Integrated telephony network combining a packet data network and a dedicated—connection network

• US 6,459,697 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1997
• 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: Neyman, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US09/191,276
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/466, 370/389, 370/392, 370/377, 370/384, 370/385, 370/410, 709/210, 709/217, 709/202, 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/220
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/6472 Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• 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 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0045 involving hybrid, i.e. a mixture of public and private, or multi-vendor systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing

Abstract

An integrated telephony network includes both a connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) network and a data network telephony (DNT) network, the two networks connected by a dual-ported interactive voice response (IVR) server, the ports adapted to communicate with callers from each network, and a dual-ported translating bridge unit adapted to bi-directionally translate between the data protocols of the connected networks. Each network has at least one service control point (SCP) connected to the IVR, and calls received in either network are routed by connecting callers to the IVR for eliciting information from the caller, and then further routing either in the receiving network or over the translating bridge unit into and through the opposite network according to the information elicited from the caller. An SCP in the DNT network is implemented by connecting a computer-telephony integration (CTD) server to at least one IP router in the DNT. The DNT network may be the Internet and the COST network can be any publicly-switched telephone network.

Claims

1. An interactive Voice Response (IVR) server comprising:

a telephone trunk for receiving connection-oriented, switched telephony (COST) calls from a COST network;

a Data Network Telephony (DNT) port for receiving DNT calls from a DNT packet network;

a CTI-enhanced IP Router acting as a Service Control Point (SCP) for determining routing of DNT calls; and

control routines for automated interaction with both COST and DNT callers, including forwarding information elicited from callers to intelligent peripherals in either of the COST and DNT networks for after processing and routing of both COST and DNT calls;

characterized in that data elicited from callers in the DNT network is transmitted via the DNT network to the CTI-enhanced IP Router acting as a SCP for determining routing of DNT calls.

2. The IVR server of claim 1 wherein the DNT network is the Internet.

3. The IVR server of claim 1 wherein the COST network is a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN).

4. The IVR server of claim 1 wherein the data elicited from callers in the COST network is transmitted via a data link to a Service Control Point (SCP) in the COST network for determining routing of calls.

5. An integrated telephony network, comprising:

a connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) network having network switching apparatus for switching calls from origination points to final destinations and service control points (SCPs) for initial processing of calls and determining destinations;

a data-network telephony (DNT) network having interconnected multiple IP routers, some of which are connected to and enhanced by computer-telephony integration (CTI) servers;

a dual-ported interactive voice response (IVR) server having one port connected to the COST network and one port connected to the DNT network, the IVR interacts with and elicits information from callers from either network; and

a dual-ported translating bridge server connected to both the COST and the DNT network, the bridge server for translating call protocol between the COST protocol and the DNT protocol in either direction;

wherein calls received in either network are routed to the IVR for eliciting information from the caller, and then are further routed either in the receiving network or over the translating bridge unit into and through the opposite network according to the information elicited from the caller.

6. The integrated network of claim 5 wherein the DNT network is the Internet.

7. The integrated network of claim 5 wherein the COST network is a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN).

8. The integrated network of claim 5 wherein the information elicited from callers in the COST network is transmitted via a data link to a Service Control Point (SCP) in the COST network for determining routing of calls.

9. The integrated network of claim 5 wherein the information elicited from callers in the DNT network is transmitted via the DNT network to an SCP-equivalent, CTI-enhanced IP Router for determining routing of DNT calls.

10. The integrated network of claim 5 wherein the information elicited from callers in the DNT network is transmitted via the DNT network to an SCP-equivalent, CTI-enhanced IP Router for determining routing of DNT calls.

11. A method for routing calls in an integrated network having both a connection-oriented switched telephony (COST) network and a data network telephony (DNT) network, comprising steps of:

(a) connecting a dual-ported interactive voice response (IVR) server adapted to interact with the protocol of either network to both networks;

(b) connecting a dual-ported translating bridge unit adapted to bi-directionally translate between the two network protocols to each network;

(c) providing a service control point (SCP) in the COST network for receiving and further routing COST calls;

(d) providing a SCP in the DNT network by connecting a computer telephony integration (CTI) server to one or more IP routers in the DNT network; and

(e) routing calls received in either network by connecting callers to the IVR for eliciting information from the caller, and then further routing either in the receiving network or over the translating bridge unit into and through the opposite network according to the information elicited from the caller.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the DNT network is the Internet.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the COST network is a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN).

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the information elicited from callers in the COST network is transmitted via a data link to a Service Control Point (SCP) in the COST network for determining routing of calls.