Method and apparatus for connecting terminals in a remote consulting system

• US 6,256,661 B1
• Filed: 09/19/1997
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mizuno, Hirotaka, Terahama, Yukinori, Oomura, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/934,063
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/227, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/209, 709/201, 345/329, 345/330, 345/336, 395/182.02, 379/201, 379/93.21, 380/25, 714/4, 710/220
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

When a remote service terminal is to be connected, the present invention executes the following procedure.

The lobby terminal selects a clerk terminal which can correspond to a consulting detail and the selected clerk terminal is connected to the lobby terminal and carries out a remote consultation. When the lobby terminal selects an unattended agent server, the lobby terminal retrieves the past reply corresponding to the consulting detail of the user and displays it at the lobby terminal. When the clerk terminal corresponding to the consulting detail becomes connectable while the unattended agent server is corresponding to the user of the lobby terminal, the unattended agent server takes over the consulting detail to the clerk terminal. When there is no clerk terminal to be changed when the consultation is over, the unattended agent server sends the inquiry data which is to be replied to the user asynchronously to the clerk terminal by a communication means separately.

Claims

1. A method for connecting terminals in a remote consulting system by using a computer system including a lobby terminal for use by a customer when issuing an inquiry for consultation, a clerk terminal for use by a special expert clerk to reply to an inquiry for consultation, an unattended agent server having functions of storing past inquiry and reply data, sending to said lobby terminal reply data corresponding to an inquiry from said lobby terminal, and taking over an inquiry and reply with said lobby terminal, a connection server for making connections between lobby terminals and clerk terminals, and maintaining a connective status of the clerk terminals, and communication lines for providing connections between said terminals and said servers, said method comprising the steps of:

monitoring by said connection server, to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation is connectable or not;

connecting said lobby terminal issuing said inquiry for consultation to a connectable clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation, and connecting said lobby terminal issuing said inquiry for consultation to said unattended agent server when there is no connectable clerk terminal;

changing, by said connection server, a connection to said lobby terminal from said unattended agent server to a clerk terminal when said clerk terminal becomes connectable during a consultation between said lobby terminal and said unattended agent server; and

sending from said unattended agent server to said clerk terminal exchange information concerning the consultation between said lobby terminal and said unattended agent server, said exchange information being used by said clerk terminal to take over the consultation.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said lobby terminal displays a table of codes of clerk terminals able to connect to said lobby terminals, and a clerk terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal is determined based on said table.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein if a plurality of clerk terminals corresponding to the same inquiry for consultation are connectable, said connection server determines priority of assignment for the consultation based on past consulting frequency of each of said clerk terminals and displays on said lobby terminal codes of clerk terminals of which consulting frequencies are lower.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein if there is no connectable clerk terminal corresponding to an inquiry for consultation, said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server, and said connection server controls the consultation and monitors said clerk terminals to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation becomes connectable.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein when a clerk terminal corresponding to an inquiry for consultation is not connectable and cannot take over the consultation now occurring between said unattended agent server and said lobby terminal, inquiry information from said user stored in said unattended agent server is sent asynchronously to said clerk terminal for replying to the inquiry.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said connection server controls the connective status of said clerk terminals in real time, extracts a clerk terminal connectable to a lobby terminal requesting connection, and sends to said lobby terminal information identifying the extracted clerk terminal together with information related to the extracted clerk terminal.

7. A method of connecting terminals in a remote consulting system by using a connection server for controlling connective status of a lobby terminal receiving a consultation from a customer, a clerk terminal receiving a reply from an expert clerk in response to an inquiry for consultation, and an unattended agent server carrying out a consultation with said lobby terminal based on past inquiry and reply data, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting said lobby terminal to said unattended agent server when said lobby terminal cannot be connected to said clerk terminal;

monitoring by said connection server to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation becomes connectable;

changing a connection to said lobby terminal from said unattended agent server to said clerk terminal, when said clerk terminal becomes connectable while said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server; and

taking over the consultation from said unattended agent server by the clerk terminal that has become connectable, said inquiry and reply data being stored until said changing.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein a clerk terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal is determined based on the past consulting frequency of each of a plurality of clerk terminals.

9. A remote consulting system for interconnecting terminals to permit remote consulting, comprising:

a plurality of lobby terminals each for use by a customer when issuing an inquiry for consultation;

a plurality of clerk terminals each for use by a special expert clerk to reply to an inquiry for consultation;

an unattended agent server having functions of storing past inquiry and reply data, sending to said lobby terminal reply data corresponding to an inquiry for consultation from said lobby terminal and taking over an inquiry and reply with said lobby terminal;

a connection server for monitoring to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation is connectable or not, and connecting said lobby terminal issuing said inquiry for consultation to a connectable clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation and to said unattended agent server when there is no connectable clerk terminal;

communication lines for providing connections between said terminals and said servers,

wherein said connection server changes a connection to a lobby terminal from said unattended agent server to a clerk terminal, when said clerk terminal becomes connectable during a consultation between said lobby terminal and said unattended agent server; and

wherein said unattended agent server sends to said clerk terminal exchange information concerning the consultation between said lobby terminal and said unattended server, said exchange information being used by said clerk terminal to take over the consultation.

10. A remote consulting system according to claim 9, wherein said lobby terminal displays a table of codes of clerk terminals able to connect to said lobby terminal, and a clerk terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal is determined based on said table.

11. A remote consulting system according to claim 10, wherein if a plurality of clerk terminals corresponding to the same inquiry for consultation are connectable, said connection server determines priority of assignment for the consultation based on the past consulting frequency of each of said clerk terminals and displays on said lobby terminals code of clerk terminals of which consulting frequencies are lower.

12. A remote consulting system according to claim 9, wherein if there is no connectable clerk terminal corresponding to an inquiry for consultation, said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server, and said connection server controls the consultation and monitors said clerk terminals to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation becomes connectable.

13. A remote consulting system according to claim 9, wherein when a clerk terminal corresponding to an inquiry for consultation is not connectable and cannot take over the consultation now occurring between said unattended agent server and said lobby terminal, inquiry information from said user stored in said unattended agent server is sent asynchronously to said clerk terminal for reply to the inquiry.

14. A remote consulting system according to claim 9, wherein said connection server controls the connective status of said clerk terminals in real time, extracts a clerk terminal connectable to a lobby terminal requesting connection and sends to said lobby terminal information identifying the extracted clerk terminal together with information related to the extracted clerk terminal.

15. A remote consulting system for interconnecting terminals to permit remote consulting, comprising:

a lobby terminal issuing an inquiry for consultation from a customer;

a clerk terminal receiving a reply from an expert clerk in response to an inquiry for consultation; and

an unattended agent server carrying out a consultation with said lobby terminal based on past inquiry and reply data,

a connection server which monitors to determine whether a clerk terminal corresponding to said consultation is connectable or not,

wherein said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended agent server when said lobby terminal cannot be connected to said clerk terminal;

wherein a connection from said lobby terminal to said unattended agent server is changed to said clerk terminal, when said clerk terminal becomes connectable while said lobby terminal is connected to said unattended server; and

wherein the consultation being conducted by said unattended agent server with said lobby terminal is taking over by said clerk terminal when the connection is changed to said clerk terminal, wherein said inquiry and reply data is stored until the connection is changed.

16. A remote consulting system according to claim 15, wherein a clerk terminal to be connected to said lobby terminal is determined based on past consulting frequency of a plurality of clerk terminals.