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

• US 6,345,305 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• 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, Johnstone, Joel A, Knuff, Charles Dazler, Berke, Jonathan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/565,254
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/59, 705/1, 379/67, 379/88.13, 709/203, 709/217, 709/242, 709/238, 709/224
• 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. A method for managing transactions between transaction partners, including customers, business partners, agents, and knowledge workers, in a multimedia communication center, comprising steps of;

a) managing media contact between the customers, business partners and the communication center by an external media layer;

b) processing transactions by a workflow layer, including capturing each transaction as a multimedia file and extracting knowledge from transactions;

c) managing media contact with the agents and knowledge workers by an internal media layer;

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

e) routing media events between the transaction partners based on the knowledge and relationships of transactions in the knowledge base.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein in step b) the workflow layer comprises further steps of;

identifying customer transactions by customer and media type;

preparing and storing a text version of at least a portion of the transaction,

associating the text version with the transaction,

mining the text versions for knowledge;

storing the knowledge in the knowledge base; and

using the extracted knowledge at least for routing media events between transaction partners.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, in step (b) recorded transactions are threaded chronologically, and knowledge from previously threaded transactions are also used in the routing of incoming media events between transaction partners.