System and method for enabling a hierarchal collaboration of devices across a communication channel

• US 6,615,245 B1
• Filed: 04/06/1999
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IAC Search & Media Incorporated (Match Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ask Jeeves, Inc. (IAC, Inc.)
• Inventors: McFall, Michael E., Graves, Kelly, Sturmer, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): BANANKHAH, MAJID A
• Application Number:
  US09/287,198
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/204, 709/104, 709/200, 709/212, 709/213, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 707/9, 707/10, 705/39, 705/40
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A system and method for enabling a hierarchal collaboration of devices across a common communication channel, e.g., the Internet. Embodiments of the present invention define a plurality of devices, e.g., computer systems operating as servers. Each device is capable of receiving one or more inquiries from at least one user and locally providing data in response to such inquiries. However, when the locally available data is not responsive to the user'"'"'s inquiry, the inquiry is redirected to another device that has responsive data and the response is received therefrom. In accordance with a significant feature of a preferred embodiment, a common resource exchange stores status data corresponding to each device. This status data, e.g., data corresponding to the ability and availability of each device to provide a response, is used to determine where (to which device) the inquiry is redirected.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a plurality of devices to collaborate across a communication channel, said system comprising:

a common resource exchange for storing status data corresponding to each said device and providing said status data to each said device;

a first device comprising;

at least one uniquely-identified first message center processor capable of receiving a data request from at least one user and providing a response to said data request to said user; and

a first director processor associated with said first message center processor capable of redirecting said data request from said first message center processor to another message center processor according to said status data provided from said resource exchange;

a second device comprising;

at least one uniquely-identified second message center processor capable of receiving a data request from at least one user and providing a response to said data request to said user; and

a second director processor associated with said second message center processor capable of redirecting said data request from said second message center processor to another message center processor according to said status data provided from said resource exchange; and

wherein

said message center processors are coupled to each other using a common communication channel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said director processors is capable of receiving said redirected data requests from another director processor and directing said data requests to an associated message center processor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said resource exchange is coupled to said director processors using said common communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said common communication channel is the Internet.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each said message center processor additionally comprises a database for containing data responsive to data requests from said users.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein each said message center processor is capable of interfacing to an agent for controlling access to said database in response to said user data request.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said agent is a person.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said agent is a software-implemented process.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said agent is interfaced to said message center processor using said common communication channel.

10. The system of claim 5 additionally comprising a log for recording transactions between one said user and one said message center.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said message center additionally enables data to be extracted from said log file and added to said database.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said first director processor and said first message center processors are formed as a single server.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said status data includes data for restricting a user from viewing the identity of said message center processor which is providing responses to said user.

14. A method for providing data to one or more users from one of a plurality of devices coupled to each other across a common communication channel, wherein each of said devices maintains status data in a common resource exchange, said method comprising the steps of:

said user requesting data from a first one of said devices;

said first device determining whether said data is locally available from said first device and delivering said data to said user if said data is locally available;

said first device retrieving status data from said resource exchange;

said first device directing said data request to a second device according to said retrieved status data;

said second device generating a reply to said requested data;

said second device directing said reply to said first device; and

said first device providing said reply to said user.

15. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising the steps of:

said devices notifying said resource exchange of status changes in each said device; and

said resource exchange notifying each said device whenever said resource exchange has been notified of a status change in one of said devices.

16. The method of claim 14 additionally comprising the step of each said device logging transactions between said devices and said users.

17. The method of claim 16 additionally comprising the step of periodically searching for logged transactions according to prescribed criteria.

18. The method of claim 17 additionally comprising the steps of:

formatting a database entry according to logged transactions found in said searching step; and

storing said formatted entry in a database.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said providing step additionally comprises identifying said second device to said user conditional upon visibility data within said status data.

20. A method for providing data to a user from one of a plurality of devices coupled to each other across a common communication channel, wherein a common resource exchange maintains status data corresponding to each said device, said method comprising the steps of:

said user requesting data from a first one of said devices;

said first device determining whether said data is locally available from said first device and delivering said data to said user if said data is locally available;

said first device directing said data request to said resource exchange and said resource exchange directing said data request to a second device according to said status data contained within said resource exchange;

said second device generating a reply to said requested data;

said second device directing said reply to said first device; and

said first device providing said reply to said user.

21. The method of claim 20 additionally comprising the step of said devices notifying said resource exchange of status changes in each said device.

22. The method of claim 20 additionally comprising the step of each said device logging transactions between said devices and said users.

23. The method of claim 22 additionally comprising the step of periodically searching for logged transactions according to prescribed criteria.

24. The method of claim 23 additionally comprising the steps of:

formatting a database entry according to logged transactions found in said searching step; and

storing said formatted entry in a database.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein said providing step additionally comprises identifying said second device to said user conditional upon visibility data within said status data.

26. In an on-line customer support environment, a collaboration system for connecting some or all of a plurality of customer systems, comprising:

a plurality of message center processors, wherein each message center processor includes customer support data, customer support logs and has associated therewith an availability status;

a plurality of call directors, wherein each call director is associated with an entity;

a plurality of resource tables, wherein each resource table is associated with one of the call directors and maintains at least availability statuses for each message center processor associated with the entity associated with the resource table'"'"'s call director;

intake logic within each message center processor for accepting messages from customers;

transfer logic within each message center processor for transferring a customer from that message center processor to another message center processor when that message center processor determines that it does not have customer support data to support that customer, including logic to consider the availability status of the other message center processor when determining which message center processor to transfer the customer to; and

a resource exchange coupled to the plurality of call directors for providing updates as to availability status of at least some of the plurality of message center processors.

27. The collaboration system of claim 26, wherein the resource exchange includes logic to selectively provide updates such that a call director is not updated as to availability of a set of message center processors where the set of message center processors is associated with an entity that has not authorized that call director to handle its calls.

28. The collaboration system of claim 26, wherein the message center to customer communication and the call director to resource exchange communication is over a common communication channel.

29. The collaboration system of claim 28, wherein the common communication channel is the Internet.

30. The collaboration system of claim 26, wherein the intake logic couples a customer computer system to one of the message center processors, the message center processors are operated by agents and the availability status for a message center processor is an indication as to whether the agent operating that message center processor is available handle addition customer interactions.

31. The collaboration system of claim 30, wherein the agents are persons.

32. The collaboration system of claim 30, wherein the agents are software-implemented processes.