a second call center, the application server of the first call center sends a transfer request which includes the data record associated with the telephone call and the destination directory number (DDN) to which the call is to be transferred by the application server of the second call center. The application server of the second call center responds by sending a transfer response which includes a Direct Inward Dialing (DID) telephone number selected from a pool of available members to be used to establish the call transfer. The application server of the second call center also stores a transfer coordination record which contains the data record, the DID number and the DDN. Upon arrival of the transferred telephone call to the second call center, the application server of the second call center uses the DID number of the transferred call to access the stored DDN number to redirect the telephone call to the intended destination in the second call center and to access the data record and re-associate the data record with the transferred telephone call. Once the transferred call and associated data record have been re-associated the DID number is available for re-use.

Claims

1. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

a first call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls originating with call origination devices;

a first telephone call receiver associated with said first call connector, said first telephone call receiver configured to receive telephone calls from said first call connector originated by said call origination devices;

data records, each associated with one of said originating telephone calls originated by one of said call origination devices;

an assignment processor configured to assign a transfer routing telephone number to each of said data records to produce a first assignment;

a second call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls from said first call connector, said second call connector being associated with said assigned transfer routing telephone number;

a call processor associated with said first call connector, said call processor configured to use said assigned transfer routing telephone number to initiate a call processor controlled telephone call via the telephone network to said second call connector while said originating call origination device remains connected via said originating telephone call to said first call connector, said call processor configured to include said originating call origination device in said call processor controlled telephone call;

a second telephone call receiver associated with said second call connector, said second telephone call receiver configured to receive telephone calls from said second call connector including said call processor controlled telephone call; and

an access processor associated with said second call connector, said access processor configured to use said assigned transfer routing telephone number and said first assignment to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

2. The data record and telephone handling system of claim 1, further including:

a second assignment processor configured to assign a second transfer routing telephone number to said accessed data record to produce a second assignment;

a third call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls from said second call connector, said third call connector being associated with said assigned second transfer routing telephone number;

a second call processor associated with said second call connector, said second call processor configured to use said assigned second transfer routing telephone number to initiate a second call processor controlled telephone call via the telephone network to said third call connector while said originating call origination device remains connected via said originating telephone call to said second call connector, said call processor configured to include said originating call origination device in said call processor controlled telephone call; and

a second access processor associated with said third call connector, said access processor configured to use said assigned second transfer routing telephone number and said second assignment to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said access processor associated with said second call connector accesses said data record associated with said originating telephone call using the data network having a communication path separate from a communication path of said processor telephone call.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said call processor associated with said first call connector establishes said call processor controlled telephone call in which said first telephone call receiver and said originating call origination device are placed in communication with said second telephone call receiver.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said first and second call connectors are private branch exchanges (PBX).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said first and second call connectors are automated call distributors (ACD).

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said assigned transfer routing telephone number is a DID number.

8. The system of claim 1, further including:

a first assignment server associated with said first call connector, said first assignment server having a data transmitter to transmit said data record associated with said originating telephone call to the data network and having a receiver to receive said assigned transfer routing telephone number transmitted thereto via the data network; and

a second assignment server associated with said second call connector, said second assignment server having a data receiver to receive said data record associated with said originating telephone call and transmitted by said first assignment server, said second assignment server having a selector processing unit to select said assigned transfer routing telephone number from a pool of transfer routing telephone numbers, said second assignment server having a data transmitter to transmit said assigned transfer routing telephone number to said receiver of first assignment server via the data network, said second assignment server having an electronic index generator to generate an electronic index for said assignment which indexes said assigned transfer routing telephone number to said data record associated with said originating telephone call; and

wherein said access processor uses said index to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call with said assigned transfer routing telephone number.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said access processor uses said data record associated with said originating telephone call to access another data record.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said data record associated with said originating telephone call contains information about said originating telephone call.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said first call connector is non-homogeneous with said second call connector.

12. The system of claim 1, further including:

first and second application servers associated with first and second call centers, respectively, said first application server includes said call processor and said second application server includes said assignment processor and said access processor; and

first and second computer workstations associated with first and second application servers respectively, said first computer workstation configured to modify said data record associated with said originating telephone call and said second computer workstation configured to retrieve information via said access processor based on said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

13. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

a first telephone call receiver configured to receive telephone calls including telephone calls originated by call origination devices;

data records, each associated with one of said originating telephone calls originated by one of said call origination devices;

an assignment processor configured to assign a transfer routing telephone number to each of said data records to produce an assignment;

a call processor associated with said first telephone call receiver and configured to use said assigned transfer routing telephone number to initiate a call processor controlled telephone call via the telephone network to a second telephone call receiver, said call processor configured to include said originating call origination device in said processor telephone call to place said originating call origination device in communication with said second telephone call receiver; and

an access processor associated with said second telephone call receiver, said access processor configured to use said assigned transfer routing telephone number and said assignment to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

14. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

a first call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls originating with call origination devices;

a first telephone call receiver associated with said first call connector, said first telephone call receiver configured to receive telephone calls from said first call connector originated by said call origination devices;

data records, each associated with one of said originating telephone calls originated by one of said call origination devices;

a selector configured to select DID numbers from a set of DID numbers;

an index generator configured to generate an electronic index to link one of said selected DID numbers to each of said data records to produce an index;

a second call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls placed to telephone numbers including said set of DID numbers from said first call connector;

a call processor associated with said first call connector, said call processor configured to use said selected DID number to initiate a call processor controlled telephone call via the telephone network to said second call connector while said originating call origination device remains connected via said originating telephone call to said first call connector, said call processor configured to include said originating call origination device in said processor telephone call;

a second telephone call receiver associated with said second call connector, said second telephone call receiver configured to receive telephone calls from said second call connector including said call processor controlled telephone call; and

an access processor associated with said second call connector, said access processor configured to use said selected DID number and said index to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said set of DID numbers is those DID numbers that arc available from a pool of reusable DID numbers, the available DID numbers including a most recently made available DID number and a least recently made available DID number, wherein an available DID number becomes unavailable upon being selected by said selector and linked to said data record associated with said originating telephone call and remains unavailable until said access processor accesses said data record associated with said originating telephone call.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein prior to selection, said selected DID number was the most recently made available DID number.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein prior to selection, said selected DID number was the least recently made available DID number.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said selector selects from said set of DID numbers based on an ordering within said set of DID numbers.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said ordering within said set of DID numbers comprises a sequential order.

20. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

a plurality of call connectors including first, second, and third call connectors, said first call connector configured to receive and route telephone calls from the plurality of call connectors;

a telephone call receiver associated with said first call connector, said telephone call receiver configured to receive a telephone call from said first call connector, including a connector telephone call from said second call connector, wherein said second call connector uses a connector telephone number to identify to the telephone network said first call connector as the recipient of said connector telephone call;

a data record associated with an original telephone call to said third call connector;

a processor associated with said first call connector, said processor configured to use said connector telephone number to access said data record associated with said original telephone call.

21. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

a data record generator configured to generate an electronic data record unique to each telephone call of a plurality of telephone calls; and

an index generator configured to generate an electronic index to link to each said electronic data record a transfer routing telephone number that identifies to the telephone network a call connector to which the corresponding telephone call is transferred and serves to access the electronic data record at that call connector.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said transfer routing telephone number linked to each said electronic data record is from a pool of available DID numbers.

23. A data record and telephone call handling method for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling method comprising:

receiving a first telephone call associated with a data record;

selecting a transfer routing telephone number;

assigning said telephone number to said data record to produce an assignment;

establishing a transfer telephone call using said transfer routing telephone number; and

accessing said data record using said transfer routing telephone number and said assignment.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said transfer routing telephone number is selected from transfer routing telephone numbers in a pool of reusable available transfer routing telephone numbers, wherein an available transfer routing telephone number becomes an unavailable transfer routing telephone number upon being selected and remains unavailable until said data record to which said unavailable transfer routing telephone number is assigned, is accessed.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said transfer routing telephone number is selected from an ordered set of transfer routing telephone numbers based upon an ordering of said set of transfer routing telephone numbers.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said accessing is through the data network separate from the telephone network used for the transfer telephone call.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said transfer routing telephone number is selected from a pool of available DID numbers.

28. A data record and telephone call handling system for use with a telephone network and a data network, said data record and telephone call handling system comprising:

call connectors configured to receive and route telephone calls, including telephone calls originating with call origination devices, each call connector being associated with a pool of transfer routing telephone numbers;

telephone call receivers, each associated with one of said call connectors and configured to receive telephone calls from said associated call connector;

data records, each associated with one of said originating telephone calls originated by one of said call origination devices;

assignment processors, each configured to assign one of said transfer routing telephone numbers associated with said call connectors to each of said originating telephone calls to produce an assignment;

call processors, each associated with one of said call connectors, said call processors configured to use one of said assigned transfer routing telephone numbers to initiate transfer of said originating telephone call corresponding thereto via the telephone network to said call connector associated with said assigned transfer routing telephone number for receipt by said telephone call receiver associated therewith, while said call origination device originating said originating telephone call remains connected via said originating telephone call to said call connector originally receiving said originating telephone call; and

access processors, each associated with one of said call connectors, said access processors each configured to use said assigned transfer routing telephone number of said call connector associated with said assigned transfer routing telephone number and said assignment to access said data record associated with said originating telephone call.