Apparatus and methods for coordinating internet protocol telephone and data communications

• US 6,625,139 B2
• Filed: 01/22/1998
• Issued: 09/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1995
• 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: Miloslavsky, Alec, Neyman, Igor, Torba, Dmitry A., Deryugin, Vladimir N., Turovsky, Oleg, Goecke, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/010,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20030021259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,070 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/259, 370/270, 370/357, 370/360, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.52, 370/465, 370/466, 370/475, 379/265.01, 379/266.01, 379/309, 379/211, 379/212, 379/265.02, 709/200, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/223
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• 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 3/5158 in combination with automated outdialling systems devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26
• 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 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• 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 7/00 : Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 : Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 : where the data service is an electronic mail service
• 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 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 : Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 : Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• 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 2213/13103 : Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 : Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 : Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 : Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 : PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13299 : Bus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 : Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13385 : Off-net subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/62 : for connecting to private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 : Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A telephony call center system comprises an Internet connection adapted for receiving data from a WEB server, the data originating from the computer platform of a person browsing the Internet, including data identifying the browsing person, such as a telephone number, an IP address or the like, and indicating to the WEB server a desire of the browsing person to communicate with an agent at the call center. The communication desired may be (a) a request for an agent at the call center to receive a call from the browsing person, or (b) a request for a call to be placed to the browsing person from the call center. In both (a) and (b) the practical result is a telephone conference between the browsing person and an agent at the call center. In the first instance (a), in response to the data from the WEB server to the call center, the call center provides to the WEB server, for transfer to the browsing person via the Internet, necessary data for the browsing person to place an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call to the browsing person, utilizing Internet Telephony software at the browsing person'"'"'s PC. The call center selects an agent, and initiates a watch for an arriving IPNT call from the browsing person. On arrival of the call, the call is routed to the selected agent. In the other instance (b), in response to the data, the call center enters the browsing person'"'"'s information, determines the appropriate IP address, and places an IPNT call to the browsing person. When the call placed from the center is answered, it is switched to a selected agent.

Claims

1. A system for conducting multimedia communication between a host and a client, comprising:

a host presentation server connected to a wide area network (WAN) wherein clients connect by computer and interact with a digital presentation provided by the presentation server; and

a computerized Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-placing and routing system;

wherein, initiated by client interaction with the digital presentation, the presentation server provides data to the IPNT call-placing and routing system identifying the client and requesting establishment of an IPNT call between the client and an agent of the host; and

wherein the computerized IPNT call-placing and routing system selects an agent associated with the host to interface on an IPNT call with the client, to return an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a routing point at the computerized IPNT call-placing and routing system to the presentation server, the IP address to be sent to the client, and to route an incoming IPNT call arriving at the routing point from the client to the selected agent.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computerized IPNT call-placing and routing system comprises an automatic IPNT call-dialer, and is adapted to place an IPNT call by the dialer to the client based on the data sent to the computerized call-placing and routing system by the presentation server, to select an agent of the host to interface with the client, and to connect a call answered by the client to the selected agent.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising agent stations having personal computers with video display units (PC/VDU) associated with the host, and wherein, in addition to the data identifying the customer and requesting an IPNT call, the presentation server sends the digital presentation to be displayed at the PC/VDU at the selected agent station when an IPNT call is received from the client and routed to the selected agent at the agent station.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein PC/VDUs at agent stations are connected to a local area network (LAN) with a file server having customer information also connected on the LAN, and wherein the computerized call-placing and routing system, based on the data from the presentation server identifying the client, retrieves data regarding the client from the file server and causes the data regarding the client to be displayed at the PC/VDU at the agent station when the call is received from the client and routed to the selected agent at the agent station.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the wide area network is the Internet, the server is a WEB server connected to the Internet, and the digital presentation is a WEB page hosted by the WEB server.

6. A telephony call center comprising:

a computerized Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call-placing and routing system connected to a wide area network (WAN) and adapted to receive data identifying a customer accompanied by IPNT call requests; and

a plurality of agent stations connected to the call-placing and routing system, each having a computer including a video display unit (PC/VDU);

wherein, upon receiving the data identifying a customer and an accompanying IPNT telephony request, the computerized telephony routing system selects an agent to interact with the customer, completes an IPNT call by returning an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a routing point to the client after receiving the request and identifying data, and then routing the IPNT call arriving at the routing point from the client to the PC/VDU at the agent station assigned to the selected agent.

7. The call center of claim 6 wherein the computerized telephony call-placing and routing system comprises an automatic dialer, and the automatic dialer places an IPNT call to the client based on the data sent to the computerized telephony call-placing and routing system, and connects a completed call to the client by the dialer to the selected agent.

8. The call center of claim 6 wherein the PC/VDUs at agent stations are interconnected on a local area network (LAN), and wherein the computerized telephony call-placing and routing system is adapted to receive a digital presentation from a remote server and to present the digital presentation on the PC/VDU at the agent station assigned to the agent to whom the IPNT call is routed, at the time the IPNT call from the client is received and routed to the PC/VDU at the agent station.

9. A presentation server hosted on a wide area network (WAN), comprising:

a transmission engine adapted to transmit a stored interactive digital presentation on the wide area network to a client on demand; and

control routines adapted to accept a request from the client for establishing an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call and to provide the request and an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the client to a connected call-placing and routing system;

wherein the control routines are further adapted to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a call-routing point from the call-placing and routing system, and to provide the IP address of the call routing point to the client making the call request.

10. The presentation server claim 9 wherein the presentation server is a WEB server connected to the Internet, and the interactive digital presentation is a WEB page.

11. In a system comprising a presentation server connected to a wide area network (WAN) and adapted to present a hosted interactive digital presentation to a client also connected to the WAN, a method for providing an Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT) call between the client and an agent representing a host of the digital presentation, the method comprising steps of:

(a) upon an input to the interactive digital presentation by the client, sending data identifying the client and requesting the IPNT call to a computerized telephony call-placing and routing system connected to a plurality of agent stations each having a computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU);

(b) selecting one of the plurality of agents to interface with the client requesting the IPNT call;

(c ) returning an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a routing point at the call-placing and routing system to the presentation server for transfer via the WAN to the client;

(d) receiving at the routing point an IPNT call from the client; and

(e) routing the received call to the selected agent.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising an automatic dialer at the call-placing and routing system, and wherein in step (d) the IPNT call is established by the dialer placing a call to the client based on the data sent to the call-placing and switching system identifying the client, and once connection to the client is made, switching the call to the selected agent.