Network with distributed service control point functionality

• US 6,728,359 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Jones, Matthew, Berry, Sandra D, De Carvalho, Francisco A
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US09/743,518
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 379/134, 379/88.23, 379/121.01, 379/207.02, 709/202, 709/224, 701/201
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/408 Customer-specific call routing plans
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5237 Interconnection arrangements between ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A telecommunications network for the automated switching of calls according to predefined user preferences has a plurality of computer platforms (100, 200, 300) at spaced locations, each platform including call receiving means (130, 230, 330), switch control means (120, 220, 320) for controlling the switching of incoming calls, and a Global data server (150, 250, 350) for maintaining real-time call destination status information. The switch control means of each platform is in communication with the Global data server of all of the other platforms. Call Destination Status information for a given user, is maintained on only one of the available Global data servers, with users being spread across the platforms to approximately equalise the loadings at each site. When an incoming call is received for a particular user, the switch control means arranges for it to be switched to a suitable destination, such as an Answer Centre, in dependence upon the original user preferences and the current real-time call destination status information; this may be maintained on one of the Global data servers at a site remote from that which has received the incoming call.

Claims

1. A telecommunications network for the automated switching of calls according to predefined user preferences, the network including a plurality of computer platforms, at spaced locations, each platform including:

(a) call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

(b) switch control means for controlling the switching of incoming calls; and

(c) a global data server, in communication with the switch control means, for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user;

the switch control means of each platform also being in communication with the global data server of at least one other platform; and

the switch control means being arranged to control switching of an incoming call for the given user according to the user preferences for the given user and according to information on real-time call destination statuses received from a given one of the global data servers on which information for the given user is maintained.

2. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which information for the given user is maintained on exactly one of the global data servers.

3. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which each platform further includes a user preferences server, in communication with the switch control means, for storing the predefined user preferences for a plurality of users.

4. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 3 in which each user preferences server stores an identical copy of the said predefined user preferences.

5. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 4 including a user front-end server for maintaining a master copy of the said predefined user preferences, of which the said identical copies are duplicates.

6. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 5 including user-actuable upload means enabling a user to upload his user preferences, or a modification to them to the user front-end server.

7. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which the given global data server increments the call-in-progress count for a specific call destination when the switch control means switches to an incoming call to the said specific call destination;

and in which it decrements the count when the said call is completed.

8. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which each switch control means maintains a record of the users which are associated with each of the global data servers, so that requests for call destination status information for a given user may be addressed to the correct global data server.

9. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which each global data server is arranged to maintain call destination status information in an object-oriented format, and is arranged to autocreate a new object if a switch control means communicates to it details of an object not previously known about.

10. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 9 in which users and call destinations are maintained as objects.

11. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which the switch control means is arranged to distribute calls between selected call destinations according to user-defined weightings within the user preferences.

12. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 11 in which the switch control means maintains a list of call destinations, to be tried sequentially by the switch control means as destinations for sequential incoming calls for the given user.

13. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 12 in which the switch control means requests instructions from the given global data server whenever the list is to be referred to, the global data server returning an index value which informs the switch control means of the required list access address;

the global data server then incrementing the index value in readiness for the next request.

14. A telecommunications network as claimed claim 11 in which there are a plurality of user-defined weightings within the user preferences, to be selected according to user-defined rules.

15. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 14 when dependent upon claim 14 in which the given global data server maintains a plurality of index values, one for each of the user-defined weightings.

16. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 1 in which each global data server returns control rate information indicating the rate at which it is currently receiving requests.

17. A telecommunications network as claimed in claim 16 in which each switch control means is arranged to vary its mode of operation in dependence upon the control rate information.

18. A computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination status information provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said global data server and said at least one other global data server.

19. A telecommunications network including a plurality of computer platforms at spaced locations, each computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform in said telecommunications network, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination status information provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said of global data server and said at least one other global data server.

20. A method of proportioning call distribution between a number of selected call destinations in a telecommunications network, wherein the network includes a plurality of computer platforms at spaced locations, each computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform included in said telecommunications network, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination statuses provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said of global data server and said at least one other global data server, wherein

the method comprises the steps of;

the user specifying user-defined weightings within the set of preferences;

the switch control means distributing incoming calls between said selected call destinations according to said user-defined weightings; and

the global data server maintaining a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user.

21. A telecommunications network for the automated switching of calls according to predefined user preferences, the network including a plurality of computer platforms, at spaced locations, each platform including:

(a) call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

(b) switch control means for controlling the switching of incoming calls; and

(c) a global data server, in communication with the switch control means, for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user, said list of call-in-progress counts being globally accessible;

the switch control means of each platform also being in communication with the global data server of at least one other platform; and

the switch control means being arranged to control switching of an incoming call for the given user according to the user preferences for the given user and according to information on real-time call destination statuses received from a given one of the global data servers on which information for the given user is maintained.

22. A computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user, said list of call-in-progress counts being globally accessible; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination status information provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said global data server and said at least one other global data server.

23. A telecommunications network including a plurality of computer platforms at spaced locations, each computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information including a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user, said list of call-in-progress counts being globally accessible; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform in said telecommunications network, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination status information provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said of global data server and said at least one other global data server.

24. A method of proportioning call distribution between a number of selected call destinations in a telecommunications network, wherein the network includes a plurality of computer platforms at spaced locations, each computer platform including:

a call receiving means for receiving incoming calls;

a global data server for maintaining real-time call destination status information; and

a switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls and to communicate with said global data server and to communicate with at least one other global data server provided by another computer platform included in said telecommunications network, the switch control means arranged to automatically switch incoming calls according to information comprising;

a set of preferences predefined by a user; and

real-time call destination statuses provided by a global data server on which information for the user is maintained taken from the group consisting of said of global data server and said at least one other global data server, wherein

the method comprises the steps of;

the user specifying user-defined weightings within the set of preferences;

the switch control means distributing incoming calls between said selected call destinations according to said user-defined weightings; and

the global data server maintaining a list of call-in-progress counts for each of a plurality of call destinations specified by a given user, said list of call-in-progress counts being globally accessible.