Multimedia telecommunication automatic call distribution system using internet/PSTN call routing

• US 6,614,783 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CosmoCom, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: CosmoCom, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Dellutri, Stephen, Sonesh, Ari
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US09/457,704
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/354-356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/412, 370/389, 370/230, 370/524, 370/496, 370/349, 348/16, 725/25, 379/88.17, 379/93.17, 379/88.18, 379/266.01, 709/230, 709/229, 709/202, 709/277, 709/219, 709/228, 345/709, 705/52
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• 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 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5235 Dependent on call type or called number [DNIS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A multimedia telecommunication automatic call distribution center which allows access to the call center via a plurality of access means, including telephone and data networks to provide simultaneous voice, data, and video access, and ensures effective transparent spreading of agents over different geographical locations. The automatic call distribution center of the present invention uses a multimedia automatic call distribution server acting as connection manager for data network callers and provides for automatic caller identification.

Claims

1. A method for distributing telephone calls comprising the steps of:

receiving a telephone call from a caller in at least one server connected to an Internet Protocol network;

obtaining data corresponding to the caller, the data including an interest of the caller;

automatically determining at least one destination for said telephone call from a plurality of geographically distributed destinations matching the data including the interest of the caller;

converting said telephone call into Internet Protocol compatible packet data;

assigning an available destination of said at least one destination over said Internet Protocol network; and

sending said packet data to the available destination over said Internet Protocol network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of converting said telephone call to said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

packetizing said telephone call into packets;

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said telephone call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of converting said telephone call into said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

compressing said telephone call;

packetizing said telephone call into packets; and

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said telephone call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of converting said telephone call into said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

digitizing said telephone call;

compressing said telephone call;

packetizing said telephone call into packets; and

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said telephone call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

initiating a response to said telephone call in said available destination;

sending said response as an Internet Protocol session to said server connected to said Internet Protocol network;

converting said response into a format compatible with said telephone call; and

sending said response to said caller via said telephone call.

6. A method for processing electronic messages in a telecommunication call distribution center comprising the steps of:

receiving an electronic message from a caller in at least one server connected to an Internet Protocol network;

obtaining data corresponding to the caller, the data including an interest of the caller;

automatically determining at least one destination for said electronic message from a plurality of geographically distributed destinations matching the data including the interest of the caller;

assigning an available destination of said at least one destination over said Internet Protocol network; and

sending said electronic message to the available destination over said Internet Protocol network.

7. A method for processing multimedia telecommunication calls comprising the steps of:

receiving a call sent by a caller in at least one server connected to an Internet Protocol network;

obtaining data corresponding to the caller, the data including an interest of the caller;

automatically determining at least one destination for said call from a plurality of geographically distributed destinations matching the data including the interest of the caller;

identifying the source and type of said call;

assigning an available destination of said at least one destination over said Internet Protocol network; and

sending said call to the available destination over said Internet Protocol network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step of identifying the source and type of said call comprises the steps of:

identifying whether the source is a telephone network or an Internet Protocol call; and

identifying whether said call type is live or message.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of converting said call into an Internet Protocol session.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of converting said call into said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

packetizing said call into packets;

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said call.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of converting said call into said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

compressing said call;

packetizing said call into packets; and

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said call.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of converting said call into said Internet Protocol session comprises the steps of:

digitizing said call;

compressing said call;

packetizing said call into packets; and

assigning an Internet Protocol address, as the available destination of said packets, to said call.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

initiating a response to said call in said available destination;

sending said response as an Internet Protocol session to said server connected to said Internet Protocol network;

converting said response into one of an analogue and digital format compatible with said telephone call in said server connected to said Internet Protocol, wherein said source is identified as a telephone network; and

sending said response to said caller.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of said call and said response includes at least one of voice signals and video signals, and wherein the step of converting between analog voice signals and IP protocol voice data is performed in at least one of a processor operated by said caller and a processor associated with said available destination.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of selectably remotely controlling at least one of a web browser, file transfer software and a telephony application operating on a processor operated by the caller by a processor associated with the available destination, wherein the source is identified as an Internet Protocol call.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of allocating an IP address to the caller wherein said source is an Internet Protocol call.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

waiting for one of said at least one destinations to become available for receiving said call; and

placing said call in a wait queue for subsequent distribution to a first destination of said at least one destinations to become available.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

assigning a priority value for use by said wait queue.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of identifying the source and type of said call comprises the step of identifying whether the source is a telephone network or an Internet protocol call;

and

further comprising the step of providing the caller of said call in said wait queue with access to multimedia content, wherein said access includes browsing the Internet Protocol network and web pages provided by the server connected to said Internet Protocol network, and wherein the source of said call is identified to be an IP protocol call.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said access to multimedia content is provided over a web server connected to said Internet Protocol network.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of providing chat capabilities via at least one of text, voice and video for said caller while waiting on said wait queue with other callers waiting on one of said queue or another queue of said server connected to said Internet Protocol network, wherein said source is an Internet Protocol call.

22. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of:

providing said caller of said call with multimedia content that comprises wait time information.

23. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of sending an IP address of said available destination to said caller.

24. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of accessing stored data corresponding to said caller in said server and said available destination.

25. The method of claim 7, wherein said server is capable of interfacing only with a data network when processing said call.