Telephony intelligence in a data packet network

• US 6,731,626 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1998
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• 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): Jung, Min
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Andy
• Application Number:
  US09/199,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352-356, 370/401, 370/389, 370/410, 370/400, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/219
• 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

A packet-data network is made intelligent in the sense of a connection-oriented, switched telephony (COST) network by enhancing one or more interconnected IP routers in the network with computer-telephony integration (CTI) processors executing CTI applications. No-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses are assigned and sponsored by various enterprises, who may also maintain call centers having at least one CTI-enhanced IP router connected to the network, and agent stations having IP telephones connected to the call-center-located IP router. With appropriate software and the CTI link to IP routers the performance of well-known conventional telephone systems may be provided in packet networks like the Internet.

Claims

1. An intelligent data-network telephony (DNT) packet-data network, comprising:

wherein the application executing on the CTI server provide a Service Control Point (SCP) preprocessing and further routing of incoming DNT calls at the first IP Router;

a first Internet protocol (IP) Router node connected to and within the packet-data network for receiving and routing data-network telephony (DNT) calls to and through other IP nodes;

a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server connected to the first IP router by a dedicated data link enabling monitoring of transactions at the IP Router node and control of IP Router node functions;

telephony applications executing on the CTI Server; and

a DNT-capable Interactive Voice response (IVR) unit connected to the first IP Router;

wherein the SCP connects the callers on the incoming DNT calls to the IVR, which elicits information from the callers, and the SCP uses the elicited information to further route the calls.

2. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 further comprising a protocol-translating bridge connected on the intelligent DNT network and to a dedicated-connection telephony network, wherein calls after IVR processing, based on the elicited information, are routed over the bridge and into the dedicated-connection network.

3. The intelligent DNT network of claim 1 wherein the DNT network is the Internet.

4. The intelligent DNT network of claim 3 wherein the dedicated-connection network is a publicly-switched telephony network (PSTN).

5. An intelligent data-network telephony (DNT) packet-data network, comprising:

a first Internet protocol (IP) Router connected to the packet-data network for receiving and routing data-network telephony (DNT) calls;

a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server connected to the first IP router by a dedicated data link enabling monitoring of transactions at the IP Router and manipulation of IP Router functions;

telephony applications executing on the CTI Server; and

at least one call center implemented at a customer premise, the call center comprising a second IP router enhanced by a CTI processor, the second IP router connected to the DNT network and to plural agent stations each having an IP-capable telephone coupled to the second IP router;

wherein the executing applications provide a Service Control Point (SCP) for preprocessing and further routing of the incoming DNT calls at the first IP Router and wherein a call routed by the SCP to the second IP router may be further routed by action of the CTI processor to an agent at a selected one of the agent stations.

6. The intelligent DNT network of claim 5 wherein the IP-capable telephones are implemented on computer stations having video display units (PC/VDUs) at the agent stations, and wherein the PC/VDUs are coupled to the second IP router and to the CTI processor by a local area network (LAN).

7. A method for transforming a packet data network having interconnected Internet protocol (IP) router nodes for receiving and routing data-network telephony (DNT) calls, into an intelligent data network telephony network, comprising steps of:

(a) enhancing individual ones of the IP router nodes in the network by connecting a computer-telephony integration (CTI) server to one or more of the IP router nodes; and

(b) using the CTI servers to monitor activities at the connected IP router nodes, including DNT calls received;

(c) commanding functions of the connected IP router nodes by the CTI servers, including routing of DNT calls received by the enhanced IP routers, based on the activities monitored; and

assigning IP addresses for one or more enhanced IP routers as no-charge-to-calling-party destinations, and rerouting calls by the CTI processor based upon association of the no-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses with IP addresses of enterprises sponsoring the no-charge-to-calling-party IP addresses.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein one or more enterprises each maintain a call center comprising a CTI-enhanced IP router connected to IP-capable telephones at agent stations, and comprising a step for further routing a call routed to one of the call centers to an IP-capable telephone at the agent station.